After a few weeks the fit of my aligners got progressively worse. I hoped that they would improve, if I used each one a little longer but that didn't help. Then Smile Direct Club told me they were pulling out of my country, which certainly caused me concern. How would I get support?
They assured me that support would remain unchanged. However, when I told them about the poor fit of my aligners and sent photographs, they took weeks to get in contact with me. I had planned to go overseas as soon as my 22 week programme ended and I told them that I was concerned about the delay, getting assessed for new aligners.
I didn't want to wait 4 months to get back home from my trip. They said that I could transfer countries, so I said that I would contact them from Europe. Guess what? They don't operate in Europe! They operate as far away as New Zealand (NZ) but they won't even send me a package to Europe (EU), so I can get my new aligners right.
They will send me a package all the way to NZ but not to the EU. In fact, they say they sent me one already but it has never arrived. They will not even accept responsibility for telling me that I could transfer my account to another country, even though I replied to the email that states "we can change the country of your account just once per account".
That sounds great, because I just want to transfer the country once. However, they won't even give me a country I can travel to, so I can pick up a package or get a consultation. The call centre staff will not even transfer my messages to any managers to resolve this situation.
All I want is my packages sent to a different address, that is way closer to the USA than NZ. It doesn't seem like rocket science to me to put a different label on a package. I think FedEx goes everywhere...
So, I cannot recommend Smile Direct Club to you. I've been trying to get a manager to contact me for several weeks but the call centre just keep fobbing me off. It has been the most frustrating business contact I have had since I was defrauded of a large investment.
They also kept fobbing me off, until I realised they had stolen my investment. I'm happy to share the email correspondence with anone who is thinking of using this company. You should know what you're getting yourselves into before you sign up. I wish I had known about the terrible customer service.
I have been offered a partial refund for a teeth alignment service that completely did not work as advertised. A partial refund is absolutely unacceptable and I will NOT accept a partial refunds. I spoke with account manager Paige today regarding this matter. See the details of my claim below. While I understand there is a refund policy in place, this policy is invalidated on terms of consumer fraud, deception, and poor service provided.
Paige states this is a product, however, this is more than just a product: it is a service. The service provided did not meet expectations and your policy states that I may get touchups to fix parts of my smile that were not entirely addressed in accuracy to the predicted smile 3D image. According to their policy, it also states that if the doctor determines clear aligners are not a fit for me, the entire process will be refunded and treatment no longer continued.
This aligner treatment through Smile Direct Club is NOT a fit for me, and I question the medical opinion of the doctor, Beth Rosenberg, on my qualification for treatment from the beginning. I have NEVER been able to contact Dr. Rosenberg at anytime in the process, despite their policy stating that the orthodontist will continue to monitor and be with me throughout the entire process.
When attempting to find this doctor online, I an unable to located her national provider identifier as well as find her in the board for dentistry, despite them stating that I can. This should have been easily accessible information from the beginning as proof of accreditation for this process, which would otherwise be considered illegal without a proper dental degree. There have been several class action law suites against Smile Direct Club and its borderline illegal practices in regards to the service provided that are deemed by board-certified dentists and board members as “unsafe practice.”
This service is and was not only unsafe for me, but also medically unethical. It is even furthermore unethical that they failed to make any attempt to offer me a higher refund that the amount quoted of $830, despite my frustration on grounds of consumer fraud. I have been with Smile Direct Club since March of 2021.
I have gone through 6 refinement treatments and 17 months of treatment despite being quoted 3-4 months total. Still, I am stuck with the same teeth I had at the end of initial treatment with absolutely no improvement and my teeth do not look remotely like the 3D image of my smile originally rendered. Paige states that there is “some improvement,” however, this does account for the additional 11 months spent on treatment where my smile has remained UNCHANGED.
They state that the refund policy is valid only for 30 days, however, this is consumer deception and fraud as what happens, in my case, if 18 months alter, the service rendered is still not what was promised? Throughout the whole process, it has been extremely difficult to get a response from the team, the priority service team, and customer service. If this had been taken care of sooner, such as back in early February 2022 when I initially expressed concern, I would NOT have paid an additional three months while waiting for them to finally get back to me.
Through this extreme delay in failure to address my concerns in a timely matter, Healthcare Finance Direct has continued to take money from debit account while I remain in traumatic pain and unfair payment for services that weren't provided.
I scheduled appointment with Smile Direct Club (SDC) through their website. During the booking, the website require credit card information in case I were to not show.
I went to the appointment and had images of my teeth made. There, I was told I should receive a 3D custom plan for me to review in three days.
Six days later -
While still waiting to receive my 3D custom plan, SDC sent me a "Retail Installment Credit Sale Contract" with my name and initials forged.
From there, I reviewed at my credit card account and saw that SDC went ahead and charged my credit card $250. I contacted my credit card company, who then contacted SDC with me on the line.
The SDC rep on the line tried to make it look like that I signed the document when I met with another rep at a SDC location UNTIL I pointed out the signature's date, which was four days before my appointment with the rep at the SDC location.
Silence
I was then put on hold. Afterwards, SDC rep on the phone returned on the line and said that the charge will be refunded.
After the phone call, I still was concerned that someone forged my name and initials on a financial agreement, and pissed that the SDC's rep on the phone attempted to pass the blame onto me. So, I contacted BBB to file a complaint as to what happened.
Another SDC rep, let's call "Rudy" (i.e not this rep's actual name) responded to the BBB complaint with the following:
"Your signature on the Healthcare Finance Direct ("HFD") contract was not forged. On... [the day when the appointment was booked], you or someone on your behalf, placed order number... using SmileDirectClub's online application system. In so doing, you affirmatively consented to HFD terms by checking on the "I agree to SmileDirectClub's Informed Consent, Terms, and SmilePay Conditions." SDC's application software prohibits the user from proceeding and completing the application process without electronically consenting to the terms. The Informed Consent, the Terms, and the SmilePay Conditions were each available to you at the click of the hot link prior to clicking her agreement. Your failure to read the terms does not negate your signature nor your acceptance of the terms.
Your electronic authorization is governed by 15 U.S.C. 1701, et. Seq. ("E-Sign"). E-Sign authorizes transactions to be conducted by electronic means and allows signatures to be created, generated, sent, communicated, received, stored or otherwise processed or used by electronic means or in electronic form. As you likely know, under federal and state law, electronic signatures are granted legal effect.
While you signed up for your payment plan on... [the day of the appointment four days later], your agreement to the terms mention above was on... [the day when the appointment was booked].
I apologize for the discrepancy in the date, but your signature was not forged."
Me, responding on BBB online complaint form: "The signature is a forged. I did not sign the contract, nor did I give permission for someone to do so on my behalf. (Neither online - the HFD agreement was not shown when I signed up for an appointment to DISCUSS the product, nor in person on [the day when the appointment was booked] - please note that [the day when the appointment was booked] was a Sunday and that the... [SDC location I went to] was closed on that day).
As noted by the business' response, I met with a SDC rep on... [the day of the appointment] to discuss their service. My credit card information was provided in the event I was a no-show for... [the day of the appointment] per SDC website - NOT for a HFD contract.
There was no product/service for me to sign a HFD contract by [the day when I made the appointment]. Even as of this morning [6 days later after the appointment], when I found out about the HFD contract and the charge to my credit card account, SDC had yet to send me a 3D custom plan for me to even agree to a HFD contract."
Afterwards, I uploaded the HFD contract onto the BBB's online complaint response form, showing that my name and initials were not just printed but written out in way that I do not sign my name.
I also uploaded a copy of the web page where SDC asks for credit card information with the following statement: "Your appointment is FREE. However, due to demand, we do keep a credit card on file. If you miss your appointment and don't reschedule, you may be charged a $25 fee." There is no mention of a HFD contract.
No response from Rudy yet.
Needless to say, I am not going with SDC.
I do not recommend SDC.
I advise anyone who is dealing with SDC to check their email and mail, and review any document that SDC or their affiliates send you.
Due to my severe back pain, i could not travel back and forth to a Dentist for braces, so when i heard about Smile Direct that could supply alingers to straiten my two lower teeth without leaving home, i was excited and started the program, i paid for the clay impression sent to my home, then recieved and started using the new alingers, while paying $96 a month, i followed their instruction to a T, and after 8 months of alingners, and the final set , nothing happened, So i informed them that the alingers did not work, their response now was that i should send them 10 pictures of the inside of my mouth, 5 with alingers and 5 without. But as the alingers were to be discared after use, and the set for the 8th month were finished and discared, their were no alingers left, so i sent various photos of my teeth from all angles, showing that the two incisors on the bottem, were indeed blocked by the two teeth in front , thus the alingers could not push the out of alined incisors foward. [continued below]....
Great, easy, affordable braces. You do your own impressions at home, your aligners come in the mail. I spoke with my insurance company in February 2017 to make sure that this type of orthdontia was covered in my plan, and it was.
I paid in full up front, expecting to be reimbursed 50% by my insurance company. Smile Direct Club refuses to provide the necessary information on the ADA Dental Claim form and my insuracne company cannot verify that they are legitimate. I have been back and forth between Smile Direct Club and my insurance company for months and I keep getting the same story. The insurance company does not need this information, because insurance is not paying them directly. The insurance company simply cannot determine whether they are a legitimate operation, actully licensed to perform the service they are.
Every time I receive a new ADA Dental Claim form from Smile Direct Club, Dr Benjamin Burris has a different address, one in Nashville, one in Fayetteville AR, and my insurance company tells me that Dr. Burris is licensed in MO. The fact that the company refuses to provide me the information I need for my insurance company tells me only one thing - that they are not running a legitimate business, and are not licensed to perform this service. The aligners are still much more affordable than seeing a doctor every 2 weeks for your next aligner tray, but don't have any expectations that they're a legitimate ortho provider.
I first started this service 5 months before my wedding... I was so excited to straighten out my two front teeth! All of my other teeth were perfect. Over my first few months I didn't really notice any improvement but was keeping an open mind. A little further into the service I noticed they were moving teeth that were straight (that are now totally misplaced). I went through my whole set and followed instructions to a T! But those TWO teeth that I was concerned about day one and communicated to them were unchanged! So I emailed multiple times, waiting a week between congacting them again. Finally I wrote a negative review online and the "VP" of the company contacted me. They sent me new impressions and 5 new aligners. Well those two front teeth are still not straight! So I contacted them. They offer to charge me for a new impression kit to fix the teeth that they never straightened, plus the two that they messed up! It's been a horrible horrible experience. I just wanted my money back. I asked and never heard anything about a refund, despite their advertising that says if you are unhappy get your money back. I gave them adequate time and I don't know what else to do.
SmileDirectClub Reviews
After a few weeks the fit of my aligners got progressively worse. I hoped that they would improve, if I used each one a little longer but that didn't help. Then Smile Direct Club told me they were pulling out of my country, which certainly caused me concern. How would I get support?
They assured me that support would remain unchanged. However, when I told them about the poor fit of my aligners and sent photographs, they took weeks to get in contact with me. I had planned to go overseas as soon as my 22 week programme ended and I told them that I was concerned about the delay, getting assessed for new aligners.
I didn't want to wait 4 months to get back home from my trip. They said that I could transfer countries, so I said that I would contact them from Europe. Guess what? They don't operate in Europe! They operate as far away as New Zealand (NZ) but they won't even send me a package to Europe (EU), so I can get my new aligners right.
They will send me a package all the way to NZ but not to the EU. In fact, they say they sent me one already but it has never arrived. They will not even accept responsibility for telling me that I could transfer my account to another country, even though I replied to the email that states "we can change the country of your account just once per account".
That sounds great, because I just want to transfer the country once. However, they won't even give me a country I can travel to, so I can pick up a package or get a consultation. The call centre staff will not even transfer my messages to any managers to resolve this situation.
All I want is my packages sent to a different address, that is way closer to the USA than NZ. It doesn't seem like rocket science to me to put a different label on a package. I think FedEx goes everywhere...
So, I cannot recommend Smile Direct Club to you. I've been trying to get a manager to contact me for several weeks but the call centre just keep fobbing me off. It has been the most frustrating business contact I have had since I was defrauded of a large investment.
They also kept fobbing me off, until I realised they had stolen my investment. I'm happy to share the email correspondence with anone who is thinking of using this company. You should know what you're getting yourselves into before you sign up. I wish I had known about the terrible customer service.
I have been offered a partial refund for a teeth alignment service that completely did not work as advertised. A partial refund is absolutely unacceptable and I will NOT accept a partial refunds. I spoke with account manager Paige today regarding this matter. See the details of my claim below. While I understand there is a refund policy in place, this policy is invalidated on terms of consumer fraud, deception, and poor service provided.
Paige states this is a product, however, this is more than just a product: it is a service. The service provided did not meet expectations and your policy states that I may get touchups to fix parts of my smile that were not entirely addressed in accuracy to the predicted smile 3D image. According to their policy, it also states that if the doctor determines clear aligners are not a fit for me, the entire process will be refunded and treatment no longer continued.
This aligner treatment through Smile Direct Club is NOT a fit for me, and I question the medical opinion of the doctor, Beth Rosenberg, on my qualification for treatment from the beginning. I have NEVER been able to contact Dr. Rosenberg at anytime in the process, despite their policy stating that the orthodontist will continue to monitor and be with me throughout the entire process.
When attempting to find this doctor online, I an unable to located her national provider identifier as well as find her in the board for dentistry, despite them stating that I can. This should have been easily accessible information from the beginning as proof of accreditation for this process, which would otherwise be considered illegal without a proper dental degree. There have been several class action law suites against Smile Direct Club and its borderline illegal practices in regards to the service provided that are deemed by board-certified dentists and board members as “unsafe practice.”
This service is and was not only unsafe for me, but also medically unethical. It is even furthermore unethical that they failed to make any attempt to offer me a higher refund that the amount quoted of $830, despite my frustration on grounds of consumer fraud. I have been with Smile Direct Club since March of 2021.
I have gone through 6 refinement treatments and 17 months of treatment despite being quoted 3-4 months total. Still, I am stuck with the same teeth I had at the end of initial treatment with absolutely no improvement and my teeth do not look remotely like the 3D image of my smile originally rendered. Paige states that there is “some improvement,” however, this does account for the additional 11 months spent on treatment where my smile has remained UNCHANGED.
They state that the refund policy is valid only for 30 days, however, this is consumer deception and fraud as what happens, in my case, if 18 months alter, the service rendered is still not what was promised? Throughout the whole process, it has been extremely difficult to get a response from the team, the priority service team, and customer service. If this had been taken care of sooner, such as back in early February 2022 when I initially expressed concern, I would NOT have paid an additional three months while waiting for them to finally get back to me.
Through this extreme delay in failure to address my concerns in a timely matter, Healthcare Finance Direct has continued to take money from debit account while I remain in traumatic pain and unfair payment for services that weren't provided.
I scheduled appointment with Smile Direct Club (SDC) through their website. During the booking, the website require credit card information in case I were to not show.
I went to the appointment and had images of my teeth made. There, I was told I should receive a 3D custom plan for me to review in three days.
Six days later -
While still waiting to receive my 3D custom plan, SDC sent me a "Retail Installment Credit Sale Contract" with my name and initials forged.
From there, I reviewed at my credit card account and saw that SDC went ahead and charged my credit card $250. I contacted my credit card company, who then contacted SDC with me on the line.
The SDC rep on the line tried to make it look like that I signed the document when I met with another rep at a SDC location UNTIL I pointed out the signature's date, which was four days before my appointment with the rep at the SDC location.
Silence
I was then put on hold. Afterwards, SDC rep on the phone returned on the line and said that the charge will be refunded.
After the phone call, I still was concerned that someone forged my name and initials on a financial agreement, and pissed that the SDC's rep on the phone attempted to pass the blame onto me. So, I contacted BBB to file a complaint as to what happened.
Another SDC rep, let's call "Rudy" (i.e not this rep's actual name) responded to the BBB complaint with the following:
"Your signature on the Healthcare Finance Direct ("HFD") contract was not forged. On... [the day when the appointment was booked], you or someone on your behalf, placed order number... using SmileDirectClub's online application system. In so doing, you affirmatively consented to HFD terms by checking on the "I agree to SmileDirectClub's Informed Consent, Terms, and SmilePay Conditions." SDC's application software prohibits the user from proceeding and completing the application process without electronically consenting to the terms. The Informed Consent, the Terms, and the SmilePay Conditions were each available to you at the click of the hot link prior to clicking her agreement. Your failure to read the terms does not negate your signature nor your acceptance of the terms.
Your electronic authorization is governed by 15 U.S.C. 1701, et. Seq. ("E-Sign"). E-Sign authorizes transactions to be conducted by electronic means and allows signatures to be created, generated, sent, communicated, received, stored or otherwise processed or used by electronic means or in electronic form. As you likely know, under federal and state law, electronic signatures are granted legal effect.
While you signed up for your payment plan on... [the day of the appointment four days later], your agreement to the terms mention above was on... [the day when the appointment was booked].
I apologize for the discrepancy in the date, but your signature was not forged."
Me, responding on BBB online complaint form: "The signature is a forged. I did not sign the contract, nor did I give permission for someone to do so on my behalf. (Neither online - the HFD agreement was not shown when I signed up for an appointment to DISCUSS the product, nor in person on [the day when the appointment was booked] - please note that [the day when the appointment was booked] was a Sunday and that the... [SDC location I went to] was closed on that day).
As noted by the business' response, I met with a SDC rep on... [the day of the appointment] to discuss their service. My credit card information was provided in the event I was a no-show for... [the day of the appointment] per SDC website - NOT for a HFD contract.
There was no product/service for me to sign a HFD contract by [the day when I made the appointment]. Even as of this morning [6 days later after the appointment], when I found out about the HFD contract and the charge to my credit card account, SDC had yet to send me a 3D custom plan for me to even agree to a HFD contract."
Afterwards, I uploaded the HFD contract onto the BBB's online complaint response form, showing that my name and initials were not just printed but written out in way that I do not sign my name.
I also uploaded a copy of the web page where SDC asks for credit card information with the following statement: "Your appointment is FREE. However, due to demand, we do keep a credit card on file. If you miss your appointment and don't reschedule, you may be charged a $25 fee." There is no mention of a HFD contract.
No response from Rudy yet.
Needless to say, I am not going with SDC.
I do not recommend SDC.
I advise anyone who is dealing with SDC to check their email and mail, and review any document that SDC or their affiliates send you.
Due to my severe back pain, i could not travel back and forth to a Dentist for braces, so when i heard about Smile Direct that could supply alingers to straiten my two lower teeth without leaving home, i was excited and started the program, i paid for the clay impression sent to my home, then recieved and started using the new alingers, while paying $96 a month, i followed their instruction to a T, and after 8 months of alingners, and the final set , nothing happened, So i informed them that the alingers did not work, their response now was that i should send them 10 pictures of the inside of my mouth, 5 with alingers and 5 without. But as the alingers were to be discared after use, and the set for the 8th month were finished and discared, their were no alingers left, so i sent various photos of my teeth from all angles, showing that the two incisors on the bottem, were indeed blocked by the two teeth in front , thus the alingers could not push the out of alined incisors foward. [continued below]....
Great, easy, affordable braces. You do your own impressions at home, your aligners come in the mail. I spoke with my insurance company in February 2017 to make sure that this type of orthdontia was covered in my plan, and it was.
I paid in full up front, expecting to be reimbursed 50% by my insurance company. Smile Direct Club refuses to provide the necessary information on the ADA Dental Claim form and my insuracne company cannot verify that they are legitimate. I have been back and forth between Smile Direct Club and my insurance company for months and I keep getting the same story. The insurance company does not need this information, because insurance is not paying them directly. The insurance company simply cannot determine whether they are a legitimate operation, actully licensed to perform the service they are.
Every time I receive a new ADA Dental Claim form from Smile Direct Club, Dr Benjamin Burris has a different address, one in Nashville, one in Fayetteville AR, and my insurance company tells me that Dr. Burris is licensed in MO. The fact that the company refuses to provide me the information I need for my insurance company tells me only one thing - that they are not running a legitimate business, and are not licensed to perform this service. The aligners are still much more affordable than seeing a doctor every 2 weeks for your next aligner tray, but don't have any expectations that they're a legitimate ortho provider.
I first started this service 5 months before my wedding... I was so excited to straighten out my two front teeth! All of my other teeth were perfect. Over my first few months I didn't really notice any improvement but was keeping an open mind. A little further into the service I noticed they were moving teeth that were straight (that are now totally misplaced). I went through my whole set and followed instructions to a T! But those TWO teeth that I was concerned about day one and communicated to them were unchanged! So I emailed multiple times, waiting a week between congacting them again. Finally I wrote a negative review online and the "VP" of the company contacted me. They sent me new impressions and 5 new aligners. Well those two front teeth are still not straight! So I contacted them. They offer to charge me for a new impression kit to fix the teeth that they never straightened, plus the two that they messed up! It's been a horrible horrible experience. I just wanted my money back. I asked and never heard anything about a refund, despite their advertising that says if you are unhappy get your money back. I gave them adequate time and I don't know what else to do.