North Creek Medicine Inc., P.S.

The client/complainant purchased a special event pricing package for SculpSure non-invasive body contouring at our March 23, 2017 event. She made a $500 deposit to hold pricing on a package including 6 treatment areas treated twice 6 or more weeks apart, a total of 48 pacs. The total price for 48...

pacs at the event was $6500. The standard, non-event pricing for this is $1200 per treatment area treated one time, a total of 4 pacs. Outside of the event the total would be $14,400 for 48 pacs. Cynosure/SculpSure regulates the pricing and if we break contract with them we face financial penalty. She scheduled her first SculpSure non-invasive body contouring session on 4/5/17. She paid the remaining $6000 owed on the package that day, prior to treatment. Pictures were taken that day, prior to treatment, to use later when we do follow up pictures to monitor progress. Before having SculpSure treatments she filled out a medical questionnaire and signed an informed consent form including the possible side effects including bruising, soreness, and nodules. She was informed the treatment can be intense yet tolerable. There are repeating 30 second cycles of a cool bursts followed by building heat. It is a deep sensation of heat. The skin remains cool but the fat is heated to permanently destroy fat cells. She had two areas treated that day and with the client feedback she regulated the intensity of the treatment. Of the five settings SculpSure offers, she tolerated maximum settings in one area and mid-range settings in another area. She returned to North Creek Medicine & Aesthetics on 4/7/17 for two more treatments. She tolerated the lowest settings on the arms.  The other area treated that day were mid-range to high settings. She returned on 4/10/17 for her last treatments in the first round. She tolerated mid-range settings at flanks and high settings at upper abdomen. On all visits, she was a pleasure, conversational, and fun. We really liked her as a client. She did great through all three visits and multiple treatments. At no point during her SculpSure treatments did the patient ask to cease treatment nor did she display any sort of abnormal response to the treatment. On 6/3/17 she returned to North Creek Medicine for a microneedling treatment. She mentioned to the provider during her treatment visit she had bruising on her flanks after her last SculpSure treatment on 4/10/17 and her feedback about SculpSure was that it was painful. This was the first time she mentioned it. Another team member spoke with her again days later when she called for a refund. We spoke with the patient multiple times to try and show support and give her the best customer service possible. At this point in time the patient has refused to come in for follow up photos to assess her treatment outcome. It is the policy of our clinic to not offer refunds when treatments have already been used.   I would like to reiterate there were no complaints until months after the treatments were used. There is no way for us to offer a refund at this time.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: i do not believe the business portrayed an accurate response. I was mislead to believe the procedure was a simple lunch time procedure with no down time and minimal pain and quick results of 24% loss of body fat. During the procedures I repeatedly cried and screamed out in pain. It was not until during the procedure that I was told of "labor like pain" that was normal. I was also told that I would need to wait up to 12 weeks for results and reducing the pain setting would limit results.  I complained of the pain which became increasingly worse during the entirety of the 20 minute procedure, telling the person treating me " It felt like I was being seared with hot irons and I was worried my skin would be removed", "It felt like intense pain, worse that tattoo removal or kidney stones". I left and developed bruising. I took pictured of the bruising and showed pictures that I had no results from the treatment. I called dozens of times &  I went in directly to the office to meet with the manager and show her pictures and my lack of results after the 12 week waiting period.  The manager was horrified and said she had never heard of welts, bruising or extreme pain and would get back to me. I was told I would be refunded and a check would be mailed to me. I tried to talk to the doctor several times who has refused to meet with me because I filed this complaint. with you.
Sincerely,
[redacted]