Update Jul. 28, 2006
Clients’ money removed instead of hair
THE ISSUE
Ronda Scheil’s son paid nearly $1,400 to Charlotte Laser Center near Ballantyne for a series of hair-removal treatments, but the center suddenly closed this month after he’d made only one visit. Scheil said she got bounced between two owners, who blamed each other for things going wrong. “My son delivered a lot of pizzas for this money,” she said. Another laser business that specialized in hair removal, Bella Voi in Carolina Place Mall, unexpectedly closed last month with a number of customers out money.
WE INVESTIGATE
Both Charlotte Laser Center and Bella Voi have racked up complaints with the Better Business Bureau and N.C. attorney general’s office since closing – about 85 between the two this month.
Charlotte Laser Center is going through foreclosure, and customers have little chance of getting their money back, said Chuck Lewis, attorney for one-time center owner Gary Hamilton, who’s owed money from the sale of the business last year. “You’re dealing with a corporation that … has no assets to pay (customers),” Lewis said. The owners at the time the center closed, Mark Ellis and Barry Lubitz, did not return calls and e-mails.
Bella Voi owner Rick Bagley said he closed the Pineville center he bought in January because it was losing money from mall construction. Bagley suggested customers request charge-backs on their credit card bills for unfulfilled services, though he declined to say how he would repay the card companies.
IF THIS HAPPENS TO YOU
You can try a credit card charge-back, but don’t expect a refund if the card company can’t get its money back from the center.
Avoid making lump-sum payments for multiple treatments (or for any service that lasts over a period of months). Ask about a payment plan, BBB President Tom Bartholomy said. Unlike gyms, laser hair-removal centers are not required under state laws to put up a bond to repay customers if they close.
So you know: The Carolinas require that laser hair-removal clients receive an examination from a state-licensed doctor, physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner before any procedure. Anyone can use the lasers to remove hair if they are properly trained and supervised by a licensed doctor. In North Carolina, the doctor does not need to be on site – just “readily available” in case of an emergency. South Carolina requires a doctor in the office. – andrew Shain
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/15141601.htm