ComplaintsforIconic LA

• Initial Complaint

  10/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  ***** and her husband (who claims to be a license medical member, that medical board doesn't have record of), opened this facility. When I spoke to *****, their company claims they can burn off fat cells. My son and I met her wherein she talked both of us into paying for 12 sessions (6 for each of us). She said we would start seeing results within a week. Each time we came in (different times), she would reassure us that "next time we'd see results", etc. The 2nd session I told her I would have hoped to see results and she said I would on the next visit, she got really defensive with me stating I needed to drink more water and that she told me it would take 10 sessions, for which I reminded her she told me over the phone originally it might be 3-4 sessions, then changed to 6 once she saw me and she continued to change her story to both my son and I. Our chief complaint was that we didn't notice any changes and in fact both of us were gaining weight. I asked numerous times to see the pictures of myself and she refused, but showed me my son's photo which DID NOT LOOK LIKE HIM, and even my son said it looked like she had photoshopped it. I would agree, he certainly did not look like the photo she presented. When I came in for the 3rd visit, she said I looked bloated after she had told me on the 2nd visit to increase my calorie intake from 500 to 1000 calories. She told me she would refund if I wasn't happy but to not give up, I would see changes starting on my 3rd visit. The next 2 visits she would try to upsale more sessions claiming some took longer than others to see results, but after the 5th session I reached out and asked for refunds she had originally promised, instead she waited a week to respond I would get no refunds, that due to the discounted "packages", nothing would be due. I informed her I would start making complaints to various agencies and now she has ignored me completely.

  Business response

  11/16/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/19) */ Dear BBB: My apologies for the delayed response as I just received this notice. I'm very sorry to read this dispute, the vast majority of my patients are more than satisfied with their experience. Per our attorney, due to HIPAA Privacy regulations, I cannot speak directly to their experience. I'm sorry to read these comments and claims, but I do feel this review is an inaccurate representation of my medspa. While the clinic does empathize with patient conditions, the clinic has implemented a specific refund policy which is presented to the customer, when the customer purchases a pre-paid package. The business' refund policy and policy in regard to results are also explicitly stated on the booking webpage when patients confirm and book their appointment as follows "ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: I have been informed and understand that those procedures are not an exact science and no guarantees can be made concerning the results; therefore, there will be NO refunds for any treatments received; all transactions are final. All pre-paid packages are non-refundable." Our Refund policy is also clearly stated on our business website and at our clinic. (Please visit Iconic-la.com) All patients sign consent form/waivers/acknowledgements during their visit here at the clinic prior to treatment. All documents have and are cleared by our attorneys. As discussed with all of our patients, results from treatment may vary per individual as everyone's anatomy is different. Results are not always instantaneous and can take up to 90 days for your body to respond. To address the issue of photoshop. We do not photoshop our photos at our clinic. It would not make sense that we just photoshopped her son's photo, but not hers. Our medical director, ******************** is a licensed physician in the state of California. We invite you to verify his credentials. Feel free to contact us with additional concerns, we are more than happy to cooperate, as long as it does not violate HIPAA laws. Thank you. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/10/25) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) She told me as a courtesy, she would refund me the remaining unused procedures and when I asked for it, she took a week to come up with a lame excuse why she would not refund. As previously mentioned, I did not appreciate her video recording the procedures for both my son and I and she got irritated with me I didn't want to remove my shirt so she could take pictures that she never shared with me. I felt violated with every visit and also stated, she can review her recorded video to confirm she did in fact state she would refund me. She's a liar and a thief and I just want this documented when you start getting more complaints. She is not a woman of her word, she did in fact state I would get a refund for the remaining 3 unused visits which would cone to $1200, now all of a sudden she plays stupid!

• Initial Complaint

  09/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  I found Iconic LA ************ as an ad. I asked for more info and received a consultation with treatment for $150. After my first session, (8/4/2022) *************** (owner, also the one who did the treatment), says that if I buy a package of 12 sessions for $3000 which is $250/session, my first session would only be $50. She said 2 sessions/week is ideal. I agreed and she said to pay her through ***** and send it to her ******** ***** account, which I did. My 2nd session 8/10/22, 3rd session, 8/23/22 and she claims i have an option to upgrade to a better machine which would only require 1 session/week for best results but the price is much more expensive at $350/session. I agreed and my 4th session (2nd with the new machine) was on 9/2/22. She emailed me an updated receipt 8 sessions with the new machine. She asked me if I wanted to do my back side on my next 4 future appointments for an additional $1700 which is $425/session. She encouraged me to do payment plan with interest. I refused and told her I would let her know on my next appointment. I canceled my next appointment the day before (9/6/22), and asked for a refund. ****** refused to refund me the remaining sessions that I didn't use. She said I could use it later on. I told her I'm not comfortable going back to her business for treatment. She said she can only give me $350 and said she's being nice about it because she claims its against ********** law for her to refund me anything. I was only asking her for $1400 thinking that's all she owes me but she said she can't refund me anything and stopped to respond to my messages after I insisted on getting a refund. I went through my email and did the math, it turns out, she owes me $2050. I need help to get my money back. All my appointments were scheduled for 1hr session each as indicated on my appointment confirmation but she admitted that the whole treatment is only 20 minutes. I felt scammed.

  Business response

  11/02/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/10/03) */ Dear ***: My apologies as I just received this notice. I'm very sorry to read this dispute, the vast majority of my patients are more than satisfied with their experience. Per our attorney, due to HIPAA Privacy regulations, I cannot speak directly to their experience. While the clinic does empathize with patient conditions, the clinic has implemented a specific refund policy which is presented to the customer, when the customer purchases a pre-paid package. The business' refund policy is also explicitly stated on the booking webpage when patients confirm and book their appointment as follows "ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: I have been informed and understand that those procedures are not an exact science and no guarantees can be made concerning the results; therefore, there will be NO refunds for any treatments received; all transactions are final. All pre-paid packages are non-refundable." Our Refund policy is also clearly stated on our business website and at our clinic. (Please visit *************) All patients sign consent form/waivers/acknowledgements during their visit here at the clinic prior to treatment. All documents have and are cleared by our attorneys. To address the issue with length of time during appointments. Because we are a doctor's office, if appointments are scheduled for the full hour, depending on the service, this is to dedicate and allocate enough time for check in, procedure setup as well as checkout for the patient...but the procedure or treatment time itself will vary depending on: service provided, patient anatomy, area of body being treatment, or # of areas or the body being treated. Feel free to contact us with additional concerns, we are more than happy to cooperate, as long as it does not violate HIPAA laws. Thank you. Business Response /* (-10, 9, 2022/10/03) */ Business supplied email: info@iconic-la.com Use this address for this or any future complaints, but nothing else Consumer Response /* (3000, 11, 2022/10/09) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) No "refund policy" was ever disclosed to me by the owner, ***************. It was not discussed in any of my visits with her, I did not sign any document regarding a refund policy, she did not mention anything about it prior to me paying the package she told me about after the initial treatment I had with her. I paid her in cash through ***** per her instructions, I somehow felt forced to pay for the whole package via ***** under her husband's account on *****. I thought that was very unprofessional at the time but went along with it thinking I would get my money's worth. She did not give me a receipt until AFTER I asked for it and sent me an "invoice" which I attached to my original complaint. The medical director is also her husband which I found out online but not through her. ************************************************************************************************* She was not very forthcoming about her business and I highly doubt that she has more than 5 clients at the time that I have been a client. At my last treatment, she again wanted to change the course of the treatment by incorporating treatment to other areas of my body for an additional fee but for only an additional 10 minutes on top of my current treatment plan for an additional $350/visit to be paid in cash as a package. When I told her that I had to think about it, she showed me that I can use ****** to finance the treatment with low interest. She tried to convince me to buy the package. I am not comfortable with her tactics and I'm not seeing visible results from the previous treatment. She said "you can't be cheap with your body". She kept on saying "I'm giving you a discount", it was then that I felt scammed, unsafe and mistreated. She made me feel uncomfortable, she has no concern whatsoever of the outcome of the treatments. She didn't took pictures of the after treatment the last time I was there, she doesn't show me the measurements when she takes them. The treatment "package" she said I paid for was for once a week treatment session but I can only make appointments in the morning, I tried to book an appointment after work because my shift ends at 5pm, she said she's not open after 5pm and no weekends. Her clinic is actually her home and the building is actually a residential building marketed as a "*********************". There was a lot of situations wherein I question the validity of her business. I asked for a copy of the waiver and the said contract indicating a "refund policy" she claims she discussed with me but she never sent me one. After I asked for a refund, she stopped communicating with me. That is not the business I would like to continue having business with. The first session after the initial consultation with treatment, I felt being zapped with electricity and voiced out my concern, she said its normal and that "pain is beauty". The following session, she placed a sticker on my back without any explanation and I didn't feel zapped anymore. Later on, I realized, this is a way to "ground" the electricity so you don't feel it. I checked out other establishments with the same treatments and noted the sticker being placed on the clients body. These small details should have been disclosed to me, I shouldn't have to find out about this. I don't know if she is aware or even certified to do these treatments. I did not see any certification on her wall or if she is even licensed to operate. I should feel safe but instead I felt scammed. She even answered a call in the middle of a treatment. I never had that kind of experience as a consumer. I felt the need to reach out to ********************** about my concerns. It's not just about the money anymore, its the safety of oneself. Those micro electric current should be disclosed prior to treatments and it should be handled by a professional. Had I have a pre-existing************** condition, it could have had serious effects on my wellbeing since she is not well equipped to handle it. Why she didn't use those stickers the first time could be an honest mistake but its a mistake nonetheless. As far as the refund policy she is talking about, it is posted on the website as "return policy" under FAQ section. This was not disclosed nor discussed to me prior to buying the "package". I paid $3050 in cash for 12 sessions (2x/week), she changed it to 8 sessions (once a week treatments) then wanted to collect more money from me by adding additional treatments for about 10 minutes additional time on the sessions. That doesn't sound like its a good deal and I'm not seeing results. I felt scammed so I stopped. I want a refund of the services that I didn't get. I'm not asking for a full refund. As a consumer, I should get my moneys worth but I didn't and I'm asking for a partial refund which I think is fair. She kept on insisting that they don't offer refunds and will stick to that policy. Results are not guaranteed, I completely understand that but as a consumer, services are guaranteed but its not so I'm asking for a refund. I would not recommend this business to anyone and I will not wish my experiences with this business with anyone. She is all about the money, no concern for other people's well being. The website boasts of "a physician-owned upscale non-invasive medspa specializing in face and body contouring". The physician ************** who is a cardiologist not specializing in cosmetology or aesthetics. Clients like me are being misled. She is not being upfront about the services offered, an hour of treatment is not an hour. An hour of treatment should not include me undressing, taking before and after pictures. 25 minutes of non-invasive body contouring shouldn't cost $400 (she claims her price is $650/session for using that machine). The costs of services were not clearly discussed to me, costs of services are not posted on the website. I honestly believe I am scammed and I would like to get a refund. I wouldn't want this experience to be another person's nightmare. And cancellation policy as posted on the website is 24 hours. When I cancelled my last appointment the day before my session, she said she requires 48 hours. I have attempted to resolve this issue myself but she stopped communicating. Very unprofessional, misleading, dishonest and unsafe business.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩