BriteSmile Spa Scam

NegrilLB · April 8, 2010

Hi Everyone, I just wanted to post my experience with BriteSmile Spa so that it doesn't happen to any other brides planning to whiten their teeth before the wedding.

Back in January I made a teeth-whitening appointment with Brite Smile spa in Atlanta. They were running a special at the time for $299, and when I called them and told them I was getting it done for my wedding, they said I could get it done for both me and my FI for $399 total. The only catch was I had to pay in advance to get this deal. This made me a little uncomfortable, but the spa was located in a mall just 5 minutes from my house and had been there as long as I've lived in Atlanta. Also this was a very well-known chain, so I went ahead with the pre-payment.

Our appointment was last Saturday, and that morning I got a phone call from a Private number. The person said our appt. was cancelled and that someone would call us back to reschedule. She was pretty abrupt and rude about it, and didn't offer any further explanation. When I didn't hear from anyone after a while, I called the location directly, and got a busy tone. That went on for a couple hours so I decided to just go in person. When I got there I found that the place was completely closed down! I was furious and tried calling the other location...same busy tone, and when I called that mall they told me it had been closed for the last few months.

Luckily when I called my credit card company they were very helpful and credited my account for the full amount while they do an investigation. But since I'm so close to my wedding (in a week and a half), I don't have enough time to research other professional whitening options and get an appointment. I ended up getting "Go Smile" from Sephora to do at home, so hopefully I will get some decent results from that.

After some research I found out that the BriteSmile spas are actually not affiliated at all with BriteSmile whitening, even though their logos are exactly the same. With BriteSmile whitening, you go to a professional dentist for them to do the procedure. When I called them they didn't mention anything about pre-paying for services, but they did say that they were involved in a law suit with BriteSmile spas so that they can't use that name or logo anymore. They also said they've been receiving a lot of calls in the last few weeks from people in my similar situation, who thought they were the same company.

I hope this helps someone looking for teeth whitening for their wedding!

DWbridetobe · April 8, 2010

Aww, that SUCKS! It's horrible that companies repeatedly rip off brides. This is supposed to be one of the happiest times in our lives, and greedy assholes seem to think it's a great time to rip us off! I wholeheartedly believe in the saying that Karma always has a way of coming around.

I, however, have had great results with Go Smile from Sephora. I used the whole kit, and still use the on-the-go touch-ups. Good luck!

NegrilLB · April 8, 2010

I'm so glad to hear that about Go Smile, thanks!

Jen_S · April 8, 2010

That is horrible I saw it on the News the other night they all closed in NY also, boo for bad business!!!

MDLady · April 8, 2010

I've seen those places in the mall and was just so weary about letting them mess with my teeth. I actually went to my dentist and had custom trays made as well as prescription whitening gel. I only started using it recently but it is working already and I don't have to worry about being scammed. The whole thing was probably $500 or so, mostly due to the cost of making custom trays. It is scary how some places are able to run a "business" when they are scammers and are not qualified for the job!