Ideal Image has unfortunately routinely removed every negative review I’ve seen left for them. This is a cosmetic procedure franchise with locations all of the USA.
I received a laser hair removal treatment for a little over $2k. I signed a waver stating if the service fails, or causes any scarring, that they are not liable.
Well I fully believe they intentionally take on patients/clients regardless if they feel the patient is a good candidate or not for the sake of revenue, knowing the waiver prevents legal action or refunds. I did not find out until halfway into my treatment plan (about 18 total months) from a technician that my hair was most likely too fine for accurate results, and my brown skin too susceptible to scarring to avoid it. I wouldn’t have done laser removal then!
I tried contacting corporate customer service for months, only to be ignored every single time. They never offered any sort of remedy for my scarring, and to this day I still have hair.
I left a review stating that I felt concerned this process was similar to a scam and warning other people, as well as showing my before and after photos of the scarring. Not only was my review somehow removed within a day, but prior negative reviews I had seen had also been taken down. They must have reported them to Google?? I was blown away.
Please be careful. Stay safe! Don’t start a treatment like this if the practitioners don’t examine you beforehand to see if you’ll be a good candidate. I was knew to this and trusted the professionals.
A waiver does not remove any negligence on their part, they still have to do their due diligence or the waiver means jack shit.
Contact a lawyer and ask them if there’s a case, because they definitely are not doing their due diligence.
Does your local news station do investigative reports? You might contact them about it and see if they want to air your story or use it as a jumping off point to see how many other clients are having the same thing happen.
Honestly those waivers are more to convince customers that suing will be pointless, and to refuse refunds. The truth is if they had true negligence and you can prove damages then you probably can find a lawyer to take up your case.
If you have scaring and lost $2k, that is pretty obvious damages. You probably have a civil case, if you want to go that route.
I USE TO WORK HERE. THIS COMPANY IS A SCAM AND WILL SIGN ANYONE UP AND THEN YOU CANNOT GET THE TREATMENT DONE. I REMEMBER WE DIDNT PROCESS REFUNDS EITHER. FIND A NICE LITTLE MED SPA BUSINESS AND DO NOT GIVE THIS COMPANY THE TIME OF DAY!!!
Thank you for this. I was actually considering them because I don’t know of any places around me that does the process.
Brown skin can absolutely tolerate laser, the preferred model is the YAG which uses longer wavelengths than the Alexandrite (original) model for lighter skins. Any potential risk of scarring comes from external pigmentation to the skin, mainly caused by sun exposure or fake tan (or even dye), and this risk is compounded if you have sensitive or fragile skin such as if you are taking Accutane, have recently had deep exfoliation, taking particular supplements etc.
Also, as long as your hair isn’t blonde or white, the thickness is not a barrier to effectiveness. You will see more dramatic results with thicker hair, but fine hair will also respond.
I read some god awful reviews about them on another website… yeah psa definitely avoid
Just wanted to add that their “lifetime hair removal” or whatever is not for a lifetime. You get reduced rates for a lifetime, but if you don’t use your prepaid treatments within a year you have to pay. I paid for 9 treatments and a lifetime warranty and went for my 7th treatment and they told me I would have a $70 copay. I paid almost $5,000 and they never mentioned any time limit. I was so far behind on treatments I had no idea
My two cents: unless you live in an area where they are the ONLY laser place available, chances are you can find a cheaper package by searching Groupon or Google. I went for an Ideal Image consultation maybe 10 years ago at this point and they gave me a laughably expensive quote. But, during the consultation, they DID repeatedly brag about the type of laser they used. So I searched for cheaper places that used the same laser. I’ve been very happy with my results and the price I’ve paid elsewhere. (That being said, OP, I’m sorry this happened to you! I know your problem wasn’t about price necessarily, but I also believe them to be a bad choice for other reasons. I like the other suggestion about contacting a news station!)
Contact a lawyer who specializes in stuff like this. That waiver does not prevent legal action if result of a harm comes from negligence, and this is definitely negligence, and they are still liable. I bet a letter from a lawyer to them is enough to at least get your money back. I am so sorry that you experienced that, and thank you for warning others.
Ideal Image is the absolute WORST. I tell all of my friends to stay away from them.
I too agree that they definitely remove all negative reviews. Granted my experience wasn’t as bad as yours, but I had signed a contract with them and had no idea I had to have all of my sessions done before a certain date-I think I had a 1.5 year span to get them done. Well because of their shitty scheduling system, MANY (at least 10) of my appts got pushed way past the 8 week recommendation. (I ended up having to schedule all my appts at least 2-3 months out). Since my sessions went past the contract date, I ended up having to pay even more out of pocket and there was absolutely nothing I could have done to get them in any sooner. They never once told me about a time limit during my contract signing. Awful business.
Also they badly burned my legs twice. Stay away.
File a claim with the BBB
Agreed! I never actually went through with them because they were pushy, rude, and so expensive and then wouldn’t stop harassing me with calls and emails when I didn’t go through with them. They wouldn’t even give straight answers to any of my questions…definitely stay away.
Similarly bad experience with ideal image. Have you tried contacting better business bureau? Depending on your situation, you may be able to get a refund through their free mediation services. You need your contract, receipt and photographic evidence. I was not because I didn’t take photographs.
I have had a positive experience with Ideal Image.
They did examine me thoroughly before treatment started and said I was a good candidate. I have had good results from treatment.
I had laser on my legs done during the summer (not typically recommended bc of sun exposure) and I did get some laser burn and it turned into hypopigmentation. However, it faded after about 6 months and they continued my treatment.
After another 8 months or so I went back for a “touch up” treatment and they did do it at about a 90% discounted rate with their lifetime guarantee program.
Overall it was pricey but I don’t regret the purchase. I think having an experienced provider/nurse is key here so you don’t end up getting scarring.
I’m sorry about your experience and how corporate didn’t do anything to help you remedy the situation – it’s a lot of money for them and time on your end for them to be so uncooperative.
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Yeah it’s stuff like this that made me just buy a home laser kit, I’d rather zap my own hair than trust some technician who has no more training than myself will do it right.
Dark skin tends to scar or darken if the wrong laser or laser setting is used. You have to use a different laser or a lower setting in fake skin due to our pigment otherwise its like burning yourself on a tanning bed
Yeah when I did consultations I was always honest if I thought they weren’t a good candidate. I always offer a test patch before people commit to see if it works. Sorry this happened, but this is what they should have done for you.
Do you happen to know what machine they used? I have never had anyone with scarring before
How is that legal?? If someone causes you harm like burns or scars they should be liable
On the topic of laser hair removal, DO NOT DO laser hair removal on your face, mine caused so much hair growth I never had
Post it on tiktok and speak to a lawyer
I wrote a post on [best laser hair removal for dark skin](https://critiquebabe.com/nd-yag-laser-hair-removal-review-2022/).