Complaint Review: Skin-Tech Cleariasis

Upon seeing an advertisement geared toward people with the chronic skin condition known as psoriasis in the sports section of a newspaper I was intrigued (and desperate) enough that I called the company called Skin-Tech to find out more information on their "Cleariasis" product. It was a toll-free number so I figured 'what have I got to loose?'.

Well, after being on the phone for only 5 minutes I knew I was dealing with an expert in high-pressure salesmanship. My questions were quickly subverted and I found myself on the receiving end of the queries as opposed to the 'making' end, where they'd ask me obvious questions regarding my condition, setting me up for "our product is exactly what you need." Everything about it was so perfect, from the support/sales person who has "likewise been suffering from psoriasis for the past 20 years" to things that I am currently using to control my condition that "have adverse effects" on me.

The last thing to be mentioned however -- fittingly -- was how much Cleariasis costs. It was only after I was in the bag that she was divulging this information -- upon my insistence no less. My repeated requests to have detailed written information on the product sent out to me were denied under the claim that there was nothing that the support/sales person couldn't tell me now over the phone; there wasn't anything to send on top of that.

Up to now, everything can be blamed on my own naivety and ignorance. Needless to say, I found myself in a few days holding a box full of Skin-Tech stuff I had bought, including Cleariasis Cream, Lotion, and Facial Cleanser -- pretty much the whole shabang as far as I knew.

After a couple weeks had passed I began receiving regular phone calls from Skin-Tech support staff asking me how my treatment was progressing. After the third bi-weekly call I told them that the product did not work for me and that I wished to have my money back. I was told that everyone's response is different and that there were other options we can keep trying until I find the Cleariasis product that works for me in their long list of stuff. Without further ado, I found myself purchasing the "extra-strength" version of the product I had originally bought -- which I wasn't even told existed in the first place otherwise I would have bought it then.

After another series of bi-weekly calls to my home I found myself asking for my money back because this second line of product didn't work for me either. At this point I was told that they do not refund any money but they would be happy to have me try something else on their line. I began to wonder how many things I was going to buy before I'd "found the Cleariasis product that's right for me". I even phoned Skin-Tech and asked them how the regular-strength version of the Cream I first bought differed in content from the maximum strength version I purchased thereaft. The support/sales person told me he would "get back to me" and never did. I wrote a series of letters to their support email address expressing my dissatisfaction without reply.

I continued to receive letters in the mail however from Skin-Tech that try to sell me more, despite my numerous letters to them expressing my dissatisfaction. The envelopes come with the words "CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL: Important Medical Information Enclosed" written on it. Yet there's nothing "confidential" in it at all, only a mass-produced ad for a new product they're selling addressed to "Dear Friend." There were never even any personal identifiers on the letter. So, if their interest is the personal integrity of their addressee, why do they feel the need to write Important Medical Information Enclosed in big bold letters right on the front of the envelope right beside your name, unless they're only marketing a product they are selling?

They even put a picture of someone in this advert looking very professional wearing a white lab-coat with the name Susan O'Hara, Research Director" written below. But there is no Dr. Susan O'Hara in the field of dermatology that I am able to identify in the entire world (including academic & med lit searches), as the photo implies. The only references to a Susan O'Hara I am able to find anywhere is from a marketing webpage called Press-World.com (see: http://pharmaceuticals.press-world.com/v/26533.html) written by someone named Stan Diver from within the Skin-Tech company itself, and from the Skin-Tech mainpages (e.g., see: Psorinal3.com). Here, "O'Hara" says "We'll never abandon a client. We offer a wide variety of treatments and a qualified counselor will gladly credit a client's account so that they can try one of our other product lines should their first choice not produce a satisfactory result."

I have NEVER been offered a credit for anything. The fact that I even paid for my second batch of Cleariasis, the "maximum strength" Cream, is incongruous with these words.

After receiving this letter I once again wrote Skin-Tech expressing my concerns and requesting a refund but did not receive any reply. I shouldn't have paid for more products if their guarantee is to "exchange (replace)" the original stuff I tried.

Upsetting, yes. They will not return your emails like any other company would, claiming that email may compromise customer confidentiality, and have no patience for you on the phone -- hanging up or pushing you into a corner.

Ryan
Montreal, Quebec
U.S.A.