SmileDirectClub

I went to have my initial consultation done at the smile shop on 125th St in Harlem on 8/12/2019. I was immediately greeted and made to feel very welcome. After a short wait, I met with my smile guide, Samantha. She was incredibly professional and made the experience great. She answered all of my questions and covered all the bases when it came to understanding the process. Talking with her was like talking with a long-time friend. The smile shop manager was also very welcoming. I can’t wait to begin my smile journey!

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Loke and Judie were completely wonderful throughout the whole process, they were very gentle and friendly. They went above and beyond and worked with my situation. I was so happy to have them work on me, I had the best experience. I will definitely recommend the people I know to them at SmileDirectClub.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I decided to go with SmileDirectClub to fix a bite issue in June 2019. I went to an in-store location where the first red flag happened. The sales rep (the in-store people are not licensed dentists, simply sales people) told me that I would be able to talk with a dentist through video chat once my "smile journey" got started, aka, once I paid. This was great news and she told me that I was advised to sign up ASAP because if I waited, my teeth might shift in the next few days and I would need to get scanned all over again. I went with her advice and paid right away.

There is a total of 15 retainers and quickly, my third retainer cracked. The trays are very cheap, flimsy plastic and a stress fracture developed at the exact spot that I was feeling the most pressure. I contacted SmileDirectClub immediately on July 3. I have ALL the email records and phone calls documented. A replacement was put in on July 6th and I was told it would take 10-14 days to arrive. On the 10th day, with no tracking number, email, or replacement, I called and asked for a tracking number. The reps told me I would be given one soon. I continued to call and email and SmileDirectClub kept leading me along, telling me that a replacement was on its way. Finally, I spoke to someone on July 20th who apologized and said that a replacement retainer had in fact, NEVER BEEN ORDERED.

I was very upset but he assured me that he was putting in another order and it would arrive soon. I was given no explanation as to what happened. So I am now going 3 weeks without a retainer and has any rep or dentist advised me that my teeth would be moving around and not fit in the new retainers? No. They were very concerned that my teeth would be moving after 1 day if I didn't PAY right away yet when I am left with no working retainer for weeks and weeks NO ONE CARES.

The story gets longer. Two weeks into the second replacement was supposedly ordered, I begin asking again for a tracking number. A rep reaches out and says "oh, it's actually 10-14 business days to arrive". I wait 10-14 BUSINESS days despite the fact that is not on any documentation. After 14 business days go by, I reach out and they tell that 10-14 business days is an approximate time frame and it could take longer. This obviously makes no sense as 10-14 days means 10 days is the minimum and 14 days is the maximum. They are appearing to be completely unorganized and are acting like a flailing and failing business. I reach out after 3 weeks of waiting on the second replacement (a total of 6 weeks) and tell them if I do not get a tracking number in two days I want a refund. The rep on the phone tells me that FOR SURE I will get a tracking number by Friday.

It is now Sunday, August 2019 and I have been waiting OVER 6 weeks for a replacement retainer. I was three weeks into my "smile journey" so my teeth have already been moved around and now are moving around again. SmileDirectClub does not care AT ALL that there is a very high chance that my teeth will not fit the replacement retainers AT ALL! A dentist has never contacted me to check on my teeth. I feel like I am being strung along and that they are not ever going to send me a replacement. At this point and I am contacting them to get a refund because they have broken way too many promises and been completely unprofessional for way too long.

Don't waste your money and time on SmileDirectClub. I took a gamble with them and truly lost.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Got a free smile scan done at one of the mobile (bus) offices. Had a great experience with Bri and the team there - everyone was very upfront and honest about the process, easy to talk to. Was also very cool to see a digital scan of my teeth! Got a free teeth whitening system for completing the visit, excited to try it!

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Made my daughter and I feel good about our decision! Very personable and friendly staff! Plan on bringing my other children when/if they need their teeth corrected! Would definitely recommend to a friend!

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I visited a SmileDirectClub location to receive my free smile scan. Heather was amazing. She was knowledgeable, professional, and took the time to get to know what I wanted to accomplish on my smile journey. I was excited to know that I did not have to visit an office to correct my smile. Everything is shipped to my house. I am looking forward to a beautiful smile. Thanks, Heather, for getting me started on my smile journey!

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

My experience with SmileDirectClub has been wonderful! They were more than willing to answer any questions I had and helped inform me of everything I’ll need to know. I don’t know his title but the "dental tech" Ray was incredible and one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Here is the thing, I'm not going anywhere with SmileDirectClub. Since my statement above is brief I will publicly tell you my story. I am not getting into specific details as those are being saved for my protection.

On March 29, 2019, I made an appt with SmileDirectClub online. Their online system asked for a credit card number. That should have been my first clue. Because when I was interviewing orthodontists for my daughter I made a few appts with different offices and I was never asked for a credit card number. For the next several days I was bombarded with emails and texts from SmileDirectClub reminding me of the upcoming appt.

About a week later I showed up to the appt. It was inside an executive office suite. That should have been my second clue. The appointment was brief. They appeared to be more interested in getting my information into their system, on a tablet, than providing actual information. This was also different for me. The girl that took me into the second room was nice but she didn't really provide a lot of information. She showed me some pictures and there wasn't any medical talk. She was smooth, though, and I signed my name on a tablet. I didn't see a date. Frankly, she said if I changed my mind I could just cancel. That's why I signed. Thinking that I could simply take some time to think it through and cancel if I wanted.

The rains stopped and my business bloomed. Not only was I remodeling the shop I began to get real busy with a lot of work. This was awesome, however, a lot of my personal life was put on hold.

I began to get some texts from SmileDirectClub that it was time to register my aligners. I remember thinking, what aligners? I hadn't received them yet. That is when I went back to look at the emails they'd sent me. I saw the contract. There was one little insignificant detail that stood out. It was the date. It didn't make sense to me that it had March 29, 2019 as the date the contract went into effect. That was the date I made the appointment but not the date I signed the contract. For some reason, it sent a red flag. It's not something I'd do. This triggered my curiosity and I began to search for reviews.

SDC must really hire a good online reputation company to help them look good. Notice most of the good reviews are from people's first visit. Because one has to go deeper into the internet to find the reviews from actual experiences wearing the aligners. I was appalled at someone's teeth coming loose and having to go to a real dentist to have their smile saved. There was one commonality that appeared to repeat itself one review after the next. SDC messes up a lot of people's bites. This will eventually cause teeth to fall and many have to spend thousands to fix the damage SDC had caused.

Naturally, I no longer wanted to wear those aligners. I decided I'd go a different route. In the meantime, I was swamped at work. I was remodeling my shop and I had graduations coming up, etc.

The aligners arrived. Though, I wasn't aware because a family member placed the box inside a closet without my knowledge.

Then I got an email from what I thought was SmileDirectClub. They were deducting a payment out of my credit card. At this time I had no idea I could return the aligners. I, literally, was living life thinking that I was stuck with those aligners and didn't know what to do about it.

I was confused. There was a lot of miscommunication between SDC and me. I thought my payments were being deducted by SDC, not another company. On my credit card statement, it shows as HFD SmileDirectClub. They charged one payment. A couple of weeks later I went into the account and saw they'd charged a duplicate payment 2 days after the 1st payment. I immediately contacted the cc company and asked them to look into it. Weeks go by, they took another payment out of my cc account. Then the credit card company contacted me with the results of the investigation. They found it in my favor. They wrote, however, that if Healthcare Finance Direct was able to provide proof that I owed that 2nd charge they would reverse the credit and it would then become a charge.

Several days later I received a letter from Healthcare Finance Direct. They claimed that by disputing a charge with the credit card company I had defaulted on their loan. They were calling the full loan amount due, which I can afford. However, they accused me of defaulting on a loan for disputing a charge they were, it appears, fraudulently trying to collect. AND, I wasn't going to have that. I took it as a threat. In a subsequent letter, I asked them to explain themselves. Meanwhile, I took that box that was never opened with the aligners in it along with the tote from the appt and mailed it back to SmileDirectClub.

Oh, I can smell rats from miles away. "If you play dirty with me, you will hear from me." Because now it's not about the money. Now, it's about the principle of the thing. They basically wrote back that it was an honest mistake. But if it was an honest mistake, why did they send me that threatening letter? Why not tell the credit card company that it was an honest mistake? It’s not my job to ask for a refund on a duplicate payment. It’s Healthcare Finance DIrect’s job to make sure they keep good records and not play with people’s money to their company’s benefit. I also asked for validation of the debt. They didn't provide that either. Instead, they sent to collections.

Folks, read the contract because it contradicts itself. On one hand, it says that purchasers have recourse against SDC via arbitration and in the same document in small print, SDC hides a provision obligating the customer to waive any and all rights the customer or any third party may have against Smile Direct Club.

I hope that you, the reader, learn from my experience. I now have to deal with a collection agency for monies that I have nothing to show for. I sent the product back and I have gotten nothing but subtle accusations from SmileDirectClub. Their representative on this forum told me that since my file was sent to collections there is nothing she can do for me.

Get smart. Avoid this company at all costs. I paid $7,700 for my daughter’s smile. FDA approved Orthodontists are prepared and happy to work out payments with their patients. Do it the right way. And, as a bonus, you may get a lifetime of friendships.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I just finished my aligners after 6 months. Last week I received a text that said my last set would be in my hands. Not true. Over a week with no retainers and no return of my several messages. BUYER BEWARE.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I chose SmileDirectClub because they lied to me, and lead me to believe that my treatment would be overlooked by a licensed doctor, it would be quick, and they were committed to helping me get a smile I was proud of. But I found out that's just a bunch of BS to scam me and other people out of their money.

I was given a six-month treatment plan and initially, everything was just OK, shipping of my aligners delayed by 2 weeks from their time frame of 3-4 weeks. First red flag should have canceled right then and there (didn't). I continued with my six-month plan and sent in photos and checked in every 90 days per the treatment. Around month 4, week 2, I called SmileDirectClub and explained to them I was concerned that my treatment was not on track. The customer service team basically blew me off and was only concerned if my aligners were fitting, they were, so they advise me to continue (second red flag).

After I was done with my 6-month treatment plan, my teeth are still crooked. This is when things really go to crap with this company. I call the customer service resolution team and explain that my smile is nothing like they promised. They apologize and said that I need to go for a reevaluation and it's common...really, that's the first I'm hearing of it. But really didn't think to much of it, thinking to myself if this is common it shouldn't take too long to fix, maybe another week or two, a month at most, for treatment (I was wrong way wrong).

One day later I go into a SmileDirect center and get rescanned, was rushed out before I could even ask any questions. I assume they work on commission and there was no commission to be made since they already stole my money so they just wanted me out. Almost a week goes by and I don't hear anything so I called again and they informed me that the dental team is reviewing my reevaluation scans and are creating a personalized treatment plan. Hold on, wait, what? I explained that I already was given a treatment plan and completed it already. I ask to speak with the dental team but they could not transfer me and there is no direct number, but they would have them call me in 3-5 business days. The dental team gives me a call a few business days later and tells me that I need to do another 4 months. What the heck, when I ask why is that the case, she explains to me my teeth didn't shift the way they expected and everyone is different and they just don't know. Really, you don't know! Then how is your company giving people scans of their future smile if you don't know? When I question the lady how come the reevaluation treatment is almost as long as the original treatment she keeps insisting that everyone is different. Then I explain to her what was the point of the 90-day check-ins and me sending in photos. Who was the dentist responsible for overlooking my treatment and let me speak with them. She flat out told me NO, that's not their process. I couldn't wrap my head around her statement. How can they offer a medical procedure and claim to have A Duly License Dentist or Orthodontist monitoring my process but give me no access to them to answer my questions.

After several more back and forts with supervisors from the customer service team and the dental team, they wore me out and I knew I was screwed. On top of the new 4-month treatment plan, they told me I had to wait another 4 weeks while my aligners are being molded and pressed. Eight weeks later I still haven't received my aligners and have since told them at this point to cancel everything and give me a full refund. And once again I was given the runaround with the customer resolution team. I have since called and disputed credit card payments, and filed a complaint with the BBB.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

So far, my experience has been pretty poor. I received my aligners in the prescribed time window, but the first set was extremely painful. They cut my gums and my tongue in multiple places. There were huge gaps between the aligners and my gums that caused sores all around my mouth. I asked for a re-scan and they told me to cut the aligners down myself. I spent 45 minutes trying to cut excess plastic off, which improved the fit, but was still cutting my mouth. I also didn't want to be spending 45 minutes every week cutting the new aligners. I complained again, which they replied the aligners were the right fit...right, my mouth should be bleeding! Finally, they agreed to re-print my first month and see if it helped.

It took a month to get the new aligners shipped, and even though I had explicitly asked for them to ship to my new address and gotten an email back saying they confirmed the new address, they shipped to my old address.

I have tried the new aligners for two days. The initial fit was better, but still painful, cutting my gums, my tongue, and especially the tendon on the bottom of the mouth below the tongue. I cut the plastic again, which improved the fit, but still getting cuts. I've requested a new scan, because I think the original scan must be off if the fit is that bad, but have not heard back from SmileDirectClub.

I just looked at the return policy. Seems like they purposefully delay any responses past the 14-day return window. If they don't re-scan, I'm just SOL?

Oh, also the $25 Amazon gift card number they gave me is invalid.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend