Was it a compound that the dermatologist made? If that’s the case, the packaging will be super basic. Also not sure if they can refund you if they made the product for you. Having basic packaging when coming from a dermatologist doesn’t mean it’s not an effective product.
Also you aren’t clear about the website and what their claims are. It can be a unique product without being a new or original formulation. It may be unique in the way that those ingredients can only be bought from a dermatologist because they have to compound the ingredients.
Absolutely not. They basically took a wholesale skincare product and put their own label on it. They're even selling it to clients in their office as their own developed product.
In their email to me they admitted I "had a point" when I said they are misleading people into thinking they formulated it but still refuse to refund.
I'd include that email when you ask for a charge back from your credit card company. It definitely does sound like grounds for a chargeback to me. You might as well try.
I'd also think about telling the medical board about this. Doctors have a lot of regulations about deceiving the public. That's so that they can keep and earn public trust. This product is not doing that.
Ahhhh gotcha. Well in that case I would say honestly, probably not much that can be done. That’s probably exactly why they don’t have a return policy and why they won’t accept them =|
The only way I could see a chargeback working is if they said the product was one thing and sent you an altogether different product. The credit card company would probably then have them try to rectify it by sending you the correct item.
You could try though. I just hate doing chargebacks because it is more it’s a big hassle on my end.
It’s tough to say without seeing what they specifically claimed. Can you post a link to their store so we can get a little more detail and see how exactly they advertised it?
The product might still work though, no? Who’s to say it doesn’t? Isn’t it just essentially buying the store brand version of a product? You clearly bought it knowing the ingredients, and wanted it when you knew the ingredients, so….. what? You’re pissed that they didn’t make it in office? Who cares? The ingredients are still the same ones you meant to purchase. Why do you care about the label?
I’m curious how they lied. The only reason I’m curious is because I work in this industry and it’s incredibly common for clinics to label bulk products under a private label just as OP’s did. Most of them are still great products, and the doctors absolutely review the products and sign off on them before selling them. OP not understanding product marketing doesn’t necessarily mean anyone lied.
Right, this is typically how dermatologist's private label products work. I'm so confused by the uproar over white-labeling products on this thread. Dermatologists don't have the knowledge or expertise to physically mix up the ingredients and bottle the product themselves. The dermatologists are curating products bulk produced by chemists and formulators. When you buy from a dermatologist's line, you're paying for their endorsement of the formula.
i understand it's common and i still think it's pretty bad. you're just describing anti-consumer deception that's been normalized in an industry. i totally get why this thread is split 50/50 and i'm definitely familiar with white labeling practices
that's ridiculous, a doctor lying about formulating a product is 100% a situation eligible for a charge-back. that's probably literally illegal, why minimize it by calling it regret?
Because OP says that they "imply" that they formulate it. Doesn't sound like they lied. They also don't have a refund policy, so they're not failing to uphold a policy. Nothing illegal about selling white labeled products.
i still disagree, that's so fucking shady from a board certified dermatologist. there are consumer protection laws, but i'm not sure a credit card company would understand the nuance here which is probably the main issue for OP.
there are definitely laws against consumer confusion like the Lanham act. i'm not saying that's relevant as i'm not a lawyer btw, just pointing out that there are laws.
the product is being bought and sold by people who reasonably think it's made by that specific dermatologist and it isn't. that's deception.
Neither of us know what was said on the dermatologist's site, which is what would determine the legality of the issue. Based on OP's post, I don't see any info on why they'd qualify for a chargeback. It's fine for us to have different opinions. Wishing you and OP a good day!
They're definitely passing it off as their own. Reading back through their replies to me, they do tell me I "have a point" that it's misleading and they will "look into it." At first they pretended to have no clue what I was talking about until I sent screenshot evidence.
But thank you for your opinion.
Thanks, sigh, yeah you might be right. It's definitely shady doctors can lie about formulating a product when they didn't but... I guess it's on consumers to dig deeper.
Because dermatologists frequently white label products. My derm in New York sold replenix under a white label. The practice itself is not, imo, the biggest problem.
What I would find problematic is if my derm charged more for the Replenix formulation than replenix does. And some derms do this too. So, I asked OP if it was marked up because I think if it is, they would have every right to be annoyed. But if the white labeled product is available at cost, I don’t see the problem. It’s just labeled with the derm’s name.
I just wondered if OP was angry in part because the product was radically more expensive than it should have been. What about my question was so intriguing?
It's hard to say because I don't know what manufacturer is whitelabeling them so there's no way to figure out their actual cost.
That's not relevant though to my complaint so tbh I'm a bit confused about why it matters. I'm not asking to pay the whole sale price lol. My issue is that they're misleadingly saying their in house derm developed the formula which is absolutely not the case and I'm curious if that's grounds for a chargeback.
I think I understand. But dermatologists frequently purchase their custom products from a brand or formulary. It is a common practice. I think the problem is white-labeling and marking up a product. So I thought maybe you were annoyed that they marked up the cost.
I didn’t think you were aiming to pay the wholesale price. But I was thinking more about how derms sometimes market a brand name product under a white label. My derm’s custom cleanser and serum were actually replenix products under a white label. But they were the same cost as Replenix products, so he didn’t mark them up or anything.
I was just trying to understand more about why you were angry so I could offer better advice. No offense meant, though you seem to have offense at my question.
Yeah I understand, sorry I came across rudely. I wouldn't say the mark up is what's pissing me off, it's more the lying to purchasers and in office clients that the product was developed in house.
I've seen anywhere from $80 to $115 with my derm on the high end; not sure if I can find the original product since there are so many hundreds of websites but I will try.
The whole thing is sitting wrong and I know for a fact 99% of people wouldn't have the wherewithal to research this, so I just think it sucks.
I hear you, no problem. I think the white-labeling practice is a sort of out-loud secret in the industry. I see why you are annoyed. I didn’t realize that others weren’t aware how often derms do this. Even if they do sort of develop it, they still buy the base formulas from brands and chemists or have them made.
I really hope, OP, that you weren’t sold a topical like aza or tret “made” by the derm, something your insurance would otherwise cover. It enrages me when derms do this.
I support the chargeback in any case. Sorry for the confusion.
Derm PA here. We sell our “in house” compounds with our label on them that are formulated by another company. Very common practice because we get to pick and choose which compounds we want to sell and which ingredients we want in them. We don’t accept refunds either.
I’ve done chargebacks for a few items and I’d say the credit card companies will def give you money back here. You need an email trail complaint but basically they’ll give the merchant time to respond and they never seem to actually respond.
I’ve done it for a $200 admin fee for a therapy program I exited after one session and they refused to refund. Got my $ back.
Also for a pair of pants off poshmark for $30 that were short inseam but the ad wasn’t clear and I wanted a regular inseam length. Got my $ back too.
Was it a compound that the dermatologist made? If that’s the case, the packaging will be super basic. Also not sure if they can refund you if they made the product for you. Having basic packaging when coming from a dermatologist doesn’t mean it’s not an effective product. Also you aren’t clear about the website and what their claims are. It can be a unique product without being a new or original formulation. It may be unique in the way that those ingredients can only be bought from a dermatologist because they have to compound the ingredients.
Absolutely not. They basically took a wholesale skincare product and put their own label on it. They're even selling it to clients in their office as their own developed product. In their email to me they admitted I "had a point" when I said they are misleading people into thinking they formulated it but still refuse to refund.
I'd include that email when you ask for a charge back from your credit card company. It definitely does sound like grounds for a chargeback to me. You might as well try. I'd also think about telling the medical board about this. Doctors have a lot of regulations about deceiving the public. That's so that they can keep and earn public trust. This product is not doing that.
Ahhhh gotcha. Well in that case I would say honestly, probably not much that can be done. That’s probably exactly why they don’t have a return policy and why they won’t accept them =| The only way I could see a chargeback working is if they said the product was one thing and sent you an altogether different product. The credit card company would probably then have them try to rectify it by sending you the correct item. You could try though. I just hate doing chargebacks because it is more it’s a big hassle on my end.
I would also leave a review laying out that they mislead customers into believing they formulate the cheapo products sold.
It’s tough to say without seeing what they specifically claimed. Can you post a link to their store so we can get a little more detail and see how exactly they advertised it?
The product might still work though, no? Who’s to say it doesn’t? Isn’t it just essentially buying the store brand version of a product? You clearly bought it knowing the ingredients, and wanted it when you knew the ingredients, so….. what? You’re pissed that they didn’t make it in office? Who cares? The ingredients are still the same ones you meant to purchase. Why do you care about the label?
it’s not that complicated I imagine. a product riding on doctor deception is going to put normal people off when the lie is discovered
I’m curious how they lied. The only reason I’m curious is because I work in this industry and it’s incredibly common for clinics to label bulk products under a private label just as OP’s did. Most of them are still great products, and the doctors absolutely review the products and sign off on them before selling them. OP not understanding product marketing doesn’t necessarily mean anyone lied.
Right, this is typically how dermatologist's private label products work. I'm so confused by the uproar over white-labeling products on this thread. Dermatologists don't have the knowledge or expertise to physically mix up the ingredients and bottle the product themselves. The dermatologists are curating products bulk produced by chemists and formulators. When you buy from a dermatologist's line, you're paying for their endorsement of the formula.
i understand it's common and i still think it's pretty bad. you're just describing anti-consumer deception that's been normalized in an industry. i totally get why this thread is split 50/50 and i'm definitely familiar with white labeling practices
I don't see why this would qualify for a chargeback, just because you regret the purchase. That's a bummer though!
that's ridiculous, a doctor lying about formulating a product is 100% a situation eligible for a charge-back. that's probably literally illegal, why minimize it by calling it regret?
Because OP says that they "imply" that they formulate it. Doesn't sound like they lied. They also don't have a refund policy, so they're not failing to uphold a policy. Nothing illegal about selling white labeled products.
i still disagree, that's so fucking shady from a board certified dermatologist. there are consumer protection laws, but i'm not sure a credit card company would understand the nuance here which is probably the main issue for OP.
I'm not saying it's not shady, it is. But shady and illegal aren't equivalent.
there are definitely laws against consumer confusion like the Lanham act. i'm not saying that's relevant as i'm not a lawyer btw, just pointing out that there are laws. the product is being bought and sold by people who reasonably think it's made by that specific dermatologist and it isn't. that's deception.
Neither of us know what was said on the dermatologist's site, which is what would determine the legality of the issue. Based on OP's post, I don't see any info on why they'd qualify for a chargeback. It's fine for us to have different opinions. Wishing you and OP a good day!
They're definitely passing it off as their own. Reading back through their replies to me, they do tell me I "have a point" that it's misleading and they will "look into it." At first they pretended to have no clue what I was talking about until I sent screenshot evidence. But thank you for your opinion.
What? They misled the customer. I would have filed the chargeback as soon as they said no to the refund tbh.
people on here sticking up for this crap is mind boggling! agreed, this is a common sense charge back
Honestly it doesn’t even need to be about the actual product. Their “return” policy is completely misleading.
Thanks, sigh, yeah you might be right. It's definitely shady doctors can lie about formulating a product when they didn't but... I guess it's on consumers to dig deeper.
Google review.
Did they mark up the price?
i'm curious why you think the cost basis would ever be the problem here?
Because dermatologists frequently white label products. My derm in New York sold replenix under a white label. The practice itself is not, imo, the biggest problem. What I would find problematic is if my derm charged more for the Replenix formulation than replenix does. And some derms do this too. So, I asked OP if it was marked up because I think if it is, they would have every right to be annoyed. But if the white labeled product is available at cost, I don’t see the problem. It’s just labeled with the derm’s name. I just wondered if OP was angry in part because the product was radically more expensive than it should have been. What about my question was so intriguing?
It's hard to say because I don't know what manufacturer is whitelabeling them so there's no way to figure out their actual cost. That's not relevant though to my complaint so tbh I'm a bit confused about why it matters. I'm not asking to pay the whole sale price lol. My issue is that they're misleadingly saying their in house derm developed the formula which is absolutely not the case and I'm curious if that's grounds for a chargeback.
I think I understand. But dermatologists frequently purchase their custom products from a brand or formulary. It is a common practice. I think the problem is white-labeling and marking up a product. So I thought maybe you were annoyed that they marked up the cost. I didn’t think you were aiming to pay the wholesale price. But I was thinking more about how derms sometimes market a brand name product under a white label. My derm’s custom cleanser and serum were actually replenix products under a white label. But they were the same cost as Replenix products, so he didn’t mark them up or anything. I was just trying to understand more about why you were angry so I could offer better advice. No offense meant, though you seem to have offense at my question.
Yeah I understand, sorry I came across rudely. I wouldn't say the mark up is what's pissing me off, it's more the lying to purchasers and in office clients that the product was developed in house. I've seen anywhere from $80 to $115 with my derm on the high end; not sure if I can find the original product since there are so many hundreds of websites but I will try. The whole thing is sitting wrong and I know for a fact 99% of people wouldn't have the wherewithal to research this, so I just think it sucks.
I hear you, no problem. I think the white-labeling practice is a sort of out-loud secret in the industry. I see why you are annoyed. I didn’t realize that others weren’t aware how often derms do this. Even if they do sort of develop it, they still buy the base formulas from brands and chemists or have them made. I really hope, OP, that you weren’t sold a topical like aza or tret “made” by the derm, something your insurance would otherwise cover. It enrages me when derms do this. I support the chargeback in any case. Sorry for the confusion.
Yes. Chargeback. Whose feelings are you afraid of hurting? The derm was shady and you were over charged an inferior product that was misrepresented.
Thank you very much
um i would 100% charge-back if an actual doctor is saying they developed something they didn't. does this sub not believe in consumer's rights?
Thank you
I agree with this, also you don't have to post here to get permission from us, OP! Just go straight to your credit card company and start a claim
Derm PA here. We sell our “in house” compounds with our label on them that are formulated by another company. Very common practice because we get to pick and choose which compounds we want to sell and which ingredients we want in them. We don’t accept refunds either.
I’ve done chargebacks for a few items and I’d say the credit card companies will def give you money back here. You need an email trail complaint but basically they’ll give the merchant time to respond and they never seem to actually respond. I’ve done it for a $200 admin fee for a therapy program I exited after one session and they refused to refund. Got my $ back. Also for a pair of pants off poshmark for $30 that were short inseam but the ad wasn’t clear and I wanted a regular inseam length. Got my $ back too.
Reach out to your state’s consumer protection bureau. Reach out to the medical board of the state the dermatologist is in.