Everyone loves a good deal – that’s why group sales sites like Groupon and Living Social have become so popular, and rightfully so. With deals on everything from pet supplies and travel to restaurants and diamonds, you can find a deal on almost anything. Group sales coupons work like this: A business makes an agreement with the site to sell a certain number of products or services at a discounted rate. If enough people buy them, they get the discounted rate, and the business splits the proceeds with the site. It may not seem like a good deal for businesses – and truth be told, sometimes it’s not – but often businesses can use the opportunity to drum up add-on and repeat sales, making the deal more lucrative.
But despite the benefits of this type of deal for everyone involved, there is at least one type of service that you should never use a group sales discount on: cosmetic procedures. Here’s why:
Product Quality
One common complaint we’ve heard from people who have purchased Botox through a sales site is that, despite the name brand, the product seemed “watered down,” depending on where it was purchased. While that may or may not be true, you do have to wonder how some of these sites can offer such a deep discount – or if the product is the real thing. Another problem we’ve heard mentioned before is that sometimes group sales packages are fulfilled with expired product, such as expired tooth-whitening gel. While these products may be safe to use, they still shouldn’t be sold.
Price Switching
Often, customers will arrive to a service only to realize they aren’t getting exactly what they paid for and must add on services to get what they want. This can be an unexpected expense that some may not be able to afford on the spot. To use Botox as an example, people who have never tried the product before may buy a package of 20 units, only to find out that 20 isn’t enough to do what they wanted. Then they must either get part of the look they were hoping for, or pay the difference, which could be a lot more expensive than they anticipated. Some laser hair removal packages seem like a good deal until you realize you must return up to 10 times – and once you’ve used a group sales package from that business you cannot buy another.
Inconsistent Techs
To save money, it seems like it would make sense to just keep buying group sales packages from different providers every six months or when you need a refresher on your fillers. But there’s something to be said for using a plastic surgeon’s office and seeing the same nurse over and over. When you build a relationship with a care provider, you get someone who knows your lines and how you like to look. And, you know what to expect from each appointment. When you bounce from med-spa to med-spa, you aren’t getting the same person, and your results could vary dramatically.
Credibility
One of the easiest things to overlook when selecting a group sales package is the credibility of the practitioner. While many of these sites do have customer reviews, reviews can be unreliable, and even authentic, positive reviews don’t tell you whether the person performing your service is well trained or board certified. In fact, for some injectables packages you don’t even see a doctor – you may only see a nurse or aesthetician, who may not even be trained to handle a medical emergency.
Group sales packages can be a great way to save money, but they can also be a big risk, and when you’re talking about your health, that’s not a risk worth taking. When searching for the best deal on cosmetic procedures, stick with a board-certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Chau for your injectables.