SmileDirectClub

My boyfriend and I visited a pop-up Smile Shop in Lakewood, CA on 09/08/2019. We received text confirmations for our appointments that stated we would be receiving $25 Amazon gift cards just for completing the scan. We are also told that I would be receiving $150 Amazon gift card for sending my referral link to my boyfriend. This would later change to $100 for some reason.

After our scans, I brought up my concerns that I needed to get a crown and a teeth cleaning prior to committing to purchasing/starting the aligners because I read on their website that patients should take care of these things prior to starting the treatment. The ladies assisting me said that I didn't need to take care of these things and that it would actually be better for me to take care of them later. I'm not sure why they would contradict what their website says aside from just trying to push the sale.

My boyfriend and I decide we are going to purchase the aligners and after discussing payment options they recommend my boyfriend apply for a Care Credit card to pay for the aligners and insist that it would be a soft inquiry. It was not a soft inquiry, he was denied and his credit score dropped. I give my card information to put down the deposit of $250 each which they said would take 72 hours. While we are leaving I ask about the Amazon gift cards and they both said they would be emailed to us within 72 hours. We would never receive them and after speaking with 3-4 different people are told we won't be receiving them because it wasn't applied at the Smile Shop. Something that should have been taken care of the reps assisting us, especially when I make it a point to ask for them while I'm leaving. I would go back and forth with multiple reps about this but am basically told that I am not going to be receiving it.

The next day we receive our "Smile Plan" and decide we are going to order. I mistakenly order on the wrong card and immediately call to cancel the order so that I can place it again with the correct card. I place the order again the same day with a different card. My boyfriend waits until the following Saturday, 09/14, to pay his in full. Since I paid mine early I was not charged the deposit but my boyfriend was. When we call to place his order the amount has increased by $50 than originally quoted and the $250 deposit is not taken off the total amount so at this point we've paid an extra $300 on top of the quoted price. We would eventually receive the $50 back and I am still waiting to this day to see the $250 refund for the deposit.

This same day I notice that my dashboard is not showing the order anymore and I ask about it and they said that everything is fine and that it would update soon. In actuality, the order had been canceled because of the initial request I made to cancel the order when using the incorrect card. I understand the confusion so I'm not upset about it. I wait for the money to be returned to both the original card I accidentally used and the 2nd correct card I used to make the purchases before submitting a 3rd order. The same day I submitted the 3rd order I am reviewing the smile plan and notice that the treatment plan will actually cause a huge gap in my bite. I call and speak to a member of their dental team who confirms that the treatment plan will create this gap in my bite. I do not understand how they would even provide this type of treatment that would create permanent issues. I connect with customer service to cancel the order for the last and final time. When I attempt to cancel the order, I am offered an additional $100 off. As if $100 off would be an incentive to ruin my bite for straighter teeth. My boyfriend also decides to cancel his order because of all of the inconsistencies in information given to us throughout this 2-week process.

It seems they only care about you purchasing the aligners and do not care to honor incentives they offer to you for coming in, ordering, etc. I am glad I was able to confirm the treatment plan would create bite issues for me so that I did not begin the treatment. I would stay far away and visit a traditional orthodontist for treatment.

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

Rina did a great job explaining how aligners work. She was so friendly. Thanks for the free gifts. These aligners are great for people with crooked teeth or gaps. I am still on the fence because if you pay a full amount it was $1800.00 or pay $85.00 monthly for two years.

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

I submitted via their online menu a request to see if my insurance would cover the aligners. I received an email back in regards that they needed more information and to send a copy of my insurance card to an email address. I did so. I then get a response back saying that I needed to fill out the form. Which I had already done. So I email them back stating I had already done this and was asked to provide more information. I then get an email back again stating that if they asked for more information to send that along. I responded with I already did that. I then get another one asking me again for the information I already sent twice. I respond that I am not sending this a third time and that they had lost me as a customer. I get again another response telling me if I don’t buy the impression kit I won’t get any liners. This has NOTHING to do with an impression kit. The company can’t even do something as simple as follow their own directions and they expect that I’m going to trust them with my teeth. Nope. You definitely get what you pay for. Stick with Invisalign.

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

I’m in pain every moment of every day and have huge gaps in my back teeth now. I can no longer eat like a normal person. I filed with the BBB and asked for them to let me meet this so-called orthodontist in person. Of course, they said no, I didn’t even want them to pay for the trip. My dentist warned me! DON’T DO THIS!

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

When my aligners were ordered, I was never told there was a time limit on when I needed to begin using them. As I chose not to use them right away and finally began using them, a fitting issue was encountered in my week 3 aligners. I reached out about this and was emailed by Tatiana, with the dental team, saying "there will be an additional cost of $99 per month." Yes, you heard that correctly. There is an additional $99 charge PER MONTH on top of the over $2,000 paid. This is absolutely ridiculous and I will not ever recommend SmileDirect to anyone. In fact, serval people have inquired about SmileDirect and I have steered them away because of this horrible experience.

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

I am very disappointed with SmileDirect Club. I have been using their product for a year and the original space in my teeth is the same and now I have 2 other spaces. I have been waiting 12 weeks for new aligners. My teeth are worse than when I started.

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

When I went through assessment I was excited for this cheaper way to get my teeth straightened. However, they did not tell me that they can only align the front teeth in this manner. The side teeth and molars cannot be straightened.

On their portal, they post what your treatment plan will look like, but the application to see it is very glitchy. They do not ask you to "approve" what your final smile will look like. I just trusted that the professional orthodontist would know what they were doing.

When it came to the end of treatment, my teeth were still crooked and my request for another treatment round was denied. Any reimbursement was denied because they said I should have seen how it was going to end up before I started and so it is my fault. I think that they should have told me I was not a candidate for this treatment to begin with instead of taking my money and doing a half-way job.

Also, when they sent me the retainers at the end of treatment, they were of someone else's teeth! They completely messed up and sent me the retainers for someone else. Then the process for getting them to send me the correct ones was so convoluted! Never would recommend them to anyone. I will need pay full price to get an actual orthodontist to look at my teeth and get them worked on. They say only pay 60% of the price, but don't tell you that you will need to pay the 100% after treatment anyway.

Think again before signing up to pay 160% the cost. Because that is what will happen.

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

I started my journey with SmileDirect in December 2018. I visited one of the SmileDirect locations in Virginia and I had a great experience there. The reps seemed knowledgeable and were very friendly. I decided to get the aligners. They were shipped about two weeks later. My treatment was supposed to take only 6 months. My teeth were shifting fast and I was happy. However, in the 5th month, I noticed they were still not where they were supposed to be. At this time, I had moved to Texas so I went to one of the locations in Fort Worth, TX and had a re-evaluation. My re-evaluation was approved on May 28, 2019. At this time I was still using my aligners for the last week. I asked the rep to confirm they had my updated address and she said they had it.

A little over a month later, SmileDirect shipped my aligner but they were shipped to the old address. I contacted SDC and they said they will send replacements. This was on July 10. I was told it would take 10-14 days. I kept following up after two weeks and they kept telling me that they were expediting the process.

The replacements were mailed in the second week of August but they were mailed to the old address. AGAIN! I immediately contacted SDC, and the rep who spoke to me asked me if I could go to my previous address and get the shipping! My old address was in a totally different state. She said I will receive free retainers. It's not worth it for the big inconvenience and frustration they have caused me.

The second replacement was also supposed to take at most two weeks. It's been over a month and I haven't received my shipment.

SDC's service was really good at first but maybe they have received so many customers that they can't handle it. My experience with SDC has just been disappointing and I wish I had gone the traditional way.

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

It was very unique and fun. The smile expert was really nice and she really made me feel comfortable and confident. She explained everything to me and also answered all of my questions.

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

I went for my scan for the SmileDirectClub's aligners at the SmileDirectClub SmileBus which happened to come nearby; it was a lucky coincidence they had the SmileBus coming so close to me because I had already been looking into aligners and specifically this company. I went and my experience was better than I could've ever expected! Not only were they helpful, they exceeded my expectations with the amount of knowledge they actually had on everything involved in this and answered every single question I had. Luckily, I had Dee as my SmileGuide and I can't imagine there to have been anyone better helping me than her. She was amazing, helpful and extremely friendly; she made me comfortable and didn't mind answering my million questions or me being so antsy. She was an absolute joy and SmileDirectClub is lucky to have Dee for an employee, she definitely deserves the recognition.

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

I was super hesitant to go at first (I have done the braces route before), but after watching someone else love their aligners from SmileDirectClub, I figured it was time to give it a try myself. The price is definitely reasonable and it would be cheaper for me than seeing an actual orthodontist again! My smile guide Kim was very nice and made sure I was comfortable and answered all of my questions thoroughly. Kim also went through all possible payment plans and was not very pushy to get this, which is how a lot of people are with products they are selling or just simply working with. I left very happy that I went. Thanks Kim and Anna!

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