When should you ask for a refund?

Good evening Dr. Irwin, I'd like to ask your opinion about Clear & Brilliant treatment. I did 12 session last year and now I have melasma on my forehead and upper part of the nose. Is it possible this is due to the fact that I went through 12 sessions of Clear &Brilliant laser treatment? What should I do to improve melasma? Do I have any right to ask for a refund? Thank you Best, Micaela

This is an important question.  But maybe even more important is …how do you ask for a refund.  This is a tough skill to learn even for some seasoned negotiators and lawyers.

Since Clear & Brilliant is 1/2 of a Fraxel (we call it baby Fraxel or Fraxel lite) in our office, it has the potential to aggravate pigment problems. In rare instances, it can cause pigment problems.  In my opinion, with this technology, 1 a month is too many.  For those of you considering this now, think no more than 1 every 3 months, and not for 4-6 weeks on either side of sun or natural light exposure that’s intense.  So no sunny vacations for 4-6 weeks after.  And I’m assuming you’re using a Zinc 15-20% sunscreen daily.

If you decided to ask for a refund, here are some thoughts:

• If you approach it as if the office will be reasonable and you’ll get what you need, it’s helpful because it keeps your tone confident and respectful.
• Make your request in writing.  An email is fine as long as you’re sure it’s gotten through.
• State your “ask” and reason clearly and unemotionally.  For example, “I’m writing to ask for a refund because the Clear & Brilliant treatments didn’t work for me and my melasma (or whatever it is) is worse (or not better).”
• When you state your reasons, try to stay away from blaming or a blaming tone, and just state the facts.
• Remember that most clinics really care about you and their quality and want to hear about problems when they occur.  We can fix what we don’t know about!
• Offer to come into the clinic so they can see the problem.  Photos taken by cell phones distort color almost always and often aren’t helpful.
• Only escalate when you’ve tried at least 3 times over a period of several weeks without a reasonable response. Sometimes, an employee forgets to transmit information to a manager or owner, or is just embarrassed.

I hope this helps,

Dr. I