CONSUMER WARNING ABOUT BOSLEY HAIR CLINICS AND BOSLEY.COM WEBSITE |
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A non-profit site for consumers who want more information about hair loss treatments. Knowledge is power. = Consumer Red Flag |
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Summary: The Bosley hair restoration business has been the subject of numerous patient complaints, lawsuits, and violations relating to its medical procedures, advertising, and business practices. |
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News: Bosley Cheats!It turns out it fakes the biggest part of its marketingBosley admitted it exaggerates the effectiveness of its treatments saying it uses special photography tricks and makeup to enhance the "after" results shown in ads. This proves it doesn't care about deceiving the public as long as it can lure customers to meet its sales quotas.Although authorities may require disclaimers to prevent consumers from being misled they can be hidden in fine print. |
'Doctored' Ads |
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New Website: Bosley May Soon Be ObsoleteAnyone who is considering Bosley or hair restoration in general should check out the non-profit website BosleyReview.org. The site describes Bosley's sales centric business model, how patients can be forced into wigs or other treatments, and how Bosley hair transplants could soon become obsolete if you believe its medical director (stem cell therapies).
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New Site at BosleyReview.org |
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Study Contradicts Bosley Marketing Claims "The hair grafts transplanted may not last permanently" is the conclusion of an unbiased examination of the longevity of hair transplant results. In the largest study of its kind 90% of patients experienced thinning or degrading hair transplants after four years. "Recipient site influences" were thought to be partly to blame. This is something Bosley is well aware of and many patients have experienced. The long term thinning and disappearance of hair grafts has been acknowledged by leading members of the ISHRS, a society Bosley subscribes to. Here is the study link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8061642
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Bosley Settles Class Action Lawsuit From Bloomberg Law 11/22/2022: "Hair-restoration clinic Bosley Inc. will pay $500,000 to settle a proposed class action arising from an August 2020 ransomware attack and data breach that exposed the personal information of more than 100,000 people." The Plaintiffs (former clients) said Bosley lied about security measures and protecting their information then committed fraud by concealing a data breach for months because it was afraid it would hurt business. As a result Bosley's clients have a diminished value of PII and heightened risk of identity theft for their lifetimes. Despite this the settlement averages out to a paltry $5 per person. True to its nature of preferring to keep customers in the dark Bosley did not bother to provide an explanation or honest accounting of what happened. See the lawsuit page for more details about the case. |
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The Medical Board finished its investigation and reached a decision in this case resulting in disciplinary action against Bosley's Assistant Medical Director (see below). INVESTIGATION OF VIOLATIONS (2018-2020) The Attorney General and Medical Board of California filed a case for unlawful and unethical conduct at Bosley The charges included Violating the Standard of Care, Repeated Negligent Acts, and Aiding and Abetting the Unlicensed Practice of Medicine. More information available at www.mbc.ca.gov
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Make sure to look out for your own interest and read the fine print. Bosley is known for setting up credit patients with onerous contracts and exorbitant fees.
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Class Action NEWS Hostile Workplace Claims/Disclaimers Fear Factor Conflicting Advice Targeting Women Sales Incentives No Refunds Crisis Response
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The Board said numerous violations took place at Bosley's main office in Beverly Hills which acts as a model for its other locations.
Charges Filed for Violations at Bosley HQ
In a case that shed light on
sleazy and illegal practices at Bosley hair clinics the Medical Board
of California asserted that
non-medical personnel were allowed to diagnose and make recommendations to
patients and perform important parts of the surgery. The case stemmed from
a patient who repeatedly tried to get help after
suffering complications including pain and swelling during the
weeks and months following a procedure but got little empathy or response. (Update) Bosley Doctor Disciplined / Put on Probationary Terms Bosley physician and Assistant Medical Director David Paul Deutsch has been disciplined and put on probationary terms after he admitted to several allegations and charges brought against him in a Medical Board complaint including lying to prospective patients about being board certified. Read the Stipulated Settlement and Disciplinary Order here |
(Complaint, cont.) Among the eye opening details of the case—right before surgery Bosley allowed a salesperson without any official health care training or license to consult with a patient about his important drug and medical history, and "all physicians at the Bosley Medical Group are independent contractors", which means they don't even work for Bosley. |
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A Hostile Environment Conflict at Bosley |
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John Ohanesian v. Bosley In an ironic and cruel twist for former patients John Ohanesian, former CEO in charge while Bosley scammed thousands of people with bogus ads and ineffective surgery, is suing Bosley complaining they are trying to cheat him (case active in 2020). During his stint Ohanesian launched legal action aimed at shutting down websites that provided consumers with detailed information about Bosley's medical violations. Under his watch Bosley was repeatedly sanctioned by authorities for blatant acts of false and misleading advertising |
Unfair Workplace Many reviews describe Bosley as a difficult place to work with a throwback management style. As an example the Medical Assistants (mainly women), who perform the bulk of the procedure including the preparation and placing of the grafts, are paid barely above minimum wage. Who's Doing the Surgery
For a $15,000 five hour procedure a Medical Assistant on a surgical team is paid only about $70. From job portal Indeed.com: "Average Bosley hourly pay ranges from approximately $14.15 per hour for Medical Assistant to $15.02 per hour for Office Assistant" |
Copy Wrong Dr. says Bosley copied hair transplant methods and YouTube video
Florida hair doctor Brett Bolton filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming Bosley stole his company's marketing video from YouTube, rebranded it under the Bosley name and linked it to their website. In its court response Bosley said the royalty-free license granted by YouTube made it legal to copy and redistribute Bolton's video, plus he freely allowed his competition to use his surgical methods. Bosley has been involved in litigation with more than twenty doctors |
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Claims and Disclaimers Bosley's business model allows it to make representations with limited accountability to unhappy patients. Although ads must carry disclaimers (due to disciplinary action) they are often buried in the fine print. The doctors can say they have no responsibility for what is in Bosley's marketing materials or pass the blame further down to the salespeople. Patients who complain are often chastised for having "unrealistic expectations". Who is Bosley? The Bosley Medical Institute, or Bosley, is named after founder and infomercial pitchman L. Lee Bosley. His continual pattern of deceptive advertising and medical board violations made him the most widely disciplined physician in the country. (source: Public Citizen consumer advocacy group)
Dr. Bosley claimed to have invented the scalp reduction, one of the most destructive and ineffectual procedures ever performed. |
Ad Nauseam Bosley infomercials loop the same material and you can spend up to a half hour without learning anything. The patient examples leave out important details like what types and how many procedures were performed and the costs. The slickly-produced videos employ tricks to boost the impression of results including makeup and dyes, topical concealers or keratin fibers (fake hair), creative hair styles and combovers, and selective lighting and camera angles. The paid-for testimonials fail to mention other treatments and drugs that were used and procedures performed by other medical groups. Court documents revealed that Bosley spends as much as a third of its revenue on advertising and promotion.
Bosley Sells Drug After Denouncing It After slamming the drug finasteride (a.k.a. Propecia) for having vicious side effects including impotence, or erectile dysfunction, Bosley now promotes and sells it, leaving consumers scratching their heads. Bosley's Negative Stance on Propecia
Information Is Your Wild Card Using practices like selective disclosure (not telling the whole truth to potential patients) and Sales Incentives and Bonuses consumers may not realize Bosley has stacked the deck against them. |
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Bosley Text Robots? (Bosley Medical Accused of Violating Federal Law) A class action lawsuit was filed in 2017 against Bosley in U.S. District Court alleging violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, or TCPA. The plaintiff says he and other consumers incurred call charges and lost valuable time as a result of unsolicited text messages. LegalNewsLine The suit says Bosley uses automatic telephone dialing equipment with the capacity to store and dial telephone numbers without human intervention in an effort to solicit more clients. |
Fear Factor When
having a medical procedure most of us worry about getting the wrong
information or worse yet finding out it was all for nothing.
After visiting an office and viewing before and after pictures he was convinced it would be a sure thing. He now says it was one his biggest mistakes of his life (not only was it ineffective it left him with scarring). After undergoing multiple procedures Rogan now sports a shaved head. |
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No-Refund Policy Before handing your credit card to a Bosley salesperson or Counselor for a deposit on a procedure know about their policies. After canceling surgery ten days in advance a customer was surprised when Bosley wouldn't return their deposit. When trying to dispute the charge with the credit card company they got the response "We regret to inform you that we are not able to assist you as the merchant has a no-cancellation and no-refund policy". This policy can discourage patients from backing out of surgery and penalizes those who want to change their minds or need more time to make a better informed decision. |
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FTC Settles Charges Against Bosley The Federal Trade Commission has imposed restrictions on Bosley after alleging it shared pricing information with competitors, an illegal practice that can result in higher prices. article On a related note Bosley's parent company Aderans, a Japanese wigmaker, has acquired Hair Club, known for its infomercial "hair systems". Consumers should be alert that Hair Club now trys to steer clients over to Bosley offices for surgery. |
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Next: Patient Stories |
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Fairness in Reporting: The companies mentioned have been given the opportunity to correct any inaccuracies. Privacy policy: This site does not collect any personal information or cookies or share data with third parties |
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