Former SmileDirectClub user in Milwaukee 'isn't surprised' after company announces shutdown

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- When you call SmileDirectClub's phone number at their Brookfield location, instead of a cheery voice on the other end of the line, it's a robotic automated voice message. 

"SmileDirectClub has made the incredibly difficult decision to wind down its global operations, effective immediately," the voice says. "Unfortunately, this means sales of the aligners and retainers as well as customer support for existing customers are no longer available. For more information, please visit our website...thank you for your support in letting us help improve over two million smiles and lives.”

The announcement, made last Friday, marked an abrupt end nearly 10 years after the telehealth dental company was first founded. 

The business offered teeth aligners at a fraction of the price of regular braces, often marketing itself on social media as a faster and cheaper alternative for those in need.

In that decade, around two million people had bought into the service.

One of those customers is Milena Grcic of St. Francis, who first learned about the company from its ads and a close friend who had had a positive experience.

"I called and filled out an application and set up an appointment. It was very quick and very efficient so that was convenient," Grcic told CBS 58's Ellie Nakamoto-White. “Once I was checked in, I went in and talked to, I guess, a dental specialist? And essentially, she just walked me through the process, told me what the expectations were, and then did a full image of my mouth.”

Grcic was hopeful. Like many, she just wanted straighter teeth.

Four weeks later, her aligners had arrived. Grcic expected to pay about $90 dollars a month for eight months.

“This affordability, and being able to be on a payment plan, that’s what made it work because I could not afford going to a traditional dentist and paying a cost like that out of pocket," Grcic explained.

But soon, she had to go back for a refitting. And another. And another.

“They were marketed as a dentist specialist, but at no point in time did I work with an actual orthodontist," Grcic said. “It was very painful, and it was like no matter what we did we couldn’t get it work, so after that point, I did end up just giving up on it.”

That was three years ago. 

Now, Grcic said she's learned the lesson of when some deals may be too good to be true.

“It didn’t come off that way of course, but it definitely ended up being that for sure," Grcic said. “It may work for some people, maybe for a certain type of mouth, certain type of teeth it may actually work, but for me it didn’t.”

The announcement of the closure didn't come as a surprise to Grcic, who said she feels for the customers who are stuck in the middle of treatment.

“Now hearing that they’re shutting down, it’s not a total shock, but also I’m glad that they are because I don’t think other people should be affected by what I feel like is very much of a scam of a company," Grcic said.

On their website, SmileDirectClub apologized to customers for the inconvenience of the shutdown, urging anyone who wanted to continue treatment to speak with their regular dentist.

However, outstanding orders have been cancelled. For those on a payment plan, customers are "expected to continue to make all monthly payments until payment has been made in full" despite not receiving more of the product.

Their Lifetime Smile Guarantee has also ceased to exist, meaning those who have finished the treatment will no longer qualify for free touch-ups that had been promised.

For those seeking a refund, SmileDirectClub said "there will be more information to come once the bankruptcy process determines next steps and additional measures customers can take."

If anyone has questions, the company said to contact HFD at 1-877-874-3877 or [email protected].