Re: The nip/tuck conspiracy: The lies and hard-sell tactics cosmetic surgeries use to con women

[Guest guest]

This is a sick business. Did we ever doubt it was all about money??

Everyone who steps foot into a plastic surgeons office, BEWARE!!!!!

They want your money any way they can get it!!!! There are a few

ethical ones out there, but by far most are NOT!!

Patty

--- In , " Ilena Rose " <ilena.rose@...>

wrote:

>

> *The nip/tuck conspiracy: The lies and hard-sell tactics cosmetic

surgeries

> use to con women

>

> *

> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?

in_article_id=507487 & in_page_id=1879

>

> by SADIE NICHOLAS

> (place for comments too)

>

> As she took the deposit from a perfectly proportioned size eight

woman and

> booked her in for breast implants and liposuction, Emma Larter was

inwardly

> delighted. No matter that, in Emma's words, her client " looked

beautiful and

> had no need for surgery " , it was a sale and that's all that

mattered. Any

> guilt she might have felt about such a shameless transaction was

more than

> masked with relief. For, as a patient co-ordinator - plastic surgery

> industry speak for salesperson - Emma had to hit a staggering

monthly sales

> target of £80,000. It was the equivalent of around 25 breast

implants or 12

> facelifts, and she was simply relieved she had secured £6,000.

>

> Shocking though it is, such dealings are far from unique. Only this

week, an

> undercover investigation by Which? revealed widespread evidence

that people

> wanting cosmetic surgery are being subjected to lies and a hard-

sell more

> akin to the double-glazing industry. As clinics clamour for their

share of

> the £906million cosmetic surgery market, it seems that sales

targets take

> precedence over integrity. Regardless of the risks associated with

surgery -

> post-operative infections and complications from general

anaesthetic -

> potential clients are being pushed to hand over their cash for a

nip/tuck

> whether they need it or not.

>

> Emma, a 34-year-old mother-of-two from Norwich, admits such damning

> revelations match her own experience of working as a patient

coordinator for

> a clinic in 2006. She took the job after having breast implants and

a tummy

> tuck at the same clinic. Six months later she quit, unable to

tolerate the

> high-pressure sales environment or condone the hard-sell tactics

used to

> entice patients. " When I recommended friends and acquaintances to

the clinic

> after my surgery, the director called to thank me, " she

recalls. " He said

> that if I could round up patients so effortlessly, I should work

for him and

> get paid for it. " At the time I was a stay-at-home mum.

>

> My partner of 13 years was a wealthy businessman, so I could afford

not to

> work, but I liked the idea of working a few days a week and the

contact it

> would give me with other people, so I took the job. " I thought it

would fit

> brilliantly around the school run. How wrong I was. " Emma's training

> consisted of sitting in her new boss's office for a " couple of days

while he

> stressed to me the need to sell " , after which she was set an

astonishing

> target of banking £60,000 during her first month. Though she

was " talked

> through " the procedures available, Emma, like most patient

coordinators, had

> no medical training. " I was stunned by the target and the hard

sales, " she

> says. " The number one rule was that I must never let a potential

client

> leave without handing over a deposit for surgery. "

>

> With sales leads generated by the firm's website, Emma would

arrange to meet

> interested parties at clinics in Newcastle, Leeds and London, but

admits she

> and her colleagues were under enormous pressure to make sure every

clinic

> was double-booked. " It was all about money, " she remembers. " There

might be

> only 15 allotted consultation slots, but I'd be expected to book in

30

> people to ensure we maximised sales and covered for anyone who

didn't turn

> up. " If people left without paying a deposit, it was a disaster and

my boss

> would read me the riot act. " He phoned constantly, telling me to

put the

> pressure on, to call back clients who hadn't committed at the

consultation,

> and to offer time-sensitive discounts over the phone. " Under

instruction

> from my boss, I'd often tell prospective patients they could have X

amount

> of money off, but only if they booked within the hour. It's the

oldest trick

> in the book. " Whether surgery was appropriate - physically or

> psychologically - wasn't a consideration.

>

> When you risk the sack if you don't meet your targets, it blurs your

> judgment and your morals. " I had women who didn't really need the

surgery

> they wanted, but I was never going to say: 'You're lovely as you

are, save

> your money and go home.' " If there was no medical reason why they

shouldn't

> have something done, then I was instructed that it was just another

sale. "

> Shockingly, Emma estimates that, but for the pushy sales techniques

used, 50

> per cent of patients would never have gone as far as booking in for

surgery.

> " I loved the interaction with people, but I became increasingly

conscious

> that our selling techniques were often immoral. " One of the worst

things I

> was expected to do was show people a magazine feature that had been

printed

> about my own tummy tuck. " The after-picture was amazing, as I now

have a

> beautiful flat stomach.

>

> But my before-pictures weren't considered extreme enough by the

clinic - I

> just had an irritating flap of loose skin from where I'd lost

weight. " So

> the clinic took photos of the receptionist's flabby stomach

instead, and I

> was expected to pass it off as my own. I felt terribly guilty at

the con of

> showing people those photos. "

>

> Eventually, the long hours and highpressure sales environment took

its toll

> on Emma and she resigned from her job in summer 2006. She is now

studying

> for a degree in social work. " They wanted to increase my targets, "

she adds.

> " My children's father left me because our relationship had broken

down over

> the hours I'd been working, I'd been surviving on four hours' sleep

a night

> and I just couldn't do it any more. " I'm all for people having

surgery if

> they need it, but something has to change about the way surgery is

sold. It

> just preys on the vulnerable. "

>

> Maloy, 30, owns a media company in London. From 2003 until

September

> 2006, she handled publicity for a Harley Street surgeon, but she

quit when

> she could no longer tolerate his sales techniques. " When I started

working

> for him he was a respected surgeon, " she says. " But after three

years he was

> even timing how fast he could do breast implants to get as many

patients as

> he could through theatre in a day. " He boasted that his fastest

time had

> been 15 minutes and 30 seconds - when the operation should take

around an

> hour. I was sickened. " Because he rented his facilities, he'd cram

12

> operations into a day to avoid paying rent on the theatre for a

second day.

> " It meant a woman could be having a facelift at 9.30pm at night

when he'd

> already been working 14 hours. It was totally unethical. "

>

> With a clinic manager and army of patient co-ordinators, says

her

> client became consumed by greed. " I had big arguments with him

about the

> discounts his team offered if a patient referred a friend, and the

vouchers

> they gave out to clients to redeem against surgery, "

says. " If he was

> such a great surgeon, why did he need to stoop so low? He wasn't

selling

> clothes in a High Street store - this was serious medical

intervention and

> he was sabotaging his reputation. " Once, he even held an invite-only

> luncheon for clients but once they got there he'd spin a sales

pitch and

> offer them a discount on Botox if they had it there and then. " Some

of the

> women he injected were already sloshed on champagne. It was all

sell, sell,

> sell. " One glamour model booked in to have £2,500 of liposuction to

reduce a

> double chin. But he told her he'd do something even better, though

he didn't

> specify what. " Foolishly she didn't question him and came out of

theatre

> having had a facelift that was to cost her £5,000.

>

> She was only 28 years old and was devastated. " Something has to be

done to

> regulate the industry. We're not talking about offering discounts

on waxing

> or facials - this is serious surgery, and it shouldn't be thrust

upon

> people. " But, like so many of the clinics out there, my client was

> money-hungry. He treated cosmetic surgery like a High Street sales

campaign

> to get the tills ringing, not a medical procedure. " admits

that after

> her threeyear insight into the sales operation at this clinic, she

couldn't

> contain her repulsion any longer and left. " I felt guilty by

association, "

> she says. " These poor people, usually women, were putting their

trust in

> this man and in some instances handing over their entire savings for

> procedures they'd been promised would change their lives for

ever. " It was

> verging on bullying and fraud. You don't expect this type of thing

to

> happen, especially on Harley Street. " I reported the clinic to the

> Healthcare Commission, and as far as I know it is still under

> investigation. "

>

> Certainly it would appear that the nip/tuck boom has created many a

monster

> in the industry and turned elective medical intervention into a

proverbial

> cash cow. " There are many industry insiders who purport to being

tarred by a

> brush which simply doesn't apply to them. Cosmetic surgeon Dr Lucy

Glancey,

> of Glancey Medical Associates in London and Coventry, condemns the

hard-sell

> tactics used by her peers. " I've had patients come to me terribly

upset

> because they've had consultations at some of the bigger clinics and

then

> been bombarded by phone calls from patient co-ordinators until they

agree to

> surgery, " she says. " They feel tremendous pressure to book

procedures they

> aren't sure about. It's an invasion of their privacy when what they

really

> need is time to make informed decisions about surgery. " We don't

have co-

> ordinators - patients deal directly with me and my team, and I

frequently

> turn away people for surgery they just don't need. " I won't go down

the road

> of socalled 'upselling' either, where a patient comes in wanting a

facelift

> and leaves having booked a breast lift and lipo as well. I want

something to

> be done about the hard sell. "

>

> Former lawyer Briggs, 52, runs a cosmetic surgery advice

service and

> has firm ideas about how to stamp out heavy-handed sales

techniques. " Stop

> the commission based pay for co-ordinators and put them on proper

salaries, "

> she says. But she admits that with big over-heads to cover, many

clinics

> would find it difficult not to set sales targets. " The reason I

started my

> advice website was to try to stop people selling surgery as though

it's

> double glazing, " says , who had a facelift in 1999. As the

founder of

> Britain's biggest independent cosmetic surgery advice service, she

is

> considered an expert in the field, and lives in Welney, Norfolk,

with her

> husband , 60, who is semi-retired from the RAF. " For my

facelift, I

> did what everyone else having surgery for the first time does. I

picked up

> the Yellow Pages, called a few clinics, and arranged a few

consultations.

> " At the time, people didn't know much about facelifts, and when I

did a

> feature about mine in a magazine and the clinic's phone didn't stop

ringing,

> the surgeon offered me a job. " 'Why would I want to sell surgery

for you

> when I'm a well-paid lawyer?' I asked.

>

> Nevertheless I was intrigued, so I shadowed one of his patient

coordinators,

> Sue, for a week or two and was horrified. " " Sue had been a sales

person for

> a major bank, and within minutes of sitting in on her consultation

with a

> would-be patient, I saw she had a very defined script. " She allowed

only one

> hour per patient, not a minute more, with the goal being to close

the deal

> with a deposit for surgery before the patient left the room. " Sue

had a

> financial target to meet, the same as a double-glazing salesman

would. " It

> didn't matter that she was selling medical procedures which carried

> inevitable risks, as all surgery does - the sale was the only thing

that

> mattered. " Incensed by what she had witnessed, gave up her

career in

> law to establish an impartial business to help steer would-be

nip/tuck

> patients away from the hard sell she despised. Sadly, though, she

has seen

> an increase in poor sales practice since. " There was one Midlands

clinic

> whose patient co- ordinators would take a deposit from someone,

then send a

> taxi to collect them on the day and take them for their surgery so

there was

> no way they could back out, " she says. " One man who visited a hair

> transplant clinic for help with a receding hairline was convinced

that his

> problem was far worse and ended up having a £5,000 radical hair

transplant.

> It left him scarred for life. " Then there was the lady who was

wheeled into

> theatre for a boob job under the influence of a sedative, and by

the time

> she got there the patient coordinator had signed her up for a

facelift and

> eye bag removal, too.

>

> Thankfully the surgeon was furious and refused to go ahead with

it. " People

> who want cosmetic surgery are often insecure about their looks so

they are

> easy prey for sales vultures. " Apply a bit of sales pressure or

suggest that

> as well as having their breasts enlarged, perhaps they should

consider

> correcting those droopy eyelids and they'll sign up rather than

face the

> world worrying about tiny imperfections that have been pointed

out. " The

> sales people should be ashamed of themselves. They're not selling

shoes. As

> for the patients who sign up under pressure, they need to ask

themselves:

> 'Would I agree to heart surgery without thinking about it if I

didn't really

> need it? "

>

> The same applies to plastic surgery. " We need ethical guidelines and

> regulations to stop this hard sell and bring the focus back to a

patient's

> needs. " Indeed, one only hopes that no patients die before controls

are

> imposed on the offending clinics to stop them treating cosmetic

surgery as a

> neverending cash cow.

>

[Guest guest]

This is a sick business. Did we ever doubt it was all about money??

Everyone who steps foot into a plastic surgeons office, BEWARE!!!!!

They want your money any way they can get it!!!! There are a few

ethical ones out there, but by far most are NOT!!

Patty

--- In , " Ilena Rose " <ilena.rose@...>

wrote:

>

> *The nip/tuck conspiracy: The lies and hard-sell tactics cosmetic

surgeries

> use to con women

>

> *

> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?

in_article_id=507487 & in_page_id=1879

>

> by SADIE NICHOLAS

> (place for comments too)

>

> As she took the deposit from a perfectly proportioned size eight

woman and

> booked her in for breast implants and liposuction, Emma Larter was

inwardly

> delighted. No matter that, in Emma's words, her client " looked

beautiful and

> had no need for surgery " , it was a sale and that's all that

mattered. Any

> guilt she might have felt about such a shameless transaction was

more than

> masked with relief. For, as a patient co-ordinator - plastic surgery

> industry speak for salesperson - Emma had to hit a staggering

monthly sales

> target of £80,000. It was the equivalent of around 25 breast

implants or 12

> facelifts, and she was simply relieved she had secured £6,000.

>

> Shocking though it is, such dealings are far from unique. Only this

week, an

> undercover investigation by Which? revealed widespread evidence

that people

> wanting cosmetic surgery are being subjected to lies and a hard-

sell more

> akin to the double-glazing industry. As clinics clamour for their

share of

> the £906million cosmetic surgery market, it seems that sales

targets take

> precedence over integrity. Regardless of the risks associated with

surgery -

> post-operative infections and complications from general

anaesthetic -

> potential clients are being pushed to hand over their cash for a

nip/tuck

> whether they need it or not.

>

> Emma, a 34-year-old mother-of-two from Norwich, admits such damning

> revelations match her own experience of working as a patient

coordinator for

> a clinic in 2006. She took the job after having breast implants and

a tummy

> tuck at the same clinic. Six months later she quit, unable to

tolerate the

> high-pressure sales environment or condone the hard-sell tactics

used to

> entice patients. " When I recommended friends and acquaintances to

the clinic

> after my surgery, the director called to thank me, " she

recalls. " He said

> that if I could round up patients so effortlessly, I should work

for him and

> get paid for it. " At the time I was a stay-at-home mum.

>

> My partner of 13 years was a wealthy businessman, so I could afford

not to

> work, but I liked the idea of working a few days a week and the

contact it

> would give me with other people, so I took the job. " I thought it

would fit

> brilliantly around the school run. How wrong I was. " Emma's training

> consisted of sitting in her new boss's office for a " couple of days

while he

> stressed to me the need to sell " , after which she was set an

astonishing

> target of banking £60,000 during her first month. Though she

was " talked

> through " the procedures available, Emma, like most patient

coordinators, had

> no medical training. " I was stunned by the target and the hard

sales, " she

> says. " The number one rule was that I must never let a potential

client

> leave without handing over a deposit for surgery. "

>

> With sales leads generated by the firm's website, Emma would

arrange to meet

> interested parties at clinics in Newcastle, Leeds and London, but

admits she

> and her colleagues were under enormous pressure to make sure every

clinic

> was double-booked. " It was all about money, " she remembers. " There

might be

> only 15 allotted consultation slots, but I'd be expected to book in

30

> people to ensure we maximised sales and covered for anyone who

didn't turn

> up. " If people left without paying a deposit, it was a disaster and

my boss

> would read me the riot act. " He phoned constantly, telling me to

put the

> pressure on, to call back clients who hadn't committed at the

consultation,

> and to offer time-sensitive discounts over the phone. " Under

instruction

> from my boss, I'd often tell prospective patients they could have X

amount

> of money off, but only if they booked within the hour. It's the

oldest trick

> in the book. " Whether surgery was appropriate - physically or

> psychologically - wasn't a consideration.

>

> When you risk the sack if you don't meet your targets, it blurs your

> judgment and your morals. " I had women who didn't really need the

surgery

> they wanted, but I was never going to say: 'You're lovely as you

are, save

> your money and go home.' " If there was no medical reason why they

shouldn't

> have something done, then I was instructed that it was just another

sale. "

> Shockingly, Emma estimates that, but for the pushy sales techniques

used, 50

> per cent of patients would never have gone as far as booking in for

surgery.

> " I loved the interaction with people, but I became increasingly

conscious

> that our selling techniques were often immoral. " One of the worst

things I

> was expected to do was show people a magazine feature that had been

printed

> about my own tummy tuck. " The after-picture was amazing, as I now

have a

> beautiful flat stomach.

>

> But my before-pictures weren't considered extreme enough by the

clinic - I

> just had an irritating flap of loose skin from where I'd lost

weight. " So

> the clinic took photos of the receptionist's flabby stomach

instead, and I

> was expected to pass it off as my own. I felt terribly guilty at

the con of

> showing people those photos. "

>

> Eventually, the long hours and highpressure sales environment took

its toll

> on Emma and she resigned from her job in summer 2006. She is now

studying

> for a degree in social work. " They wanted to increase my targets, "

she adds.

> " My children's father left me because our relationship had broken

down over

> the hours I'd been working, I'd been surviving on four hours' sleep

a night

> and I just couldn't do it any more. " I'm all for people having

surgery if

> they need it, but something has to change about the way surgery is

sold. It

> just preys on the vulnerable. "

>

> Maloy, 30, owns a media company in London. From 2003 until

September

> 2006, she handled publicity for a Harley Street surgeon, but she

quit when

> she could no longer tolerate his sales techniques. " When I started

working

> for him he was a respected surgeon, " she says. " But after three

years he was

> even timing how fast he could do breast implants to get as many

patients as

> he could through theatre in a day. " He boasted that his fastest

time had

> been 15 minutes and 30 seconds - when the operation should take

around an

> hour. I was sickened. " Because he rented his facilities, he'd cram

12

> operations into a day to avoid paying rent on the theatre for a

second day.

> " It meant a woman could be having a facelift at 9.30pm at night

when he'd

> already been working 14 hours. It was totally unethical. "

>

> With a clinic manager and army of patient co-ordinators, says

her

> client became consumed by greed. " I had big arguments with him

about the

> discounts his team offered if a patient referred a friend, and the

vouchers

> they gave out to clients to redeem against surgery, "

says. " If he was

> such a great surgeon, why did he need to stoop so low? He wasn't

selling

> clothes in a High Street store - this was serious medical

intervention and

> he was sabotaging his reputation. " Once, he even held an invite-only

> luncheon for clients but once they got there he'd spin a sales

pitch and

> offer them a discount on Botox if they had it there and then. " Some

of the

> women he injected were already sloshed on champagne. It was all

sell, sell,

> sell. " One glamour model booked in to have £2,500 of liposuction to

reduce a

> double chin. But he told her he'd do something even better, though

he didn't

> specify what. " Foolishly she didn't question him and came out of

theatre

> having had a facelift that was to cost her £5,000.

>

> She was only 28 years old and was devastated. " Something has to be

done to

> regulate the industry. We're not talking about offering discounts

on waxing

> or facials - this is serious surgery, and it shouldn't be thrust

upon

> people. " But, like so many of the clinics out there, my client was

> money-hungry. He treated cosmetic surgery like a High Street sales

campaign

> to get the tills ringing, not a medical procedure. " admits

that after

> her threeyear insight into the sales operation at this clinic, she

couldn't

> contain her repulsion any longer and left. " I felt guilty by

association, "

> she says. " These poor people, usually women, were putting their

trust in

> this man and in some instances handing over their entire savings for

> procedures they'd been promised would change their lives for

ever. " It was

> verging on bullying and fraud. You don't expect this type of thing

to

> happen, especially on Harley Street. " I reported the clinic to the

> Healthcare Commission, and as far as I know it is still under

> investigation. "

>

> Certainly it would appear that the nip/tuck boom has created many a

monster

> in the industry and turned elective medical intervention into a

proverbial

> cash cow. " There are many industry insiders who purport to being

tarred by a

> brush which simply doesn't apply to them. Cosmetic surgeon Dr Lucy

Glancey,

> of Glancey Medical Associates in London and Coventry, condemns the

hard-sell

> tactics used by her peers. " I've had patients come to me terribly

upset

> because they've had consultations at some of the bigger clinics and

then

> been bombarded by phone calls from patient co-ordinators until they

agree to

> surgery, " she says. " They feel tremendous pressure to book

procedures they

> aren't sure about. It's an invasion of their privacy when what they

really

> need is time to make informed decisions about surgery. " We don't

have co-

> ordinators - patients deal directly with me and my team, and I

frequently

> turn away people for surgery they just don't need. " I won't go down

the road

> of socalled 'upselling' either, where a patient comes in wanting a

facelift

> and leaves having booked a breast lift and lipo as well. I want

something to

> be done about the hard sell. "

>

> Former lawyer Briggs, 52, runs a cosmetic surgery advice

service and

> has firm ideas about how to stamp out heavy-handed sales

techniques. " Stop

> the commission based pay for co-ordinators and put them on proper

salaries, "

> she says. But she admits that with big over-heads to cover, many

clinics

> would find it difficult not to set sales targets. " The reason I

started my

> advice website was to try to stop people selling surgery as though

it's

> double glazing, " says , who had a facelift in 1999. As the

founder of

> Britain's biggest independent cosmetic surgery advice service, she

is

> considered an expert in the field, and lives in Welney, Norfolk,

with her

> husband , 60, who is semi-retired from the RAF. " For my

facelift, I

> did what everyone else having surgery for the first time does. I

picked up

> the Yellow Pages, called a few clinics, and arranged a few

consultations.

> " At the time, people didn't know much about facelifts, and when I

did a

> feature about mine in a magazine and the clinic's phone didn't stop

ringing,

> the surgeon offered me a job. " 'Why would I want to sell surgery

for you

> when I'm a well-paid lawyer?' I asked.

>

> Nevertheless I was intrigued, so I shadowed one of his patient

coordinators,

> Sue, for a week or two and was horrified. " " Sue had been a sales

person for

> a major bank, and within minutes of sitting in on her consultation

with a

> would-be patient, I saw she had a very defined script. " She allowed

only one

> hour per patient, not a minute more, with the goal being to close

the deal

> with a deposit for surgery before the patient left the room. " Sue

had a

> financial target to meet, the same as a double-glazing salesman

would. " It

> didn't matter that she was selling medical procedures which carried

> inevitable risks, as all surgery does - the sale was the only thing

that

> mattered. " Incensed by what she had witnessed, gave up her

career in

> law to establish an impartial business to help steer would-be

nip/tuck

> patients away from the hard sell she despised. Sadly, though, she

has seen

> an increase in poor sales practice since. " There was one Midlands

clinic

> whose patient co- ordinators would take a deposit from someone,

then send a

> taxi to collect them on the day and take them for their surgery so

there was

> no way they could back out, " she says. " One man who visited a hair

> transplant clinic for help with a receding hairline was convinced

that his

> problem was far worse and ended up having a £5,000 radical hair

transplant.

> It left him scarred for life. " Then there was the lady who was

wheeled into

> theatre for a boob job under the influence of a sedative, and by

the time

> she got there the patient coordinator had signed her up for a

facelift and

> eye bag removal, too.

>

> Thankfully the surgeon was furious and refused to go ahead with

it. " People

> who want cosmetic surgery are often insecure about their looks so

they are

> easy prey for sales vultures. " Apply a bit of sales pressure or

suggest that

> as well as having their breasts enlarged, perhaps they should

consider

> correcting those droopy eyelids and they'll sign up rather than

face the

> world worrying about tiny imperfections that have been pointed

out. " The

> sales people should be ashamed of themselves. They're not selling

shoes. As

> for the patients who sign up under pressure, they need to ask

themselves:

> 'Would I agree to heart surgery without thinking about it if I

didn't really

> need it? "

>

> The same applies to plastic surgery. " We need ethical guidelines and

> regulations to stop this hard sell and bring the focus back to a

patient's

> needs. " Indeed, one only hopes that no patients die before controls

are

> imposed on the offending clinics to stop them treating cosmetic

surgery as a

> neverending cash cow.

>