Beware of the CashCashPinoy and Dermclinic NuLight Promo

Click photo for the full details of the deal.
More trickery at their Facebook page.

Their deal information explicitly stated that for P595, you will be getting P3500 worth of service, which meant an 83% worth of savings. This "discount" is the bait that made people buy more than 1,900 vouchers to avail of their promo. I bought 7 vouchers myself, which  amounted to Php4.1k.

I set an appointment last Monday, September 26, 2011 for my first (of seven) sessions of NuLight IPL Hair Removal Treatment. When I got there, the dermatologist explained to me that I will only be getting 10 shots of the IPL treatment (5 per underarm), instead of the 60 shots (30 per underarm) that regular sessions go for. I was like, WUUUT, since there was not a word in the deal that Cashcashpinoy posted that mentions this catch. When I purchased the vouchers, it was in the knowledge that I will be getting one session worth P3500 with an 83% savings, which basically is 60 shots of IPL.

This is really sick and disgusting. The Department of Trade and Industry explicitly states that "Sales talk should not misrepresent the product or service" which means that no concealment, false representation, or fraudulent manipulation should be done in any form of advertising.

To quote the article posted in DTI:
"What does concealment, false representation, or fraudulent manipulation mean? The law cites several examples such as the following:
  • A consumer product or service has the sponsorship, approval, performance, characteristics, ingredients, accessories, uses, or benefits it does not have.
Retailers are encouraged to promote transparency to consumers among their ranks. All information about a product or service, especially those that concern pricing and quality, should be disclosed to the consumer."
I read everything in their deal information and never did they mention about this 10 shots per treatment. This is a gross exploitation of deals and promos. The law explicitly states that everything about a product or service should be disclosed, especially if there's a difference in the quality that would explain the mark-down in price.

What's even more gross about this is when you calculate the price per shot. I'm a nerd when it comes to deals and savings and calculate up to the last cent. Here's what I came up with:
PHP3500 (regular price) / 60 shots = PHP58.666
PHP595 (deal price) / 10 shots = PHP59.50
So... not only were consumers tricked into buying something not worth 83% of savings, THERE IS NO SAVINGS AT ALL.

I asked the dermatologist about why this was not stated in the promo and she admitted this by blaming the marketing department of Dermclinic. That's understandable (lol not really) but what's insane is that they expect me to go on with this craziness; even having the gall to tell me that if I want to avail of the full treatment, I should set another appointment for another day and bring all of my seven coupons.

LOLWUT?

I'm getting this shit refunded. If they give me a hard time, I'm planning to bring this up to DTI and have a lawyer friend get this resolved.
UPDATE:
October 6, 2011 - I was called by Jhing of Dermclinic this morning and she offered me a reasonable deal which I accepted. Read more here.

26 Responses so far.

  1. Jillsabs says:

    Hope this gets sorted out soon :(

    I'm now convinced that coupons for services are iffy deals. Best talaga to get coupons for resto deals or products.

  2. Dardar says:

    Thanks! They asked me for my number and the manager is planning to talk to me daw. I hope this gets sorted out soon. I don't want this to get any messier than it already is.

    Thanks!

  3. Hi Dardar!

    I did the same treatment before and I only got 12shots. Maybe you can ask DermClinic again because I think it's impossible to get 60shots in the armpit...don't you think it's too much for such a small area? I hope you sort it out. Goodluck!

  4. Dardar says:

    Hi! The 60 shots are for the two armpits na. 30 shots each. :) That's what the dermatologist told me. I've referred the deal to DTI already and the promo is not DTI-approved. I still have to call DTI-NCR though.

    Update: Cashcashpinoy blocked me from their Facebook page. lol. This is gonna get messy.

    Thanks for the well wishes. :)

  5. Hmmmmm the way I understand how things are going, i think the site is only an avenue for the merchant to advertise a promo. i don't think they need a permit for each promo because they are offering it to members who signed up in the site.

    But going back to the point, 60 shots for regular customers? i'm sure it's case to case basis but mine only took 3 each actually and it's enough. maybe you can ask them to re-evaluate how many sessions you need, because i'm sure you don't need that much. ;)

  6. Dardar says:

    Hmm. That's something the DTI would have to answer, I guess. Not really familiar with the whole process but my lawyer friend told me that if I don't get any updates from Dermclinic or Cashcashpinoy regarding the refund, I can always call DTI. Still waiting for their e-mail/call today. I don't see any reason why I can't get a refund though considering I haven't really availed of the service. Buyanihan and Metrodeal provide refunds so why can't Cashcashpinoy? I dunno if I want to go through with the deal anymore.

    I don't like how Cashcashpinoy handled the false advertising and my requests for refund.

  7. Anonymous says:

    http://verypoorservice.blogspot.com/

    metrodeal and ensembles is also a waste of time

  8. Anonymous says:

    Hello Dar, I read your bad review about cashcashpinoy http://beautynerdery.blogspot.com/2011/09/beware-of-cashcashpinoy-and-dermclinic.html and this sounds very misleading. I am actually working for a TV show and we would like to cover your bad experience with cashcashpinoy and the scam you experienced for our upcoming show on online frauds. you can contact me at annadizon1978@gmail.com :) if anyone else has problems like these, just drop me a line too :) thanks!

  9. Anonymous says:

    Hi... I work in a skin care clinic. I dunno... 60 shots or 30 shots per armpit area is too much... Masusunog na ang balat nun... Normally kasi, we do around 15 shots lang, pag super coarse and super hairy, 20 shots lang... 30 shots? pangit ata ung machine nila. just my 2 cents po.

  10. . . . . . says:
    This comment has been removed by the author.
  11. Cindy says:

    Whooaaaah.... I've had the same issue as well. CCP has not responded to my email since lastweek. I'm trying to contact dermclinic today and I'm waiting for their feedback.

    This is the worst I've encountered for almost a year of purchasing online deals.

    I normally check on online deals such as these since it saves us a lot and allow us to try those costly services and products.

  12. Cindy says:

    Seems like they have now made their posts very detailed.. check the IPL deal for Clara International

    [IMG]http://i56.tinypic.com/2qxyjoy.jpg[/IMG]

  13. Dardar says:

    haha. Looks like they've learned their lesson. Too bad we had to be the guinea pigs. =/

  14. Hi Dardar,

    This is Melissa, Communications Manager of CashCashPinoy.

    We apologize for this unfortunate misunderstanding. However, we would also like to make it clear that we did not nor will ever intend to mislead our customers.

    We already got in touch with DermClinic regarding this issue and we believe that they already explained the IPL process with you.

    We're glad that this has been sorted out.

    Thank you,
    Melissa

  15. Dardar says:

    Thanks, Melissa. I have been offered a deal by the Dermclinic rep, which I thought was fair. Will be updating this blog post soon.

    Thanks.

  16. Dardar says:

    Updated the blog with a link to a new post!

  17. Good to hear! And thank you for the latest post. Can we ask for a little favor, can you delete the other post? :D

  18. wired says:

    oo nga seems like they are misinforming the public just to earn bucks.. so we have to be very careful and vigilant when it comes to deal site, especially right now na napakadami na

  19. mysha says:

    I could understand that CashCashPinoy could do something like that. I have ordered products from them. They stated in the deal that it will be delivered for free from December 6 - 16, 2011. I ordered two (02) items and only received one (01) item after more than one month today. It is also difficult to contact them because the only way to contact them is through email and it takes them forever to answer. They send you a generic reply that someone will contact you in 48 hours but it takes them several days to reply with the same generic response. When I sent them a strong email stating that I will have my lawyers contact them. I received a reply (even on December 25) that my order is in the process of delivery. However, I only received one item! I called the courier and confirmed if there is another item in the process of delivery. They told me there's only one under my name. they said they will send an email about it to CashCashPinoy and will contact me as soon as CashCashPinoy replies. It seems to me that CAshCashPinoy does not care about their customers, I have the impression that they are just after the profit they make. It is also important to note that when I visited their office, it looks a fly-by-night office, very easy to pack-up all their things if ever they are faced with court litigation. I want them to refund my money instead because they might just deliver a defective item to me and that would be another headache.

  20. Georgina says:

    We're on the same boat. Cashcashpinoy is testing my patience. I also ordered for the portable fan with LED lights which was supposedly bought as a Christmas present. Paid for it on November 8 and was scheduled for delivery on November 26 onwards. After not receiving any updates, wrote the customer service and they replied that it’s already been forwarded to their courier service. they could not estimate the exact date of delivery but they assured that it will be delivered. Christmas and New Year came, still no delivery from them. I contacted their customer service again and they said that they are sorry that they ran out of stocks and asked for my bank account details for the refund. Now it’s been almost a month since they promised for the refund but everytime I email them, they reply with the generic statement “the accounting dept is currently processing it.” Since I paid thru paypal, it should have been easier for them to issue refund. When I posted my complaints on their FB site, they threatened to block my posts. The amount may only be P420 but I’m rather donate it to Sendong victims than give it to an online company ran by scumbags.

  21. I also had that worst experience with Cashcashpinoy. Last November 25, 2011 I purchased a Bravia Platinum Mini Speaker from them. This is supposedly a xmas gift for a friend but until now I haven't received it yet. I sent them e-mails and even posted comments at their FB account but all I got were lame excuses.I even asked them for the name of their courier so I could track it myself but they wont also disclose the info. These scammers should really be held accountable for all the deceptions they make to their consumers.

  22. Unknown says:

    Just purchased a travel deal here in cash cash pinoy
    Bought 5 voucher for HongKong deal that they have
    I haven't receive the voucher yet and I've been trying send them emails but to no Response.

    I feel unsecured and scared now,

  23. Unknown says:

    Just purchased a travel deal here in cash cash pinoy
    Bought 5 voucher for HongKong deal that they have
    I haven't receive the voucher yet and I've been trying send them emails but to no Response.

    I feel unsecured and scared now,

  24. Unknown says:

    Hi I just purchased the Hong Kong deal today thru your website and I don't have the voucher yet

  25. Unknown says:

    Just purchased a travel deal here in cash cash pinoy
    Bought 5 voucher for HongKong deal that they have
    I haven't receive the voucher yet and I've been trying send them emails but to no Response.

    I feel unsecured and scared now,

  26. Unknown says:

    Just purchased a travel deal here in cash cash pinoy
    Bought 5 voucher for HongKong deal that they have
    I haven't receive the voucher yet and I've been trying send them emails but to no Response.

    I feel unsecured and scared now,

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