Exploiting the Market for Hair Loss: An Exposé of The Belgravia Centre's Practices

The Belgravia Treatment


Like many people, I have had the misfortune of suffering from hair loss. I then had the further misfortune of encountering the Belgravia Centre, which calls itself a ‘Trichology Clinic’. What follows is an account of my personal experience of the Belgravia Centre. This is essential reading for anyone considering undergoing treatment with the Belgravia Centre.


Background to my story


After losing hair for at least a year and a half, it seemed clear it was more than a passing phase. The hair loss was most evident when I washed my hair, and bundles of it would end up in the shower drain. Fortunately, with time, my hair loss stabilised on its own without the use of over-priced, gimmicky products. But during the worst phase when I was losing bundles of hair, I did an online search for hair loss specialists in London that might be able to help.

When I googled hair loss specialists, the Belgravia Centre, of 52 Grosvenor Gardens, London, appeared prominently in my search results. I visited their website, which was professional-looking with pictures of friendly-looking ‘Trichologists’ in white coats. I then booked an initial consultation.


The consultation


Upon arriving at the Belgravia Centre, I was taken to a cubicle by a woman named Cisca, who asked me a few cursory questions and gave me what was supposedly a medical diagnosis. The consultation was an extremely stressful experience. I later came to realise I’d been deliberately misled about the nature and extent of my hair loss, in a ‘clinical’ consultation that was grossly negligent.

Cisca’s manner was cold and unfeeling. She made lots of partings in my hair, then I heard a camera click and realised she was taking pictures of my scalp from different angles - without seeing fit to ask my permission or explain what she was doing. She then uploaded the pictures to her computer. She told me my parting was widening. This seemed like a dubious claim to me. Yes, I’d been losing hair, and this was somewhat evident at my crown and temples. But my parting was clearly in tact, as evidenced by her own pictures. There was no gap at all. She proceeded to tell me, in no uncertain terms, that I had ‘the onset of female pattern baldness’. It seemed strange to be making such a definite diagnosis on the basis of so little, without conducting a single test for underlying conditions or deficiencies. However, her words alarmed me greatly.

She then dumped me back in the waiting room, and told me I would shortly be seen by a ‘Hair Consultant’ (this translates to a salesperson in the misleading lexicon of the Belgravia Centre).


The sales bit


A few minutes later, after I was thoroughly demoralised by the grim ‘diagnosis’, a smooth smiling saleslady named Gayzen appeared, and we went to her office.

Gayzen was much friendlier than Cisca and seemed sympathetic to the plight of hair loss sufferers. She claimed she had difficulties with hair loss herself, but had been helped by the use of Minoxidil – a prescription drug which is one of the main treatments offered by Belgravia.

With very little regard for my personal medical history, and giving me no time to ask questions or consider my decision, Gayzen put immense pressure on me to commit to a course of treatment with Belgravia. She immediately showed me a treatment price list and urged me to make a quick decision. I was made to feel as though I would lose all my hair if I didn’t immediately commit to one of Belgravia’s expensive treatment plans. The prices were high, amounting to £1,105 for a year’s treatment, consisting of Minoxidil, and monthly in-salon scalp treatments that allegedly boost hair growth (though there is no proof of this). Another component of the ‘treatment’ was the provision of a hair max laser comb to be used at home. The laser comb is a relatively new piece of technology which, according to Belgravia, stimulates hair growth.

Believing the grim ‘diagnosis’ I’d been given by Cisca, and under immense pressure from Gayzen at a time when I believed I would eventually lose my hair completely, I made the unfortunate decision to undergo treatment with Belgravia. I wished to commit to a three-month course of treatment only, but Gayzen insisted that longer treatment courses were more cost-effective. The rate for the shorter treatment courses worked out considerably higher. Besides, she insisted, a person could not expect to see any results after just three months, and a longer commitment was needed.

It later struck me that Gayzen barely provided any information about the possible side effects of Minoxidil, a prescription drug applied topically to the scalp. In my view, it was being given out too freely by Belgravia, which has an in-house pharmacy to furnish the prescriptions. Gayzen insisted I pay £105 as an initial deposit, even though I wished to pay only £50.


Belgravia’s relentless sales tactics


During this phase, I had various medical appointments to attend, and I did not return to Belgravia immediately for my follow-up appointment. In that time, I received e-mails and phone calls from Gayzen. When she couldn’t reach me on my mobile, she called my house, even speaking to a family member.

When I returned to Belgravia for my second appointment, I asked Gayzen for a clarification of Belgravia’s refund policies. Surprisingly, she claimed she wasn’t sure about the specifics of Belgravia’s refund policies, and would need to check this. She did however say that unused Minoxidil could be returned, and gave me a general impression that a refund was not a big issue. She said that Belgravia was an established and reputable company, and they were not fussed about granting small refunds to individuals, since they wanted consumers to have confidence in their services.

I asked Gayzen to prepare a document for me clearly stating Belgravia’s refund policies, for the avoidance of doubt. She said this could be arranged and the document would be e-mailed to me early the following week. I was given the impression that written confirmation was just a formality. With the understanding that refunds were granted by Belgravia, I then made a further payment of £500.

After this, I received an in-salon scalp treatment. The treatment utilised steam and massage and a menthol rub was applied to the scalp. These aspects of the treatment were not problematic in themselves. However, there was a part of the treatment where they placed a UV lamp over my head. Since UV lamps are understood to be damaging to the skin, and using sun beds is not a good thing, I don’t know why Belgravia utilises these UV lamps on the scalp. I see no medical reason why this would promote hair growth, and believe it is potentially harmful.

After this, I was given the hair max laser comb as part of my treatment plan. Bought on its own, the laser comb (compact model) costs £245.


Buyer Beware


After my second appointment, I decided to carry out some research on Belgravia to find out more. This is what I uncovered.

• None of Belgravia’s ‘Trichologists’ are registered with the Institute of Trichologists, which outlines industry standards and governs ethics in this field. The Belgravia website refers to its employees as ‘Trichologists’, sometimes using the ambiguous term ‘Belgravia-trained Trichologists’. Unfortunately, anyone can set up a hair loss clinic and claim to be a Trichologist. Belgravia claims to provide some in-house training, but it is not an industry-recognised standard of training, leading to an actual qualification.

• Despite assurances from Belgravia that Minoxidil is a safe medication, some hair loss sufferers have had worrying reactions to Minoxidil. Allergic reactions sometimes occur. Minoxidil, originally used for the treatment of high blood pressure, can lead to unwanted side effects such as low blood pressure, palpitations, dizziness, migraines, nausea and vomiting, as well as skin reactions. I had asked the Belgravia staff for an explanation of possible side effects. I was told that it may result in some unwanted hair on the face, and that it should be used twice daily without fail, or any new hair would immediately fall out. Worrying as this was, no reference was made to more dangerous side effects linked with the medication. I would only have had access to this information (in the patient information leaflet that accompanies the medicine), after the point of sale, which hardly seems fair.

• Other than the testimonials of the companies that sell it, there is no compelling evidence that the laser comb delivers the results it promises. It is approved by the Food and Drugs Agency (FDA), an American body, but has no such endorsement from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) - the relevant authority in the UK. I believe it has been endorsed by the FDA for safety, but not for effectiveness. To my knowledge, there is no detailed clinical data that makes a definite case that the laser comb is effective in stimulating hair growth.

• On contacting Trading Standards, I was told that there were various civil cases being pursued against Belgravia. I also came across other online accounts of bad experiences of Belgravia.

• When I reported Belgravia to the MHRA some time later, I was told an investigation of Belgravia was already underway. My complaint against Belgravia formed part of a larger, ongoing investigation by the MHRA.

• Belgravia has been investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on various occasions, and has been told to change the wording of advertisements which were found to be misleading.

• Belgravia’s website includes a disclaimer which states they are totally immune from any sort of legal action against them, even if information on their website is found to be wrong or misleading. The funny thing is, the Belgravia website urges consumers not to be duped by unscrupulous companies that seek to profit from their hair loss, and adopts an attitude of superiority, as though they are some sort of moral authority. It’s easy to see why they would benefit from bad mouthing the competition, and their hypocritical standards are quite evident. Consumers should always be mindful that a professional-looking website does not necessarily mean a company is trustworthy.


My battle with Belgravia


Needless to say, I decided to cancel my treatment with Belgravia on the basis of this information. I cancelled my next appointment, at which I was due to make a third and final payment to them. However, I was still at a loss financially. I had received an e-mail from Gayzen which was not quite consistent with what she had said verbally regarding Belgravia’s refund policies, and limited refunds to unused Minoxidil only.

I composed a letter to Gayzen stating I wished to cancel my treatment plan, explaining that my doctor had advised me to proceed with caution until we knew more about the underlying reasons for the hair loss.

Gayzen referred the matter to Belgravia’s joint managing director, Ms Harris. After this, I got the impression I was being avoided by Belgravia. Although Gayzen did respond to my e-mails, I was not getting a clear response from Ms Harris, and three weeks passed.

During this time my stress levels were extremely high. I was dealing with health problems, hair loss, and now the latest worry that I had completely lost my money. I felt sick thinking about the money I had lost, at a time when I didn’t even have much to spare.


The intimidation tactics of Belgravia’s management


When an answer was not forthcoming, I e-mailed Ms Harris detailing my concerns about Belgravia. Her manner was confrontational and I was not granted a refund at first. She said that she required proof of the claims I was making, or she would not give my money back! This hardly seemed consistent with my consumer rights. After all, she was holding onto my money when I wasn’t even getting any treatment from Belgravia.

Ms Harris maintained that Belgravia had done no wrong. She was reluctant to answer any questions about the qualifications of the Belgravia staff, but eventually admitted that none of Belgravia’s ‘Trichologists’ are registered with the Institute of Trichologists, with a provable level of training. During our e-mail exchanges, she threatened me with legal action, saying she would take me to court for casting doubt on Belgravia’s practices! This was an obvious attempt to intimidate me.

Eventually, she grudgingly gave me a partial refund after several weeks, but I was made to pay for the extortionately-priced shampoos and conditioners I’d never opened. The laser comb remained unopened and unused, but they deducted £245 for this unproven piece of crapola I was now stuck with. I had only had it a matter of days when I cancelled my treatment, and was not told at the point of sale it was non-refundable. In the literature that came inside the packaging, it states that the customer is liable for the cost of the laser comb if they cancel their treatment. But this is not visible to the consumer till they’ve already parted with their cash.

I was recently in touch with Ms Harris regarding my complaint against Belgravia. She sent me another bullying e-mail in which she categorically denied that Belgravia is the subject of an investigation by the MHRA. I found this astonishing considering I had heard about the investigation directly from the MHRA, and had a reference number for my case. This is indicative of the level of honesty one can expect from Ms Harris and Belgravia. She then renewed her usual threat of taking me to court for defamation, when all I’ve done is express a personal experience of Belgravia which is in no way untrue.

I have since changed my e-mail address and phone number and live in a different location now, so fortunately Belgravia no longer has the means to contact me.


Final thoughts


This experience serves to highlight the unscrupulous policies of so-called hair loss clinics like Belgravia. If you are experiencing hair loss, I understand too well the need to try any treatment that may stop it from happening. Some of them may offer some improvement, while others have no effect whatsoever. However, my advice to anyone suffering with this affliction is to be discerning and above all, do not make any upfront payments. Never be pressured into parting with your hard-earned cash, even if the salesperson seems sympathetic and claims to be an expert. Trust your own instincts and don’t be duped by those that seek to profit from the misery of hair loss.

Strangely, when I stopped obsessing about my hair loss, it stabilised shortly after. I no longer lose as much hair as I used to. My hair loss could have been caused by unbalanced hormones or an iron deficiency, which was discovered by my Endocrinologist and corrected by the simple step of taking liquid iron formula daily. This proves that Cisca didn’t have the faintest idea what she was talking about. She told me I had ‘the onset of female pattern baldness’, just to exploit my concerns for financial gain. Unethical as this was, I’m certain she was just acting on orders from the Belgravia management, who have clearly instructed their ‘Trichologists’ to exaggerate the extent of customers’ hair loss, giving an entirely false diagnosis where necessary. Funnily enough, I know of another girl who also went to Belgravia for a consultation. She had an experience similar to mine and was told her parting had widened, when it clearly hadn’t widened at all. This seems to be a regular tactic they use, probably following instructions from the Belgravia management. There are of course some individuals who have severe cases of hair loss that are not temporary. However, whether or not they are likely to be helped by Belgravia is questionable.

I hope my story has helped other hair loss sufferers avoid a bad experience.

Thanks for reading.

Concerned Citizen