Smile Direct Club has shut down permanently after it filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States of America. The brand, known for selling clear teeth-aligners for around $2000 without requiring a dentist visit.
BACKGROUND
Smile Direct Club was founded in 2014, and the orthodontics company made it appear to be a cheap alternative to expensive dental orthodontics costing thousands more.
The substantially low prices and quality products is what lead customers to Smile Direct Club. Customer who require check-ins or new aligners are out of luck: You won't be getting any one inserts.
In an unhelpful statement, the company said "Customers requiring further adjustments should consult a local dentist." The customers on Facebook were outraged and said that 'The lifetime smile guarantee' it offered was no longer valid anymore.
And those on payment plans were expected to keep paying for something they couldn't technically use anymore.
And yes, the company did mention 'refunds' briefly - but never really mentioned where or when customers would receive them. One person wrote on Facebook:
'[Its] disgusting how we have all been treated... I only just signed up for my aligners, made my first payment and now I won't even be receiving my braces."
Are customers really expected to pay for a product they never received? The company left a notice.
"The refunds will be available, and handled by the liquidators. However, customers will be at the back of a very long queue of creditors so this is very unlikely it will amount to anything."
Smile Direct Club filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in late September 2023. This halted bill payments from the company and allowed it a chance to 'build a 2nd business plan' for a comeback.
Now, however - there doesn't appear anyway for the company to exist. Those negotiations failed, and the company will be stripped bare and sold for scraps.
It is not known if any other company was looking to purchase their assets at this time.
Chris Stone
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