The nationally well known and respected internet based company Bestskinpeel.com is expanding on its earlier warnings to consumers to be wary of online scams and unlicensed sellers of skin peel and skin care products. This expansion is for consumers and is primarily regarding skin peel products purchased through online auction sites like Ebay. There are numerous sellers on Ebay that claim to be licensed or even doctors when in fact they have no licenses or medical training whatsoever. This is outright fraud and dangerous for consumers.
One particularly virulent seller claims to be a doctor and even shows a picture of a doctor’s diploma on their website and claims they cannot post their medical license as it is against the law – that is completely false as there is no state in which a doctor posting their license on the wall of their office or online or wherever they conduct business is illegal. Upon further inspecting this same website and their supposed medical license it was found by the involved state medical boards that this Ebay seller does not have any doctor’s endorsement and the medical diploma and license they claim to have are fraudulent.
This is a tort and violates numerous laws, impersonating a medical practitioner, false claims (FTC violation), bad and unethical business practices, etc… “It never ceases to amaze us how low people will stoop due to greed and to make a quick buck. We just got tired of all the emails and horror stories from consumers whom didn’t get what they had ordered, had negative results or in some cases didn’t even get anything,” states David Maillie of Bestskinpeel.com. This is why we do not recommend you use Ebay for health and skin care items like TCA (Trichloroacetic acid) skin peels which in high strengths can only be purchase in bulk quantities by medically licensed practitioners in every state in the U.S.
“I wouldn’t stop there. I would also make sure that any website you are thinking of purchasing products like skin peels from is licensed and/or has licensed individuals whom are not afraid to post their medical credentials,” (Bestskinpeel.com has valid licenses and such posted right on the front page of their website and that is why they are the leading authority and supplier of legitimate and legal online chemical peels like the TCA skin peel) .
To rule out most scams like the one listed above, be alert and observant. If the Ebay seller claims to be licensed and shows a license or diploma, look into it. Get their state (or states, as the Ebay seller listed above used multiple states (California and Oregon) and multiple Ebay usernames and changes them constantly to make it harder to track them) and call the respective medical boards. Every state has their own licensing boards and most have websites set up to make it easy to contact them or send in a request to look into the claimed medical license. You can also contact the FTC and FDA to report individuals that are selling items like the one above.
Look into their Ebay profile and look for numerous changes to their Ebay username – this is a golden clue as to one’s business behavior and is an easy way to spot a scammer. Most respectable businesses know and understand the power of branding and will rarely ever change their businessname, the same applies for Ebay sellers. If the seller has changed their Ebay username several times then that should stand out as a red flag – they obviously want or need their anonymity. If they use several different Ebay usernames at the same time to sell the same products that is an even greater red flag – people that do that only do that for deceptive purposes and reasons. You, unfortunately, cannot count on their feedback ratings as many Ebay sellers (like the one referred to above) have learned how to get around the Ebay feedback system and juice or artificially inflate their feedback ratings and remove most negative entries.
Below is the contact information for the government watch dog agencies we included above:
Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Response Center
600
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357)
www.ftc.gov
FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators
To report adverse reactions or other problems with FDA-regulated products, contact the FDA district office consumer complaint coordinator for your geographic area. If you require the use of a Relay Service, please call the Federal Relay Services (1-800-877-8339). This is a toll free relay service to call Federal agencies from TTY devices.
Alabama--866-289-3399
Alaska--(425) 483-4949
Arizona--(949) 608-3530
Arkansas--(214) 253-5200, ext. 5233
California (Northern)--(510) 337-6741
California (Southern)--(949) 608-3530
Colorado--(303) 236-3044
Connecticut-- (toll-free) 800-891-8295
Delaware--(215) 597-9064
District of Columbia--(410) 779-5713
Florida -- (866) 337-6272
Georgia--(404) 253-1169
Hawaii--(510) 337-6741
Idaho--(425) 483-4949
Illinois--(312) 353-7840
Indiana--(313) 393-8100
Iowa--(913) 752-2440
Kansas--(913) 752-2440
Kentucky--(513) 679-2700, ext. 124; toll-free in Kentucky: 800-437-2382
Louisiana--866-289-3399
Maine-- (toll-free) 800-891-8295
Maryland--(410) 779-5713
Massachusetts-- (toll-free) 800-891-8295
Michigan--(313) 393-8100
Minnesota--(612) 758-7221
Mississippi--866-289-3399
Missouri--(913) 752-2440
Montana--(425) 483-4949
Nebraska--(913) 752-2440
Nevada--(510) 337-6741
New Hampshire-- (toll-free) 800-891-8295
New Jersey-- (973) 331-4917
New Mexico--(303) 236-3044
New York -- (toll-free) 866-446-9055
North Carolina--(404) 253-1169
North Dakota--(612) 758-7221
Ohio--(513) 679-2700, ext. 124; toll free in Ohio: 800-437-2382
Oklahoma--(214) 253-5200, ext. 5233
Oregon--(425) 483-4949
Pennsylvania--(215) 597-9064
Rhode Island-- (toll-free) 800-891-8295
South Carolina--(404) 253-1169
South Dakota--(612) 758-7221
Tennessee-- 866-289-3399
Texas--(214) 253-5200 ext. 5233
Utah--(303) 236-3044
Vermont-- (toll-free) 800-891-8295
Virginia--(410) 779-5713
Washington--(425) 483-4949
West Virginia--(410) 779-5713
Wisconsin--(612) 758-7221
Wyoming--(303) 236-3044
Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands--800-332-0127
Example State Medical Boards (these are the valid medical boards for California and Oregon. Readers should note there is one for every state)
Medical Board of California
2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1200
Sacramento, CA 95815
1-800-633-2322
www.medbd.ca.gov
Oregon Medical Board
1500 SW 1st Ave., Suite 620
Portland, OR 97201-5847
Phone: 971-673-2700
www.oregon.gov/ombAnother avenue would be to report this unethical and illegal behavior to Ebay Safe Harbor so they can look into and possibly remove the offending items.
Consumers who have any of these TCA skin peel or similar products bought through sellers like the one listed above should stop using them immediately and contact their local doctors or dermatologists to get checked out if they have used these products and make sure they were not harmed by them. Any detrimental effects should then be documented with state and federal watchdog agencies like the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), FTC (Federal Trade Commission), and numerous state medical boards. Consumers that were harmed or feel that they were taken advantage of by the immoral and unethical business practices like those of the above mentioned Ebay sellers should also seek the advice of a local and competent personal injury attorney to redress these issues, get compensated and put an end to this unethical and illegal behavior that is more prominent on Ebay.
Bestskinpeel.com, unlike the above referred to Ebay sellers, is fully licensed and sells only the best medical skin peels available over the internet. For more information on Bestskinpeel.com and quality skin peels like the TCA skin peel please visit www.bestskinpeel.com.
Press release and important safety information courtesy of Bestskinpeel.com TCA home peel - the best skin peel for in home use.