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by Karma74
Marylebone, London
Star distribution
22 reviews
Harley Street, London IG11 0
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12 Harley Street, London W1G 9PG
“Creating stunning, healthy smiles... Taking a gentle to oral treatment; Emergency Dentistry London cares for your general health as well as the aesthetic appearance of your smile. Located in London , our practice will help you achieve a stunning...” more...
Comment 28 comments on this review show all
Thats very interesting I wish I would of been stopped by patients coming out of the surgery I would of definitely taken their details…….No matter if we can gather enough evidence we will surely have a case……and all those who are not happy or have greivence will surely be reimbursed or we can stop his malpractice, please let us all stay in contact and gather more evidence…………
Watch dog could well be our next step……..
Guys have you contacted groupon. Did you get that satifasiction questionnaires a few days ago. I filled it in okay and had a refund within hours. No way should we be ripped off!
Hello claricepip, how did you manage that? Groupon havent got back to me yet, I would want a refund but treatment has started so how is this possible? I am so unhappy with my treatment it is affecting my everyday life. Can we please come together and do something about it. We are definately stronger together, I am sure we can reach a fruitful outcome.
I knew I was not the only one who has suffered at the hands of Dr Etok. I wish I had never started as my teeth are much worse after a couple of months of treatment. He is not very friendly and I do not want to go back to him. Groupon sent me a questionnaire, I filled it in but have not heard anything back yet. What’s our next step?
Dear all,
Please do email Groupon about this serious matter, but know that Groupon have already escalated the matter to their partner managers, who talk to the partner business on their behalf. The partner managers will investigate the situation, and they will email with new information. Groupon have been quite good communication wise.
Hi, Please read my comments and get back to me, we will sort your problem if we take action……
Hello All
I am currently penning a really long reply to you all, hope its not to dull. I wanted to go back through all my correspondance so I could be clear in mind of what happened.
Can I suggest we set up a forum outside of here? I came across something yesterday which suggests to me that he does trawl the internet and is not afraid to have page take-down orders issued/sue for libellous comments.
Just think we need to be a little careful here.
I will look forward to your comments
Is there a forum I can join?
You are not a patient of Etok’s. Many months ago (name removed) emailed Etok’s patients in a bulk email and forgot to conceal the email addresses. If you were on that patient list, you would know what is going on behind the scences and you don’t because you are Etok’s puppet
daisypops no idea who u are but i assure i was….. i am unsure why these reviews appear to attract so many people who throw accusations all over the place!
hi goofyteeth, and sorry to daisy pops….
I misunderstood who the comment was aimed at due to the deletions!
I have been thinking, is it worth me approaching groupon for some money back even tho i have had the brace off for sometime. I didnt receive the scale and polish and I still feel ripped off and like i was treated appallingly, especially now he has been suspended. Has anyone else on here received a refund in the same circumstances?
Yes contact groupon!!!!!!!!!! I did and got a refund the same day!
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
I contacts groupon yesterday and they said that I will get my refund in 7-10 days. Give them a ring.
Thanks for your advice everyone. Groupon will be refunding back to my card the £975 – they are still debating on the £300 on top I paid.
I’d advise everyone to do the same !
He never sent me for Xrays
To toothache. I have complained to Watchdog. They work on sensationalism and the more people who complain the more likely they are to investigate. They need numbers so please register your complaint.
I have also been ‘had’ at the hands of Richard Etok, why don’t we all complain back to Groupon, they need to take some responsibility for this situation, surely they should be vetting the so called deals they sell, especially when it comes to dentistry or similar. Lets face it we are not talking about haircuts or facials!!
Do you have the details to complain to Watchdog, if so can you send.
Each person has to complain to Watchdog separately. You have to tell them what happened to YOU. If they keep getting complaints they will start to investigate. It is the numbers game.
Ok – how many people have complained to watchdog? be an interesting to have a show of hands on here? :)
I got my initial payment back but I haven’t heard about the further money I paid yet as they cant contact his company…..
I think this would be a good idea. I am going to contact Watchdog again. I am still waiting for IRWIN MITCHELL to see if they will take up the case against Dr Etok. They are in contact with me and are working on it. if anyone still wants to contact them please do so as it will help.
I contacted Watchdog – but no response. Groupon had this to say about my request for the extra money to be repaid
“My name is Adam and I am the Groupon Customer Service Manager, your query has been forwarded to myself to provide a response.
May I start by apologising for any inconvenience caused by this deal. I can confirm that a full cash refund has been processed for your voucher and the funds should have reached your account.
In regards to any monies paid directly to Behind Your Smile, Groupon will not be reimbursing these monies. I would like to make you aware that in purchasing a Groupon voucher you are purchasing a voucher only; and not the goods or service. I would like to refer you to section 4.8 of our terms and conditions, a link to which can be found below:
http://www.groupon.co.uk/terms_and_conditions
In using the Groupon website you also agree to all of the terms and conditions, as such we are unable to comply with your request for additional monetary compensation. I would recommend that you continue pursuing this matter directly with Behind Your Smile.
I am sorry that we are unable to be of any further assistance in this matter. If there is anything else I can help you with, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Kind regards,
Adam Lindsey
Groupon Customer Service Manager "
My credit card company said the same; that I had bought a voucher that could’ve been spent on anything and that I had not bought a service. I don’t agree with this as it was a voucher for a specific service and their terms also say "What is being offered for sale is a Groupon (i.e. a credit voucher) for a product or service as described in the deal " I’m considering testing this stance by bring a claim in court for breach of contract, this would be for a small amount of money and would almost certainly be allocated to the small claims track where the defendants Groupon and credit card co would not be able to claim legal costs if I lost the claim.
This was what Groupon said to me:
Thanks for getting in touch.
First and foremost please accept my apologies for the way your query has been handled, this is not the standard of service we strive to provide our customers and the length of time your query has been ongoing is unacceptable.
At this stage I can not process a refund for at this stage, we need confirmation from the partner. As for the extra monies that you paid, our partner business will need to refund you directly as the funds were paid to them.
Your query is now placed in my pending queue for an update from Partner management.
Once I know the outcome of this, I will be back in contact. I understand your patience has been tested, I will do my best to accelerate the process.
Once again, thank you for your continued understanding and patience.
Kind regards,
Rudo M
Then my follow-up email was this:
I have consulted with my Team Leader, and due to the circumstances that led to your request we are happy to offer a full refund to your method of payment.
I have now cancelled your Groupons for Behind Your Smile and refunded the amount of £995 back to your method of payment. Our partner business has already been informed that this Groupon is no longer valid. Please allow up to 10 working days for the payment to clear back to your account.
Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.
Kind regards,
Travis P.
I also contacted Watchdog – twice! Heard nothing back.
Another option in ‘Which’ (they provide consumer protection and quite often follow stories like this. )
Anyone else want to try this?
http://www.which.co.uk/about-which/contact-us/?intcmp=HPG...
Have contacted Which again.
Please could everybody try and support the actions toothyache and myself are doing. We seem to be fighting a two handed battle when everyone wold like to retrieve their monies
I’ve contacted Which for information and Watchdog and Guardian money about the group aspects of this to try and get them to run an item on it, none have asked for further info with a view to running a story on it. I think the public should be made aware that cosmetic dentists are not orthodontists, that money paid outside of Groupon deals does not have the same level of protection as money paid directly to Groupon and that they should be particularly wary of service providers asking for payment by BACS, cash or cheques who do not have the facilities to accept Credit/debit card payments with the protection that comes with those methods of payment, ie chargeback and s75 Consumer Credit Act shared liability rules. I’m surprised that none are interested in running this story yet.
Comment 3 comments on this review show all
Hi all well after much thought I wrote groupon a long email detailing my woes dating back to late 2011 saying that I was treated appallingly and requesting a refund. Though I no longer have the brace on I outlined my sketchy treatment and explained that I didn’t receive my scale and polish so therefore the deal is not complete and he is no longer contactable.
This was last week, I received an acknowledgement then nothing. I chased it yesterday and was told an investigation had been launched and that they would notify me of the outcome/resolution.
My question is given they know the treatment was awful due to the number of complaints and his suspension why the investigation? surely a precedent is set given the number of refunds given- in short why the delay?
looking back at my email, it is a lengthy list of complaints but there was far more issues that I simply forgot to add in.
If anyone who has got an refund from groupon could contact me it would be really helpful. could do with some advice.
many thanks
Ring Groupon, I did yesterday and they are going to give me a refund.
I got a refund through Groupon. I emailed them of my complaint -shoddy treatment during brace mould and not being able to book appointment for fitting, and gave a link to these complaints saying I wasn’t willing to risk going through with the procedure. No questions asked, Groupon refunded my money. I hope you get your money back as your treatment sounds awful. FYI I went to my normal dentist and I’m currently wearing my brace, over the last 6 months my dentist ensured I had X-rays, photos, check ups every 5 weeks to check teeth were moving correctly, change of wire to ensure movement etc. basically a thorough procedure which is needed and is not offered by etok. My teeth are straight and due to have brace off soon.
Comment Be the first to comment on this review for Behind Your Smile: Richard Etok
Comment 8 comments on this review show all
So glad you have found Dr Hennerby to be useful and he seems to be a very good orthodontist. I am also redoing my teeth with him.
I also had a dreadful experience with Dr Richard Etok, he has left my teeth worse than when I met him. I only wish I had seen this review first! I managed to get my money back also but am left with wonky teeth, marks on them and pain! Now I will have to go through the whole process again to sort them out but it has made me very wary now and don’t want to be conned again :(
Hi daisypops,
I too paid by bank transfer and have now been left midway through treatment. How did you get your money back as I rang the police (101 number) and they said I had to seek a fixed fee solicitor and said it wasn’t a fraud case. So I was wondering what you did and who you spoke to to get your money back? Any information would be greatly appreciated.
I think fraud is stretching the imagination a bit but well done to daisypops for creative thinking if she gets to keep the refunded money, as far as I know the banks should always refund immediately once a fraud allegation is made and then investigate later, I’d be too worried that the money would be given back to me by the bank only to be taken back at a later date if the bank does not agree that this amounts to fraud. I never thought to ask Groupon for the extra money that I paid by bank transfer, that will be my next step.
It is fraud when a dentist intentionally shafts a patient.
Fraud:- In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain.
He decieved patients that he was trained and competent to carry out the orthodontic procedure. I think we have established that he isn’t competent.
Hi, its my personal opinion that Dr E was greedy; he cut corners to save money and maximise his profit, took no xrays, rushed appointments, took on far too many patients for the time he had available etc but I think he stupidly believed that he could improve all our teeth/smiles when he took us on and that it was only when the problems started that he would really have known that he was not competent to make a reasonable job of it. As much as I’m upset about what he has done I don’t believe he set out to take our money knowing or believing that he would mess our teeth up so much so my personal opinion is that he was incompetent with the braces and was negligent but didn’t set out to defraud us. If I was in the 2nd round of Groupon customers or had found the deal with KGB deals etc after the problems had started I might think it was fraud, I guess all of our experiences are slightly different but I can’t get my extra money back by making an allegation of fraud.
For anyone thinking of making an allegation of fraud they’d need to act quickly, it says “Regardless of the type of electronic payment you enjoy the same level of protection. This means you would expect an immediate refund if you are an innocent victim of fraud. Your claim needs to be made within the 13 months of fraudulent transaction leaving your account” on the website http://www.payyourway.org.uk/payments-explained/bacs/
If that’s correct I’d been out of time anyway.
Did anyone get their money back if they paid by cheque. Melea
Comment 1 comment on this review
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
Comment 5 comments on this review show all
So sorry to hear this! It’s very easy to part with money when you’re already halfway through a treatment and you put your trust in someone – especially a dentist!!. I nearly parted with extra money too!
I’ve written a comment to one of the other reviews, that might help you get your money back (cosumer credit act 74). Definitely contact Groupon too, I’m sure they will hold legal obligations.
Good luck!
Thanks! Groupon is, so far, doing its bit and providing a refund.
It is now the 9th January 2013 and I started my treatment in November 2011.
My appointment tomorrow does not exist as have just received and email to say he has been suspended. I did not go through Groupon and paid with a cheque as he said he didn’t take cards. So I have lost £1620 and still need treatment. Just like everyone he started off with brackets which kept falling off and wires sticking into your mouth. He has now given me 5 AOA Aligners. I am on my fifth and need to find another orthodontist (which is proving difficult). Can anyone let me know about a sympathetic one as it is proving difficult. Live in London. Thanks in advance for anyone’s help
Have you tried getting your money back from Groupon, they have been really good at refunding mine, I know it’s only a fraction of what you’ve spent but it helps. I am an additional £300 out of pocket, had to spend it having the braces removed and my teeth cleaned. I asked Groupon for the liquidators details address but they don’t have them. I also asked the BDA but they aren’t allowed to give them out. So I don’t think I’ll be able to get that back.
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
Comment 2 comments on this review
hi there!
Just wondering if you ever had success getting your money back from groupon?
I am in the same boat and wondering if this is a battle I want to begin.
thanks
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
Comment 4 comments on this review show all
Thank you for finding out that he has been suspended, that’s great. Less good is that he’s gone into liquidation as Groupon are currently trying obtain a refund for me from him. My treatment was also unsuccessful and unfinished and I’ve had to go private to have all the glue he put on my teeth for the braces removed and teeth x-rayed. Can you believe Richard (or Dick as my boyfriend likes to call him!) didn’t even do an x-ray before fitting braces! There is damage to the teeth enamel from the braces and glue. This cost me £300 added to the £400 Richard charged for an extra brace, that also did nothing and the £1000 paid via Groupon I am £1700 out of pocket with no change to my teeth. I only hope Groupon will refund the customers out of goodwill if they can’t get it from him, which seems unlikely if he’s in liquidation. There will be many more complaints now to Groupon (it’s not like being disappointed with a £30 restaurant deal, it’s a huge amount of money and affects us personally because it’s our teeth/smile/confidence). Only a small fraction of dissatisfied customers will have come across this page and bothered to write on it. I really hope we can all get our money back, we’ve been completely misled and most of us have experienced great upset in his hands. I hope he doesn’t get his license back.
Really sorry to read the other reviews. I am glad, however, to read he has ceased to practice fitting braces, because he very clearly was not an Orthodontist.
For extra money you paid to Richard Etok, you might be able to get back under the consumer credit act 74 (if you paid any of the money on credit card)
You can read about it here:
http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/sale-of-goods/your...
I once got everything back from my credit card company that I paid to a Bathroom Company that went bankrupt, and very quickly too (around £2000). Send as much detail/documents to them as possible. There are template letters in the above link.
I’m pretty sure (although not certain) Groupon didn’t get the money from R.Etok for all the refunds they’ve given.
Firstly, Groupon will have taken a chunk of the money for each Richard Etok deal they sold (this can be a very large percentage, 80% in some cases but I don’t know what contract they had with Etok) so they will have automatically had a certain ‘reserve’ for refunds.
Before I got my refund from Groupon, they kept talking about waiting to hear from a ‘partner business’. I’m not sure if they were referring to Etok, but the length of time it took to get a refund, the chances are high – they never managed to hear back from the ‘partner business’ but had kept me waiting so long just refunded me.
I notice he’s opened up a face and skin clinic now http://thelondonfaceandskinclinic.com/about.html
Is this really a man who is bankrupt? I hope others reading about the practice of this man come across these reviews first! Beware Richard Etok!
Good luck all getting your money back.
Seems he also has his own webpage too http://www.richardetok.com/
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
I am so glad I found this website. I can't believe Groupon have sold one of their most expensive deals ever for this man, the worst thing is I've seen him on there at least twice! My experience of this man has been a nightmare. I will be reporting him but I think he's a member of the American Dental Association not BDA, which should have set alarm bells ringing but on the other hand I don’t expect Groupon to be dealing with someone who hasn’t been verified. My experience has been the same as the other writers. He was soooo rude and unprofessional and impossible to contact. This is not even mentioning the treatment. First he tried a behind the teeth brace and put so much glue on there none of my teeth could move and I got gum disease, I’ve never had any problems, not even a filing! He eventually removed this and got me a removable brace, which was enormous and sent me a bill for £400 yet he hadn't mentioned this extra cost before, he put enormous pieces of glue on my teeth to hold it in place, they fell off, the brace didn't move my teeth at all. All appointments were rough and rushed, he ignored me and talked to his nurse about his golf, mother etc and shouted at her several times too. Therefore I have paid for nothing except to be given gum disease, shouted at etc. I have tried contacting him to have my teeth cleaned but he doesn’t respond and now after reading this page I have no choice but to have my teeth cleaned by another dentist, I have found one and it's going to cost me a further £250. This whole process has taken a year and a half and he told me my teeth would be fixed in 6-8 weeks! Please go nowhere near this man, he can't actually be qualified. Imagine that he's operating in Harley Street too, though I don't even know where now as he moved without telling me once and when I eventually found him, it took me half an hour to get someone to open the door! Keep away, he’s really not the man behind the smile as he calls himself, it’s nothing but stress and upset.
Comment 1 comment on this review
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
Comment 1 comment on this review
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
Comment 4 comments on this review show all
You should really complain to the GDC too as that is about fitness to practice rather than compensation. Dr Etok is not on the GDC register as an orthodontist so from what I understand he doesn’t have that specialist skill (he’s registered as a dentist), however from what I’ve read it seems that dentists are allowed to do short courses and then practice “cosmetic dentistry” so long as they don’t try to pass themselves off as orthodontists. The Dental complaints service can help you get compensation of up to the amount you paid I think, however if he’s made matters worse and won’t compensate you I presume you would need to make a claim in the county court
iI went to see Richard Etok with a groupon voucher for a consultation,scale and polish and being Harley Street i thought this must be a good reputable Dentist. I got there and the nurse was sitting behind a desk and he told me all the bad things about my teeth and that I would need to spend a lot of money on my Teeth. I know for a fact that my teeth are very good and have since been to another Dentist and told her about this man! Also, the appointment was for only 20 mins and that can’t be right for a Consultatation,scale and polish – the “cowboy” dentist just hires his room at Harley Street to show he is professional and people would go to him. Now that I have read the reviews, I am going to take it up with Groupon.
Today, I think i have seen this same Dentist do implants for £999 60% off so I hate to think what these people’s implants will be like. He needs to be struck off the Dental Association if he is a member. Fortunately, I had to pay him one visit but feel sorry for the other people who he is treating!!!
Kayleigh Parker
Casework Support Officer
Fitness To Practise
COMPLAIN TO THE GDC
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7009 2736
Web: www.gdc-uk.org
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
Comment 4 comments on this review show all
As far as I know he isn’t pretending to be an orthodontist, like me you seem to have just assumed that he is an orthodontist. He is registered on the GDC as a dentist but doesn’t seem to be on their orthodontic register. From what I’ve read it seems dentists are allowed to do cosmetic work so long as they don’t try to pass themselves off as orthodontists when they don’t have those extra skills. I think orthodontic training takes years but it seems to take a matter of days for the courses for dentists on how to fit invisible braces – there is clearly a massive difference in skill levels which I didn’t appreciate at the start of this sad traumatic process
Hello I had had the same experience. Has anybody contacted Watchdog? He still practises at Chelsea Dental Lounge, 110-112 Kings Road, Chelsea, LONDON, SW3 4TY
I’ve had another look at the Behind your smile website and there’s no wonder we both assumed Dr Etok is an orthodontist as he seems to list orthodontic procedures that he is a specialist in. If he isn’t on the GDC register as a specialist I don’t think he is meant to make these claims.
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
Comment 1 comment on this review
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
Comment 1 comment on this review
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
Comment 13 comments on this review show all
I am having similar problems I am going to make a last visit because yet again my brace has disconnected I will give it a few more weeks and have it removed. My teeth have not improved I would actually say they have got worse. How is he allowed to get away with it and after all the complaints why do Groupon continue to sell his product. I will investigate further….. Surely there are codes of practice both Groupon and Dr Etok should follow. There has been so many complaints is there a case for Watch Dog? Or is he relying on the fact that his patients are all too embarrassed to report him? Does he treat his other patients like this in his other practice in Chelsea non Groupon patients I doubt it as they would have the financial facility to take legal action due to the fact they don’t require Groupon discount vouchers. I personally think that both Groupon and Dr Etok have a case to answer
If any potential Groupon customers read these reviews then surely they’d never go ahead with the deal. The initial advert created the impression that treatment would be quick with minimal visits needed to the clinic. Dr Etok never gave any estimate of the number of visits needed before treatment started (although did give a time estimate which has now been tripled). When you factor in the cost of travel and time taken, especially wasted time visiting for when braces/retainer have not been returned from the lab in time for the appt then this is all your costs adding up. Factor in the pain and distress if it all goes wrong, more visits to correct his mistakes, the prospect of paying even more to get the results corrected elsewhere and anybody with an ounce of common sense would find a local orthodontist with a good reputation and go there instead. From my experience the Groupon deal is a con as Groupon customers are not being given the service described for a fraction of the full price – they are being given a different service, limited days available for appts, different contact details and different booking system to regular customers. From the comments on this site there seem to be a lot of unhappy customers. I think both Groupon and Dr Etok have a lot to answer for.
I think he only offered this through Groupon a year ago. As far as i’m aware he hasn’t run a similar deal, and I hope Groupon wouldn’t let him either after all these reviews and complaints.
The Orthodontist I spoke to subsequently said it was sad how dentists could call themselves Orthodontists – R.Etok probably just went on a few courses and then decided he was qualified enough to fit braces. I don’t think there’s anything illegal about this, sadly. As far as i’m concerned he should only be practicing as a regular dentist. The appointment I’ve now had with an experienced Orthodontist took extensive moulds, bite impressions, photos and X-rays – everything that should have been done by R.Etok. He was just after the money.
Groupon have failed by allowing him to take on so many patients (us) under the deal when essentially he is a ‘one man team’ that could NO WAY support us all and give us the adequate treatment we paid for!!.
I think the deal was repeated but Groupon may not have had complaints at that stage, most people are trusting and would probably have given Dr Etok the benefit of the doubt when their problems started. Until I saw the reviews on this site I just thought I had been extremely unlucky, now I know better and several of the other complaints are identical to my experience. It is also very difficult to complain about somebody who you are expecting a service from. I think the customers who have had the best redress have been those with the confidence to complain very quickly, have either not gone ahead and had the brace fitted or had it removed quickly, they seem to have had refunds. I was quoted around £2,000 for treatment elsewhere before going to Dr Etok for around £1000, now the quote elsewhere is £3,000. Buyer beware
My experience sounds similar to yours, the brace has had no effect and turns out wasn’t suitable in the first place so should never have been fitted… Have you heard back from Groupon yet? I’ve complained and they’ve offered to credit my account with £20.00 credit as a good will gesture – not much consolation having spent £1000 on the treatment…
Wow! What an insult I have not tried as yet. I think you will find that some of the people
Who were dissatisfied we’re able to get full refunds.What were the exact details surrounding
Your case, how long we’re you receiving treatment? I use that word very loosely.
Why did Groupon only refund you £20 when other people received much more?
Yeah, I’ve noticed that some people have had full refunds so £20 credit is quite an insult. They’ve not given a reason as to why, but I’m yet to respond as only recieved their reply today.
I did finish the treatment (10-11 weeks) although I wasn’t happy with the result but he insisted why teeth were “clinically straight” – I then had to wait two weeks for the retainer although he said to the assistant “it can be much quicker but costs too much!”
I had the same general lack of service and communication that everyone seems to be mentioning and also the brace broke part way through and left me with my mouth & tongue getting sore from the wire hanging in my mouth – had to wait over a week to get that ‘fixed’ – he just cut the wire and didn’t replace the bracket, so I only had 5 brackets in place for the rest of the treatment.
I could’ve probably put up with the poor service and communication (although shouldn’t have too) if the end result was there but my teeth are really no better which makes the whole thing very sour.
It does not surprise me all the complaints that have been made. This is his personality. He is arrogant and has absolutely no respect for women. He is also very aggressive and violent. He beat a female up at her mother’s funeral.
My advise is to escalate this matter as far as need be to get your money back and an adequate apology. He has been allowed to get away with poor treatment of people for far too long. If necesary report him to the British Dental Association (http://www.bda.org/)
If there are enough of us who complain and stick together we could have a case to take it to Watch Dog. We wouldnt normally put up with this service, so why should we on this occasion. I am still waiting to hear back from Groupon.
From memory his Assistant Olivia send out an email to all their contacts it should have been Bcc, but it wasnt so all email addresses were shown to all. I dont have the email anymore, but if someone does then there is a way to commnicate to all those who had treatment in Oct/ Nov/Dec and we could club together!
I have tried to get in touch for the past two weeks but have been unable to reach his mobile or email – has anyone seen him recently? Reading the above comments makes me apprehensive about continuing the treatment…
I’m really sorry to hear all the other stories and the fact some of you aren’t getting refunds.
I had loads of photos of the broken brace and before and after pictures too. I also had emails clearly showing I had zero appointments due to lack of service from Richard Etok!. Groupon did take a very long time to refund me (over 6 weeks) but I eventually got it all back last month. If you have this sort of documentation then it might help?
Frankly the number of complaints should be enough for Groupon to realise he is a cowboy dentist and a refund should be issued automatically! I really hope you get the money back.
So for me now, I can’t bite my teeth together anymore so I don’t have much choice but to pay for corrective treatment – but by a qualified Orthodontist this time! (once I’ve saved up).
Are you working for Dr Etok littlebird-203625?
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
Comment 5 comments on this review show all
Yes, Please do and watch out for any developements
As predicted I still havent been contacted by Dr Etok and it’s been about 5 weeks and I decided i wasn’t going to waste any more of my time trying to get in contact. So due to the zero customer service and these reviews I contacted Groupon with a link to this page and asked for my money back. Groupon replied within 24 hrs telling me they were informing the partners of the company and would give me a full refund in 10 days.
Hi Jaykt
Please keep us informed as to any latest developements in your case as I would be very interested in the outcome?
2boots
Yes everyone contact groupon, get a refundQ!!!!!!
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
Comment 6 comments on this review show all
Sorry to hear this story, that is awful
Hi, did your Groupon refund have conditions attached, eg that it was in full and final settlement of any claims you may make against Dr Etok for negligence? I’m in a situation where a minor problem turned into a nightmare experience and teeth which were fine before the treatment started are now crooked. Although a refund would be helpful to go towards putting things right elsewhere I’d want to be able to sue for any additional expenses caused. I’m also wondering if any of the other reviewers were persuaded to part with extra money direct to Dr Etok in addition to the money paid to Groupon.
Thanks for sharing your experience
Your situation sounds terrible.
I was unhappy with my experience and after hearing about several other stories I decided to get the brace removed 1.5months into treatment.
The refund was in full and was handled with Groupon. You would have to contact the correct authorities to know your rights. I doubt Groupon will be able to help much
I also had a similar experience and feel I want to go down the refund route, was there a particular person in Groupon to speak to?? thanks
I hope you got your refund!
I cannot believe this is still going on. I am happy to say my lingual brace was removed, I told him to remove it full stop! He insisted my teeth were coming along nicely, I just laughed at this comment. So happy now.
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
Comment 5 comments on this review show all
Please keep us all updated on any developments as Im sure collectively we can do something about this………
Yes we all need to complain!!! This is just not on
Guys have you contacted groupon. Did you get that satifasiction questionnaires a few days ago. I filled it in okay and had a refund within hours. No way should we be ripped off!
Dear all,
Please do email Groupon about this serious matter, but know that Groupon have already escalated the matter to their partner managers, who talk to the partner business on their behalf. The partner managers will investigate the situation, and they will email with new information. Groupon have been quite good communication wise.
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
I would also like to keep you posted on my experiences, I have had problems with one of my brackets, it came off,, no reply to emails and the automated phone line makes it difficult to get any advice/ emergency appointment.
Online booking system gives earliest appointment in 3 weeks, I do not know how it is possible to have such a major procedure but no where to go when something goes wrong with the brace. Local dentists/ orthodontists are charging £60-75 to look at the problem/ emergency treatment. This is really unfair, causing a lot of discomfort. I will keep you updated.
Comment 3 comments on this review show all
Guys have you contacted groupon. Did you get that satifasiction questionnaires a few days ago. I filled it in okay and had a refund within hours. No way should we be ripped off!
Dear all,
Please do email Groupon about this serious matter, but know that Groupon have already escalated the matter to their partner managers, who talk to the partner business on their behalf. The partner managers will investigate the situation, and they will email with new information. Groupon have been quite good communication wise.
Folks, I have some fantastic news I got my two grand back from Etok!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had paid by bank transfer because he doesn’t take cards. I told my bank about the whole debacle. They told me to make a police report against Richard Etok for Fraud. I did this and got the crime reference number. It tool 5 working days but they were able to get the money back and credit my account. I can’t believe it. I am over the moon. At least he did not get away with my money! Folks try it… it might work. I bank with Natwest. I did this on the basis of my belief that Etok started the treatment with no intention of seeing it through. I deduced this because he made it impossible to make an appointment with him or contact him. Bravo!
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Comment 1 comment on this review
I would in the first instance complaint to the GDC. You need to contact their fitness to practise team and report the matter to them. They can give you advise on what options you have for corrective treatment. Richard Etok cannot be allowed to get away with this. He has got a way with it for this long because patients have been reticent to complain about him.