Japanese Dental Clinic Accused of Deception in “Free Orthodontics” Advertisements

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Japan: A Japanese dental clinic, “Dental Office X,” is facing a class-action lawsuit filed by over 150 victims who were misled by advertisements for “free orthodontics.” The clinic promised a reward of over 1.5 million JPY (approximately 11.4 thousand USD) to customers who agreed to have their teeth corrected and promote the service on social media, making the treatment fee “effectively free.”

Deception Unveiled

However, many people who signed up for the service found that they had to pay for the orthodontic treatment and that the money was not refundable. According to Asahi Television, hundreds of victims are seeking compensation of nearly 200 million JPY (approximately 1.5 million USD) from the dental clinic.

One of the victims, a woman in her 30s, spoke tearfully during an interview about how she borrowed money to have her teeth corrected and now cannot get the money back. She also stated that the treatment resulted in her teeth being pulled out, causing her bite to be incorrect.

Exploiting Young Women

Lawyer Hirotaro Kato, representing a defense team of 153 victims, claimed that the clinic exploited the young women’s desire to become “beautiful” and used them as targets for the scam. The clinic has only stated that they would be responsible for contracts that they should be responsible for, but did not comment on the “fraud” allegations made by the plaintiffs.

This news highlights the importance of thoroughly researching and verifying advertisements before agreeing to any services, especially when they seem too good to be true. The lawsuit against Dental Office X serves as a cautionary tale for those considering cosmetic procedures and the potential consequences of being misled by advertisements.