London Weight Management

To be totally honest, I have been to these two slimming outlets. The reason is pretty obvious - I'm desperate to slim down quickly and easily without going through the sweat-journey. I have the urge to write this post in the middle of the night because I read some forum and blog posts regarding New York Skin Solutions.

Many customers/users seem to be very unhappy with the service provided by NYSS. They said it's a scam. I am a no-body to comment on this because I am never a consumer of NYSS. I am always very proud of my skin and I think I will never have to visit that outlet *wink*. I feel pity for those who got their money scraped off from the way they described in the posts and comments. 

Today, I am going to share my experiences with the two outlets which I have visited personally. 

Let's start off with a brief introduction about the outlets: 

London Weight Management 

My boyfriend told me it is from London *wroooong*! 

This is owned by a company from Singapore 

London Weight Management (formerly Sensualite Slimming), New York Skin Solutions (formerly Giant Ginseng) & Yun Nam Hair Care belong to same Singaporean HQ: all 3 companies use same hard-selling tactics, same operation. There have been cases filed against them at the consumer tribunal for misleading advert, unethical business practices, cheating etc. Source is retrieved from this blog: http://iamrainbow.wordpress.com/2007/04/03/new-york-skin-solutions/

So, now, please keep the facts correct and don't get cheated by their names. Ha- They are not from London neither from New York. These companies are under the same host which is situated just in our neighbour country - Singapore.

Based on what I have read in posts and comments from forums all these while, here's the summary about London Weight Management (LMW):

• Apply hard-selling techniques to scrape thousands of money from the customer. 
• Rude and aggressive. 
• Offers free trial versions but later convince you to spend more. 
• Scam. 
• Cheating consumer's money.
• Want to know more? Google "London Weight Management Negative Reviews". 

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How did I come across London Weight Management? 

I knew this slimming center because it has always been a very prominent one in Malaysia. Among the few famous slimming outlets: London Weight Management, Slimming Sanctuary and Marie France. I will not comment anything on Slimming Sanctuary because I have never attend any treatment from there. Okay back to how I enter LWM's big door: 

I came across this voucher from StreetDeal. 

It's under the Christmas Deal - RM 2 and you will get: 

• 3-in-1 London Significant Lavender Slimming Treatment 
• 3 Free slimming products (Oxy Trimming Gel, Sea Salt Scrub and Trimming Fluid) that worth RM 68 

This is not my first-time visit to slimming center. Obviously, I am well-aware of how these sellers will behave when they only think of sales and commission. 

This post will be a review of my personal experience with LWM by using my RM 2 voucher. I disown any legal acts for writing this post as this is a post about my own personal experience. 

I saw this voucher from StreetDeal and I asked my friend if she's interested. It's cheap and we thought, why not? So, we both decided to purchase this RM 2 Christmas deal. 

Their service was really incredibly prompt. My friend received the phone call as soon as she purchased the voucher. That's surprisingly amazing, isn't it? They are really very effective in this case. I received my phone call a day after that. Guess what is the first question I was being asked? 

"Are you currently still a student? Do you have financial support? Do you work on the Internet?", asked by the seller through the phone call.

Being a smart consumer, obviously I am not going to be that honest and answer, "yes, I am a working student". That's silly to be so honest with somebody whom you know is trying to do some hard-selling acts on you. It's a smart move. And then, the responce that I received from the girl was a disappointing tone. Guess yourself, why she is asking such questions: my occupation and financial status. I'll not comment much but I believe you know the reason why.

After a while, I received another phone call by another seller around January. I told the first seller who called me to remind me again about the time in January as I want to attend the treatment together with my friend. So, in January, I received the call, which I wasn't really expecting as I don't really remember which date I promised to confirm the date. I told her that I will be attending the treatment with my friend who has already booked the appointment the other day. The unexpected and non-explainable feedback that I got was:

Hurriedly put down the phone call.

To think about this again, I really have no idea why that seller did this to me. Is it wrong to say that my friend has already made the appointment on behalf of me? Why can't she properly and politely put down the phone call? It's really very obvious that she was in a hurry when she did that.

So, back to present - yesterday. It's our fault for not being punctual but according to my friend, the KL LMW branch phone operator wasn't being very polite when she was on the phone. We are not trying to be sensitive or what- but you can obviously tell what kind of tone a person is using through the way he/she speaks (even through the phone, not seeing the person's facial expression). 

We were welcomed quite politely and in a amiable manner by the ladies in black and red scarf *London's trademark*. 

Surprisingly, they did not ask us to present the vouchers which we were supposed to print and show them together with our Identification Card (IC). They only requested for our IC. I wondered how the system works - Aren't they supposed to key in some voucher code to ensure that the particular voucher has been used and must be forfeited to avoid double usage? I couldn't understand why they did not ask us to present the voucher. Weird, isn't it? 

Consultation 

My friend and I were put into different rooms for consultation. We were initially in the same room. During my visit to Marie France, they never intentionally separate us into two different rooms, like how LWM did. I have no idea what their intention is. My consultant's name is Agnes, a tall and slender woman of age 28. She is a very friendly and cheerful person from the way she speaks and provides me service. I have no problem with her because she is really being very nice and polite throughout the treatment period. 5 stars for her if you were to ask me to rate her service. 

Like as promised in the voucher, they did the treatments for me: 

• Water retention treatment 
• Fat burning treatment 

Basically, the above are the two treatments which I have renamed. Basically, what they did:

1. Consultation 
2. Weigh my weight 
3. Apply a layer of mineral salt over my body 
4. Put a hot blanket over my body and keep me "marinated" for some time 
5. Bring me to the sauna room which gives out hot vapour using some machine (they don't use charcoal heat, it's an engine from the bottom that comes out hot vapour) 
6. Ask me to shower myself 
7. Weigh my weight again (1 kg has decreased: water loss weight) 
8. Bring me to another room to take measurements on my body
9. Ask me to lie down and they pasted round rubbers which are attached to a machine that runs by electricity. They also use rubber bands to tie my arms and thighs. Those round rubbers are inserted in the rubber bands. Basically, those round rubbers act as machine massage that runs with electricity
10. Put back your own clothes

Basically, that's the process for the approximately 3 hours treatment that they promised for RM 2. 

I had a silly experience to tell: I got electricity shock and I was stupidly unaware of it. I thought it was how it should feel. To recap back, I find myself really very silly. I got electricity shock directly in contact with my skin and I wasn't aware of it. I was like being electrocuted for about 5 minutes long! 

I wouldn't blame LWM for this because it was my own fault. I moved about after the round rubbers were inserted into the rubber bands. I was curious to see what was displayed on the machine LCD screen. I thought I could see how long more the treatment would take as my stomach was growling. I was hungry. In the end, some of the cables went loose and the non-conductor metal was directly in-contact with my skin. Gahh-- 

Here's the fun part about LWM: 

My dear consultant, Agnes told me that my friend's consultant told her that my friend seems to be interested to join the membership. 

And then, when I reunite with my friend in the consultation room, my friend told me,

"NO, I didn't say I am interested. My consultant told me YOUR consultant said you'are interested!"

That's interesting, isn't it? 2 consultants are telling 2 different stories to us. I only asked a few more questions regarding the membership. She cannot summarize this as "I am interested to join membership". This is not an accurate statement. So, between the two consultants, you judge yourself, who do you think is speaking the truth? 

The privileges that they promised under the membership that costs RM 500:

• 3 slimming treatments that worth RM 3 000+ 
• Unlimited lifetime use of the sauna in any LWM outlets 
• Whole-life membership 
• RM 1 000 privilege during your birthday 
• RM 1 000 for your friend under your referral 
• OR: make the RM 500 into cash voucher and use it to purchase products 

We were told that we weren't supposed to reveal to anyone about this 3 slimming treatments that come together with the RM 500 special membership package. They said it's a secret and a special privilege only for students. They also mention something about their points to exchange - it'll be forfeited if they didn't use them before Chinese New Year. 

Initially, I was really tempted because of the unlimited sauna use. I think I was being really easily-contented for this. Luckily, my friend told me that it is silly to purchase the RM 500 membership package just for the sake of sauna. She said, it is not worth it. After hearing that, I made up my mind to decline the offer. 

We were given time to discuss after the consultation of meal-plan - the last session, which is also the session when they will do their hard-selling kung-fu.

I told them, 

"Yes, I have made up my mind. Can I say I don't want to sign up the package?"

Agnes was puzzled when she heard me saying this. She probably did not expect me to blurt out such thing. Obviously, she cannot say she wants to force me since I am quite determined in my tone. My friend was being indecisive at that moment and her consultant, which I find very rude decided to separate us once again. She brought my friend to another room to "brain-wash" her.

My friend told her that she has no money and even if she wants to sign up, she has to borrow from me. Her consultant said,

"It's okay. Just borrow from her will do." 

I am not trying to be sensitive but I can really feel that her consultant is being very bitchy and rude to me. She speaks in a total different tone with my friend. Maybe, she knows that I am determined with my decision and my friend is being affected by me. Thus, she doesn't treat me very politely and tell you what - I hate the way she serves me. It's really rude. I have no idea how to describe to you her rudeness. In short, you can just feel it, from the way she speaks and looks at you. It's very obvious that she does not want to look at me for an extra second because she knows I am not interested in the deal. She puts 100% focus on my friend. Why I say she is rude? She sort of insulted me when she was trying to do her hard-sell technique. She kept saying how fat I am and how shameful I should feel for not doing something to get rid of those fats.

These were what said by them after I have declined the offer:

"It's really a waste. It's already a discounted offer. Very worth it."

"Your lower bottom is so huge. Investing some money on yourself is wise."

"Oh come on, you seriously have to do something with your body. It's really huge!"

"Those people that you saw in our outlet -- our customers.. They used to be slim last time but look at their size now. Don't wait until your problem gets too serious."

"Are you sure you don't want to do the treatment? Don't you feel that you look big and fat?"

Okay. Enough of those irritating descriptions that I don't want to hear any further. This is their technique:

1. Describe to you how FAT you are and how you look so terribly ugly with those fats around.
2. Carry out the treatment. 
3. Persuade you to buy their services. 
4. Insult me publicly using sarcasm.  

It could be that we are students and they know we are not financially stable - they didn't behave really that aggressive like some of the posts have described. It could also be that they are really nicer than those people the victims have met. I don't know but I can clearly tell you that, to be a smart consumer, you have to know what you want and don't want whenever you visit any outlet. It's really very important to know your needs to ensure that other people CANNOT influence your decision.

To end up the story, my friend and I did not sign up for the membership package. I broke the promise, sorry Agnes, but I don't believe what you said is real though - my membership covers so much privileges. To me, those are just your techniques to persuade people. It is indeed very persuasive and effective but too bad - I am recently on a tight budget. If not, I might have considered to sign up that RM 500 package with 3 treatments. Ha-

The conclusion is: Be wise and learn to say 'no' when you know you have to. Do not be afraid with their sarcastic insults that intend to provoke me to sign up the package or an act of revenge to me for not signing up. Well, I am glad that I didn't because I seriously do not believe 3 times of treatments can make you look visibly slender as in, from L to M size. Ha-! That's a little too magic poof story tale, isn't it? Say it a thousand times, I will not believe it is true too.

Their RM 2 service was not bad actually. I like Agnes's service attitude but I know she wasn't being very honest to me though. However, I wouldn't blame her because this is her job. To be a successful worker there, she has to be like this. I dislike the other ladies because they publicly insulted me in a sarcastic manner. I answered them proudly when they asked, "don't say you don't feel your body is really huge right now?"

"Yes. I don't mind. I am happy with how I look like right now. I don't think I am fat."

With a smile, I left that place. I knew my decision was correct. If I can slim down using the healthy and economic manner: eat healthy and exercise adequately, I don't understand why I will overweight. =) Cheers. Remember that - going to slimming center to reduce weight is for people who are really rich and don't bother to spend so much of money on body slimming treatment. For ordinary people like you and I, we seriously cannot afford this lucrative amount of treatment fee. The figure is really terrifying scary - hundreds to thousands.

By the way, here's the free gifts given by them. =) RM 2 for a free treatment and 3 travel kits, not bad-la!