A Review of Smile Restore Dental Clinic, East Legon Branch

Little did I know that this extensive journey would end horribly, thanks to Ms Shirley Ankrah, the new Clinic Manager.

Why Braces After 30?

I’ve had an issue with my incisors. It made me so shy when talking on Zoom meetings 🤦🏿 I’ve wanted to fix it but kept postponing the procedure.

It wasn’t until I met my significant other that I decided to take the plunge.

She saw Smile Restore Dental Clinic on Google, and we went for a consultation.

For some context, I had to do Composite Cavity Filling in July before obtaining braces. I had eaten lots of sugary stuff as a kid, and my gums took a hit.

The Composite Cavity Filling was a bit expensive. But I feel it’s worth it:

The procedure was excruciatingly painful; I’m not going to lie. I suspect I was slightly dehydrated that day also 🫣 But the doctor did a great job.

He was very skillful. Seriously, I had no problem giving him a 5-star review afterward.

My fiancée began her braces treatment in July. I joined in August.

Initial Impressions of Smile Restore Dental Clinic East Legon, Accra

According to their policy, every month, you are required to go for a review. That costs 500 Cedis. They might change the wire, adjust it, add power chains, or give you a rubber band to close or align your teeth, as the case may be.

Generally speaking, the service was commendable. The receptionists were nice, the previous clinic manager used clients’ feedback, and I said so in my third review for Smile Restore Dental Clinic on Google:

There were a few months when the review appointments fell on weeks I was unavailable. According to the contract we signed — and their cancellation policy sent in email, you can reschedule or cancel your appointment 72 hours before the due date.

See a screenshot of the email policy below:

So naturally, I rescheduled appointments for days that I traveled for work and other engagements. That’s exactly what happened in September 2024. The appointment was rescheduled, and I traveled for work and a family visit.

Smile Restore Dental Clinic’s Customer Service Took A Nose Dive With Ms. Shirley Ankrah in Charge

So here’s where everything turned upside down!

Last month, October 2024, I went for my monthly review. Unexpectedly, the receptionist says they have changed their policy.

She said I must make a down payment of 500 Cedis for November in addition to my October review payment.

I informed her the policy wasn’t favorable to me. They neither communicated that ahead of time. Nor was it part of the contract we signed.

I paid for my October service, received my treatment, and went home.

Then yesterday, I went for my final review. I went with my fiancée (her appointment was supposed to be on Friday, but we asked for it to be shifted to yesterday, Tuesday, October 21, since she was with me this week).

On our way to Smile Restore Dental Clinic, I saw the text message below and made a mental note to highlight the language in the last line to them.

I told Angela, the lady in the payment unit, that the message was a bit off. I informed her that if I were a new client, I may be discouraged from continuing the program.

She said we could talk to her manager Shirley Ankrah about it.

We met Shirley Ankrah, the clinic manager of Smile Restore Dental Clinic East Legon, in her office. And I showed her the text. She took one glance at it and said, yes, that they have changed their policy because they want to grow the business.

She said:

“The business has to grow. If tomorrow you come and the company has closed down, you will go somewhere else.”

She went on to say that she could see from her book that I: “Owe the company for No Shows in December 20203, February 2024, May 2024, and September 2024. And since they can’t put our hand in my pocket to collect that money, any payment I make will be used to cover those.”

This came as a complete shock, as you can imagine.

There was never a month I simply didn’t show up. As I said before, I rescheduled appointments that did not align with my schedule. And no one said it was a “No-Show” that attracted payments until Shirley Ankrah began managing Smile Restore Dental Clinic, East Legon.

I explained this to her. I mentioned that we had already paid 1,000 Cedis for our November appointments.

She wouldn’t hear any of it.

She said it’s their policy. And that the 1,000 Cedis we paid had been used to clear off our previous debts.

I don’t owe Smile Restore Dental Clinic any pesewa. I can’t abide by such an obnoxious policy. And I wasn’t going to be bullied into paying for services we didn’t receive. Again, yesterday was to be my final review, anyway.

So, I decided I‘d rather end the contract.

She directed that I go down to the payment point to fill out their form. I was further directed to write a letter to that effect, which I happily did.

No Refund. No Treatment. Smile Restore Dental Clinic Contract Terminated as “No Show” by Shirley Ankrah

Subsequently, they required that I pay an additional 500 Cedis for removing the braces. I didn’t budget that much when we were coming. So, I requested they roll over the 500 Cedis I had already paid for my fiancée to my account — since they insisted she won’t be served until she pays for next month.

Shirley Ankrah said it can never happen.

She was so nonchalant.

It was as if I was asking for a free service.

Eventually, we went home after 2 HOURS of being subjected to Shirley Ankrah’s ridicule.

She didn’t refund us.

She didn’t roll the payment into my account for me to end the program.

She didn’t render any service to either of us.

All we got for the arduous journey was horrible customer service and an embarrassing experience.

But that’s not all.

While in the car heading home, we saw their email stating that we had missed our appointments. And therefore, they terminated our contract. There was no mention of the 1,000 Cedis I paid at the counter. By the way, my fiancée only rescheduled one appointment. One appointment!

But Shirley Ankrah thought it necessary to cancel her Orthodontic treatment plan “Due to your excessive no-shows:”

I’m not worried that they have terminated the program.

I had wanted to do it myself anyway. And if they canceled only mine, that would’ve been fair enough. But they needed to have refunded my payment. No?

You would think that upon reflecting on her horrible customer service, she’d reach out to apologize today.

But no.

Not Shirley Ankrah.

Instead, she doubled down with a second email today! She went a step further to say untrue and fabricated, and quite frankly, defamatory things in her response to my review on their Google page:

I honestly wanted to take legal action. But my fiancée said Shirley Ankrah is not worth it. We have more important things to use our energy on.

My Last Words to Smile Restore Dental Clinic and Shirley Ankrah

To Smile Restore Dental Clinic:

This is not the ending I expected for this review. And I’m compelled to write this, especially following your manager’s recent comment on Google. Others like me who take their name and brand seriously need to see my first-person experience of Smile Restore Dental Clinic East Legon.

Furthermore, I own a business. I have clients I serve. In the true sense of it, I work on both sides of the aisle.

That’s why I try my best to treat everyone as best as I can.

I know how tough the times might be right now. Truly, I get it. I have employees I pay. And I know companies are looking for ways and means to meet fiscal obligations and maximize profitability.

But, Smile Restore Dental Clinic, your drive to generate new revenue streams and “grow the business” must never blind your eyes to the point that you forget the reason we came to you in the first place. No one should be treated the way you treated me and my fiancée.

I spend almost 200 Cedis on transport for each appointment. Sometimes more. That’s aside from my fiancée’s expenses.

I did Composite Cavity Filling, we both did Scaling, we are on braces, and she’s paid for multiple broken brackets. Do the math.

But all that meant nothing because you wanted to dip your hand into our pockets for more money, and we said it’s meritless? Do you think we plant trees that grow money?

To you Ms Ankrah:

You owe me 1,000 Cedis for services not delivered. Don’t forget that.

You may think you’re tough and smart, and I can’t do anything about your horrible treatment and fabricated statements. But you’re wrong!

Also, you’ve made a terrible mistake. We’ve spent almost 30,000 Cedis at Smile Restore Dental Clinic. If I was such a burdensome client who used abusive language to people, why are many of your staff so friendly to me? Why didn’t the clinic terminate our contracts before now?

Instead, I’ve been told my previous review, seen by over 100 people, brought customers to your business. But you treated us like trash.

You may act proud and pompous right now, but know this:

Your actions have cost Smile Restore Dental Clinic East Legon a lot of money. A business that treats customers as horribly as you treated us is definitely headed for the rocks. It’s only a matter of time.

Source: Ameyawdebrah