I recently decided to try Proactiv. I don't have terrible acne, but I don't have perfect skin either, so I thought it may be worth it. So I ordered a trial product online, for around $20. I used it as suggested but it didn't take long to figure out that it really wasn't for me. It made my skin so dry and itchy and it made me break out so bad with dark red areas, that I had to go see a dermatologist because of it. Turns out I am allergic to one of the ingredients they use in their product. So I called Proactiv to cancel their recurring 2 month shipments. They kept me on the phone that day for 15 minutes trying to sell me other products that would be a better fit for me, after I kept insisting that I just wanted to cancel the service and that's it, I did not want anything else, because I don't want to experiment with my skin. I know that the sales people are just given a script to read and it's not their fault, so I didn't make a big deal about it. The girl eventually confirmed cancellation. But this is not the end. Next month, I received another product shipment. I called them about it, and they said my service had not been cancelled, but that they would take care of it that day. So I sent back the products for a refund of the charge on my credit card, as instructed. After a month the refund had not been processed yet and I received another bill of $90. Needless to say, at this point I was extremely frustrated. I gave them another call and after spending 1 hour on the phone trying to figure out what was going on, they told me that they had not received a shipment from me and that it was their policy to send the bill prior to the set shipment date (even though they should not even have an account in my name anymore at this point!). I had to talk to the manager to get this settled after waiting and waiting on the phone. Overall, my experience with Proactiv was terrible. The product did not work; I had to go see my doctor because of the condition I developed when I was using it; I had to pay $200 for that visit; I spent hours on the phone with customer service agents that were unable to do their job; I was charged and re-charged for no reason. Based on this experience, I would definitely not recommend Proactiv to anyone.
Ugh, that really sucks. You being allergic to an ingredient and therefore, it not working for you, isn't their fault. Everything else? That's just bad business and completely inappropriate. I know they have to follow scripts, but that should've been the end of it right there. There's no reason for them to continue jerking you around like that.
I also was charged for a shipment that I never recieved after automatic monthly shipments for about 6 months. The problem was I really only used one of the products and the others tended to irritate my skin so wasn't worth the money. After I cancelled the account I got a bill for an additional shipment I never even received and had cancelled over a month earlier. I wound up getting tired of the run around and the arguing so paid the bill but would not recommend Proactiv either based on my experience. I never asked to speak to a manager so thanks in advance for all those in billing disputes with the company as well as considering the product.
I'm not surprised to hear this. I think a lot of companies that do the auto-billing hope that customers will just get tired of the run around and give up trying to get their money back. I've heard similar stories about other products that are advertised on tv. Really there should be some type of agency to regulate those types of businesses or credit cards should crack down on these companies. They probably spend a lot of their time trying to straighten out the messes from these auto-billing fiascoes.
Sorry to hear that. I've actually never read a positive review on Proactiv, they're just pure advertisement trying to take advantage of people who have to suffer from a shitty disease like acne.
Proactive seems to be good at doing one thing: marketing. They pour millions and millions of dollars each year into trying to market their product to insecure teens. The market is a "captive audience" of sorts - high school teens always have acne and never want it. It is a cycle that is likely to not end soon - especially if the product doesn't work. In fact, their best bet at staying is business is to continue to send out a product that does not work, while convincing you that it does.
I'm really sorry to hear about that Dala. To this date, I've never seen a positive Proactiv review online! And it goes to show how terrible they are! I feel kinda bad for the people who have to follow the scripts since they're basically conning you out and several others out of their money. Honestly, I don't see the appeal to Proactiv. They're basically burning off all their money to con the insecure into their product.
That really sucks. I have acne and I've considered trying Proactive but I'm always afraid of companies that want you to sign up for the automatic shipments. I've never heard anything good about companies that require people to do that and it's usually next to impossible to get them to stop sending stuff. Do you know which ingredient you're allergic to? Have you ever tried Acne Free? It comes in a kit (I buy it at Walmart) and it works really well for me. I'm not sure if it has the same ingredients as Proactive though. But if you decide to try it out it's in a bright orange package. You can't miss it lol...
+ 1 . I had the problem once some years ago. I spent months trying to cancel a subscription. They kept on sending me the bills. Every time it drove me a little more crazy; i would call them, they would pretend they didn't know why it hasn't been cancelled, promise me it has been done and the the next month, I had to ask a consumer protection group to get help with that. And then, like a miracle, it worked. I have very little hope that there will be a regulation agency one day, so I have decided that I will never ever again choose Auto-billing unless I have no other choice (so it's not never ever again, OK )
I think their main ingredient is Salicylic Acid, which is found in most acne products. It can be too strong for sensitive skin. Plus, don't forget all the crap they add to it.
Thanks for publishing your experience. I don't have bad skin either but a friend of mine does. I started to recommend that she get this stuff, but may step back and let her go to a dermatologist before she spends her money. This may help her get the solution that will work for her...as Proactiv may not be the solution for her skin type. Thanks for the share!
Very true. And because their market is mostly young adults, they're also preying on an audience that may not lash back as much. So when they do that auto-billing thing, even when they cancel their subscription, they're unlikely to fight to get their money back. They'll think it's lost money and back down if they're bullied on the phone....or will try to get mom/dad to take care of it, but they often won't want to bother. So then Proactiv wins again.
This is a perfect example of why I don't like auto ships. Its just a recipe for disaster. I had the same problem with proactive. They even overdrew my account. I finally had to close that account and open a new one so they would stop sending me the product. You shouldn't even need a reason to cancel. You can cancel just because you want to.
I'm not surprised that you had a lot of problems from this company. I used to work at a warehouse that manufactures Proactive, and there were times when they made the formula wrong. There were recalls, but some people already purchased the product. There are a bunch of ingredients that can cause you to break out, and it's very difficult to pinpoint which one is doing the most damage. I would never use the stuff because I know they have had problems making the product, and they would give the workers the failed samples for free. I would suggest that you try natural remedies, instead of putting unknown chemicals on your face.
Sorry to hear you have had such a bad experience with Proactiv. It seems when you agree to an automatic payment you open yourself up to problems. I did one that cost me over $300 to get straight. Hope your treatment with the doctor took good care of your problem.
I have seen many people experience issues with Proactiv and also with auto billing. WEN hair care is another product that has clients going crazy with cancellations and wont return your money until you either threathen them with the BBB or you give up and pay the bill. The trick is to not give up. If its in reference to a skin issue I think seeing your dermatologist is best as most acne treatments tend to have chemicals and/or acids that will harm your skin if not used properly or if your skin is simply not compatible with the product. If its a beauty product try opting out of auto billing and if thats the only way you can pay then really think of the purchase before you buy it since most of the time its not worth the price because the product doesn't work anyway - Marketing works wonders especially with paid actors.
I as well had a run in similar to the first post about pro active. i was livid. It took almost 6 months before i finally got them to stop shipping me product and another 6 months before I actually got all my money refunded to me. All they did was continuously charge my credit card! I would never recommend them, strictly just on being bad business people.
That's the complaint I hear about Proactiv. They advertise all over the place and I see them constantly on television, in magazines, on the internet. I have never tried Proactiv but so many people have told me that it completely dries out their skin. On the other hand, some people have said good things about it. I guess it just depends on the individual person's skin, as everyone reacts differently to ointments and creams/medications.
