Hundreds of women claim they've lost thousands of pounds after paying for beauty treatments that never happened

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Hundreds of women claim they've been left thousands of pounds out of pocket after paying for specialist beauty treatment that never went ahead. Customers who booked appointments with three branches of Skin HQ in Bolton, Manchester and Camden, say they've still not seen their money - despite booking treatments months ago.

The company, which was launched in 2020, claims to be expert in "all things skincare" and offers discount packages for laser hair removal, HydraFacials and other cosmetic work. Scores of reviews warning people to avoid three branches of the company have been left on Trustpilot in recent weeks, saying they've been "impossible" to contact.

A Facebook group has attracted nearly 300 members. A spokesperson for Skin HQ apologised for the "disruption" caused to customers and said their business had been affected by an online smear campaign and burglaries at clinics in Manchester, Bolton and Derby.

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"Due to these circumstances some clinics have closed but we are working to get them to re-open with the help of some of our franchise partners who will take over the clinics. We deeply regret the disruption caused to clients and are working really hard to try and get matters rectified," they said.

Despite publicly announcing that branches in Manchester, Bolton and Derby had closed down, at the time of publishing, it was still possible for customers to book and pay for treatments on the company's website. A spokesperson for the company told the M.E.N that some clinics are open - which are still accepting sales. They added that they have plans to "reopen" branches which have been forced to close.

But when the Manchester Evening News attempted to call