Misleading and deceptive

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The TGA’s Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code 4.2.c says: ‘An advertisement for therapeutic goods must not mislead, or be likely to mislead, directly or by implication or through emphasis, comparisons, contrasts or omissions.’

IHRB misleads its clients about every possible aspect of the treatment. It speaks about a money a back guarantee that simply does not exist. All material from IHRB mentions the guarantee, but the contract is so deceiving, that Mr Cohen voids the guarantee after the client has paid.

[UPDATE: New Sanctions in November 2011 found IHRB’s ads unlawful and misleading. Read the latest by clicking here.]

Mr Cohen takes the money and then, after everything is paid, asks the client to sign to agree that no hair growth can be expected in the affected area. This is absurdity at its most extreme. People go and say, ‘I am losing my hair at this point on my head. I need hair to grow here.’ Mr Cohen says that he has never failed to grow hair for ALL his thousands of clients. Then Mr Cohen wants the client to sign and agree that NO HAIR can grow where hair is needed to grow.

In my case, I asked him to counter-sign that it is our understanding that we will see a noticeable improvement. In the case of a client Mr JK, Mr Cohen took the money, and then sent this photo to Mr JK, asking him to agree to void the guarantee. Mr Cohen had written, ‘Please do not expect any regrowth here.’ An ‘X’ was marked by Mr Cohen, expecting the client to sign this. All clients who contacted me told me that Mr Cohen asked them to sign such a voiding statement. Mr Cohen showed me dozens of files that were voided by unsuspecting clients. He showed me files belonging to judges and lawyers and doctors where they all had signed to void the guarantee.

The entire ad campaign shows people who have had remarkable transformations. The ads never mention that the clients in question were taking non-approved and dangerous medications. The ads speak about herbal and organic and natural extracts, which have nothing to do with the amazing cosmetic transformations.

The ads criticise competitors who do not disclose all aspects of the costs, yet Mr Cohen does not make it clear that there are significant additional expenses. Mr Cohen implies that his treatment is not on-going, but does not mention that hair will fall out again if medications are stopped. Every aspect of every claim is misleading, deceptive, cunning, and blatantly dishonest.

For a copy of the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code 2007 from the TGA, please click here.