Whenever I see a coupon or a discount for Plastic Surgery, I also wonder, "Is this a good deal, or is this a JC Penny strategy?"For something to be a "good deal," it needs to be a good product or service that is being sold for less than the normal price. Enter JC Penny's. Their standard practice for years has been to falsely elevate their prices, and then periodically, have "sales" and coupons to attract faithful customers who just cannot turn down what looks like a sale. Obviously this is not a true sale, but it has worked for years. (Ironically, JC Penny's recently tried to changed their strategy with "everyday low pricing," and their customers quit coming. They have since reverted to their old practice.)
Coupons and sales have become common is plastic surgery for the same reasons. Finding a deal makes consumers feel "smart," hypes their emotions and encourages them to talk to other potential patients, thus increasing business volume.
To not be suckered into buying a plastic surgery service based on this strategy, there are few things a patient needs to ask themselves:
1. Do I really want a sale? Fundamentally, things are on sale because not enough other people want to buy them. Plastic surgery is a commodity, and like any commodity, the price is high when everyone wants it, and when demand is low, the price drops. A patient must ask themselves, do I want surgery from someone who is having a hard time finding patients? That surgeon may be great and just not popular, or maybe everyone else has figured out to avoid that doctor. As infrequent as plastic surgery is for the individual, do you want to take that chance?
2. What is the real price? This is where the internet is a savior. If you compare the same caliber plastic surgeon's prices, you will get a reasonably good idea if someone is really having a sale or a true discount. The problem is to be careful about what you are comparing. For instance, breast augmentation prices by two surgeons may be different, but for a reason. The seemingly more expensive surgeon may actually be using a more expensive breast implant, or be performing the procedure under safer circumstances, like an approved operative facility. To really price shop, you need consider all the components of what you are buying.
3. Is the service cheap or defective? Again, you may have found a great deal on a breast augmentation compared to your friend, but you may be getting a cheap saline implant instead of a more expensive silicone one. Or, your doctor may be putting your implant on top to the muscle instead of under, which generally takes more time but gives more predictable results. Alternatively, maybe this surgeon is not as good as your friend's, so check the reviews and see what other patients think.
4. Is the coupon or sale just a tease? Occasionally a sale price will represent a product absolutely no one would want, but it is advertised just to get you to their office. For instance, a coupon for a Botox might represent having an injection on only one side of your face, forcing you to pay more than you thought to get both sides done. Likewise, an inexpensive tummy tuck might be done under local in a procedure room. Once this is explained, you will naturally want to "upgrade," which means spending a lot more than the sale price led you to believe. Alternatively, the sale might be just a loss-leader: a good product sold cheaply to get you to come in and buy something more expensive.
Almost everyone likes a sale. It is hard to resist paying less for something than everyone else did. However, when shopping plastic surgery prices, it can really take some effort to make sure that your money is being spent wisely and that your body will not be adversely affected. Sometimes the prudent thing to do is to spend a little bit more money to guarantee quality and safety of the plastic surgery you are buying.