Smile Direct Club, founded in 2014 as a D2C company, was an ambitious effort to provide progressive tooth re-alignment to your smile at an attractive price. It had a good product, a healthy market, a good price, and satisfied customers; but, it failed and is now in bankruptcy.
SDC had more than 2,000,000 customers (its main competitor Invisalign (operated through dentists) just passed 15,000,000 customers, but it was founded in 1997 and came to market the next year) and sold progressive aligners (plastic trays that gently moved your teeth) and regular service thereafter with a lifetime guarantee.
It was less expensive than alternatives (Invisalign), was D2C, did not require a dentist visit, and customers loved the product and service; but, alas the numbers did not work.
They have $900,000,000 of bloody debt. Can that be possible?
Well, the point of this blog post is to focus on the lifetime guarantee, the continuing service, and support for the product.
1. There will be no lifetime guarantee.
2. There will be no continuing service from their team of dentists.
3. There will no support for the product.
Well, yes, they did, but in bankruptcy all promises are voided. Sorry.
There is one thing that does continue: If you were paying on the installment basis, YOU STILL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO MAKE YOUR PAYMENTS!
Haha, sorry for laughing. It’s just so weird.
If you do business with a startup enterprise and they offer any promises, they are subject to the vagaries of the business. If the business goes under so do all their grandiose promises.
But, hey, what the Hell do I really know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car. Sorry.
PS — competitor Align Technology (Invisalign) continues to do business in Russia and has refused to discontinue or boycott Russia during the pendency of the Ukraine war
