Pantene Payback

. By Jane Mundy

Mellita Argenbright tallied up the cost of buying Pantene Pro-V hair products and demands her money back. She calculated that Procter and Gamble, the maker of Pantene, owes her $1,328.40.

"I did the math: Over the past five years, I bought Pantene shampoo and conditioner at an average cost of $3.69 per bottle. I have supported a company that has done nothing but lie about their product and as a disappointed customer, I want my money back.

I am pissed off at this company, Procter and Gamble. Their products are so well known and definitely not the cheapest; you wind up paying more money because they are supposed to be better products. And their advertising is so misleading. You see all these TV commercials of models with luminous hair and think you can have hair just like that if you keep using Pantene Pro-V shampoo and conditioner. I always thought that if you pay more, you get a better product but I realize that a 99 cent bottle of no-name brand is just as good.

I am fed up with getting duped by these companies. Every time you turn around it makes you wonder, 'What on earth am I buying? What is in this stuff?' Most importantly, why pay three times as much for a product when you don't have to? I trusted Procter and Gamble; everyone has heard of them and I thought they were reputable.

This is what I want to say to the makers of Pantene: either make your product live up to your promise, or take it off the market.

They said it would make your hair stronger and the conditioner will make it smoother. The bottle that I have guarantees 75 percent smoother hair and right on the label it says, 'Specially designed to strengthen hair against damage and control frizziness.'

Whatever. I am so disappointed and now I just keep my hair up in a ponytail because I certainly haven't found a product that makes your hair stronger or smoother. Pantene is a bottle of consumer fraud."


A series of US-based ads for Pantene claimed the product made hair 10 times as strong. But subsequent testing revealed that the shampoo actually weakened hair.

To date, Pantene has refused to disclose the tests on which it based such a claim and said it was "surprised and disappointed" with the results.



Resources

If you have purchased Pantene Pro-V hair products, please [ click here] and submit a free complaint form to a lawyer.