I am updating my review because HMR's subsequent responses have created even greater concerns about…read moreits pricing transparency, customer-service practices, and the potentially discriminatory impact of its business model.
HMR requested and reviewed multiple photographs clearly showing my hair texture, scalp, and donor area. After that review, the clinic issued a formal written quote of $5,400 for an FUE + DHI transplant involving approximately 2,200-2,500 grafts. HMR also confirmed in writing that Partial Shave FUE was included at no additional charge and that the top portion of my hair would remain longer while the donor areas on the back and sides were trimmed or shaved.
After I confirmed that $5,400 was my maximum budget and that I was prepared to place a deposit, HMR withdrew the original quote and increased the price to $7,045 for the same procedure and graft range.
HMR's initial written explanation stated that my hair had characteristics "consistent with Afro hair" and therefore belonged in a different pricing category. After I questioned how this appeared, HMR changed its explanation and stated that the increase was based on technical complexity and follicular curvature rather than race.
Management later acknowledged that its representative had selected the wrong pricing category, admitted responsibility for the original quotation error, and conceded that its earlier wording and Partial Shave communications lacked precision. HMR first offered a reduced price of $6,200, but after I proposed meeting them halfway at $5,700, the clinic refused and ultimately declined to accept me as a patient.
The company also withdrew its earlier Partial Shave representations and stated that it could no longer guarantee that the frontal, mid-scalp, and crown areas would remain unshaved. This was a material change from what its representatives had previously communicated in writing.
I understand that a physician must make decisions based on safety. My concern is the sequence of events: HMR evaluated my photographs, issued a formal price, confirmed material procedure terms, increased the price using language associated with Afro-textured hair, changed its explanations, admitted an internal error, and then refused to proceed after I challenged the pricing process.
In my experience, several customer-service responses were dismissive, inconsistent, and focused more on defending the clinic than addressing the impact of its admitted mistakes. These practices appear potentially discriminatory and deserve independent review, particularly because Afro-textured hair is closely associated with Black and African-descended patients.
No deposit was paid and no procedure was performed, so I cannot comment on HMR's surgical results. My review concerns only the documented consultation, quotations, pricing explanations, shifting treatment terms, and customer service I personally experienced.
I intend to seek appropriate consumer-protection, anti-discrimination, administrative, and legal review of these documented practices. My purpose is not to exaggerate what occurred, but to bring awareness and encourage other patients--especially those with Afro-textured or tightly curled hair--to obtain the clinic's final pricing category, shaving requirements, refund protections, and all material terms in writing before paying a deposit or making travel arrangements.
