Kitty's Consumer Beware! "Kitty's Consumer Beware!" is a website which masquerades
as an objective source of consumer information on hair removal.
Unfortunately, it's actually a censored mixture of truth and fiction
maintained by a quack.
Contact information
Address: 230 Lake Ridge Village Ctr., #409
Dallas, Texas 75238 (postal drop box)
Address: KaleidoGrafix, 2915 Nova Drive Garland, Texas 75044
Address: P.O. Box 452033 Garland, Texas 75045-2033
Phone: 214-503-6080
972-414-8562 (1996)
972-414-8562 (1997)
800-757-2098 (1997)
214-503-6080 (2002)
972-675-2791 (2005) Joseph Glenn 5513 Naaman Forest Blvd, Garland, TX 75044
Fax: 972-495-7623
website: http://www.consumerbeware.com
email: sales@webspinner.net Baker, Cathey (CABA165)
email: hostmaster@a1host.net Cook, AK (CABA166) (the "CABA" is because this was originally under Cathey Baker)
Names associated with this site:
Katherine Cook
A.K. Cook
Kitty Cook
Cathey A. Baker
Background
Assumed names
The administrator uses the name “Katherine Cook"
or "Kitty" on the site, in  articles, even in letters to the FDA. But there is no real person at Kitty's
Consumer Beware by those names.
In reality, "Kitty" is a promoter for Guaranty
Hair Removal electric tweezers, a scam device which claims
permanent hair removal without published clinical data for proof.
“Kitty” promotes it on this thinly-veiled sales site
with disputed studies.
Hosts other quack sites: the GHR connection
“Kitty” owns a company called KaleidoGrafix
and does web hosting through webspinner.net. GHR sites are all on webspinner.net
and have been for many years. webspinner.net hosts:
Kitty's Consumer Beware (consumerbeware.com)
KaleidoGrafix (wow-me.com)
Guaranty Hair Removal  (wow-me.com/sns)
Guaranty Hair Removal (wow-me.com/GHR)
Guaranty Hair Removal (wow-me.com/mirrorimage/frmain.htm)
Guaranty Hair Removal (webspinner.net/ghr)
Guaranty Hair Removal (hairfree.com)
Guaranty Hair Removal (ghrelectrolysis.com)
Guaranty Hair Removal (ghrpersonal.com)
Guaranty Hair Removal (smoothnsilkie.com)
( = removed/revised in April 2001
to transfer to Kitty's Consumer Beware, another GHR promotional
site owned by "Kitty.")
( = removed in January 2002)
“Kitty” did design work for the GHR sales sites and
listed them in the KaleidoGrafix portfolio. “Kitty”
put up consumerbeware.com in 1998 to help quacks like Judith
Stephens and others promote their businesses without having
their more outrageous claims questioned by consumer activists.
"Kitty" claims on the main page: “No hair removal products
or equipment are sold from this website.” Although you
can't literally buy a GHR from consumerbeware.com, “Kitty”
allows GHR to be sold by allowing disputed GHR
studies to reside on the site, complete with direct links
to where you can buy GHR. [note: on 9 April 2001, banner links
to GHR on the above pages were removed and replaced with links
to "Kitty's" Beware Board. Direct links to the manufacturer
via email remain.]
"Kitty" allows business associate and client Judith
Stephens to promote GHR on Kitty's Consumer Beware
with the following claims:
GHR has “Studies conducted and reviewed by FDA.”
No studies were conducted by FDA.
"In 1991, after extensive clinical study, several galvanic
tweezer manufacturers received FDA clearance to market their
equipment as permanent hair removal." Clearance actually
came in 1990 for AHRS, with copycat
GHR getting cleared a year later. [note: on 9 April 2001.
"Kitty" changed 1991 to 1990, but the sentence is
still false and misleading.]
"The galvanic tweezer, in contrast to needle epilators,
uses the hair itself to conduct electrical current to the
hair root." Clinical
data indicates this is not going to result in enough energy
to cause permanent hair removal as claimed.
FDA violations
In 1997, “Kitty” was cited
by FDA for illegal claims about GHR on the wow-me.com domain.
“Kitty” has direct links from the Consumer Beware
promotional site to the GHR sales sites, both hosted on the
same servers. Try this or this for example. [note: on 9 April 2001,
banner links to GHR on the above pages were removed and replaced
with links to Kitty's Consumer Beware, another GHR promotional
site. Direct links to the manufacturer via email remain.]
Disputed clinical data
“Kitty” allows business associate and client Judith
Stephens to put disputed "clinical
data" on the site which were clearly stolen either
by GHR or AHRS. The same disputed studies have appeared on Consumer Beware and other GHR sales sites hosted by "Kitty."
This promotional material stays up without any warning to consumers
that the studies have been falsified. Anyone who is truly interested
in consumers' best interests would not leave false and misleading
promotional material on their website. It's not only unethical,
it's illegal. You can view the disputed studies side by side
on the FDA
website. (PDF: Requires PDF reader)
Censorship of opposing views
"Kitty" removes any references to sites that don't
match what she and her clients want you to think. Take a look
at how a typical
consumer question about hairfacts get answered to see how
childish and controlling "Kitty" tries to be.
In mid-October 2001, "Kitty" removed all reference
to the highly-respected consumer health fraud site QuackWatch, because Kitty's Consumer Beware
censors all facts that oppose her clients' narrow agendas. It
shows why Kitty's Consumer Beware is on my list of unreliable information sources.
A legitimate site does not censor scientific arguments made
by those with opposing views. Try posting data from this site
or from QuackWatch on the Beware Board and you'll see why it's an
unreliable source of information.
note: on 9 April 2001, "Kitty" mentioned on the
Beware Board: "All banned IP
addresses have been removed from the "ban list".
You are welcome to post your questions here... Your posts
are welcome evidence to the malicious lies and unfair business
practices directed against KaleidoGrafix by all affiliates
of John/Jane Doe AKA Andrea James."
"Kitty" also says not to post copyrighted materials
of mine to the site. Anyone has permission to quote from hairfacts.com
under "Fair Use" conditions of copyright law. Just
cite the referring page and put quotations around the selected
text. As discussed in my legal disclaimer below, you don't
need permission to link to this site or to post reference
links.
In 2002, "Kitty" was back to banning most readers
for asking about hairfacts. This sort of censorship goes to
show that the "Kitty" site is about sales, not facts.
Their concern for consumers stops as soon as it conflicts
with their own self-interests.
"Kitty" moderators are often clients
"Kitty" claims that she does all this out of the goodness
of her heart. On 30 May 2002, "Kitty" posted
this on her own board:
I don't have any bio page because the site isn't
about me. But, no, I'm not in a hair related occupation and
I'm no longer a client. I became involved with hair removal
on the internet when I sold a hair removal device (97 &
98), invented by one of our design customers, which had/has
FDA clearance for permanent hair removal. I posted on some forums
and was frequently insulted and cursed at. I got mad and decided
these kind of intolerant and biased people needed an economics
lesson - namely that the market is controlled by consumers and
not practitioners.
I started consumerbeware.com in 1998 so that other consumers
could have a place to openly discuss hair removal without being
verbally abused by industry wackos. All of the HR forums that
existed in 1998 were targeted at one method and there was no
place where consumers could compare methods in a friendly atmosphere.
I admit I thought I was going to save other consumers but
that's another story.
I pay for all hosting and design out of my pocket and have never
accepted any contribution whatsoever because I feel it would
compromise my objectivity. I do not sell any hair related products, services
or equipment. I don't accept any monies for HR related advertisements on
the site. I don't ask consumers to compensate me for my time
or money spent working on the site.
All of the moderators on the site are in the hair removal business
except for PrettyLady (she moderates the emotional forum because
she is a great motivator and has been there). Moderators
do not get paid except in satisfaction of knowing they
are helping others. I didn't know any of the moderators
before I started the website but met Shelby and Judy when
they came to Dallas for a conference a couple of years ago.
I spoke to all of the moderators by phone before making them
moderators because I like to be sure they are able
to discuss issues without getting angry when someone disagrees.
Actually, the only guy making money on this deal is my backbone
provider and he's probably counting the gigs of bandwidth as
I type.
As far as "Kitty" not making money from the hair removal
industry, that's ridiculous. Many Consumer Beware moderators and
contributors are actually "Kitty" clients!
The "Kitty" site has always been a thinly-veiled advertising
platform for her clients to promote their practices. Below is
just a partial list of sites "Kitty" & pals have
hosted and still host via webspinner.net/a1host.net:
Judith Stephens
GHR electric tweezer
hairfree.com
216.83.168.218
216.83.167.4
David Hardee
Laserbeam
epilate.com
epilatormuseum.com
216.83.168.224
216.83.168.223
Shelby Owens
laseawayhair.com
216.83.168.152
Judy Adams
laserblazers.com
208.16.215.180
Michael Green
nomorehair.com
216.83.168.154
Marissa Lee (Copeland)
betterlase.com
216.83.167.5
Esthetica Laser Hair Removal
gethairless.com
216.83.167.20
Carole Warren
advancedlaserhairremoval.com
216.83.168.170
etc., etc.
"Kitty" & co. make plenty of money hosting all
those client-- er, I mean moderator-- websites on her commercial--
er, I mean consumer forum...
How to tell this is a quack site
As QuackWatch founder Stephen Barrett , M.D. says, “Quackery's
paramount characteristic is promotion (`Quacks quack!')... Most
promoters are unwitting victims who share misinformation and personal
experiences with others.” Most regular posters on this board
promote a method of hair removal they champion, from laser to
homemade concoctions.
Reading about other people's experiences during and immediately
after a hair removal procedure can often be very useful. However,
when someone makes observations about how this or that product
is affecting hair growth, especially claims of reducing or removing
hair permanently, things often take a left turn into quackery.
“Kitty” encourages consumers to post their own "discoveries,"
tests, and results. Relying on this type of anecdotal information
is like buying a stock based on a tip you read on an internet
message board. These comments could be made by anyone, including
salespeople or crackpots, and there's no way to verify their validity.
There's simply not enough quantified factual information about
the poster or their results to make a valid scientific assessment.
Consumer "tests" like this are textbook quackery. Quacks
know it appeals to some consumers' curiosity and vanity to disregard
scientific evidence in favor of personal experience -- to “think
for yourself.” As Dr. Barrett writes:
“Most people who think they have been helped by an unorthodox
method enjoy sharing their success stories with their friends.
People who give such testimonials are usually motivated by a
sincere wish to help their fellow humans. Rarely do they realize
how difficult it is to evaluate a 'health' product on the basis
of personal experience.”
As evidenced by Vaniqa
clinical data, you cannot scientifically rule out the placebo
effect or coincidence based on one person's experience. Of 201
patients, over one-third who used a placebo were assessed by physicians
as either “improved” or “marked improvement.”
Dr. Barrett also notes: “Since
we tend to believe what others tell us of personal experiences,
testimonials can be powerful persuaders. Despite their unreliability,
they are the cornerstone of the quack's success.”
Some people don't believe “Kitty” is a quack because
she seems so concerned and supportive. As Dr. Barrett says, quacks usually
portray themselves as "nice" or positive while suggesting
that their critics are not. Quacks portray themselves as innovators
and suggest that their critics are rigid, elitist, biased, and
closed to new ideas.
In addition to "Kitty" (Member #3), the following moderators/members
frequently contribute to the mixture of truth and misinformation
on Kitty's "Beware Board":
Alison Sahoo (#5): Lasertrolysis of Naples (Florida)
Shelby Owens (#6): Laser Associates of Northwest Florida
Judith Stephens (#15): Guaranty Hair Removal (Texas)
Judy Adams (#31): Laser Blazers (Florida)
David Hardee (#39): Laserbeam Hair Removal Centers (Alabama)
Elaine Lariscey (#54): Southeast Regional Laser Center (Georgia)
Michael Green, M.D. (#275): Light Care Skin and Laser Center (Illinois)
Joel Kutun (#353): Marcelle C. Kutun Electrolysis &
Laser Specialists, Inc. (New York)
Bottom line: On a quack site, you can't really think for yourself.
You have to take everyone's word. On a legitimate consumer site
where you can truly think for yourself (like this one), statements
get backed up with hard evidence you can go check yourself.
Conclusion
Quacks have flocked to Kitty's Consumer Beware, where they have
a safe haven to make unsubstantiated claims and give glowing testimonials
that don't reflect scientific evidence about their methods. Those
seeking reliable uncensored information should head over to hairtell.com.
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