Add-ons which add up...

NST: Nurshima Abu Kassim, 27, joined a slimming programme after finding her jeans a tad too tight after giving birth to her second child.
She chose it based on a package promotion which offered treatments for RM300.
"When I went for the consultation, I was told that the package provided was only for one type of treatment. I was advised by the consultant to add a few other types of treatment, which cost an additional RM1,000.
"I was eager to lose the inches, and so I agreed," she said.
She was also advised to partake in several other programmmes which focused on other parts of the body, but she declined.
"You have to be firm with them. They will try their hardest to persuade you to go for other treatments. If you feel that you have achieved your aim, that should be enough," she said.
Her friend, Sofea Kamaluddin, 32, who underwent a slimming programme at another centre was similarly advised to "add-on" to her treatments.
She took the advice as she was told that additional treatments would complement treatments she was receiving and would yield the maximum result.
She paid RM800 for her initial package, and an additional RM700 for the "extras".
She was also given a diet plan by her consultant, who she said was not a properly qualified dietician.
"But she did have a certificate from a beauty and health institute."
Body Perfect Mid Valley centre manager, Penny Liew, said the success of the treatments depends on the clients themselves.
"We do advise them on their diet and exercise regime to help them maintain their weight.
"Our programmes are tailored to suit the needs of the clients. For example, if they want to lose inches off their thigh or stomach, then the treatment will target those specific areas," she said.

Psychologist Datuk Dr Mat Saat Baki attributed the "slimming" phenomenon to society’s increasing health awareness.
"People want to be healthier and live longer. The industry is filling that niche. Looking and feeling good is in vogue now," he said.
"In most cases, those who seek treatments are usually from society’s upper-class. Some don’t need it, but because the treatments are so costly it has become a status symbol."
Fomca advised consumers to exercise caution before signing up with the slimming centres as there may be "hidden expenses" for the customers to bear under the guise of "getting the maximum benefit".
Its National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) had also received a large number of complaints on the ineffectiveness of the courses received.
"Most of the time, consumers are asked to buy products which are not mentioned when they sign up," said Fomca’s president Marimuthu Nadason.
"These are tactics used to lure consumers who did not get the intended result at the end of the course.
"This is when different packages are introduced to consumers and it goes on."
He advised consumers to exercise caution before subscribing to such treatments by checking with a qualified medical practitioner.
"The persons involved are not required to be medically qualified. Most of them now carry the title Dr where in the real sense these people are not medically qualified.
"A lot of the medications used are also not approved by the health authorities.
"We have received so many complaints from consumers that the products used caused severe side-effects," he said.
Marimuthu hopes that the government will take steps to regulate the industry soon before there are casualties.