Saskatoon medical aesthetics business closes, leaving clients out thousands

Clients of a medical aesthetics business in Saskatoon are left waiting for any indication their pre-bought services will be fulfilled after the business closed permanently.

Jessi Kliewer has been a client at Dr. K Insley Medical Aesthetics since 2021, mainly getting treatments for migraines and clenching teeth. She says special offers would go to clients for “pre-buys” of bulk treatments at a discounted rate, so she would stock up.

“I like to get it for migraines, and then for clenching your teeth,” said Kliewer. “So when you know you’re going to get it anyways, because it helps when it comes in a deal, it’s really good to stock up.”

While she couldn’t do treatments while pregnant, she still had treatments owed from before she had her baby. Once it was safe to do so, she wanted to use up her credits, but couldn’t.

“It was impossible to try and get an appointment,” she said. “You would call on the phone, it would just ring and ring and ring, and then it would go to voicemail. But the voicemail was always full, and if you emailed, nobody replied back.”

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Landon Schaffer says he and his partner were shocked to find an email on Oct. 9 saying the business was closed permanently.

“After 18 wonderful years of specializing in Medical Aesthetics in Saskatoon, I am writing with bittersweet news – my clinic has permanently closed. This was not an easy decision, but it’s time for me to begin a new chapter with Travis and our family. We are currently in the process of sorting out prebuys, and I appreciate your patience during this transition. It has been an honour to serve you, and I am deeply thankful for your trust and support over the years.”

He says they had thousands of dollars in pre-bought treatments that hadn’t been fulfilled yet, and attempts to make arrangements with Dr. Kristyn Insley went without a response. When they did hear back, it was a short email to say she was busy in meetings, and they were on her list to contact moving forward.

“That, from a principle standpoint, doesn’t sit well with me,” said Schaffer.

“But the significant loss of money as well is really troubling, because a lot of people don’t have that kind of money to just donate for no reason, without having the service and commitments filled.”

Schaffer says he’s frustrated with the optics of closing down your shop so suddenly without making necessary arrangements with clients, especially with so little interaction since the closure.

“That’s quite a long period of time for people to be left in the dark and wondering if they’re out of luck with getting their money back.”

Schaffer, Kliewer and others say they’ve filed complaints with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan (CPSS). In an email to CTV News, CPSS says it is unable to comment on complaints.

“The College of Physicians and Surgeons operates under directives from the council, which includes directives on whether information about a complaint can be made publicly available. CPSS will not confirm whether it has received any complaints as referenced in your message.

“Information becomes publicly available if a physician’s ability to practise has been limited or if a physician has been charged with unprofessional conduct. Neither has occurred with Dr. Insley.”

CPSS did indicate there was a record of discipline on her file, available to the public on the CPSS website, for an unrelated incident.

“Dr. Insley was suspended from November 1, 2023 to January 31, 2024,” reads the statement from CPSS.

CTV News has made multiple attempts to reach Dr. Kristyn Insley for comment, but did not hear back in time for publishing.