Off Topic Public Service: Dr. Oz, Rachael Ray, Oprah-Acai Berry Scam Information
I am going to stray WAY off topic here, but there is a very good reason. Thousands of people across the country are being scammed by unscrupulous fly-by-night Internet vendors of Acai Berry products, and one of them is my own mother.
Hopefully when people do their research online about Oprah and acai berry this post will pop up in search engines and inform them to run the other way from all of the paid advertisements that get shoved in front of their face.
TAKE NOTE: If a link saying “Oprah’s flat stomach diet” or some derivative of this, or a paid advertisement in Google, takes you to a site that looks like one pictured at your right or below, DO NOT SIGN UP!
(Update: Viewing this post I just realized that when the Google Adsense ads rotate through on MSF, an ad for “Diet of the Year” pops up. I am not allowed to click through it, per the terms of service I have with AdSense, but it looks like another Acai Berry site. Be careful if you click-through to this website as it could very well be one of the sites that is the subject of this acai berry scam post.)
(By the way, do you notice the similarities of these two sites, which are at different URLs? A little curious isn’t it? And just try leaving the websites. You will be inundated with more pop-ups trying to assuage your legitimate skepticism.)
MAIN POINT: Do not sign up for the “risk-free” trail from any of the multitude of online vendors of acai berry claiming that the product was explicitly endorsed by Oprah, Dr. Oz., Racahel Ray, or Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
If you want some explicit examples of people being taken by the Oprah-acai berry scam, follow the link to this post on a forum at Oprah.com:
And it’s not just Oprah. As I just mentioned, these websites offering the “risk-free” trial of acai berry products also claim endorsement by Rachael Ray, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and Oprah’s pal Dr. Oz.
There are two huge problems:
- Neither Oprah, Racahel Ray, nor any of the people cited on these websites endorsed that particular acai berry product or company. In fact, if you look at the fine print, it says that none of the celebrities or sources that they cite actually endorsed product. But many people, like my mom, do not realize that they have to scroll to the bottom of the page to read the terms and fine print.
- The “risk-free” trial is not risk free at all. You are required to opt-out within 21 days or you will receive future shipments of acai berry products (at around $90 a pop) and be signed up for other services like “Ultra-Slim” that are only mentioned in the fine print.
Another thing I noticed is that on every one of these sites, there is a disclaimer saying that none of the claims about weight loss and wellness benefits have been authorized by the FDA.
Here are a few examples of the websites to which I am referring. If you go to any of these websites, run the other direction as quickly as you can:
- Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie acai berry scam
- Oprah acai berry scam – (each of the sites listed here)
- Dr. Oz acai berry scam
Don’t even think twice about this, I’m telling you. When you go to Oprah.com and visit the pages that mention acai berry, the paid google AdSense advertisements do not bring any of these supposed Oprah- and Dr. Oz-endorsed products up. Doesn’t that seem a little ironic? If the products were legitimate, don’t you think they and Oprah.com would want the obvious click-throughs they would get from advertisement for acai berry free trials on Oprah.com? That fact alone makes no sense at all.
Well, when you consider that Oprah and Dr. Oz never officially endorsed these products, it actually does make perfect sense why there would be no ads for these companies.
Again, for all of our loyal sports fan readers, my apologies for straying off topic, but this kind of stuff just pisses me off.
My mom thought she was getting a legitimate free trial of a product endorsed by Oprah. Neither is true, and judging by the recent forum posts at Oprah.com, my mom is not the only one. Sure, more savvy Internet users like me and many people my age would not have been taken in by something as obviously scammy as this — but a lot of people in the generation before me are still relatively new to the Internet and not as savvy at sniffing out scams.
This Oprah-acai berry scam is absolutely designed to capitalize on the timeliness of these supposed Hollywood endorsements (all they said was that the berry itself had anti-oxidant qualities) and prey on people who do not know everything they need to know to look for in an Internet scam.
Please, if you have been caught in this web of acai berry deceit, leave a comment and feel free to leave links to the sites that tried to or succeeded in sucking you in. Let’s expose as many of these frauds as possible.
And before you decide to just give it a shot anyway, understand that when you want to cancel your acai berry “free trial”, or if you have questions about use, your phone calls are routed to outsourced calling centers in India. I have no problem with this practice per se, as many companies do it; but the specific call centers for this product are instructed to give you misleading information and read from a very strict script — meaning that they try to outlast you and get you to stay signed up or not issue refunds. How do I know? I just listened to my mom talking on the phone with them for over an hour.
Okay, I’m done venting now. Time to go watch basketball. Hopefully the right people see this post and refrain from getting suckered by this and future scams.
Moral of the story: If a site that you do not know is trying to get you to sign up for a “risk-free” trail, do your homework first. Online commerce is very safe and practical, as long as you buy from sites that are legitimate and trustworthy. Sites that look like the ones above, and that make bogus claims about “risk-free” trials and celebrity endorsements, are just trying to capitalize on the naivete of unsavvy users.
Bastards.
Don’t get suckered by the Oprah-acai berry scam. If they don’t have links to vendors on Oprah.com, rest assured that the product is not officially endorsed by Oprah and that your “risk-free” trial will result in plenty of unnecessary and unexpected charges and headaches.
Tags: acai berry scam, Oprah Winfrey, weight loss
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I ordered Acai and was able to cancel before I even received the product through an automated menu. Contrast this with something called Natra Pure which was sold as an accompanying product. I have made three calls to that call center in India for 30 minutes each time and have not succeeded in obtaining a confirmation number for cancellation. My next plan was to dispute the charges through my credit card company. Sounds like I will have to cancel my credit card as well to avoid charges each month forever.
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I have a question for those of you who ordered this product. Was the $3.95 shipping and handling fee charged to your account immediately? I am only asking because I just got a call for my “order confirmation”. I NEVER made an order but they had all my info. My name, address and phone number was correct but the email address was not. I cancelled the order and the account. I have checked my bank account and nothing has been charged so far. Just wanted to see if this company charges right away or if it takes a few days. I am also filing a police report to start a paper trail in case of identity thief. Thanks for your help.
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Hi,
I concur with what is written above – but the information came too late for me. However, with a lot of emails (not phone calls) i did manage to get out of it by paying full price for the trial bottle. Perhaps the paper trail was my saving grace! Regarding the credit card thing – because you have signed the direct debit directly with the company my Bank inform me that its out of their hands and consequently not easy to stop it Sorry!
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Thanks everyone for the info. WOW!!! What a huge scam. I was going to order the Acai Berry and the Colon Clense products today but I’m going to skip that process after all of this. Intersting comment though…I have been looking into this diet program for a while now, just finances said I had to wait. Anyway, I filled out the online form for the trials, but never completed them with the CC info. I rec’d several calls from both companies trying to get me to complete my purchases. I told them that I was going to be out of town and would call them back in 2 weeks after my return. I told them that if it’s a good deal now it will be in two weeks as well. After about the 3rd call I told them to stop calling me that I would call them when I was ready. I then started haning up on them because I had enough. They finally stopped. I haven’t looked into it again until today, and luckily I found your site. Thanks again for helping me not to make a financially bad decision!!!
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Abby’s Diet Journal
My name is Abby Johnson. I’m 25 years old and I live in City, State. I have a wonderful family and an amazing fiancee. I lost over 21 pounds in just 3 weeks using this diet combination I saw on TV. Read my story to learn how I did it. http://www.abbysdietjournal.com
Jennifer’s Stretch Mark Story
My name is Jennifer Loca from City, State. I have 2 kids and a wonderful husband. I cured my stretch marks and got my skin looking young again after just two weeks thanks to a show I saw on Oprah and an amazing interview with Barbara Walters. Read my story to learn how I did it. http://curedstretchmarks.com
Coincidentally, both these ladies “live” just down the road from me. Bet they live near you, too! This alone should raise a red flag for many. But for those that it didn’t, the legal disclaimer at the bottom of each “personal blog” should have.
Caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware!
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JRod Reply:
July 15th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
@HylesLineata, haha…thanks for posting. Unreal. The craziest thing is that on the Abby’s Journal one, it won’t even let you close the page without trying to suck you back in with one final sales pitch. These people will stop at nothing to get your $$$!
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Stan Reply:
July 27th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
@JRod, Hey, I appreciate what you’re doing. Your comments verified what my instincts were telling me. My wife and I both in our fifties have that uh oh bulge. We were looking and I checked out several of the sites you noted. One took me to a place near where we live which means these sites are targeting you by your IP. Otherwise they would not be able send you right to a site down the block where a poor 35 yr old mom of 4 lives having suffered with uh,oh bulge. I had to shut down my browser to get out and that really smokes my shorts. I really don’t want to wade through all the responses you have although I’ve read several. So my question is this, if one wanted to try this product are there any legitimate suppliers that you are aware of? I must say though nothing sets me off like this kind of marketing. I own my own business for 25 years. If I did something like this the gov’t would have me in handcuffs before morning break. The gov’t says it doesn’t have the resources to procecute every one of these, but they find them to go after small American based ones with no limit on the expenses. Go figure. How do we trust to shop in a universe of caveat emptor?
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One year it’s taheebo tea, another acai berry. I’m an Internist and believe me there IS no magic bullet out there for weight loss! Exercise and low calorie density foods are key. There are some non-natural pills in the pipeline that are promising like make you lose 25% of your body weight. When you need to lose 50% or more to save your life you need obesity surgery.
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Thanks for your article. Something has been telling me for a long time not to buy the products. I have been looking for this article. To many people were falling on this band wagon and it was making me very leary.Just today after leaving my weight loss doctor’s office in which he had email copies of the acai berry I decided I would look into this once again something just wouldn’t let me sign up. Thank you God for watching over me.
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[...] a post a made a while ago and was checking for replies…. I didn’t expect THAT at the top of the page!!! Amazon Related: The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World NEC MultiSync LCD4620 [...]
Ok to Monique you have the audaity to tell someone else to go back to History class but your grammar is ridiculous and you cannot spell. Um hello???
For people who have been scammed… please, please report them to the Better Business Bureau. You can do this online by googling it.
The post from Chuck Turner seems like invaluable information for anyone who has been scammed. I would look into that ASAP!
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If if sounds to good to be true, you
can take it to the bank. I wish I had
read this article, before I invested
my hard earn cash into the “free trial”. Nothing works like exercise
and pushing yourself away from the table.
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thanks for the article. my wife was going to do this until I found this article, this stopped her. I found it suspicious and there was no proof found about Rachael Ray or Oprah endorsing this product. Don’t believe everything you read.
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Well, I thought I had done my investigative work. I am not swayed by Oprah and her minions, but Rachel Ray gave it credibility for me, even though I have never watched her. I even tried looking for scam debunking sites, but yours never came up. I sure wish it had. I got another bottle today, though I did not order it, and found I was a member on automatic renewal/charge. To get my money back, they said to go through a web site to get a Return Merchandise Authorization code. Their policy says they won’t accept returns without one. S & H are not refundable and I am subject to a 15% restocking fee. I was mad about that, but after reading some of these comments, I will consider myself lucky if that is all it costs me and I can get everything to stop. My CC company says they cannot stop future charges without closing my account out completely. They charged $64.90 for the bottle I got today, and there is $65.90 pending for God knows what. The CC co. says they sometimes double charge to make sure one goes through. And BTW, it doesn’t work. I didn’t have the problems some folks have had, because I thought taking 2 – 3 tablets a day was nuts.
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I’m not usually a sucker when it comes to the web, but I did order the acai berry and nature cleanse together as recommended by Rachael Ray (or so I thought). I can’t thank you enough for this article, I received the nature cleanse yesterday and before taking any of the pills decided to research more.
I was almost completely sold on it before I ran across this website – just called my bank and had them cancel my current card and reissue another w/different number. It took 5 minutes, there have been no other charges yet to my cc. I ordered on July 20 and today is the 26th, so I think thankfully from this site, I am only out the $2.95 and $4.95 for shipping.
THANK YOU!!!!
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Hello! Placed an order for both products 7 days ago – thank God your blog shows up in google and I read it. I live in Germany and a company in UK is processing the order (viv3 Labs). I wrote an e-mail to them to cancel to have it in writing and will call them. THANK YOU for the warning!
Unbelievable, on their website under customer service they even threaten you if you accuse them with fraud:
“We would like to inform you that making a false claim is a criminal offense and you will be prosecuted if such claim is made. All information that you provide us, along with all related log files and IP addresses will be forwarded to the local police department and district attorney. In addition the governmental cybercrime agency will use this data to investigate and establish the physical location and computer from which the account was created.”
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[...] me off – a sports blogger angry about the Acai Berry. Apparently he got off-topic. This angry sports fan adamantly states: Thousands of people across the country are being scammed by unscrupulous [...]
I would just like to say I was almost scammed by the Acai Berry advertisement and I was going to purchase it but said, huuuum let me research this first. I want to let every know that before purchasing anything on the internet ALWAYS go and purchase a Visa or Master Card gift card and use it, this way you do not have to use your bank card. Companies like this would love to draft from your card any given time for hundreds of dollars. If you purchase the gift card for a specific amount these companies will not have access to your personal bank account.
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I watched the Oprah show with Dr. Oz and listend to the discussion of colon cleansing and weight reduction. The promoters of these scams forgot something when they speak dr. oz’s endorsement.When Dr. Oz was on the Oprah show discussing questions about “colon cleansing” and “colon cleansing” products he emphaticaly stated that he did believe in them. He recommeded eating fruits and vegetables, particularly cruciferous veggies, ie broccoli and cauliflower. Hope this helps somebody not to be sucked in.
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Hey I definatley got scammed.. i got sucked in as well by the oprah and rachel ray “endorsement”. i am definately doing to cancel the free trial today!! i just made the order about an hour ago so hopefully they will cancel it before i get charged with anything. thanks for posting this site otherwise i wouldn’t have known to cancel
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oh and i forgot did anyone recieve the promised confirmation e-mails?
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I was one that actually DID think I looked everywhere on the site to make sure I wasn’t getting signed up for anything more than my free trial. Silly me didn’t click on the teeny tiny link for ‘terms and conditions’ way at the bottom the page. After not receiving my ‘free’ trail for over 10 days I decided to look at the site again and finally saw that if I don’t concel within 14 days I will get billed $89.99 for the bottle! Funny that I hadn’t received my package yet and in 4 more days would have been screwed! Well, I called and canceled and if they still try to charge me..well the jokes on them because the debit card I used to pay for the shipping of $4.95 is no longer valid. Scammers suck…
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I too am a naive victim have order for my wife and niece. I’ve tried to get resolution by phone, email and a certified written letter, all to no avail. Today, Aug. 21st, I have filed a complaint to BBB and to the Attorney General office of California. I further encourage all to contact their state legislators and asked that a consumer bill be passed that states that “unless a consumer verbally, by email or in writing, authorizes the shipment of product and a charge to his credit card, that the party offering the product must assume that the consumer does not want the product”. Why should the consumer have to respond to cancel or reject an offer or be charged.
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Hi,
Here is the website that suckered me in:
http://acaiberry-lifecleanse.com/
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[...] their names associated with acai berries, and they aren’t too happy about it. To read more, take a look at this post about the [...]
I was also scammed. I am currently disputing the charges with my credit card company and have reported the company to the better business bureau. They are telling me I have to pay to ship the product back to them and then I’ll be refunded but I don’t feel I should have to pay to be refunded for something I was misled on and was told was a free trial. I was also charged for and sent a product I didn’t order and they are saying I have to pay to return this one as well!!! The two websites I went to were http://www.maxacaiboost.com and http://www.colonzen.com.
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See the first article’s comments for other unhappy experiences with Acai Berry.
Both articles should be read for those who still believe TV weight loss products are safe’
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2008/12/24/28-weight-loss-products-containing-unlisted-drugs.html
28 Weight-Loss Products Containing Unlisted Drugs
Prescription medicines are in the pills but not on the labels, the FDA says
******
http://health.usnews.com/blogs/heart-to-heart/2008/12/23/weight-loss-potions-have-hidden-surprises.html?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a41:g2:r6:c0.192816:b20441085:z0&s_cid=loomia:28-weight-loss-products-containing-unlisted-drugs
Weight-Loss Potions Have Hidden Surprises
December 23, 2008 04:44 PM ET | Bernadine Healy, M.D.
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Lucia Reply:
September 20th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
@Caveat Emptor,
The first article begins with the following sentence:
“The Food and Drug Administration recently identified 28 weight-loss products sold in the United States that contain prescription-only medicines. ”
I wish the FDA would make this public! get it on the news, make these companies do a “recall” and return the $ to all who bought it, and they should make them pay penalties for these activities too.
The problem is that there are NO serious consequences for the companies that do this and therefore its easy for them to continue all these illicit activities (unreported ingredients, scams, etc.)
Just my two cents
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I NEED HELP! I fell for this. I bought a cleanse and the Acai Breeze I have been charged the $4.95 twice for both, but It has been almost two weeks and I have not received any of the products……….WHAT CAN I DO AT THIS POINT so I don’t get charged monthly for a membership?
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I recently started working for one of the major credit card companies in the disputes department and I thought I’d post here to maybe help some people out. I see at least half a dozen of these scam complaints a day. And so does each and every person that works in my department.
Unfortunately, a very small number of people actually get the charges reversed on their credit card. But, it’s worth a try, and I’ll tell you a few things that will increase your chances.
First off, as soon as you realize you are being charged without your consent, CALL YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY AND TELL THEM. They will close that account and issue you a new card. You may be without a credit card for a week but its better than being charged $60 to $100!
The way these companies work is, you sign up for a ‘free-trial’ and get the pills for $1.99. But if you don’t read the fine print (usually a tiny link at the bottom of the web page) and cancel within 14 days they will start charging you $89.99 per month. Here’s where the scam comes in – when you try to call or email to cancel, you can’t get through.
So, back to your dispute. You call the credit card company to cancel your card and start a dispute. The first thing the cc company does is issue you a temporary credit while they investigate the charge. Let me say that again, A TEMPORARY CREDIT. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to rebill a customers account because they thought the dispute was resolved in their favor and they didn’t respond to phone calls or letters regarding the investigation.
A cc company has 120 days to reverse a charge on an account from the date of the transaction. After that, they can’t do it, so initiate your dispute as soon as possible. These are Visa/Mastercard rules. What usually comes next is that they send a letter for more information to you.
Fill this out as completely as possible. Be very specific, especially when it comes to dates.
When dealing with the Acai Berry company write everything down:
The exact dates you called (whether they answered the call or not).
The names of people you talked to.
Try to get a cancellation number!
Exact date you sent a product back.
Any return shipping documentation (i.e. UPS tracking #)
Save your e-mails
When you fill out the information letter or talk to someone on the phone at the cc company be as polite as possible. I see letter after letter with threats and fowl language. I, personally, disregard these things, but if you catch a dispute associate on the wrong day he/she may just look for ways to deny your claim.
Fill out the information letter as completely as possible and send it back. Then be patient. Usually within a few weeks, you will get a letter back saying whether your dispute has been rejected or charge has been reversed. If the charge has been reversed, beware, it’s not over yet. The merchant still has 45 days to dispute the dispute. If this happens, expect a call from your cc company wanting even more specific information.
This is a long process that may take up to 4 months. Be patient. Good Luck.
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My Grandma just was scammed this month! She is a widow and lives off of SSI. She ordered what was believed to be Dr. OZ’s skin care line. She went to get money out of her account and her account had been drained! She has $1 to her name for another month. She tried to call them but couldn’t understand them due to a hearing loss. She said she told them she only received the 15 day sample and not anymore. They told her”Go to all your neighbors in the complex and demand your package or else your out your $$” She told them she just had a hip replacement and couldn’t walk up stairs they didn’t care. She was in tears today as she told me how they ripped her off…I don’t know what to do for her except to listen and hug her
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Lucia Reply:
September 20th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
@Tami, I’m sooo sorry
thats awful!!! isn’t there any way she can file a complaint at the bank or the BBB and she can get her money back?? I hope so…
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I can’t believe I fell for this!
A friend of mine sent me the link and we both thought it looked pretty good, so we decided to share a free trial and then we would decide if we continued with it or not. We ordered both: 1 Acai & 1 Cleanse.
We were extremely lucky cause, for some reason or other, our order was delayed A LOT. After 2 weeks ON THE DOT (14 days!) and we still hadn’t gotten the products for the trial, I decided to call and see what was going on. I revisited the website and was surprised to find no address, no email, only a phone number. I knew it was international and when I tried dialing I got no answer which got me thinking… I kept calling all day, and then suddenly I got an answering machine, but it wasn’t a company, it was a personal answering machine, and thats when I really got worried. I immediately called my bank and told them the truth, I had signed up for something, and it seemed to me it was a scam, and I canceled my credit card and gave them all the info.
But I’m sooo gullible that when I got the product 1 week later I thought, oh well, they’re not a scam after all. Maybe it was delayed since it was shipped from England.
My friend and I tried the pills and she got no effect, and I got a little sick. so I came to do a more thorough search and I find this! I can’t believe it!! We will of course immediately stop taking them, and I am so grateful my card has no more charges except the original ones for the trial.
Thanks for posting this, hopefully more people will find this before they make this mistake!!
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Good thing I decided to do some research. I came upon this blog promoting Rachel Ray’s “acai berry diet.” It includes two links to the acai berry supplement and a ‘cleansing’ supplement.
http://rachelrayblogging.com/
This is what it stated at the bottom of the Acai Berry site:
* These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Acai Berry Tropic should be used as a supplement to your active lifestyle. Please consult your physician before beginning any program. If there is a change in your medical condition, please notify your physician immediately and stop taking the product.
1 Results not typical for any and all claims.
* The individuals shown in before and after shots are paid models, and not necessarily Acai Berry Tropic customers.
All celebrity images were found on public websites and believed to be in public domain. Images posted are believed to be posted within our rights according to the U.S. Copyright Fair Use Act (title 17, U.S. Code.). If you are the rightful owner and copyright holder of any celebrity content, please contact us and the infringing material will be removed as soon as possible.
2 Celebrities neither endorse nor sponsor any of the products and/or services.
Acai Berry Tropic is not affiliated in any way with ABC news, CNN news, Rachael Ray, or CBS news. All trademarks, logos, and service marks (collectively the “Trademarks”) displayed are registered and/or unregistered Trademarks of their respective owners.
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Credit card company informed me that the only way to stop them is by canceling my card and I did.
Don't hassle with them as they are eating up your money.
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@Everyone …..should now realise that Oprah, since 18th August 2009, has filed a massive lawsuit against a whole host of businesses and individuals who've miss-appropriated her name. She's got ~50 so far and will have another 500 when the case comes to court!
My take on it is here:
http://strangelyperfect.tv/6305/monavie-gillmap-i...
…but also, check out the lazyman blog to see the tactics of one Acai seller (Monavie), at work as they try to attack the blogger.
http://www.lazymanandmoney.com/monavie-scam-was-m...
If you follow the links and read the thousands of comments (yes, thousands), you'll see that the company are threatening to sue him for mentioning the name "Monavie", which they call trademark infringement!
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I recently responded to a " free 30 day " trial of a product callled Resveratrol – a weight loss product. I need only pay S & H. …with my credit card. In a couple of weeks I recieved a box with 3 more bottles and charges on my credit card for over $ 150.00! I didn't order them, instead they used my credit card to enroll me in what VISA called "auto enroll "programs. Also a scam ! I called VISA on September 29th and they cancelled my card # and advised me to send the box back with proof from Canada Post and also send an email to the company to create a paper trail for evidence. I immediately went to the website where I intially found the product ( I did however find one that sounded eerily familiar to the one I recieved – different name that sounded similiar). The website I was looking for was non existant and the brochure they sent with the product only had a phone # that was "not in service". NEVER give your card # to these scammers instead do like cassie Dobbs did 19 weeks ago ! But a $ 25.00 Mastercard – spend $ 19.95 and give them that card #
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The BEST way to fight this scam is to be PROACTIVE!! Here is the scenario:
If you have a PayPal account (or any other type of account like PayPal) look for their product/service called a "SINGLE USE SECURE CREDIT CARD" (you may have to download and install the PayPal plug-in for your browser).
If they have one (as PayPal does) when ordering the free trial USE THIS SECURE SINGLE USE CREDIT CARD!!! It will not be attached or be identified to your bank/charge card accounts and will prevent unauthorized charges to your account!!! * (see below) Don't forget to save your receipt for the transaction…. Read More
You will be able to obtain the free trial, and not have to cancel the account as the Credit Card will be dead *. (see below) Or in my case, fail to cancel the subscription BEFORE the 19 day trial period for a 30 day trial of the product! * (see below) Which is how they "get you", assuming that they will bill you for the next round of product(s) BEFORE you see the credit card/bank statement!!!
* NOTICE: PayPal SECURE SINGLE USE CREDIT CARDS can be processed by a merchant more than one time!!! I found this out the hard way.
It seems that a "single use" card can be "hit" up to FOUR times by the same merchant for things like multiple ship orders, or SUBSCRIPTIONS!!!
Since the free trial is considered a subscription, the merchant was able to "hit" the card again 19 days after the first charge of 99 cents (for the free trial offer).
THE WAY AROUND THIS is to log on to your PayPal account and CLOSE the SECURE SINGLE USE CREDIT CARD as soon as it has been charged the first time for the 99 cents!!! (On PayPal, just click on the menu item on the right side of the page that says "PayPal Plugin", then there will be new menus on the left side that will enable you to view secure cards and close any open ones) Since the card was a "single use" card, you have done nothing illegal or wrong by closing this card. You have not violated any terms of agreements or any other convoluted "fine print" that the scammer has made you agree to in the free trial offer.
I assume other companies may have similar types of secure credit cards, just check out if they can be processed more than once by a merchant.Then see how to close them as soon as the first charge for the free trial comes in.
Good Luck, and if we do this right, we can put these scammers out of business, because they won't be able to exist selling their product for 99 cents and wasting time trying to collect from dead credit cards.
Pass this info around, the more who know how to defeat these opportunistic bastards, the better!!!
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I just orderd this like an idiot, and I've been on the "live chat" website to try and cancel it and it keeps saying its waiting for an operator, but on the phone it says to go to that website and there is no wait. I need to cancel this RIGHT now. Please help me! E-mail me, please amanda_rynders@yahoo.com
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I got caught, also, to the tune of $177.00 for both products. I spent 45 minutes on the telephone this morning trying to get a refund, to no avail. They put me off telling me to send an email to their billing department in order to get the refund. I'm now going to my bank to try to get it denied and then I'm going to the State Attorney's office, to get them onto the company. They're supposed to be a Delaware Corporation. My pills didn't arrive until after the 15 day deadline for cancellation. They're cute.
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I am yet another victim. Sounds like I better go to the bank Monday and see about getting a new cc. I was charged $88.64, suppose to be for the "free trial bottle" and the 2nd bottle… never did receive the 2nd bottle. When I called and asked for a refund, I was also told to email the billing department. I was also told to mail back the 1st bottle, even if its empty to get my refund. I received my package back yesterday… they never picked it up. This is the site that I had ordered from: http://www.acaiberrytropic.com/
DON'T GO THERE! Thank you all for your posts… now I don't feel like the lone ranger… want to get word out so that others don't fall victim as well.
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I had only just signed up for a 'trial' and then came across this blog. I have already contacted them telling them I dont want the product and to cancel the 'trial' I have also contacted my Bank and asked them to block any attempted withdrawals from the company. Fingers Crossed that's enough.
Agh I only wish I had stumbled across this 15 minutes earlier… I'd been struggling with the idea of pursing this cause I wanted some extra help in addition to my training. Lesson learned…follow your instincts!
Thanks for starting this up, hopefully more people will wise up to the dangers of a 'quick fix'
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I came across the add today and clicked on the link because the lady was supposed to be from my home town. But when I saw the young white lady in cowboy boots who supposidly lived here with her family I thought something was up. I don't think my hometown has ANY young white families living here anymore. So I had my Aunt log on and the same white lady told a similar story using a different name. . . .and she was from CHIcago this time. The comments on the 'blog' were exactly the same as the one I found. LIARS!!!
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I was also dupped into the $4.95 acai berry scam. Hit my debit card with the 4.95 and the 49.95 and the 87.26 and today the 24.86 for "elite package membership"????? Well I closed my checking account and my debit card today. I guess they win. I was told because I didn't check a tiny box at bottom of webpage indicating I didn't want subscription, I get it and they are protected by a clause saying "No refund"!!!!! I didn't even receive the product before the 14 days were up. It's a no win scam apparently. I am single, one income earner and this has hurt. How can people be so damn greedy and dishonest.
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Can't believe I got suckered into this. Originally I went to this website:
http://www.monicasblogger.com
And I fell for the scam that it was a product that worked for Rachel Ray…
What a scam! I never received the trial product, and then I was charged $86.42 on my credit card for some membership that started after the trial period…a membership they NEVER told me about. You know how usually when you are about to make a purchase, you have to agree to certain terms/conditions and check a box, well they don't do that! They really make it appear as if all you'll be paying is the shipping for the free trial.
I am so upset. This really makes me never want to buy anything on the internet. How do these thieves just get away with this?
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I too wish I'd found this site first. I ordered the free trial……….by the time it arrived I had decided not to keep it or open it. I didn't cancel right away but then I saw $59.95 debit I called them. She was pleasant and said I had called during the 30 days so please return product and they will issue a credit. My big problem was with the Colon crap. THEY charged me $88.87 and when I called they said they would cancel and credit me 50%! I said no, I haven't opened it and I want 100% refund. The Indian was adamant and firmly told me (after I got adamant with him and said I would call my bank) that I can return and get 85% and the 15% was for restocking! He wouldn't budge when I objected so I said fine. I will wait for the refund then I will call the bank re the 15%. The Slim crap that I didn't know I had "ordered" I will get 100%. It was a nightmare of a morning with these unsavory people. Stupid me!! If I don't get the refund I will put a claim thru my band. I liked the posters idea of using a Gift Card CC for things like this. That's my plan for future online free trials!
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I too was scammed by the Acai Berry and colodetox. i had a $.099 shipping rate for one and a $2.49 shipping for the other. i noticed i was being charged for ultimate vitamins?? overall my card was charged almost $200.00 i called and screamed at the company for probably an hour each time. they deactivated my account but did not reverse fees so i called my bank and reported them. they issued a credit to my account and i have recently cancelled my debit and credit cards since i noticed i was still being charged random things. my bank told me that they have alot of claims against them and they hand out credit information to 3rd parties… cant believe people are getting away with this.
i will never ever ever ever order anything like this again. EVER
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Oh boy, did I ever get scammed. In a weak moment, I lost my head and ordered two products. One using my debit card and the other using a credit card each for only the shipping on the "free trial" products. Ended up having to cancel both my debit and credit card in order to stop the companies from continual $88.64 charges to my accounts. Each of the charges, by the way, were equal in amount, but were made by DIFFERENT company names (like VP/Nutrition, Pure Nutrition, etc…) and each entry on my credit statement left only a partial phone number. Claims had to be made to my bank to get the monies back.
Thanks for the tip to contact the State Attorney General's office. I will definitely do that. (I'm in NY State if anyone else wants to do it too!!)
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