BEWARE OF ACAI BERRY “FREE TRIALS”
Acai-berry product peddlers lock customers in after “free” trial expires
Sometimes those “free trial” pop-ups bring more hassle than joy.
The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be wary of online ads promoting “free trial offers” that rely heavily on celebrity endorsements to sell acai-berry related weight loss products. The BBB has received thousands of complaints from consumers nationwide who thought they were signing up for a free-trial offer of acai berry weight loss products that were supposedly endorsed by Oprah, Rachel Ray and other celebrities. In the end, the free trial cost them, month after month.
“I don’t even know where some of these charges are coming from,” said one northern California victim. “I have boxes and boxes of product in my house and have no idea who to ship them back to.”
The acai berry has been featured on national TV shows and praised by doctors and celebrities for its high level of antioxidants. Marketing claims about the acai include that it fights cancer and aging and promotes dietary health and weight loss – and these claims are working, with sales of acai products approaching $15 million last year, up from $500,000 per year in previous years. Producers of acai berry supplements, juices and tea have been very successful peddling their goods in ads on the Internet and on social networking Web sites such as Facebook. Online ads and Web sites often include a photo of a celebrity — such as Oprah — and claim that she endorses the acai as a weight loss miracle.
“BBB can’t speak of the restorative or weight loss properties of acai-based products, but we are taking companies to task for their misleading sales and marketing practices,” said Barry Goggin, president of the BBB serving northeast California. “Many businesses across the country are using the same selling model for their acai products: they lure customers in with celebrity endorsements and free trial offers, and then lock them in by making it extremely difficult to cancel the automatic delivery of more acai products every month.”
One such company, “FWM Laboratories”, also known as “Acai X3”, currently has an F rating with 4,848 complaints recorded in the past 36 months. The company’s “Terms & Conditions” state:
(These terms/conditions only apply to the free trial) Start your trial now to receive a full month supply of AcaiXS (retails for $84). You will have 14 full days from today to evaluate and decide if you wish to keep the remaining 30-day supply and continue receiving AcaiXS. If you enjoy AcaiXS, simply do nothing. You will be billed the discounted price of only $79.95 at the end of your 14 day trial period for your initial supply. You will be billed $79.95 again 30 days from today to replenish your supply of AcaiXS and begin your monthly auto shipment billed $79.95 per month unless cancelled (this is a savings off the retail price, and is available to you today). You will enjoy our auto ship program that will deliver your monthly supply of the AcaiXS Diet. You are still receiving this trial 100% risk free because if, for ANY reason, you decide that AcaiXS is not for you, simply call (800) 714-0523 and we will quickly assist you with canceling your Acai XS auto ship program as well as help you with a refund. No future commitments, no hassles. Cancel any time.
I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS CONSUMER TRANSACTION INVOLVES A NEGATIVE OPTION AND THAT I MAY BE LIABLE FOR PAYMENT OF FUTURE GOODS AND SERVICES, UNDER THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, IF I FAIL TO NOTIFY THE SUPPLIER NOT TO SUPPLY THE GOODS OR SERVICES DESCRIBED."
People continue to be billed month after month even after following company policies to cancel.
Do not divulge personal information to anyone who solicits it over the phone. Before making any purchase, always be sure to obtain a BBB report as part of your decision making process. For reports on businesses and for information about BBB services, visit our website at www.bbb.org or call (916) 443-6843.
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