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by Anne Garber
Vancouver, BC (November 9, 2009) -- What's your worst-case scenario about shopping online? And what ever happened to the maxim "the customer is always right"? Nowadays, the very least you can expect is a policy of at least "the customer is always the customer," which suggests a note of respect in the interchange. But sometimes you don't even get that.
Here's the note that started me on my quest for consumer satisfaction for one reader: "Have you looked into the AcaiBurn products and their misleading come-ons? 'Free 30 day trial' that they charge you for in 2 weeks from the day you order it and the selling of your credit card # to other companies for charges?"
All about a little berry that is supposed to deliver big results:
Acai Burn is a diet supplement that is supposed to help you lose up to 4.5 times more weight than diet and exercise alone. Acai Burn helps to burn belly fat and boost energy levels. Acai Burn contains a special blend of herbs and other ingredients that may help to speed up weight loss.
Acai Burn is rumoured to be used by many Hollywood stars who want to lose weight quickly and effectively. In addition to Acai Burn, you also get the Insider Secrets Expert Tips Package and the Comprehensive Weight Loss eBook Package.
CON
Acai Burn contains acai extract, garcinia cambogia, gymnema sylvestre, chromium polynicotinate and green tea.
ADMINISTRATION
Two capsules of Acai Burn are taken daily.
DIET and EXERCISE
In addition to following the dosage instructions, you are encouraged to exercise 30 minutes a day, three days a week, not eat after 7:30 p.m. and drink eight glasses of water a day.
CONCLUSION
Acai Burn is a weight loss supplement that may speed up weight loss given its unique blend of ingredients that have been associated with weight loss. But this product does contain caffeine and may cause side effects.
It is important to speak with your doctor before taking Acai Burn, especially if you are taking medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding.
The Innocent Consumer
Shirley J from Coquitlam writes:
"On Sept 23rd I went on their website and ordered their '30 day free trial' for which I was to be charged $14.90 for the shipping and handling (I do not recall [seeing] that the funds were to be in US$)
"The goods arrived a week later but when I checked my Visa bill online in October (something I do regularly as a co-worker had her identity stolen) I noticed there was a charge of US $87.62 on my card on Oct 13th and another one on Oct 20th.
"I contacted my credit card company to dispute these charges and was told that 'this company does this all the time but that I had somehow when ordering the '30 day trial' signed up for a membership and I needed to call the phone #s on the bill and 'cancel my membership' I was also told by the associate at the bank that this company would be charging me 'service fees' which I would also have to call and cancel.
"I tried to cancel on-line at their website but that link was broken.
"I sent numerous e-mails to cancel and I called. The problem is that they tell you 'you can only cancel 1 membership per phone call' and their phone #s very seldom work (either you get a busy signal or the 'mailbox is full'
"I called one phone # and finally got through to cancel 1 membership. The other #s didn’t work that day.
And frustrations are growing.
"When I got through to one of the other #s the next day I was told that this was the # I had already called and that this membership was cancelled.
"Each charge has a new phone # and there is no way to know what the new phone # is going to be until the charge is made so as far as I can tell, I will have to either cancel this credit card or put up with these bogus charges each month because according to the bank associate they will not reverse the charges you just have to call Acai Burn and tell them not to charge it again.
"It seems like the bank should offer more protection against this kind of scam."
The Bottom Line
Anne Garber replies:
This sounds like an open-and-shut case of the WORST kind of online scam! We at evalu8.org think the best "revenge" in a case like this is to do exactly what Shirley is doing: Tell all your friends, and especially, tell us, and we'll spread the word.
I managed to contact CIBC's dispute resolution people and I got some answers for this reader. Not entirely a satisfactory conclusion, but at least a start.
Here's the procedure Shirley will need follow to get results:
"Next, call the CIBC Dispute Contact Centre (1-866-629-8397 -- that's their direct line, so should be easier to get through on than 1-800-465-4653 [+option 1-1-then 3] ) and you can tell them ALL of the charges and dates for the charges you want removed. I spoke to someone named Jumal, who was very reasonable and helpful. He said that CIBC Disputes have had a lot of problems with this particular company, but that unfortunately they are unable to block the merchant, so I hope the bad publicity I give them will help other consumers!
(Here are quick-reference phone numbers to contact your bank or credit card company's Customer Service department.)
"Jumal also said that CIBC will be willing to cancel ALL of your charges if you follow this procedure, even though it is their normal policy to go back only 15 days. If you have any problem getting them to comply, please get back to me, and I will add that to my story."
And to you other consumers who are considering cancelling your credit card just to get out from under these unwanted subscriptions, I have this advice: Why not use PayPal instead of a credit card, where your transaction can be controlled more directly? We've also considered getting a pay-as-you-go credit card where subscription charges cannot go through if you keep your balance low. And don't forget to read the fine print on any online offer that is supposedly "free." At the very least, responding to "free" offers gives the merchant your e-mail address, so you're just invited more piles of SPAM.
Anyway, I'm sure our frustrated reader isn't the only one who has been pushed around and duped by Acai Burn, so I am inviting any readers who have had a similar experience to let me know by writing to feedback@evalu8.org. The more details you can supply, the better.
At the very least, you will be sparing the people in your network the same humiliation you had to endure.
So don't go away mad, but make your displeasure known. You owe it to your blood pressure, and you owe it to your fellow shoppers!
A response from Shirley J.: "Hi Anne. Thank you for your help, when I checked my Visa account today, both of those charges of $87.62 had been refunded however there is a new charge of $24.82 US from a company called World Club Fitness (I never signed up for anything with them so I assume it is another subsidiary of AcaiBurn) I called and cancelled my “membership” with them so I will try to get this one refunded as well."
And this: "It would have been nice if this one had been refunded.
I called the 866 # you provided and spoke to 'Iffat' who told me that I would have to pay the $24.82 US but that since I provided the cancellation # this particular company could not add any more charges to my card. She also indicated that this will continue with new charges whenever the company feels like (not this company but one of their affiliates) and all I can do is cancel this new 'membership' and pay the initial charge.
I told her I would cancel my card but she didn't seem concerned.
She was at one point going to give me the phone # of the "owner of the AcaiBurn product" but suddenly she put me on hold and when she came back all she would do was give me the URL website address for another Acai berry retailer."
"I [later] called the Visa centre and was told I needed to cancel my card through the fraud department.
"Apparently if I had just cancelled it normally the charges would have kept piling up and I imagine affected my credit rating as I would not have received them and of course would not have paid them.
They are sending me a new card that is in no way linked to this one.
"Thanks for all your help."
Summary
Mixed results. I advised Shirley to cancel her CIBC credit card, if they cannot support her in this matter. For Shame, CIBC. You can do much better than this!
Read evalu8.org's other Ask the Bargain Shopper answers...
To find out how to post a Press Release on evalu8.org, click here.
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Having your identity stolen? Getting talked into something you don't want? Finding out you've "subscribed" to something you don't even want?
INGREDIENTS
"I know it's a pain to have to do this again, but when you cancelled the first time, if you didn't get a cancellation confirmation or file number, you will have to repeat the process. Be sure to get a cancellation number AND the name of the person you spoke to.
Jumal explained: "We follow the same procedures with all our clients and we have had many complaints against this company already. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to block this merchant." When I told Jumal that it seemed kind of inconvenient for my reader to have to call CIBC every single week to cancel each charge as it showed up on her credit card, he pointed out that in his experience the offending merchant will usually "give up" after three or four weeks of cancellations and cancel the "subscription" itself.
Consumers have power; and it's power that is represented by the money you keep tightly secured in your wallet. The very best way you can show your displeasure when you're tricked by an online scam is to (a) vow never to shop there again; and (b) engage your entire network of family and friends and tell them what happened to you so that they can stay away in droves, too.