Acai-pure- Colotox- Central Coast Nutraceuticals And Many More RIP-OFF, SCAM ARTISTS,LIARS, THIEVES Largo Florida
Ordered products after following link on internet.
I thought the product was reputable because it was endorsed by Oprah Winfrey-Ha Ha.
The products were acaipure and colotox, both were supposed to be free just pay $ 4.95 shipping. Was charged $ 4.95 for one and $ 5.95 for other( They do this in case you have a lock out put on your debit or credit card for a specific $ amount since you can't stop payment on a secific person, product or company) Tell me if they are honest why they would do this ?
Ordered product 12/3/08 they said would take 3-5 days to get. The same day got a e-mail saying due to increased popularity could expect delays up to 2 weeks.
Terms and conditions (which I printed) state free trial is 14 days and if unsatisfied return unused portion and no further shippments, otherwise shippments come automatically aprox. every 30 days for $ 38.95 plus S&H.
By 12/23 still no product so I decided to check them out on the internet and you would not believe how many times they were mentioned on several different sites. I then decided to contact them via e-mail to which I received a automated response saying do not respond to this e-mail and they would contact me within 72 hours. ( still no response to this date).
On 1/7/09 my wife was looking at our checking acct. online and noticed charges on 12/4/08 for $ 4.95 & $ 5.95 and charges from another company called Fit Factory for $ 29.95, we never ordered this product so my wife went online and found out their phone #.
After a long wait she finally got someone that said they were a sister co.of acaipure and by agreeing totheir free trial we also agreed to a trial of their services ( some type of diet & exercise information site). We told her that at no time did we authorize them to access our acct. to which she replied it was stated in the terms and conditions.
We told her it was not and she said we probally did'nt read it because there are 2 pages to which I replied thats funny because I printed off the terms and conditions and at the top it says page 1 of 1.
Then there was some silence and after she got back on the phone I asked to speak to her supervisor. Finally after some time of talking she said they would refund the money and she would send me a e-mail with a confirmation # on it.
They did send the e-mail but still no refund !!! I also told her this charge caused me to be over drawn and cost me $ 25.00, she said fax her a copy of my statement and they would review it to see if they could reimburse me.
Then I tried to call central coast nutraceuticals customer support line after a long wait I got a very rude man on the line to whom I explained the problem to
and he said Fit Factory was their brother company but as of 1/1/09 they were no longer affiliated and I should take it up with them.
I told him because of their "free trial offer" I received charges for a product or service I did not request and got charges for shipping and handling for a product I did'nt receive. So he says well per the terms and conditions after you receive shippment if you are not satisfied to return the un-used portion anytime before the 14 day trial period and you will have no further obligation, and since I never received the product how could I have tried the product and complied with terms and conditions.
I told him I wanted all my money refunded and then after screaming the terms and conditions to me he hung up.
The very next day my acct. was charged $ 39.95 ( not even the $ 38.95 they state in their terms and conditions) like I said before they do this in case you lock a certain $ amount out of your acct.
I finally went to my bank closed out my debit card and filed a affidavit of fraud with my banks loss prevention dept.
To date I was charged $ 4.95, $ 5.95, $ 29.95 and $ 39.95 plus $ 95.00 in overdraft fees.
This company has to be shut down I don't understand how they are still in business and why some goverment agency has not stepped up and done something about this (enough is enough) what kind of a country do we live in that allows it's tax payer's to be ripped off like this!!
Frank
Jackson, Wisconsin
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Comp
Phoenix,Arizona,
U.S.A.
CCN is here to help!
#3UPDATE Employee
Sun, June 21, 2009
If there are any questions regarding Trial offers, membership enrollment, or returns with Central Coast Nutraceuticals, we recommend contacting the Customer Care Department either by phone (888-692-8352) or through our Customer Assistance Website (Getorderhelp.com). If you call, there is rarely a hold time, and if you e-mail don't forget to check your spam e-mail box for the response. The Customer Care Department is available to help you 24 hours Mon-Fri and from 8-5 MTS Saturdays and Sundays. We recommend referencing the terms of the offer at the website you placed your order from. Here is an example of the terms, taken from the order page of one of the products PomegranateClear.
Terms & Conditions: You are ordering the PomegranateClear 14-day risk-free trial offer for only $4.95 shipping and handling. Your 14-day trial begins when you receive the product. If you are not satisfied with PomegranateClear for any reason just return the unused portion anytime before the end of the 14-day trial period and you will have no further obligation. For your courtesy, we will provide you with an additional 7 days after the 14-day trial period to allow for return shipping to avoid further obligation. If you are happy with the product do nothing and your credit card will be charged an additional $39.95 approximately 21 days after your receipt of the initial trial shipment. In addition, approximately 30 days after you order your risk-free trial and about every 30 days thereafter, we will automatically send you an additional 1 month supply. The credit card you provide today will be billed the low price of $39.95 plus $4.95 shipping & handling for a total of $44.90 when each new product ships. That's 20% off the regular price for a 1-month supply. You may cancel your membership during the trial period or any time thereafter by simply calling our Customer Care department at 1-888-692-8352 or by using our contact form at www.getorderhelp.com. Remember, most customers see noticeable results by using PomegranateClear consistently for 3 months. If you are not fully satisfied with future shipments you may return any unopened containers of within 30 days of receipt for a full refund less the shipping and a 15% restocking fee. Please read the full Terms and Conditions for complete details of this offer.
Dan
Newnan,Georgia,
U.S.A.
Lawsuit
#3Consumer Suggestion
Fri, January 09, 2009
LAWSUIT PENDING
On December 29, 2008, the Arizona Attorney General's Office filed a lawsuit against Central Coast Nutraceuticals, Inc. (CCN) and its President and CEO Graham Gibson, which alleged violations of the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act and a pattern of deceptive practices in their online sales of their nutritional products. According to the complaint filed, CCN offered customers a $1.00 risk free trial" of one of several of their products. The total cost of the trial product, however, is $5.95 when shipping and handing charges are included. In the course of paying for the risk free trial, consumers are asked to provide CCN with credit card information. CCN then allegedly used the information to charge consumers for additional products and services the consumers did not request, including pre-selected up-sell" products that the consumer must actively de-select in the online order form to avoid being charged an additional $39.90. The suit alleges that consumers who sign up for the risk free trial are also deceptively enrolled in a free trial of Fit Factory, an online fitness and diet consultation service, as well as a Lifestyle Program," a monthly shipment of the product they purchased on a trial basis. To avoid subsequent monthly charges of $29.95 or more for these monthly programs, consumers must contact Fit Factory or CCN to cancel their unwanted memberships, which they frequently learn about only after having been billed for them. Consumers who try to contact CCN to have unauthorized charges reversed have been faced with hold times of over an hour, and their e-mails often have received no response. CCN also is alleged to use confusing and contradictory language regarding the length of trial periods and the availability of refunds in its promotional materials and shipping invoices and also charges consumers the full price for a trial product before the trial periods have ended. The lawsuit seeks to stop CCN from engaging in the alleged unlawful practices and asks the company to pay $10,000 for each violation of the Consumer Fraud Act, provide full restitution to all consumers who were defrauded and reimburse the State for investigation costs and legal fees. Consumers who feel they have been the victim of consumer fraud by CCN should contact the Arizona Attorney General's Office Consumer Information and Complaint division in Tucson at (520) 628-6504, in Phoenix at (602) 542-5763 or toll-free outside of Maricopa or Pima County at (800) 352-8431. The matter is pending.