Avlimil ripoff It's like hey here are some giant blue pills hope you like being robbed. ripping me off Cincinnati Ohio
I ordered my free avlimil in July 2003 for only $4.95 shipping. Ok I get the box of pills and tried to take them but hated the smell.
Well not even two weeks later I get some managed care junk and was billed $40.00 on my credit card yet no pills. I kept waiting thinking well I'll take them, after all I want to improve, right.
The next month I got billed again $40.00 and no pills ever came. I called them and they told me I would have my credit card reimbursed for the 2 charges within 7-10 days.
That was the first part of September. Today I noticed on my credit card another withdrawal of $40.00 from them and I called. They told me they would not refund my money until I send the pills back.
Funny thing is I NEVER got the pills to begin with! They told me sorry we can't do more but until we get our product back, you don't get your money.
In total I have only taken 3 pills out of my (free) box and know those pills are costing me $120.00. Avlimil doesn't even have a manager or billing person to direct this to. It's like hey here is some giant blue pills hope you like being robbed.
Ronna
Hominy, Oklahoma
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Lucy
Cincinnati,Ohio,
U.S.A.
Beware of Warner Health Care
#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, October 04, 2003
I am a former employee of Warner Health Care and a former telephone sales representative. I have found the business practices of Warner Health Care to be less than ethical.
First I would like to say that the product being a natural suppliment is not regulated by the FDA. I am sure that many of you know this. However many of the claims of Avlimil's benefits are backed up by a "randomized double blind clinical trial". This "clinical trial" was conducted by this company over a period of only 3 months and with only 49 women completing this study. For such a small number of people there is no way to determine the safety of this product. Also since it isn't regulated, there is also no way to guarantee that each pill is exactly the same, or contains the exact combination of ingredients, or that they are the listed ingredients at all.
Originally when we were trained to sell this product, we were to instruct women with high blood pressure, diabetes, and other serious health conditions to consult their physician before taking the product. As of September 2003 we were instructed to say that there are no contra-indications for any medical conditions or interactions with any medications...However, there were no further studies performed to verify this statement. The only women who should not take Avlimil are those who are pregnant, nursing, or may become pregnant.
Besides the safety of this product, I also question the business practices of this company as described by customers in in this site. When customers call they reach the sales reps first. Of course there are many sales reps to take orders. However there are few customer care representatives to take calls for discontinuing the product or other issues with the product. So customers wait on hold for extremely long periods of time and many, I have heard, were disconnected several times after the long hold time without speaking with anyone. And of course the sales reps, who are easiliy reached, conveniently have absolutely no authority to change any accounts for our customers.
The sales reps also emphasize to the customers that there is no further obligation to continue their free enrollment into the Managed Care Program and can simply discontinue at any time, but there are many challanges that occur when they try to call and do so. I had a friend call the customer care center pretending to be a customer wanting to stop managed care. She actually reached a representative who explained that their system was overloaded and she could not cancel her membership and she would have to call back at a later date. Meanwhile the company can continue to charge her account and send unwanted product. How many "true customers" does this happen to on a daily basis?
I highly recommend that anyone interested in this product to procede with caution. The $4.50 S/H seems like a low risk. However you must present a credit card or checking account to pay for this charge. You will recieve monthly shipments also charged to the method of payment used for the S/H. Conveniently, you are given the "benefit" of a free enrollment to the Managed Care Program that has Free First Class Shipping and Continuous Shipments, and a Guaranteed Lowered Price as long as you remain a member. There is also now a 12 month money back guarantee. However when selling the product, we were to offer "upsells" which gave free months with the purchase of 2 or 3 months. It is not mentioned that the 12 month guarantee does not cover those free months. Any free months do not count for the 12 months. There are other stipulations that almost guarantee that you will not get your full refund. Make sure you read the fine print and maintain records for future reference since they change their brochures and website frequently. Also as wise consumers you should check the Better Business Bureau web site. You will find that Avlimil has numerous complaints that increase every week. Further, if you investigate the owner of Warner Health Care, Steve Warshak on the BBB website, you will find he is affiliated with several other natural suppliment companies such as Life Key and others, which have unsatisfactory ratings for consumers based on similar marketing practices used for selling Avlimil.
Originally I was very excited to be working for this company until I realized their slick way of doing business. I finally found another position so I could leave. Suffice to say, their ways of business trickled down to their employees. So I am glad to be rid of Warner Health Care.
I hope that I can help a potential consumer avoid being "taken" by this company. If the product is at all worthwhile, it is a shame that Warner Health Care does not have their customers benefit in mind. They are only concerned with the bottom line.
Good Luck and Buyer Beware