Complaint Review: Provida Labs

Back on April 2nd I saw the Fat Loss System commercial & thought that this diet might work. I went to the website to check it out & inputted my information thinking that there would be no order unless I confirmed the total at the end (like every other website ordering system) only to find out that once you input your info & go through the screens the online system automatically places an order without letting you know the total until the end.

At the end when you see the outrageous cost & decide this is not worth the cost, you can not simply exit out of the system thinking that an order was not placed. Everytime you say yes to the extras, the system is ordering them automatically. There is no end that lets you confirm prior to ordering. You are ordering as you go through each web page.

Two days later I got a shipping confirmation at 11pm. I did not read the mail until the next day due to the time I received it. (I never got an order confirmation email just a shipping one) I immediately called the 800 number & got a nasty rep named Janie. She told me that there was nothing that she could do since I had placed the order & that I would have to wait until I received the order then call back to get a RMA number. She also told me that the cost for them to ship is non-refundable ($27.97). I asked to speak with a supervisor & was DENIED.

I waited until I got the package then called back. I got another nasty rep named Dylan. He too refused to let me speak with a supervisor. He gave me the RMA# which incidently is my order#. I took out the so called free products as advertised (after all they are free), weighed the package & checked out pricing online at USPS. I paid for my shipping label online which was $4.76 for a 6lb package via media mail NOT $27.97 like they charged me & I shipped it back to the company.

While I waited for the products to arrive I did some research online about consumer rights & found a lot of information telling me what I can do to get my money back. One was to file a complaint with the BBB in the state that the company is located. So I went to the BBB online for California & filled out a complaint form. A few days later a customer service manager named Armando Rosales responded saying that as a "one time courtesy" he would refund me my total purchase price which was $196.79 which included their cost of shipping as soon as he had confirmation that the products were received back to the company. Once I got the email confirmation from USPS that the package was delivered I emailed a copy over to Armando & he processed my refund as promised.

If the company still does not refund you your money you can also dispute the charge with your credit card company. Check out their procedures for filing a dispute. You can always call them so it is on record that a dispute may be filed int he near future if the company does not reverse the charge. All transactions placed with your credit card are protected especially if you did not place the order. Always keep this in mind & make sure you know your credit cards guarantee before using it online!

In total it cost me $4.76 & a lot of aggravation to learn a lesson NEVER to buy from any company without first researching them thoroughly & too read the fine print. Always remember this "CONSUMERS DO HAVE RIGHTS"! Do not let a company tell you that they will not refund you your money when you did not place the order or if they misrepresented anything in their advertising. Contact them immediately, keep records, & make as many complaints that you may have to in order to correct the injustice you have suffered! It really is a shame that a consumer has to resort to such tactics just to get a company to do the right thing & stand by their guarantee.