QualityGenerics.com rip off of a 91 year old man On-line Internet
I orderd Plavix for my 91 year old father with my Visa card. They had it by far the cheapest of any where. They said it should of came between December 7- December 10, 2004.
It never came, so i continued to email them and i got no response, so i called there 1-800 # and nobody answers the phone. My father is on a fixed income and has a limited amount of money coming in. So now i have the charge on my Visa and no medicine, and my father needs it to keep him alive.
Gary
Highland, California
U.S.A.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Mike
Radford,Virginia,
U.S.A.
Plavix -- a ripoff in any case?
#5Consumer Comment
Thu, December 16, 2004
First, there is a simple solution whenever you charge something on a VISA and it doesn't arrive because the company is crooked. Call the number on the back of the card and request a "charge-back". Also follow up by writing a letter formally disputing the charge. Follow the instructions on the back of your VISA statement exactly.
But let's consider the bigger picture here. When a fancy TV commercial comes on promoting a new prescription drug, should you go to your doctor and ask for it? Well, generally not. Doctors already know about the good effective drugs for various conditions and would immediatley recommend them to their patinets with those conditions anyway. Plavix and most of the other heavily-advertised drugs are actually only marginally effective. The traditional approach of promoting them to doctors and then having doctors prescribe them has not worked very well. The companies run these commercials to convince patients to use the drugs even though they may be no better off than taking some cheaper alternative, or nothing at all.
There is considerable debate among doctors over whether Plavix is worth taking at all, even by someone who's had a recent heart attack or stroke. Examined in the cold light of science, the evidence for Plavix is not very convincing. Thus the "direct to patient" marketing campiagn. Patients are more prone to think in emotional rather than scientific terms. Convinced by fancy graphics, they become indoctrinated that they NEED Plavix. And rather than argue with them, most doctors will give in.
For an example of the debate, find Dr. Jeffrey Mann's web page about it (Search for the chemical name for Plavix: "clopidogrel". If you use "Plavix", you'll just get hundreds of offshore sites offering to sell it for an unbelievably low price. And you know where that will get you now.)
Dr. Mann concludes that at best the studies (which were paid for by the makers of Plavix) demonstrate that only 1 out of 200 or more people taking it will have a heart attack or stroke prevented compared to if they took only aspirin. The other 199 or more are simply placing an expensive bet on a rather long-shot. But even if the cost of Plavix were not important, the studies also show that there is about a 1 in 200 chance that taking Plavix will cause serious or fatal bleeding. So the typical Plavix user is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't to about the same extent. Most people will experience no effect, good or bad, other than a lighter wallet.
For some patients such as those with peripheral artery disease or recently implanted stents, it is more likely that Plavix will be worthwhile. Even there it is by no means a miracle compound that will "keep you alive." The chance of getting a benefit is about 1 in 50. In those cases it would be considered worth taking, though it is still a long-shot.
Your father might want to ask his doctor frankly if he is likely to see any benefit from Plavix, or if he would be better off keeping his $110 or more a month and spending it on something fun to live a little.
This is not to be construed as medical advice. I am not a doctor.
RJ
Camden,Arkansas,
U.S.A.
What good is cheap with no product?
#5Consumer Suggestion
Sat, December 11, 2004
You apparently based your purchase decision strictly on price and failed to notice WHERE these folks are located. Yes, they have a pretty web site. So what! Anybody can make one.
If they are a scam, neither you nor our government agencies can touch them in the WEST INDIES.
Next time, be wise and do some research. Never rely on a pretty web site and likely empty promises.
From their web site:
QualityGenerics.com is owned and operated by CNR International, Inc.
CNR International, Inc.
P.O. Box 556
Charlestown, Nevis, West Indies
RJ
Camden,Arkansas,
U.S.A.
What good is cheap with no product?
#5Consumer Suggestion
Sat, December 11, 2004
You apparently based your purchase decision strictly on price and failed to notice WHERE these folks are located. Yes, they have a pretty web site. So what! Anybody can make one.
If they are a scam, neither you nor our government agencies can touch them in the WEST INDIES.
Next time, be wise and do some research. Never rely on a pretty web site and likely empty promises.
From their web site:
QualityGenerics.com is owned and operated by CNR International, Inc.
CNR International, Inc.
P.O. Box 556
Charlestown, Nevis, West Indies
RJ
Camden,Arkansas,
U.S.A.
What good is cheap with no product?
#5Consumer Suggestion
Sat, December 11, 2004
You apparently based your purchase decision strictly on price and failed to notice WHERE these folks are located. Yes, they have a pretty web site. So what! Anybody can make one.
If they are a scam, neither you nor our government agencies can touch them in the WEST INDIES.
Next time, be wise and do some research. Never rely on a pretty web site and likely empty promises.
From their web site:
QualityGenerics.com is owned and operated by CNR International, Inc.
CNR International, Inc.
P.O. Box 556
Charlestown, Nevis, West Indies