Complaint Review: Visalus - Internet

Interested in trying the "Body By Vi" Visalus shakes I had heard so much about, I discovered the website, www.visalusshakespromo.com and decided to place an order with them.

Apparently, this is the website of one of their independent distributors. The website looks legitimate. I have ordered many products online before, and did not anticipate having a problem in this case.

After my order was placed, I waited to receive a confirmation email that would contain my order number and other relevant information. It never came...I waited a few days (keep in mind that these emails are usually sent instantly after the order is placed)...still nothing. I was not alarmed at that point, because I checked my credit card and noticed that it had not been charged. My assumption was that there had been an internal error in their processing system, and my order had not actually gone through. Still interested in the product, I attempted to contact their Customer Service Department. I attempted to call the toll-free number on the website...after several rings an answering machine picks up, informing me that all reps are busy. I left a message, expecting a call back. I did not receive one. I then attempted to send an email to the address provided on their site ([email protected]). Each time I attempted to send an email, it came back undeliverable. I tried it from my personal email, and my work email.

Thinking that all was not lost, I tried their Live Chat feature. After connecting with an operator and explaining my situation, I got...silence. I never received a response back. I would type several messages...wait several minutes...and nothing was ever sent back to me.

I figured I would just give up on this process. I could live without the shakes, and at this point, they were no longer worth it to me. I actually forgot all about this until a few days ago, when I received a charge on my credit card for $134 from Visalus Shakes. Imagine my surprise! A charge for product I had not received, from a company that I had made multiple attempts to contact with no luck. Never in my life have I experienced not being able to reach a company to find out any information. 

Long story short, I am going through the long and ardous process of disputing this transcation with my credit card company. 

I contacted Visalus, who makes the Body by Vi shakes, and they helpfully informed me that since I placed the order through an Independent Distributor, there was nothing they could do to help me. They even tried to get me to replace an order online through them! What balls.

In my opinion, Visalus is just as much to blame as their distributors...they're selling their product, after all, and making them look bad.

After doing some Internet research, I came across scams similar to this one. I would highly recommend that everyone steer clear of Visalus and all of their distributors. I have seen multiple cases where people were charged month after month, without ever being told that they were being enrolled in a recurring program.

I have cancelled the credit card in question so I will receive no future charges. I would encourage anyone who has experienced similar problems to do the same. It's worth the hassle to have peace of mind that you won't receive fraudulent charges.