Acai Advanced review: Unauthorized charges 219

I ordered a trail bottle of Acai. It made me feel very ill and I want to discontinue further shippments. The phone number that is provided to "simply" request a RMA or stop the program, does not accept calls and the hold is endless. The website that is provided comes up with an error. In the meantime, my debit card is being charged for something that I don't want and I can't find a way out. I do not want to be inconvenienced by closing my bank account but do not know what else to do. Someone needs to stop this consumer abuse.
Please advise

Many businesses across the country are using the same selling model for their acai products: They lure customers in with celebrity endorsements and free trial offers, and then lock them in by making it extremely difficult to cancel the automatic delivery of more acai products every month.

The endorsements are also misleading, according to the bureau, and some celebrity lawyers have already gone after these online companies.

"Consumers should be aware that Oprah Winfrey is not associated with nor does she endorse any acai berry product or online solicitation of such products. Attorneys for Harpo are pursuing any companies that claim such an affiliation, " said Don Halcombe, spokesman for Harpo Productions, Winfrey's production company.

Consumers can check www.bbb.org to get a "reliability report" on particular companies before purchasing an online product.

"These companies are simply abusing general acai berry endorsements from well-known, trusted celebrities by using it as a tacit endorsement of their company and products specifically.

Consumers trust Oprah and unfortunately, if they are tricked into believing that she is putting her stamp of approval on a product then they are definitely more likely to purchase it.

5 hours 25 minutes ago by stop others from getting scammed 0 Votes
"FREE TRIAL OFFERs" FOR ACAI BERRY ARE NOT FREE!
In fact they will cost you more than 4 TIMES AS MUCH as it should cost per bottle. These scammers will charge your credit card at least $80 per bottle each month. That more than twice as much as quality freeze-dried acai berry should cost. And to make it worse, they send you crappy drum dried Acai Berry, which cost about 1/2 as much to produce. So you end up paying at least 4 times more per bottle than you should.

YOU WILL BE SIGNED UP FOR A SUBSCRIPTION
Yes, they say they just charge you for shipping. If that were so, it wouldn't be bad. But in reality, they just want your credit card number and will bill you every month for a subscription you didn't sign up for. They bury the fine print in their terms and conditions.

YOU WILL SPEND HOURS TRYING TO CANCEL THE SUBSCRIPTION
There will either be noone to contact to return the crappy product, or they will say you have to call their customer service number to get return authorization. When you do, you are put on hold and shuffled between different people until you give up. Don't believe me? Before you purchase, call or email them and say you did not sign up for a subscription and please stop sending the product. You will get the runaround

THEY WILL SHIP YOU A CRAPPY, NEARLY WORTHLESS NO NAME BRAND OF ACAI BERRY SUPPLEMENT
They don't expect you to be happy with the product. They don't care, so they make even more money by shipping you crap. Acai Berry supplements must be freeze dried, or else they lose most of the nutrients and antioxidents. These scammers use cheap, heat processed Acai that cost 1/2 as much. Read more about choosing a quality supplement

THEY OFTEN BUNDLE OTHER PRODUCTS IN THE SUBSCRIPTION TO CHARGE YOU EVEN MORE
It's really obscene what some of these scammers do. We've listed a common offer below, where they bundle additional offers if you do not deselect the checkbox (it's checked by default). Some are hitting people with $150 a month in charges.

5 hours 22 minutes ago by stop others from getting scammed 0 Votes
THIS INFORMATION IS POSTED ON THIS WEBSITE:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expanding, for the second time, its nationwide alert to consumers about tainted weight loss products containing undeclared, active pharmaceutical ingredients.

The FDA has identified additional weight loss products (Herbal Xenicol, Slimbionic, and Xsvelten) and new undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients (fenproporex, fluoxetine, furosemide, and cetilistat).

"These tainted weight loss products pose a great risk to public health because they contain undeclared ingredients and, in some cases, contain prescription drugs in amounts that greatly exceed maximum recommended dosages, " said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Consumers have no way of knowing that these products contain dangerous drugs that could cause serious consequences to their health."

On Dec. 22, 2008, the FDA warned consumers not to purchase or consume 28 different products marketed for weight loss. On Jan. 8, 2009, the FDA expanded the list of tainted weight loss products to include 41 additional tainted products. The FDA will continue to update this list as warranted.

The products listed above, some of which are marketed as dietary supplements, are promoted and sold on various Web sites and in some retail stores and beauty salons. Some of the products claim to be "natural" or to contain only "herbal" ingredients, but actually contain potentially harmful ingredients not listed on the products' labels or in promotional advertisements. These products have not been approved by the FDA, are illegal, and include the following undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients:

fenproporex – a controlled substance not approved for marketing in the United States;
fluoxetine – an antidepressant available by prescription only;
bumetanide – a potent diuretic available by prescription only;
furosemide – a potent diuretic available by prescription only;
rimonabant – a drug not approved for marketing in the United States;
cetilistat – an experimental obesity drug not approved for marketing in the United States;
phenytoin – an anti-seizure medication available by prescription only; and
phenolphthalein – a solution used in chemical experiments and a suspected cancer-causing agent that is not approved for marketing in the United States.
The FDA has inspected a number of companies associated with the sale of these illegal products and is currently seeking product recalls. Based on the FDA's inspections and the companies' inadequate responses to recall requests, the FDA may take additional enforcement steps, such as issuing warning letters or initiating seizures, injunctions, or criminal charges.

The FDA advises consumers who have used any products containing these ingredients to stop taking them and consult their health care professional immediately. The FDA also encourages consumers to seek guidance from a health care professional before purchasing weight loss products.

The health risks posed by these products can be very serious and include high blood pressure, seizures, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), palpitations, heart attack, and stroke. Sibutramine, a controlled substance, was found in many of these products at levels much higher than the maximum daily dosage for Meridia, the only FDA-approved drug product containing sibutramine. These higher levels of sibutramine can increase the incidence and severity of these health risks. Fenproporex, another controlled substance, can cause arrhythmia and possible sudden death.

Health care professionals and consumers should report serious adverse events (side effects) or product quality problems to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail, fax or phone.

Online: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm
Regular Mail: use postage-paid FDA form 3500 available at: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm and mail to MedWatch, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD [protected]
Fax: 800- FDA-0178
Phone: 800- FDA-1088

CALL UR BANK AND STOP UR CARD AND GET THEM TO SEND A NEW ONE! IF YOU DID NOT ORDER THE PRODUCT ASK YOUR BANK TO ENTER INTO A DISPUTE WITH THE COMPANY. I AM GOING THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS RIGHT NOW...HOPE THIS HELPS

I am still surprised that people are falling for this crap! These "great" pills are mostly fillers so no wonder everyone gets sick! If you want Acai products, go to a Nutri-Sport or find a store that sells it so that you know how much they are going to take from your account! It's amazing that people are still falling for the "free just pay shipping" crap! Haven't you learned that NOTHING is free these days, especially with the economy? I guess my advise is free so I would take it and cancel the card you gave them because that's the only way to stop them from charging your account!

I was also wondering why people are still falling for a "weightloss miracle in a bottle." Haven't you all realized that they DON'T WORK! Acai is supposed to be used as a super food and weightloss is an added plus. But don't expect it to work that way for everyone!

I am trying to lose weight and have been for a long time but trust me, there are really no pills out there that will work. You have to workout and eat right. That's really the oldest "diet" in the book. (even though its not a diet since we should be doing it all the time anyway!) I know where you all are coming from but do the right thing and quit falling for these scams!

I called to cancel within the alloted 15 day trial period on May 4 at 4:16 p.m. eastern. I was on day 12 of taking Acai and the information sent with the capsules said you needed to call to get a RMA to cancel. I was on hold for approximatley ten to twelve minutes. When the customer service person answered, Maria, she asked for my name. After a few minutes she said their system had crashed earlier and it was now operating slowly. She repeatedly thanked me for my patience. I told her the purpose of my call. She said she could extend the 15 day trial. I said no thank you. She then tried my phone number and address and said she couldn't get anything to come up. I told her I had my order number on the shipping form, but she said she couldn't search that way. What? Come on. At 4:28 p.m. she asked if she could call me back. I gave her my work phone number. I asked when she would get back to me. She said before 5 p.m. or tomorrow morning. It's after 5 p.m. now and I don't expect to recieve a call tomorrow morning. I plan to call my credit card company and prevent them from charging my account. My hunch is that the people anwering the phones are evaluated and compensated for keeping people from cancelling and/or upselling. If I do receive a call tomorrow and can cancel without additional charges I will write another post. I'm betting I won't need to do it.

Ordered free trial offer of ACAI Berries, the pills made me sick, I sent back and cancelled. On April 24 I had a charge on my bank account for $24.95 that referenced VIT Live Lean AA 2 C888 27264 CA. I called them and they informed me that I had signed up for a free trial offer to a web site "Living Lean for Life" and that it was free for 20 days unless I cancelled. Since I did not know - or was made very clear to me that this was something that would automatically be billed unless I did something I was beyond the 20 day terms to refund the $24.95. They refused to budge.

This company is a SHAM.

Hello All,

I ordered the Acai Berry Maxx online because I saw advertized by Rachel Ray, Oprah and CBS News, all of which I look at. The charges were for 5.95 shipping and handling, also it was a free bottle. I took a look at my banking statement online and to my dismay, $64.95 was taken out of my account. I called the number that showed and got a mean spirited little B****! At first she said I ordered Acai Advanced for trial free membership for 15 days of service. I informed her of the product that I had actually ordered (Acai Berry Maxx) and the website said nothing about the extra charges coming out of my account. First it was to a refund for used portions. I told her I hadn't open the bottle yet. She slacked up a little. But, she said I can only get 25% of the refund back. I went off! I told her I wanted all of it back being that it was a Different product and you all made unauthorized charges. Then she offered 50%. I wasn't hearing of it. Then she spat out the return address and the RMA number and said it will be 30 days until I get anything back. I am informing my bank of this major fraud and hope that charges will be filed soon in a form of a class action suit. I am counting the days!

Sincerely,
Will learn the hard way

The same thing happened to me and they stated that I chose not to read the terms of agreement. I did not see anything on there about charging this extra fee for a different company. I told the lady yesterday that they are a bunch of thieves. I personally could not work for a company that rips people off like this.

Acai-Advanced does not offer a FREE Trial. They suck you in then state that you signed the agreement. But in their agreement, they also say if you aren't completely satisfied they will refund your money. NOT SO! It is a fight to the bitter end. I canceled my Acai pills (Constance #4848) on 5/8/09. I sent back the rest of the pills (after the "free" offer) via USPS - she told me to track the package. Then I got charged by them for full amount of $64.95 - but the promise that I would get a full refund - still tracking. I then got a charge on my acct for $24.95 by some unscrupulous company called Living Lean - which I don't have a clue what they do except charge on your account for nothing - never received a thing from them. I'm disputing the charges with my company so more later.

when i ordered acai advanced free trial package- for 5.95 s&h, i recd. i ordered on 4-10-09 they ship it on 4-14-09 and i received it on 4-23-09 its after 14days once i ordered. they charge my credit cards for full amount on 4-30-09 saying i did not call them for unsatisfaction of this product. can you believe it after one week once i received the product. again they charge my credit on 5-2-09 for second shipment and until today which is 5-20-09 i didnot recd even any product yet.
don't trust this people they are cheating the customer they don't keep their promise which they made it on advertisement.
these acai free trials are nothing but trouble. they put in fine print all of these crazy outrageous - like at the end of trial period they will charge your cc for 70.00 $ its not a free product don't order it from them. its not working its not a real acai..the fact that they make their money and i promise that they make plenty.
unsatisfied customer
aruna

From one Victim to hopefully not another,

After reviewing the other posted reviews my story is word for word in relation to the others. If your reading this and is anticipating on ordering Acai Advanced, Acai Pure and ColoPure PLEASE DO NOT. THE LAST TWO WEEKS HAVE BEEN A PAIN THE YOU KNOW WHAT! The first unauthorized withdrawal was made of $64.95 for Acai Advanced then there was $78 dollars withdrawn for Acai Pure, ColoPure and Hoodiawater (that i didnt even ask for). To follow that i discovered this morning there is a pending $24.95 "Healthy Plan" fee on my account as well. Of course, i didnt know anything about this either. PLEASE SAVE YOUR TIME THE HEADACHE AND SINFUL WORDS TO THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPT.-JUST GO TO YOUR LOCAL GNC OR VITAMIN SHOPPE.

Signing off,
Ms. Mad as Hell

I gained 2 lbs and have nausea, diarrhea and a rapid heart rate with insomnia.

I tried this "free trial" and cancelled as soon as I got the information stating that I was going to get continuous shipments. About a month later I seen a charge on my credit card for $74.90, when I called I had to wait on hold for 15 mins just to talk to some snobby girl who said there was nothing she could do for me, I had to pay the $74.90 even though I called and cancelled, I repeatedly asked to speak with a supervisor and she said there was none available to speak with. After going around and around I got so upset I just hung up. I am filing a complaint with the better business bureau and I suggest anyone else who is having this issue do the same so these scam artists cant do this to more and more people...

What every you do don't purchase this product. It doesn't work, you w0n't get a RMA #, they dont ansure the phone. Then you get billed from other companys. You have to fill out a federal form with the bank to stop charges.

Internet Special for free trial offer for $5.95

Then you have 15 days to evaluate product and are billed additional $64.95 and become a member (unknowingly) and receive a 30 day supply of product each month.

The number provided 888.247.5160 to call for returns/refunds/cancellations/status of order/ is never answered and then disconnected and the website is bogus that they provide.

Luckily I continued to spend all day researching and called another Acai number listed that was helpful and gave me another phone number to contact that worked - actually got thru to a customer service representative that assisted me.

Don't even buy this product, it's a scam

I ordered a free trial bottle of producat. When I received I tried numerous times to call to cancel and return due to my doctor's warning about the product. I could not get through on their phone number nor did they respond to email I submitted. They charged my account $74.90. They sent another bottle the following month and charged me $74.90 again for a total of $149, 80. Todaqy I finally got a response when I sent an email asking what it would take to get a response from them - perhaps a class action? I finally got to talk to "Heather" employee number4879 today 5/28/09. She stated that she could not "allow" me to return products. The statement that came with the product states very clearly how to return. Yet Heather refused to allow a return. Therefore my account will be charged the $149.90 and I have not used this product. The bottles remain unopened. This is tantamount to fraud. I am submitting this complaint to the attorney general for review and will continue to seek justice.

Acai Advanced is a scam. My credit card was charged 64.95 + another 24.95 for a product I did not receive. Tried calling but no help. They said the 24.95 was for access to a site. This is the biggest scam. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY- THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF.

I had the same experience!

Did you ever get your credit?

email me at cindyka@comcast.net

Same experience... been trying for 10 days to get thru to check on my refund. This is ridiculous! I feel someone in the govrnment should be able to do something about this terrible customer service. No one answers the phone and I am tired of having this phone glued to my ear and the address "support@acaiadvancedcs.com" is a big joke. It would even show and keeps telling me address not found.

It would a good idea to post the phone number that you were given so that other consumers in your situation can get through to someone as well. Just a suggestion to help others that are still in that situation. Hope you got everything resolved.

i am one of those people who fell for a diet pill from acai advanced well it is a scam beacause for three days after i read the fine print i have been on the phone trying to cancel and all i get from both phone numbers is all agents are busy please hold you will be routed to the next avaible agent still on hold as i am writing this complain 20 min on hold each time never getting a live person all i want to do is cancel the order beacause they never tell you about the other charges. please help!

my name is Mr Charles komakech I DO NOT WANT ORDER PILL ANYMORE I WANT TO STOP CHARGE MY DEBIT CARD ANYMORE AND I NEVER ASK FOR TAKEN ANY MONEY FROM MY DEBIT CARD EVERY MONTH MY EMAIL ADDRESS DOGE_VIPER@HOTMAIL.CO.UK PLEASE CONCELL AND CLOSE ACCOUNT OF ORDER ACAI PILL THANK YOU

I ordered Acai Advance for the trail period of 5.95 when I check my checking account they debited 59.95. I spoke with a representative on the internet. He informed me that it was pending and I wouldn't get charge unless I keep it after the trial priod. I ask him was he sure and stated he was this morning when I check my account it was overdraft $300.00 after I just deposited $200.00! That supposedly pending payment overdraft 7 items and I have been sitting on the phone for an hour trying to speak with someone!

This company has the worst customer service I have ever encounter.
How can you sell a free trial @ 5.95 and then 15 days later I was charged 64.95 and 4 days later 24.95. How can this be allowed? I will call, write and take this matter seriously. This is a scam with Oprah Winfrey And Rachel Ray promoting themselves backing up this company.They promote free trials to lure you in to getting your credit card info to incurre further charges. I called my credit card cancelled that number and will recieve a new one. If you have experience this scam do the same. They keep you on hold so long hoping you will hang up and give up. Don't give up. I will report to the newspapers, telvision buisness bureou of this SCAM... Shame Shame Shame... The corporate office doesn't have a number for contact and there address is PO Box 17855 Portland Main 04112. This is what I was told is it the truth. Hmmmm Not sure.

They shorted the number of pills in the bottle by three. That's not very many for one order but if you count all their orders it sure adds up. I tried for one whole day to reach them and most of the second before I got their answering service. I tried several days before and it was only after the fifth day of trying I was able to reach someone. They also used trickery in the wording and the contract. Now I read there are many people who are getting charges on their cards after they called and cancled. It's to bad that companies have to be dishonest. I really feel they tried to scam me.

I have had the same experience in trying to cancel my order. I have even sent my automatic order back and requested credit card credit - no luck. How do you get out of this mess? I have learned a valuable lesson in the SCAMS on the internet.

Can you please post the phone #, I have been trying to cancel since 5/25/09. I NEVER do these things. The only reason I did this time was because I THOUGHT it came from Rachel Ray's website! I have emailed every email address provided, both on their phone # and on their original email.

Try calling 1.888.272.6483. I had the same problem and finally got connected with a customer service rep. that was able to help me. Make sure you get a cancellation and RMA # and document everything. Hope that helps.

I too...
June 2, 2009

have fallen into the trap...I am attempting to get out but I just started trying as of yesterday... I am seriously thinking of cancelling my bank debit card so I cannot be charged any further...yes, they have taken $88.00 from me and I did agree to pay the shipping/handling of $5.95...I am going to try the number that you gave and hope that I can get some results...I sent my unused bottle today certified mail which cost me $6.83 ...I have also been told of the particular email address to get a "reimbursement"...which I see that it is not a valid address either...WOW, I AM STUPID ALSO...I COULD HAVE DONE SO MUCH WITH THIS MONEY THAT I JUST THREW AWAY...I LEARNED A VALUABLE LESSON...! Thanks

Thanks for the # - unfortunately it only connected me with the Live Lean for Life. The rep was very helpful and cancelled that membership; however, the only # she had for Acai Advanced was the [protected]. Anyone have a better number?

I finally got through to Acai Advanced using the [protected]. Of course it's too late and they will not remove the charge for the 1st month but I was told I would not be charged anything further (we'll see).

I went to the bank right away after reading complaints. We closed the card on that checking account, opened a new account. Sumited a form to denie the charge. The old account is still open and I can tranfer from one account to other, but they cant use my card # any more. Good luck.

They will tack on extra charges that are hard to find even in the fine detail. They use endorsements for the Acai berry to post on their website making you think the endorsements are for their product, like ABC, CBS, Today Show, and CNN. But if you look closer, it has nothing to do with their product. NOt only do you have to call and wait at least 40 minutes to cancel the monthly fee of $64.95 for the crappy Acai Advanced product but you also don't realize at first that you must also call another number [protected] to cancel the Live Lean Weight Loss program or they will charge you an additional $24.95. This is a seperate company and a seperate call for another hour on hold. The product doesn't work and it is so difficult to get the return authorization. They continuously apologize for their systme being slow. What a headache!

As of right now I am on hold with Acai Advanced and have been on hold for approximately 45 minutes and still holding. Now, this company may be successful in this economic trying times, but they are the only ones; but there is absolutely no reason I should be on hold for this long. This is ridculous. You would think if being in such a high demand you would hire enough people to meet this demand and I know plenty of people looking for work. It seems to me they are avoiding something.

I just cussed one of their people out...this is ridiculous. The lady told me...after waiting to speak with someone for 35 minutes...that 15 days already passed when I just recieved the product 13 days ago. Not to mention I threatened to dispute the charges and then she said it would take 30 days to see my refund and I would be responsible for the shipping charges. She then offered me a 50% refund, which I accepted so I would not have to deal with these freakin idiots anymore. Screw them and their product...Something needs to be done about it!

I also ordered Acai Advanced and took pills for a few days and had to stop because it made my stomach very bloated and gave me a lot of pain, and that was only taking it for 4 days so I discontinued. I have tried to call them several times and cancel after the first trial order but all of a sudden they have no record of who I am and are telling me that this is not their product. HELP!
Carrilyn, New York

Cannot get in touch with anyone for over 1 hour so that i can get the neede "rma" (Return merchandise authorization number)
I have also tried a website that does not exist (Www.Support@acaiadvancedcs.com) so that i can return this product.
This company claims "no hassles" if you want to return this product and not be charged. It is so frustrating to not be able to cancel, especially when these unwanted charges will interfere with my ability to pay for my monthly needs such as rent, food and electric

I had the same experience. I received product and paid shipping and they enclosed a invoice stating they were start charging my account if not cancelled before 4/15. I did call and cancelled on 4/12 and surprise on my credit card billing they charged me 64.95 on 5/21, 24.95 on 5/26, and 74.90 on 6/5. I have contacted my credit card company and hopefully I will get a refund. This is crazy. I should have searched on the company prior to asking for the sample. I was on Oprah's web page and that is where I saw the offer. SHAME on OPRAH for supporting this scam.

i have tried both the [protected] # and the [protected] and cant get through to anyone - lines are always busy - i also tried to do the online chat people when you go to place your order - but they keep giving me the run around too -
i charged mine to my bank account card - so now i have to go close out my entire checking account so I can avoid charges from these people.

anyone know a good lawyer? wonder if we can do a civil action suit against them?