Got SCAMMED from Advanced Wellness Research aka ‘Teeth Whitening Now’ I ordered a free trial teeth whitening via internet on 3/10/09 received the free trial on 3/14/09. When I called Advanced Wellness on 3/20/09 to cancel I was advised that the ‘new’ order was shipped out already and that I couldn’t cancel until product was received. (Duh the light bulb should have lite!) On 4/8/08 I received the product and called Advanced Wellness again to cancel the order, they advised me to send product back which I did that same day. They sent me an e-mail also on 4/8/08 stating the order was canceled. When I received my credit card statement the following charges from Advanced Wellness Research was on the bill: $6.99 (free trial shipping charge);$69.99; and$54.98. When I called the company on 4/20/09 I was given the ‘run-a-round’ first speaking to a ‘Kate Smith’ the floor manager then to ‘Bob Johnson’ the Senior Customer Service Manager, (The Middle Eastern accent was a dead give-a-way) both of which told me there was nothing they could do! I was forced to cancel my Macy’s Visa Credit Card so Advanced Wellness Research doesn’t keep charging me each and every month.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Ordered the Pure Acai Berry and cleanse trials and now they won't let me cancel. I've tried three days in a row to call every number possible and its always full! Why is this company still in business! Its a scam..wish I would have known sooner.
Catt
We are having the same problem. Please email us if anyone has any ideas how to stop these charges. Patty Smoot
i hate this company...i ended up bouncing my account because of them...what do i do?
I finally called them at [protected] and selected the option to place an order. Sure enough someone was on the line pretty quick to talk to me. I gave him my order number and insited on the RMA#. He put me on hold for a long time, but finally came back with an RMA number and mailing address in Nampa Idaho. They did send me an e-mail with the RMA# right after the phone call. I was told by my credit card company to keep track of all my communication with them or lack of to file disputes against their charges if needed.
I would recommend sending a few e-mails to sales@advancedwellnessresearch.com so that you can keep a copy of the e-mails for your records. I've tried sending "Comments" via their web-site, but I'm pretty sure that those e-mails are never looked at.
There is also a spot on their website for "customer log in". If you put your e-mail in there and request a password they will e-mail you a password to log in. Once in there you can eventually get to a spot that will let you change how often they mail you the pills and also lets you un-check a box that say's it will stop any future orders of their product. I don't know if it actually does anything, but it's worth a try. Especiallly if it takes you a few days to contact them.
This is the WORST customer service experience I have EVER had. I placed an order for the 14 days trial and tried to cancel 5 minutes after doing so when I realised the the trail peiod INCLUDES delivery time. Customer service dicked around so much that the product was sent and took 21 days! to reach me here in NZ.
I have been charged for the Acai berry ($148 NZD for 60 caps) and have been trying to get an RMA for three weeks. I have called and emailed. I have tried polite I have been rude I even emailed Nick Malina the supposed CEO for assistance and he was as useless as his staff who send me the same email about 7 times with the same crap on it in return (Rings us on this toll free number (Hello NEW ZEALAND - its not toll free outside os USA and they don't seem to understand that NZ is NOT a state in ALABAMA!) or fill in this form online) I go to fill in the online form and lo and behold ITS NOT THERE! When I ring I get voice mail every time.
This is the worst customer service I have EVER recieved and Im sure its just to make sure they can suck every dime they can from your pocket. Since I am not in the USA I can't even sue them to get my money back its gone. And now that time is running out to get an RMA soon I will not be able to get a refund. I will be cancelling my credit card tomorrow to make sure they don't get any more money out of me.
These people are the WORST COMPANY in the world. DO NOT PURCHASE THIER PRODUCT unless you are 100% sure you want it or 100% want to have a stoke at the ripe age of 24 like me!
I have also ordered and not received any product. The customer service employee's are VERY RUDE and will not budge in no way shape or form on crediting back my account for products that I have not received.
If we as consumers do not file a class action suit against this company, they will continue to defraud consomers and make millions without paying any type of penlty or fine.
This IS COMPLETE internet fraud. I have worked for Federal Prosecutors and I have seen many cases that came through our office. If the right people are involved this company can have a hurting on them big time.
Let's not discard this as a loss and contact appropriate people to get this going.
I made the mistake that apparently many others have made in ordering this product. I have received the product and realized (before even opening) that I had made a mistake. I proceeded in attempting to reach Advanced Wellness Research by calling the number provided in my original order with no luck. Now that it has been 20 days from the original order I was able to reach them to have them cancel any further charges. I was not aware of the fact that they would be charging me $78.81 for this free product. (Dumb - I should have realized) and when I did I tried to cancel. Too late - they had already charged me. So today, now that I was finally able to reach someone, I spent 20 minutes arguing with the rep (John - probably not his real name) to cancel any future shipments. He continued on and on after 5 - 10 times of me telling him I want to cancel. I am now awaiting my email confirmation for the cancellation of future shipments. I was unable to get my $ refunded and am now down $80 for nothing. Buyer Beware. These guys are crooks! Any ideas on how to file a suit against these robbers! I know they are getting rich taking advantage of thousands of people.
I ordered the pills for $4.99, then tyey charged me $78.83. I called to cancell but they still charge. I was charged $88 for pills I did not get. Then I got 1 bottle sent it back unopened had it tracked by the post office I know they got it back. They said because I did not put some kind of number on it they could not refund me. What number. This is the biggest scam I have ever heard of. They are rude on the phone, try to make you feel stupid, can't ever talk to anyone who understands English. Have to keep spelling ever thing to them.I hope they enjoy keeping peoples money.
I agree with Sandy Talley, but how do we go about filing a lawsuit against them?
Here is my story:
I click on a link which I thought was a blog on kmov.com. It talked about how the product helped them lose wait and how Oprah talked about it on her show. I clicked on the link on the bottom of the page, viewed the website, and placed an order. Once I was done I researched the product a little more and saw that Oprah had not endorse their product and later found out that it was not a blog and was adverisement and that they had several complaints against them. I felt like a fool and called to cancel, becase on their website it stated that I can cancel at anytime with no question asked and will receive a full refund. When I tried to cancel Fred told me that I couldn't and that they are going to charge me anyway. I hung up and called back again and was hunged up on. I called again and talked to Fred again and this time he told me that he will cancel the order, but they still will charge me or he would lose his job and that they changed the rules on January 1, 2017 and had not posted it yet. I am not really angry about the $1.99, it just that they can not be allow to false advertise and get away with it. Plus they should not promise to give you a full refund if they are not going to do it.
To Whom It May Concern,
I originally ordered your product, ACAIBERRY, on November 17, 2017 and per your advertisment, I was charged $4.99 on my credit card. I received 1 bottle of ACAIBERRY. I then called your company and requested my home delivery be cancelled. This was after talking to several customer service reps, who said time after time that your computer system was down and to either call back in 2 hours or call the next day, which I did for several days and kept getting the same answer. Also, since that time, I have been charged 4 more times and have not received anything from your company except for charges on my credit card.
Every time I call your company, I have been told that the computers are down, but that I will receive credit for the additional charges. This was told to me twice, Since that time, I have been charged again, 2 more times. Can you PLEASE cancel my home delivery and credit my account? Below are the dates and charges received.
11-17-2017 $4.99
11-28-2017 $78.81
12-18-2017 $83.80
12-23-2017 $78.81
01-21-2017 $83.80
The internet offer was $4.99 shipping only! And I did forget to cancel the order after a 10 day limit, so I don't mind absorbing the additional $78.81 charged to me on 11-28-2017, but for the additional 3 charges, after being told that it would be cancelled and my charges credited back to my account, I will dispute. That's a total of $246.41 that I have been charged additionally and NO PRODUCTS received.
Thank You for your cooperation and I hope you can rectify this situation.
James N. Masuda
403 E. Ellingbrook Dr.
Montebello, Ca. 90640
EMAIL: jmasuda427@yahoo.com
PS. Your customer service rep keeps asking for a membership number, which I never received and doesn't show on my charge account.
I too went on line and oredered the free sample when it got to the credit card imfo I canceled and recived several calls 8:00 am asking for me, wife answered the phone several times and could not understand the called. Wedidn't know at the time who was calling so I told my wife to say she was me, she rec a call 8:oo am again and I was in bed heard her on the ph asked what was going on and told her I did not want the prodect.we were charged 1.99 shipping for the free sample and I called back to cancel but all the above happened. I'm on my way to the bank to sign a appdavit to stop the charges...
I also ordered the free sample of charged the $4.99 to my debit card.
After reading the info on paper for Power Flush 500, I called and cancelled the Power Flush shipments AND had to cancel something called PriceLinbo. Then had to call another number to cancel Fit Factory which was ALSO attached to the Power Flush 500.
The $4.99 was for Pure Acai Berry which was advertized with Power Flush 500. I finally got everything cancelled in one evening of calling. Had to call several times to get the diet pills cancelled as could not understand the person. I asked where she was located, of which she told me Asia...figured as much.
Now, I will make sure nothing shows up on my bank account anymore. And will cancel my debit card tomorrow and order another # to be safe. Sure don't want that happening to me as has some of you.
I signed up to receive a free sample of Acai Berries. Got those. Didn't read terms to realize I would receive berries each month. December 10th, money was taken from bank acct. so I called to stop membership on December 22nd. Berries were never received (was waiting on berries to call in so I could get return authorization number as well as cancel membership). December 23rd, more money was taken from my acct. One shipment of berries arrived on December 26th. Called in same date and was told computers were down. Called back December 29th and was told I could not be found in system by order #, name, phone number or email address. This is frustrating enough but everytime I call, reps have heavy accents and I have to tell them over and over what has happened because they don't understand English very well. Also, the back ground noise there makes it impossible to hear them. Sent emails complaining of this and was continually told to call in to resolve the matter! In addition to the money taken from my account, I received a bounced check fee when the second amount was taken out. I also had to cancel my debit card to ensure no more money would be taken out because I sure haven't gotten any resolution over the phone!
I need to canel my order, because I have incur some financial problems that I didnot expect. Please inform me as what to do. As far as the product is, I would rate it as the best thing I have ever tried.
Thank You
Candus Smith
I'm so glad I decided to research Advanced Wellness Research tonight! Last night I decided to order "Nature's Best Acai Berry". After all, free trial with only S&H, right?
After reading several of the above complaints, I decided to call the number provided in the small print under "Trial Offer Terms" [protected]). After being on hold for awhile, an Indian came on the line. I told him I wanted to cancel my order before it was sent out. He asked for my order number. The number I was given after ordering the product online was an 8 digit number. I had printed out a copy and was reading the number. He said it should be a 7 digit number, not an 8 digit number, and there was no order under that number. He asked for my phone number, which I hesitated to give him, but did in the end to see if he could find my order. Nope, he couldn't find my order under my phone number either. So there wasn't anything I could do to stop an order they had no record of.
The man told me I'd have to wait until I got the free product and then call to cancel. Having read all the complaints about Advanced Wellness Research and these Acai Berry Scams, I wasn't going to wait until I received the product and perhaps incure unauthorized charges to my credit card.
So I called my credit card company. Yes, the charge of $4.99 for shipping and handling had already been charged to my credit card. I explained the situation and asked if there was a way to stop further charges from this company. The man at the credit card company suggested reporting the card as lost and issuing a new one. So that is what I've done. I'll have a new credit card in 7-10 days!
He also suggested I research the company online before ordering products. Lesson well learned! Won't do that again!
Thanks to everyone who lodged a complaint. You may have saved me a lot of grief dealing with unauthorized charges from Advanced Wellness Research.
I knew it was too good to be true! Fast weight loss, free sample...I wonder if my "free sample" will even arrive at my door? I'm only out $4.99 if it doesn't...plus all the hassle and time I've spent trying to avert disaster.
I don't know if it will help, but here is the contact info I had and I did reach a person on 2/3/09.
Advanced Wellness Research Inc.
#3 17th Ave South
Nampa, ID 83651
[protected] (still answering)
[protected]
I work for advanced wellness research. The problem is not with the company. The problem lies directly on the consumer. Would you buy a new car without reading the contract first? I sure wouldn't. People need to read the TERMS & CONDITIONS before placing their orders. If people would read that before placing an order, they would save themselves alot of heartache. Instead of that, they call all day and complain about something they have brought on themselves. The terms and conditions are in full size print for anyone to read.
This company sucks...Thats all there is to it. I too was dupped in getting the FREE sample and paid 5.00 for shipping. Approx. 10 days later a friend told me that she too had the product and asked me if I read the terms and aggrement for the product, I said of course not, its a free trial and I threw that stuff away, why? She then told me that you have 15 days to mail back the bottle of 30 pills (b/c they send you 60 and only the first 30 pills are free) or they will charge your credit card 78.81. My mouth dropped and I immediatly called the company spoke to a female there who told me that all I have to do is ship it back with this RMA number and she would close my account that day and no further charges would be applied to my account. Good I thought, no big deal. The next day I shipped the pills back with no problem. I came to work the following day and sure enough that company drew 78.81 from my account. I was LIVID. I called them back and spoke to a melissa who assured me that the money would be refunnded and the women I had spoken to 2 days prior had never closed my account. Sounds good right? Well, its not. When they took that money it took 2 days for them to refund me which caused me to bounced to checks that I had written out for bills which in the end cost me to be negative in my account and a nice little charge of 66.00 dollars in bounced check fees from my bank. I am in the process of fighting with this company to issue a letter to my bank stating this was a error on their part so I can be refunded from my bank. I have definitly learned my lesson. What makes this whole situation even worse is that the product DIDNT WORK!
p.s what do they do with the 30 pills people send back to them? My guess they put them into a new bottle and ship them off to innocent victims who unkowingly are about to get screwed by this company... makes you think doesnt it?
They stated in their add that you could try a sample bottle for just the shipping which was $5.95. I sent for it and got it and then I notices a $78.81 Charge on my account that I had not ordered any more. I called them to complain and they said they ahd sent the order. I wanted my $78.81 back as I couldn't afford it but they they talked me into a lesser amount of 23.00. But I was never credit back my $78.81.
I ordered the trial bottle for $4.99 and they sent it to me but now they are charging my account for $78.81 every month ad I stopped them in their tracks. I had my card cancelled and now the jokes on them. Advanced Wellness Research is a scam and I will never buy from them again. Please believe me or you will be like me and very sorry that you even pulled up their website.
I ordered the stuff from them as well on 2/16/09. I got my stuff in the mail today 2/19/09. Before placing the order, I had not read the TERMS & CONDITIONS. For some reason, I was prompted to go to their website www.BuyPureAcaiBerry.com and do some research on the product. That is where I read the fine print. Glad I did. So then I saw this: Cancel at any time by calling [protected]. I called and it worked. They gave me a cancellation number and I wrote it down on my packing slip. I also took the advise of a previous post about emailing them. So I just sent an email to sales@advancedwellnessresearch.com and in my options request a delievery confirmation and a read confirmation. So hopefully that will work. Good Luck to all of you who have been scammed by them.
Same thing is happening to me. Something has to be done to this company.
Same thing happen to me, I think that it is totally wrong. Something should be done!
I'm very surprised that your name, address, e-mail address is clearly visible for all to see.
I had a 14 day free trial, but only were able to use them for 9 because the other few days they were traveling by mail. Didn't lose any weight with Acai Berry.
Had a cordial phone guy, who sweetly told me my card was charged 3 days ago, since it's 14 days from the time of ordering.
I found after the 14 day trial period that I would not be able to continue using the product (Pure Acai Berry) due to other prescription medications I am required to take.
I called them to cancel the automatic shipment program today. I questioned what to do with subsequent shipments that I may receive. I was told to 'keep them, you will not be charged, consider it a gift if you should receive anymore shipments...' I requested a cancellation confirmation number of which I was told there was none. I hung up the phone. Walked to my mailbox and had received a package from Advanced Wellness.
I checked online regarding returns and contacted the toll free number, again, and was told that product returns were not allowed and that I had to cancel within the trial period and that I would not be refunded the amount charged to my account. I advised that returns are addressed on the website - if returns aren't permitted, then why refer to it on the website? I requested to speak with a supervisor. I was told, 'All supervisors are in a meeting, I cannot transfer the call.' I offered my home number and requested a call back. I was told that 'that is not possible'. (I was speaking to someone who claimed to be named 'Alex'.)
We need to get the word out that this particular company has some awful business practices and are walking a fine line. They also claim to charge only $4.99 for the trial portion of this product, but then slam you with a $78.81 set-up/activation fee. Highway robbery if you ask me.
Product sounds good and you only pay for shipping for a trial but before the trial arrives another is on the way and they keep charging to your card. You can always tell a scam when it's so difficult to turn off your subscription. You can't do it on the internet it's only by phone. When you call you have to sit through at least 5 minutes of VERY BAD elevator music that is more than loud enough. When you do get so talk to someone you're not sure if they can understand you because their accent will more than tell you if they're in this country, they haven't been here very long. Pretty hard to understand their broken english. My wife got hit by this scheme a couple of weeks ago and noticed it when the second shipment came and was charged to her debit card. She sent all the product back, reported it to our bank and tried to get her money back. It's been over a month and still hasn't gotten it back. She never told me about this till I has also purchased the product. I immediately canceled my debit card and called the 866 number and canceled the order on Monday morning (I had purchased it Saturday night). They of course didn't stop the order as they had told me and I was charged the shipping charge and did receive the trial offer. Hopefully by canceling my debit card I will receive no more shipments and charges.
I called the 1011 number several times with no luck, i then tried again and selected option 2, after waiting about 10 min. i finally spoke to a rep. i told him the call was bieng recorded and asked him to state his name. i then told him i wanted to cancel. He kept trying to get me to pay for the bottle but would cancel future orders. i said i wantedm a refund. he ten said he could refund me 70 dollars and i would have to keep the product but i would get no future orders. He put me on hold again and got me my cancellation confirmaition.
Hope all you resolve your issues with this scamming company.
signed up for their "free trial" of pure acai berry tablets for $4.99, then out of the blue i got hit with a $78.81 charge in my bank account, plus foreign transaction fees! When i called to dispute and cancel, the only offered to stop future shipments. The product was terrible and didnt even work, now im paying $78 too much for it! Their customer service was difficult to understand and unwilling to assist me. They just kept saying the $78.81 was noted on the website, we are not refunding you. TERRIBLE! Buyer Beware!
I will like to get the phone number to call them, as Iam here in Kuwait and can't even get the Internet to work halfway decent half of the Time, I am past my trial period. I guess I will have my Bank Cancel all payments to them.
I cancelled my order and they still charged my Visa card, even though I was given confirmation #.
HUGE SCAM.
I got the same scam of a free trial but was charged the 78.00 plus shipping. I also could only cancel future shipments. I am letting VISA fight it out with them. SCAM, SCAM, SCAM...
My husband just called to cancel and get a refund (he hadn't even used the product so we're sending it back). The guy told him it would be in our account in 3 to 5 days. We'll see if that happens or not...
Initially, I was charged $4.99. Three days later I was charged $78. I called to return the product. They told me to keep the remaining product and they will only charge me $60. I said, I want the full cost as advertised. They said send the product back and they will refund the money. I got charged two more times $78. I called both times and they gave me the refund. Man, what a hassle!
Was charged $78 for nothing received or ordered.
I agree. I order the sample and then was charged 78.81. I cancelled and tried to send back my first shipment and was told we may not receive it and agreed to only refund me 40.00 of the 78.81. I was also advised my credit card company that I have also been charged with several other charges of over 90.00 for some wheat grass that I did not order. I am still fighting those charges. Do not order anything from this company!
I had never heard of the company until I got a $69.99 charge on my card. I never ordered anything, no samples, nothing, so don't know how they got my card number. I called VISA, disputed the charge, and cancelled the card.
They offer a no obligation trial supply for the price of shp/handling which I charged to my debit card. The company proceeded to bill me the full price of a treatment. Come to find out, the product, a tooth whitener, was "on trial, " for 14 days after which time, they billed my debit card full price.
They had testimonials of how people had whitened their teeth for free, paying only the price of shipping. A mixed message at best.
is there any way I can recoupe my money?
The charge was $69.99.
Signed up for the free trial - no indication I would be charged any more than the $4.99. Two wks later got a charge on card for $78.80... then two weeks later got another charge for $83.30 even after I told them to take me off of their list! TOTAL SCAM COMPANY!
SCAM -SCAM -SCAM DO NOT ORDER! THIS COMPANY CHARGED MY DEBIT /MASTER CARD $232.56 FOR A FREE 14 DAYS $4.99 TRIAL. I CLOSED MY BANK ACCOUNT, I DID NOT AUTHORIZED CHARGES, I DID NOT SEE THE VERY VERY FINE PRINT TOO. I GOT 3 BOTTLES IN 3 DAYS. I CALLED TO MAIL IT BACK AND GOT HASSLE. I MAILED THEM BACK ANY HOW AND NO REFUND?...PLUS THE PACKING SLIP WAS ADDRESS TO A LADY WHO LIVES IN SAN MARCOS, TX AND I LIVE IN CALIF. AND THE BALL BREAKER IS MY BANKER MR. ERIC N. FROM (BANK OF THE WEST ) SAID IN A LETTER TO ME THAT I HAVE TO PAY, BECAUES I DID NOT READ THE VERY VERY FINE PRINT. THE FUNNING THING IS THAT
MR. ERIC N. ONLY WORK ON MY INVESTIGATION FOR 10 TO 15 MINUTES. HE MAILED ME 7 PAGES OF TERMS & CONDITIONS OF SALE FROM ADVANCED WELLNESS RESEARCH INC. AND NOT 1 PAGE NOW HE IS GOING TO FIGHT FOR ME. I HAVE A MEETING WITH THE BANK MGR ON FRIDAY. I WILL LET YOU KNOW?THINK SCAM
It happened the same way to my order of Acai Berry. The trial bottle for free for 30 days turned out not to be free at all. This company, Advanced Wellness Reseach, charged me $78.00 for the bottle (because I did not return it after 14 days, according to them) and $0.15 of international transaction fee that I was not aware of . In addition, this company went charging me $83.80 for a second shipment that I did not ask for. when I questioned them about the second charge, they said that they will continue to charge again for the third shipment, because according to them, once you ordered the product, you are automatically participating in a membership that requires you to receive and pay for more coming shipments. I has not been told that this is their policy. They did not tell me that I need to pay an international transaction fee each time they ship an order. They have charged $2.15 the second time for international transaction fee.
How can I get all the money back (except the shipment that i agreed for the first trial order)