Advanced Wellness Research review: overcharged! scam!!! online orders acai berry 500 321

I ordered the product december 24, 2008, and received it on December 29, 2008. It did not work, and after only 13 days out of a 14 day trial they charged my bank account $78.00 ! I called to let them know I was not happy with the product. They said it had been longer than 14 days, so I was out of luck. I told them that I only had the product 13 days, and they said they start counting the 14 days FROM THE TIME OF THE ORDER, NOT WHEN YOU GET THE PRODUCT ... I argued with the guy, and he ended up refunding $60.00, but would not do any better, so I got stuck paying $18.00 for a small bottle of tablets that do not work as promised. I will dispute this issue with my bank on monday

I also ordered the Pure Acai...after 4 days, decided to cancel it. The rep from India quickly agreed to cancel. ...telling me I would not incur any more charges BUT I HAD TO RETURN THE PRODUCT AND IT HAD TO REACH THEM WITHIN 10 DAYS OR I WOULD BE CHARGED THE FULL AMOUNT.
I don't recall reading that on the website...that the product had to be returned if you cancelled.
So I hope I don't incur anymore charges but I think the whole outfit is shady. The product came from Nampa IDAHO and the call center is in INDIA.

I also ordered what was suppose to be a 14 day trial sample. No where in the ad did it state you only had 14 days to cancel or be charged. It stated you were getting a 14 day trail sample! So I'm thinking only enough pills for 14 days to try them. I ordered on the 22nd of December, they charged the 4.99 plus a .05 service charge on the 26th. I didn't even have the pills yet, once I received the pills it was a bottle of 60 caplets, which I thought was strange, but starting taking them, I had no results after 14 days. On the 8th of Jan. my account was hit for 78.81 and a service charge of .79! When I called the company, I also got an Indian representative who told me the add clearly states you will receive a months supply and have 14 days to try it, afterwards your card will be billed...I argued and he canceled my future shipments...future shipments! I read nothing of future shipments, and he would only refund 30.00, making that bottle still cost me 48.81 + the original 4.99, plus the services fees! I refused his offer and am currently disputing the charges with my bank. Oh and when I asked for his name and id number...he told me his name was Stephan Adams! He was clearly a Indian operator...it's nothing but a scam. So be warned!

This Company is being investigated for fraud.

I didn't even order this product. I was charged over 4.99 Dec. 12th...Then on the 29th, $78.81 dollars was illegally drafted from my accont.

Oprah supports this? Rachael Ray?
Do they even know the deception of this Company?

I already have an attorney, I have a case...All I want is for these funds to be sent back to my account...Permission was never granted from the beginning. I can't even "Cancel" A "Confirmation/Order number" is asked for... I DON'T HAVE ONE!

This has taken a toll on my health...I am a single Mother with an icurable disease that has spread. I have 3 children. I'm on disability, and cannot even do sedentary work...Now...Bounced Checks?

I have no number...Not an, "Order Accepted." Nothing.

Lhpm50@aol.com

Ordered the Acai Berry free product and then received the email stating that it was a 30 day supply with only 14 days being free and then I would be charged approx. $80 on the 15th day for the entire supply---thus no free anything. I called and immediately tried to cancel the order but was told that I could not cancel until the next day. I called back and was told that I had to receive the shipment and then I could cancel the order which meant I had to pay S&H both ways for a product that I did not want. This company is a SCAM and I am reporting them to consumer affairs for investigation.

I am among many who have found being ripped of by this companyl...How can we get out money back.. the number the bank give s us is NOT working...Buyer bewair...
If anyone knows how to get out money back or just who to call and contact PLEASE let us know.

I sent back the sample and still was charged $69. then saw a charge of $88 for product I never got. I have cancelled several times but to no avail. They just keep going as if I never called. I want my money (all of it back) now.

if you order a free trial they make it impossible to cancel just don't order from them

FRAUD ALERT! FRAUD ALERT! FRAUD ALERT!

I TOO WAS FOOLED BY THEIR 30 DAY FREE TRIAL OFFER THAT ENDED UP A 14 DAY TRIAL INSTEAD!

WE NEED HELP! THIS IS A SCHAM THAT IS FOOLING LOTS OF FOLKS AND NEEDS TO BE STOPPED!

I started filling out the form for a free trial for their Acai Berry slimming product. I put in my name, address and phone number and at the point where I had to type in my credit card number, I changed my mind (Thank God!). However, the next day I received about 30 calls from the company's telemarketing team, trying to convince me to buy their product. I told them every time that I am not interested and I wanted not to be called again, I even talked to the supervisor and she hung up when I started telling her that I am not interested. The phone calls continued.

I called Customer Service and they told me that there wasn't anything they could do because they were not in touch with the marketing department.

This company has no respect for customers, they try to rip you off and harass you! Don't buy from them! Don't even try to fill out the free trial form. They will get your information and will harass you!

I also have had a very bad experience with this company. I originally placed an order on Jan 3rd in hopes of receiving the product within 5 to 7 days as listed on the website; however, that did not happen. On Jan 12th I called back asking why I still had not received my order and the person "Freddie" who I spoke to, could not give me a clear answer to my situation. Frustrated with his response, I canceled my order. I was told that I should receive the product at any time and that I had 10 days to return it so I would not be charged the almost $80 amount for the product. several days came and went and no shipment has been received.

So I called back on Jan 17th and spoke to "Dean" demanding to find out what happened to the shipment that has been supposedly shipped out to me on the 3rd. I explained to him that I had already canceled my order and I needed to receive the product in order to return it. Again I was given the runaround and then was told that the "Shipment Dept" would need to research what happened to the order and they were supposed to contact me within 2 days. Ok, now today is Jan 21st and guess what? NO PHONE CALL! and NO SHIPMENT!

So I called back a third time explaining my situation all over again . This time I was told that, even though I have not received my shipment, they would be charging my credit card the $78+ and then i would have to call back in to have them refund my card. I argued with the guy for almost 30 minutes without any resolution to my issue. By the way, asking for a supervisor does not work...they will only tell you that the one manager in the place is in a meeting for the rest of the afternoon. Now I am at the point where I just want to cancel my card which I should not have to do.

I have been calling [protected] and I always get thru to someone but they are absolutely no help.

Advance Wellness Research Inc. is nothing but a call room. No management is present to settle complaints. I canceled within 15 days and was still charged $78. I took the product for 1 week and could not stand the headaches I received from the pills. Do not buy from this company. They are in it for the money not to help anyone but themselves make a buck. The product is not FDA approves so we do not have a clue what is in these pills and it took a week for me to get over the very dull and persistent headache.

i oredered as s trial of brite white for the cost of shipping and handling. i was charged 69.99 instead on my credit card. this is fraud and i need to be refunded and this company needs to be put out of business.

Omg, I too ordered this...makes me feel kinda dumb. I did recv the product like w/i 2 days. I was only charged the $4.99 so far. It's been a few days now. I keep checking my credit card acct. So far, so good. I called this morn to cancell al future shipments & the guy with a thick accent (Igntius?) gave me an extention on the free trial. I sat on that for a while & called back this afternoon. I think it was the same guy & he knew I called eariler. I told him my stomach hurt after 2 days of using this & I needed to return the product & cancel any future shipments, ASAP. He gave me an RMA (return) number. I will pop it in the mail tomorrow. Keep ya posted. Holy Cow...Never again. I'll watch what I eat & run with my dog. Not worth this hassle.

axactly what you said happened to me too! scam scam scam advanced wellness reserch inc.is a scam and is being reported now!

I agree with everything being said. I placed two orders for a 14 day free trial. I did not receive the bottle until January 9th. The 14 day trial should not have started until the product was in hand but I was billed $78.81 on January 22nd. When I called as has already been stated I talked with an Indian named David who said that the trial period began on the 7th. How can I try a product that I do not even have. It is a SCAM and all these charges are fraudulent. Something needs to be done about this.

I am submitting a follow-up to my posting 51 minutes ago. I tried again and selected option 3 instead of option 1 on the automated phone selections. I can only say that I talked I talked with an Indian lady named Cecila who agreed to refund me $60.00 on each bottle ($120.00) and cancel all future shipments. I can only hope that this happens. If it works I can only suggest that one keeps trying until they get the one that will help and to discourage anyone else from trying this bogus 14 day trial.

I too just fell victum to these cons. I was trying to incorporated something "good" into our lifestyle, only to find another situation where people are blatanty taking advantage of people. I ordered the product for both my husband and myself. I did recieve it. I tried calling a couple of times and was told to call back the next day cause they were having technical difficulty. I think they do that so they can see who you are that wants to cancel, and it gives them time to charge your account. When they did charge my account, I called again and they gave me that whole speal about the 14 days on the website. When I explained that I did call and was told about the technical problems, he (Lewis John) if that's his real name, basically called me a liar. If there is a class action suite, I would be glad to sign on. It's amazing that these kinds of scams get so far before anything is done about them. I would think there would be some sort of web site accountability before you could advertise to millions of consumers.

I called this company on 1/24/09. I told the guy "Peter" to cancel my order. He kept asking why and I said because this is a scam and a rip off. He said he cancelled but I will wait and see. I will be notifying my bank tomorrow to watch for these fraudulent charges.

This is the worse company ever! Even when you do finally get into their terrible phone lines everyone has such a heavy accent that you cannot understand them nor can they understand you! I hate this company!

In addtion to receiving the un-authorized charges for Acai and Bromalite I also received a charge for $29.95 from fit-fac.com. I reported all of this to my credit card company. Please beware.
I would suggest calling your credit card company if you are not getting anywhere with Acai or Bromalite or any of the numerous other companies mentioned.

call the number on your credit card and you can get an RMA # to return unused product to them and get refund

I didn't even order a free trial and got an e-mail that I had and the jerk told me he couldn't cancel the free trial that I didn't order? I am in the process of disputing the charges with my bank - how in the world can they do this?

I ordered the Pure Acai Berry product and returned it the very next day after I received it, because I did not want to take the chance of getting charged $78.00. I called the company after I looked up the tracking number to confirm it was delivered back before the 14 day trial period was up and found out the trial period starts the day you submit the order. They showed no record of the returned item because they are in Miami and the other mailing location is in Idaho and apparently they have two different computer systems. I told them that I do not want to get charged $78.00 and they assured me that I would not get charged, because they cancelled all future orders and stopped any charges from being processed.

I called several times after this first call and they still did not show that the product was received back. I asked, well how do you know I sent it back if it is not reflected in your system? Their continued response was I assure you that you will not get billed. I asked about getting an email confirmation, but they said the Idaho location is responsible for sending out the confirmation. I asked them to call them up to confirm the order was received back, because I want it to be reflected in the computer system. The only thing I could get was more assurance that I will not get billed.

The reason I am so concerned about this situation is 2 days after I ordered this product there was a consumer complaint column in the newspaper that reported many people had mailed the product back and they were still charged. The scam stems from the fact that (1) the free 14 day trial begins the day you order the Pure Acai Berry product, (2) it takes roughly five days to receive it in the mail and (3) you literally do not have any time to try the product, because (4) it takes roughly six or seven days to send it back by ground mail. The odds are on their side that you will not be able to meet the 14 day free trial period and this way they can legally bill you $78.00 for sixty pills.

I hope this saves someone from making an expensive miskate.

This company is a scam...best advise is go to your bank and get a new debit card if you used that or ask the credit card company to issue a new card w/a new number so that the charges no longer happen. If they do, fill out a form for fraud protection at your bank or w/the credit card company.

This is so frustrating...I of couse fell for the same "free" trial period, ordered my pills on 1/21, received them 1/25. Upon receipt, I was a little suspicious of the bootleg labeling and did a search on the company (unforatunately, AFTER providing them w/ my card number...) and found all of the above complaints. I immediately contacted my bank and cancelled my card. I was able to reach Cecelia at [protected] who assured me I would not be charged the $78 but also stated the pills had to be shipped back w/in 14 days. By my count that means, they have to receive the pills in 5 days. I am sending these priority w/ confirmation of receipt first thing in the morning but feel it is unlikely that the pills will be logged as received in time...something tells me they are in no hurry...

I'm wondering though what lengths they will go to in order to collect their $78? Do they have any recourse if they send a bill that goes unpaid (i.e. bill collectors)? Seems like everyone's troubles just began recently as well and I'm wondering how long this tiny mistake will haunt me and my bank account!?!?!?!?!

DITTO! DITTO! DITTO! All complaint postings about this company are 100% accurate! Ordered product on 1-8-09 and didn't receive until 1-12-09, the "14 day" trial begins on the day ordered, per the India rep. I got the same story as everyone else...except I wasn't told to return unused product, so we'll see where this goes. Do not order from this scam company! Very costly mistake!

Hate to say it folks, but in their terms and conditions it does state that if you don't contact them to get an RMA number then you will be charged for the purchase price of the product.

I nearly panicked when I saw this website and all the complaints against the company, but then I went back and read the terms and conditions, and honestly I'm going to take the time to try this product before I change my mind on my decision about it.

And really, if it WORKS then I have no problem at all paying for it and continuing to get it monthly until I reach my goal weight.

Sorry that you all are having problems with the company, but I'm going to give them a chance before I change my mind about it.

I ordered the Acai Berry through Advanced Wellness Research and after ordering, started seeing the negative information on the internet. I called that day and got a person on the phone, yes Indian, and asked about the 14-day trial period. He stated that if I received late, I could call and they would start the trial period on the actual date that I received it. I did receive the item two days after ordering. In the meantime, before I received the item I called again to ensure I got a person on the phone. When I did, I asked if I could cancel the order because I ordered on a Saturday and it was Monday morning, I had hoped it had not shipped yet. He stated that it did ship (yeh, their website says they don't ship on Sat./Sun.), so boy are they quick. But anyhow, they offered that if I wanted to try the product, they would take a $50 discount off future orders and I would only be billed $28.00 for the bottle and future shipments. I really did want to try the item and have used it the past few days. Don't know if I will keep it, but I have gotten through to the company several times. I have only been charged the shipping charge at this point. I am going to contact again on Monday to confirm the $28 charge. I have not had that bad of an experience with this company... yet.

Buyers please BEWARE! This is a total scam. You really have to take the time to read the whole misleading website to see that you will be charged. I spoke someone who sounded like he was in another country at a call center. I could hear other operators in the background apologizing and giving directions on how to send their product back and receive a refund. I really hope I get my 78.81 back! The guy I talked to said his name was "Derrick" even though he sounded like he was from India; he said I should receive my money back in 2 to 3 days. This is a cruel way to mislead people who are desparate and struggling with their weight. I wonder is Oprah know that her name is being used to scam millions of people?!

THIS IS HOW TO GET MONEY BACK!here's what you do I have been trying for 3 months to get my money back i finally called my bank they told me that you had to wait a certain amount of time before you filed fraud and you yourself had to make attempts to call them. After calling a zillion times getting the run around i was getting fed up. AWR even sent me e-mail confirmation number and when i gave awr the number they said that # didn't exist. my name, my address, telephone #, nothing about me exist and that I had never ordered from them. Furiously I called my bank and told them everything. Unfortunately the fraud dept was closed on sat so I had to wait until today. While in the process of waiting awr sent me an e-mail asking for my info AGAIN. I gave it to them and told them I didn't care what they did with it b/c my bank would be filing fraud within the week. Today i get home and have an e-mail stating they have cancelled my order and refunded my money. I called my bank they said that yes it has been refunded. But I'm not done yet they caused an overdraft fee and my bank is going after that. I will post more when more comes to light. So if you want your money do the right thing return the item (CERTIFIED MAIL) and try and try. I know its frustrating, I got so upset I cried at one point. But do it then call your bank. My bank is a military bank USAA they are the ###!

I think the whole thing is a scam. I was able to get a hold someone in India [seems to me that's their call center] Anyway after minutes of my ### he agreed to refund my $78.81 charge, which days later i was able to confirmed it with credit card statement. For all you guy got ripped off I have a working number.

Pure Acai Berry Pro™
Advanced Wellness Research, Inc.
Customer Care Team
[protected]

I actually received the "free trial offer" and was promptly charged $4.99, when I called to cancel further shipments they explained that i had 3 days to return the product. How is that free? I paid what was required the $4.99. They want me to pay to return there product! The lady was rude and did not speak English very well, she kept putting me on hold. The number I called was [protected]. I asked if I could get an email confirmation that my order had been cancel (so I had proof ) and she said it could take 24-48hrs to send me this If she could send me one.I advised no one to order products from them!

Because of the negative comments and scam accusations against this company, I called and cancelled any future orders and asked for a return authorization number. After being told that I could keep the pills at a ridiculously cost and refusing that suggestion, I was finally given the return authorization number and was told that I must pay for return shipping. I also believe that the call center may be in India because even though he told me I was calling Idaho, the reception was horrible and the person I contacted had a foreign accent. The static made it close to impossible to hear him and the Indian accent on top of that made it doubly difficult to carry on a conversation. I have not yet been charged but my 14 day trial period is not yet up. I am contacting my bank today to try and ward off any billing on their part.

I also ordered the trial and did not see or receive any information about automatic shipments. I called today to check on this and to tell them to cancel any future shipments. The person I spoke with was also rude and I had to keep repeating what I wanted to do. She said she cancelled my shipments, but I have concerns that it was done. I can't believe they can go on so long like this. I only wish I had read this information before I ordered the trial.
Cherie

I like everyone else who took a chance trying a "FREE SAMPLE" and later being Billed $78.81
for something I did not order. The only way I found out I had been taken advantage of is I recieved
a INTERNET FRAUD ALERT that notified me by phone. When I heard there was a charge from someone
in ISRAEL I called right away and they said it was a charge from the same company I placed an order
with for the "FREE SAMPLE" The Fraud Detector CO. gave me the phone number to call them and
when I did I was speaking to someone with a Middle Eastern accent and the background noise was
like he was on a cell phone in the middle of the street with a party going on. I told them what had happened
and asked why I Charged for something I didnt order? He told me that on the web site it said if I dont
call to cancel within 14 days they will automaticly ship me a order for $78.81 I told him I want to stop
this NOW... he asked if I could call back at some other time, their "system" was down! Yah Right !
I wonder how many other people he said this to. Next I called back my credit card company and asked if
I can have that transaction stopped. They said thet couldnt stop it because it wasnt a fraudulent charge.
They said since I had already done buisness with this company it was my faul for not reading the fine
print. So what I had to do was cancel my credit card to stop the charges from continuing.
The credit card company had heard 100's of complaints about this company, and I asked cant the
government do anthing about them? They said they are already looking into them, but in the mean time
they are still making money off of idiots like me... Let everyone you know what this company is doing
and lets get them shut down and put in prision.

DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM. it is a scam. I agreed to pay the S&H fee of $4.99, then I called and cancelled, and the man I spoke to said he would be sending an email confirmation. Never got that email, and I was charged $78.81 a week after I had cancelled. of course, they had no record of my call, and said I was being refunded, but they too, were incapable of sending an email. Totally sketchy. I am going through the bank and having them refund me but now I will have to cancel my card and everything.

this is terrible! I ordered the online free trial. I realized that this was a mistake and tried to call and cancel a few minutes later. They would NOT let me do this...they said i had to have the product first before i could cancel...well, this means i pay for shipping both ways for something that i already know i don't want. They couldn't even list me the ingredients at the India call center. How come they don't show a full list of ingredients...that is very fishy to me. This company is a joke!

I have now been on hold with this company for 62 mins I am not going to hang up, I now see that the average wait time for people is about 72 mins. I am almost there! I have also started a complaint with the BBB.
DO NOT ORDER THIS PRODUCT NO HEADACHE IS WORTH THIS !

Offer for free product sample of Acai Berry productwith only paying shipping and handling charges. Then they charged credit card for $ 78.00 +, and on calling them they state that "it says in terms and conditions" if you don't call them in 14 days they will begin billing you. The original shipping notice I received also "does not state these terms and conditions". "This was not a part of the pop up site" on which I ordered the product. They have stated they will "continue to charge", but if I return the second bottle, which they say is on the way to me as of 2/9/09 I can return it and they will provide a credit. Based on other comments posted, it appears I will continue to experience difficulty with this situation.