This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.
I was charged twice for shipping & handling of $4.99 and twice for $78.81 for the product - all on the same day. The company falsely stated to me that this is an "authorization" and not a charge. I am absolutely furious!
On 3/19/09 I fell for the free offer and did receive one bottle of Pure Acai Berry for just shipping of $4.99. Then on 4/05/09 they charged my account $78.88 for nothing. NO additional product has ever been received. I called the number listed on the charge and was told to email advancewellnessresearch.com which I did. It came back as undeliverable. So I have filed a complain with the State Attorney General's office.
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babling43
Big Lake, US
1 comments
babling43
of Big Lake, US
Apr 17, 200911:39 am EDT
Well, here's one more sucker to add to the pile. Same story different day. I'm glad to here that someone is investigating them for fraud. Anyone know of a class action suit? If so, I'm in! I have been charged $79.72 & $85.92 & no product. Have canceled acct, but cc co says it's too late to have charges removed. Unfortunately, my cc company has had a lot of complaints about them. Deceptive Trade Practices seems to be a constant for this company.
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veronica irerua
US
1 comments
veronica irerua
of US
Apr 18, 20091:17 pm EDT
overcharging.i was charged $78.81 for a product that did not work.expected result was poor.teeth whitnening shouldn, t cost so much.14days to refund your money was a night mare.please do not order these products.they scam to lure more from the consumers.be warned.i was refunded $60 later after 2weeks of hell.
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Frustrated and Disappointed
Mississauga, CA
1 comments
Frustrated and Disappointed
of Mississauga, CA
Apr 18, 20094:14 pm EDT
I can't believe I have fallen for this. On April 1 the product arrived. On April 2 I called to cancel as the product is loaded with caffeine and I take it. (something they don't disclose on the web site). My visa bill shows a charge of $78.81 US - or $100.38 Canadian charged in April 1.
I just called them to complain about my visa card being billed on April 1, got some guy who is challenged with English, who told me that no one will give me a refund - refused to let me speak with a manager - told me it was policy and I didn't cancel within the 14 days. I am FURIOUS.
They are taking such advantage of so many people. It's truly a crime. I will followup with my bank on Monday and will be writing to every magazine I ever see the ad in requesting they stop advertising this. What a SCAM. I will start by returning the product, which likely causes heart attacks...
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Holly
Yalaha, US
1 comments
Holly
of Yalaha, US
Apr 18, 20095:51 pm EDT
Well first of all I ordered this trial bottle of pill for $4.99 on 2/10/09, which is what you are told at the time. Then I was charged $78.81 on 2/26/09. Then they sent me another bottle which I did not order and they charged my credit card $83.80 I sent the bottle back 3/19/09. Well I got my credit card statement on 4/18/09, and they still didn't credit my account. And the bottle got back to them by 3/21/09. So I called today 4/18/09 and talked with a service person(if that what you want to call them). Told him I wanted by refund. He said he couldn't do that. So I ask for a supervisor, and he said one was not there.
So he asked me to hold on a minute to see if he could sort it out. Then came back on the phone and told me he could credit my card for $78.81 he couldn't give me back the postage. Which I paid $2.26 to send it back. So here I am with this bottle of pill that was suppost to be $4.99 which turned in to a Big Scam. I'm sure if I did not follow up on this they would not have credited me any money. Lucky I sent it back delivery confirmation.
So that way I know they got it. Don't order nothing from these people.
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M. Eck
Plano, US
1 comments
M. Eck
of Plano, US
Apr 20, 20094:36 pm EDT
Made charges to card without authorization.
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Jerry Thompson
McAllen, US
1 comments
Jerry Thompson
of McAllen, US
Apr 21, 20097:05 pm EDT
This is a complete Scam. My wife ordered the product and they called me to verify the order since the credit card was in my name. I sensed high pressure in the salesmans presentation so I told him that i did NOT authorize the charge and to cancel the order. I then asked him why the high pressure over a $14.99 charge. He elevated and hung up on me. We subsequently received the product and returned it according to instructions. We were charged the $78.81 and the shipping of $14.99. The next month they shipped it again AND billed our credit card a second time for $83.80. I called them and they agreed to eliminate half of the first month charge and take the second month charge off of my card. They asked me to send an email asking them to cancel. Apparently I send the email to "services" instead of "service@advancedwellnessresearch.com and they never got the email. I just got off of the phone with Molly (in Canada) and I forwarded her the email from March 30th. She said that she was sorry but since they didn't receive the email they could only refund me the most recent of the four charges. I asked her why there were charges at all since we not only never confirmed the order in the first place but we returned all three bottles of product to the addess specified. She said that she had no way to contact "shipping" to confirm the return of the inventory. Long story short, it is a scam to charge your card each month for an amount that they hope you won't notice. By the time you do notice and call them they have made $177.60 or $261.40 off of you and they move on to the next one. I guess I work too hard for my money. What a nice little scam they have created for themselves. You have to respect their ingenuity with the marketing, the difficult return timeline and process, and then the offer to make it right by discounting the product. Of course they have gotten greedy in my case and didn't even cancel my account when I returned the product and called in. This will be their downfall when an Attorney General gets hold of it. Good luck, Jerry
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Crooks!
Boca Raton, US
4 comments
Crooks!
of Boca Raton, US
Apr 21, 20097:11 pm EDT
"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.
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Crooks!
Boca Raton, US
4 comments
Crooks!
of Boca Raton, US
Apr 21, 20097:12 pm EDT
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.
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Crooks!
Boca Raton, US
4 comments
Crooks!
of Boca Raton, US
Apr 21, 20097:14 pm EDT
You can't deal with a bogus Company, You have to file fraudulent charges with your credit card company. Don't believe me? Read the rest of the complaints here under Diet products... someone posted the ingredients here and one of them said " NOT DIGESTIBLE BY HUMANS."
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ron
South Salem, US
1 comments
ron
of South Salem, US
Apr 22, 20099:10 am EDT
4/22/09 I sent 6.99 as a shipping and handling fee for teeth whitening product. Never received anything but have been billed 85.92 for a product I have not received. Called the number to cancel and spoke to someone with an East Indian accent. She said her name was Cherry White and that I did not cancel within the 14 day period. Keeping any satisfaction there was impossible. This is an internet rip-off. I will join any class action suit. Don't buy anything from Advanced Wellness Research.
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Jim Goldfrank
Ocala, US
3 comments
Jim Goldfrank
of Ocala, US
Apr 22, 20099:45 pm EDT
They sent a second bottle and charged me 78.81 after I told them to cancel. VISA is putting this down as a disputed amount. I must return the product return receipt required and send this with a form that VISA will send me. I am sending your reports to VISA so they can clamp down on these so and so's.
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Nicole
US
1 comments
Nicole
of US
Apr 24, 20099:29 am EDT
I bought the trial which said, clean your teeth for only $6.95. Now they say I signed up and have charged me $85.92 and $81.30. I called and they are in India and will not refund my money. I have not received the products. My credit card was a pre paid card, I will file a dispute, but not optimistic about a refund.
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Billie
Kirbyville, US
1 comments
Billie
of Kirbyville, US
Apr 24, 20094:27 pm EDT
Verified customerThis complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more
I have had the same problems. Charged my card for something that was to be a trial offer. Couldn't get through to them to tell them the product didn't work. Since I didn't give my authorization to charge my card, or for an autoship. I stopped trying to contact them. Also the first bottle didn't come with any paper work what so ever. just the bottle in the bag. When I received another shipment, it did come with a piece of paper stating that thanked my for my order. I called the phone number, and tried to tell the lady that I did not order this and asked what I was charged for it she told me $78.81 what I agreed to . I told her that I never agreed to that. she said it was in the terms and conditions. I told her that I never gave the authorization for that, that I only agreed to the shipping and handling charge. I told her that I wanted my money back. She told me that she couldn't do that, but she would cancel my order if I wanted her to. We argued for several minutes about it, her continuously interrupting me to tell me that this is what I agreed to and that I needed to keep trying the pills for 3 months. I told her that I wanted to talk to a supervisor, she told me that, that was impossible. But she then told me that she would give me $20.00 back. I told her that was not good enough, she then offered 60.00 told her no, I would get an attorney. She then offered me $70.00, but for me to keep the pills. I took her name, and I will b sending the pills back with a letter. I don't see any better outcome, but I am going to do it anyway. Its companies like them that keep me from ordering things on line. It really makes me sick. Not to mention the fees at my bank that was charged because of them
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Tristran
Mirror Lake, US
1 comments
Tristran
of Mirror Lake, US
Apr 24, 200911:06 pm EDT
Add my complaint to the others. I sent for a "free sample" of Acai Berry and was charged $78. My pharmacy carries the same thing for about
Add my complaint to all the others. I sent for a "free sample" of Acai Berry, and was charged $78. My pharmacy carries the same thing for about $12. Judging from the foregoing complaints, I may as well accept the loss. Worse is the inconvenience of having to cancel my account, since it has been compromised. Is there no way to stop these people from their scam, or to prevent them from advertising on line?
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Kate
Baltimore, US
1 comments
Kate
of Baltimore, US
Apr 28, 20093:17 pm EDT
Company and product: scam...total scam...unauthorized charges on my credit card...though because of my own stupidity...legal.
Called today because another bottle came in the mail and it thanked me for my order -- WHICH I NEVER PLACED! After a very long conversation, during which I was offered various deals to continue receiving the product--the agent finally "got it" ... but she said she could not give me a cancellation number.
I called my credit card company and because I didn't read the terms & conditions I have no way of getting my money back...at least any thing they try to put on my credit card from this day forward CAN AND WILL be disputed.
BEWARE THIS COMPANY AND APPARENTLY SEVERAL OTHERS THAT ARE PEDDLING ACAI BERRY ...
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ssb4558
US
1 comments
ssb4558
of US
Apr 30, 200911:13 am EDT
I was charged $275.75 in less than 30 days. I wrote the BBB, the Attorney General in the State of Texas and the United States Postal Service for Mail Fraud. I went to my bank and disputed the charges. Today I got all my money back.
Don't take someone stealing from you without a FIGHT!
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Lynn Revees
Louisville, US
1 comments
Lynn Revees
of Louisville, US
Apr 30, 20096:07 pm EDT
I think the only problem I had with my order was that the shipment was a couple of days late. The acai berry product really does work great! I love it I feel so much better when every i take it and I'm lousing weight. Thanks Advanced wellness for this great supplement!
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Anna
Adelanto, US
2 comments
Anna
of Adelanto, US
Apr 30, 20096:37 pm EDT
I haven't had any problems with this company, and Acai Berry has worked great for me!
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Anna
Adelanto, US
2 comments
Anna
of Adelanto, US
Apr 30, 20096:50 pm EDT
I haven't had any problems with this company other than the shipping was a few days late. Acai Berry has worked for me.
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tmseal
Cincinnati, US
2 comments
tmseal
of Cincinnati, US
Apr 30, 20099:46 pm EDT
OMG! Everthing in these coments are exactly what happened to me! I clicked on add that I saw on myspace bc it was talking about a woman had used this stuff and it worked so well to whiten her teeth. It looked like a blog, not an ad so i clicked on the product name that became highlighted when scrolled over. It ttok me to a site where I could order a free trial where all i had to do was pay shipping and handling to try the product. I was billed the 4.99 for s&h on 4/16 and recieved the trial 5 days later. The box that it came in sat on my frig for a couple weeks and never even got used, I never even opened the baggie it came in. Didnt even think about it, but when I checked my bank account online today 4/30 there was a charge on my account of 78.93. I immediatley called the customer service number listed in my account info and immediately thought something was strange bc the automated intro sounded like it was far away like when someone your talking to was on speakerphone, very unofficial. The first woman (also Indian named "sarah") i talked to explained to me that in the "terms and conditions" it was stated that if I did not call with in 14 days of the day I ordered the product that I would be charged the full amount of the product. There was nothing unless it was written microscopic that I read stating that I only had 14 days! I demanded that I recieve a refund and told her that i hadnt even tried the trial and that I would gladly return it so that could have my $78.93 back, but she kept saying the same exact thing (like it was written) that all they could give me back was $40! I was not taking that for an answer and asked to speak with a superviser, in which she put me on hold for 2 minutes and when she came back on she told me that her "supervisor" tld her that the max they could return to me was $60. i was not about to give up. I told the woman that I demanded to talk with the supervisor and did not want to continue to talk to her. she keep informing me that she going to assist me and refund the $60 back ignoring my requests for the supervisor. So I told her I wanted to talk to someone that spoke clear English bc obvisiously she was not understanding me. she transferred me to another indian who spoke slightly better English who told me that he was the supervisor and insisted that 60 dollars was all they could do, that that was "policy". Still not accepting that, i asked to speak with someone higher up and he insisted that he was the highest and that that was all that he could do for me. i was at this point all but screaming at this ignornant man and asked him how he slept at night knowing that he was working for a company that scams people out of money. Of course he insisted that it was no scam and hat it clearly stated how to keep from incurring the full price of the product and cancelling the account. Account?! I didnt set up an account! All I did was give them my credit card number so that I could pay for the 4.99 s&h! I explained that this was no free trial that a free trial was when you get to sample a product and then if you like it you order more. I then asked him where he was located and he told me Illinois. BS! and so I demanded that I speak to someone higher up and American and threatened that I was going to report him to the Better Business Bureau and finally he said he would "try" to connect me. I was transferred to yet another Indian woman who I could hardly understand at all who was with Vonage phone service! I said I was talking to the people @ Advanced Wellness Research! I was so confused... i asked her to transfer me back and she said that I had to call the CS # again, I asked her why she couldnt just transfer me back and asked her where her call center was located, can you believe she said New Jersey?! They couldnt even keep the lie straight! Then she hung up on me! So I called the number again and this time instead of hitting 1 I hit option 2 for billing, I spoke with another Indian and asked for their corperate number, he told me there was none, that they didnt have a corporate office pretty much that he customer service was all there was. He insisted that I explain the problem and let him help me, so I gave in and told him what happened, with the bare details trying to hold back my rage. He immediately assured me that he had cancelled my account that he would refund the full amount, that I should recieve an email in about 10 minutes confirming this. I was so thankful and told him that they other people had told me that they could only refund $60, he had no explaination for this of course and when I asked him what his name was he said Alex Jones. He even admitted tome that this wasnt his real name. he insisted that if I had anymore problem that I call back ask for him. So I waited..and waited for the email. three hours later... no email. So I again called the CS and asked for Alex Jones, the Indian rep asked for my phone # email and address but I refused saying that I would only talk with the polite Alex Jones and of course he said that he was not on the shift and insisted that I let him assist me. I explained it allover for the 12th time and he told me that I would have to mail a statement of my account to them so in order to recieve a refund! I was so upset i was beside myself, he assured me that I would recieve an email in 3to 5 days, where "Alex" had told me that it would only be a few minutes! He said oh okay "it take 10 to 20 minutes for email". Like he was just telling me what I wanted to hear. To make a long long story shorter I finally recieved an email stating that my account was cancelled and that I would get a refund for the full amount. So help them God if I dont. So if you battling them DO NOT, DO NOT GIVE UP! Thats what they expect you to do, to give up and settle for the partial amount! I am going to do some research and see what can done about this, this is insanity, i thought i was going to lose it! I will not let this happen to more people, they need to be shut down. I only wish that I had seen this page beforehand but now am all the more determined!
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Mary Ann Redington
Carlsbad, US
1 comments
Mary Ann Redington
of Carlsbad, US
May 11, 20094:26 pm EDT
This company is the biggest scam in the world! They advertise a 14 day free trial; however, they don't mail the product to you until about day 10. I received the product and tried to cancel it after having it in my hand for 7 days. They told me the 14 day trial was over and charged my account TWICE for $78.69. They insisted it was my bank's error. I went to WaMu (now Chase) and they confirmed I was charged twice. It was not a bank error. The company continued to offer me free products which I refused. They refused to give me their mailing address. I am filing a dispute with Chase to prevent payment. I am also contacting the Carlsbad California Police Department for theft and fraud charged against this company.
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lilangel
Chickasha, US
1 comments
lilangel
of Chickasha, US
May 12, 20098:22 pm EDT
Well I have cancelled my order last month and recieved the full amount back. Then just yesterday I recieved another bottle. I thought to myself I tought I cancelled it. I know I did because my bank statement has the money returned. But they said that I did not cancell the order, yes it was Indian the first one was amale and the second one a female and you can hardly understand them. So after arguring with them I finally got it cancelled for the second time with a cancellation #. The first time I did not get one. If they said that you can cancell at anytime then you should be able to get your money back. They just send you the product and not sending a letter stating that would you like to cancell, they just send the product and take your money. It does not even state that they will keep on sending you the product after you recieved the trial offer. I will never do this again!
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tracy
US
1 comments
tracy
of US
May 13, 20096:34 pm EDT
I too responded to an ad online for a product to be sent free where i was only to pay $6.99 s&h. Later I noticed $69.99 was debted oout of my account an saw it was for the FREE product. I contacted someone and told them what happened and was told there was a "fineprint" concerning a response date/time deadline and that i missed it, therefore I was charged full price. So I decided to keep it. Soon after I saw another debt for 54.99 on my accountfrom them. Called again and talked to a "representative" who told me I didn't cancel my subscription and it automatically charged me and sent out another package, which I didn't want, order, or authorize. I told him to cancel all future shipments and the subscription and to refund my money. He told me to send my request in online and it will be taken care of. So I went to there website to respond to my complaint which was bogus, but found the Better Businees Bureau on this page and they graded them with a big fat"F" concerning their business practices. I filed my complaint to the BBB and got a letter from them 3 days later stating they would contact AWRI and submit my request. 2-3 weeks later another letter from the BBB came stating part of what my request was and was refunded the 1st charge of 69.99. By the way, the rep said he couldn't see the second charge in his computer. I checked my account 3 days after and 69.99 was refunded. So I left it at that. A week ago from today another charge of 54.99 comes out of my account from them again! Now I'm pissed off because they lied to me via the last transaction. So now I'm gonna contact The BBB again and let them know what happened as well as my attorney, and see if they can be shut down for fraudulent actions as well as theft. I've already told a rep from AWRI today I was gonna do this and he kept telling me to call him back in 2 days so the system can be updated to see my charges. BS! CALL OR WRITE THE BBB ON THIS COMPANY. THE MORE YOU FLOOD THEM ABOUT THIS COMPANY, THE MORE LIKELY THEY WILL SHUT AWRI DOWN. THEY ALREADY HAVE AN "F" GRADE AS IT IS!
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nurse
Do, US
1 comments
nurse
of Do, US
May 15, 20091:42 am EDT
Free sample offer charged for shipping and then, without authorization, began charging my credit card a monthly fee. I called when I first saw the charge on my cc bill. The charges continued
and so I called again and was told that there was no record of my call and I therefore had not "cancelled my order". They refused to reimburse the unauthorized charges.
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maynard
Columbia, US
1 comments
maynard
of Columbia, US
May 16, 20095:03 pm EDT
I have the same complaint as all of you. I would love to be involved in anything that whould shut these folks down
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Joe Kelley
Charlestown, US
1 comments
Joe Kelley
of Charlestown, US
May 17, 200910:00 am EDT
I had read a blog on teeth whitening, it had a sample of the product for 4.99 so I sent for it NO PROBLEM! got the product on 4/12/ 09 .
Then I got my visa bill on 5/12/09 with a charge for $78.93 for it . SCAM! I immediately called them and asked what it was for they said I signed up for a service that they send you the product EVERY month and charge you $80.00 for it.
Don't get sucked in, do not buy from these people, I also contacted my credit card co. to file a dipute on the charge, and I will also be contacting the Attorney General, and Better Business Bureau about this Co.
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Jennifer Tercero
Denver, US
1 comments
Jennifer Tercero
of Denver, US
May 18, 200912:19 pm EDT
My name is Jennifer Tercero
I received 2 items from you and I want to send them back and I want my money back. It's way to expensive and I can't afford it rigth now.
I went through my transactions and $187.87 has been taken out of my account. I want and need that money back. I would be more than happy to send the items back.
I didn't use or open the items luckily.
But please get back to me as soon as possible, I have been sending you emails since yesterday. (5/17/09)
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Maria
Lake Worth, US
4 comments
Maria
of Lake Worth, US
May 19, 20094:02 pm EDT
Get in touch with Attorney General, Lisa Madigan in Illinois. Fill out the Consumer Fraud Bureau and send it in to her office as I am doing. Hopefully if she receives enough complaints about this abusive AWR company, she can take them to court just as the Attorney General in Arizona is doing to similar companies who scam people on line.
Maria
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Shariah111
Idyllwild, US
1 comments
Shariah111
of Idyllwild, US
May 19, 20096:11 pm EDT
I received my Kit & I recommended it to my mother. She ordered and did NOT receive the full kit - only the Gel and the light and blue gel were missing. She called to tell them and they said that when her trial period is up she will be charged - NO MATTER IF SHE HAD THE COMPLETE KIT OR NOT. They have continued to charge her bank account for another full kit and only sent the Gel again. Even in my 2nd shipment they did not send a complete set. THIS COMPANY HAS NO PRIDE - THEY ARE TAKING MONEY WITHOUT SENDING THE FULL COMPLETE SET. THEN THEY SAY "OH WELL, YOUR TRIAL IS UP" AND CHARGE YOUR ACCOUNT - WITHOUT EVEN SENDING THE COMPLETE KIT. THIS IS FRAUD! DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM OR YOU WILL BE DOOPED. THEY NEED TO BE STOPPED.
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Memphian
Memphis, US
3 comments
Memphian
of Memphis, US
May 20, 20099:45 am EDT
This guy is in the same office with Advanced Wellness Research...
Philip Goldin [protected]
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Memphian
Memphis, US
3 comments
Memphian
of Memphis, US
May 20, 20099:56 am EDT
I FELL FOR THE SCAM TOO... Then I did some some research of my own.
Advanced Wellness Research is an overseas company operating out of the offices shared with South Florida Title Group...
Dial by name: Philip Goldin [protected] --- he is the landlord for these criminals. http://www.sftitle.com/
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Maria
Lake Worth, US
4 comments
Maria
of Lake Worth, US
May 20, 20099:28 pm EDT
I logged this complaint with Consumer Affairs
I ordered a free 14 trial of Acia Berry on the internet but when I cancelled it apparently was never recorded because when I spoke to a rep he had no record of me cancelling. End results: AdvancedWellnessResearch billed me to $330.21 for four bottles of their Berry. One of those bottles was supposed to be a trial bottle but that didn't work out either. I have been trying for the last month to return three sealed unopened bottles and they Nick Enrique tells me he cannot process a refund for me and yet, their website claims, 'easy cancellations and returns upon request.' I have done research and found site after site dedicated to the complaints on Advanced Wellness Research victims. I am getting in touch with Attorney General, Lisa Madigan requesting and investigation into this company. The complaints, grievances and protests against this company are innumerable. They are breaking the law in a number of states. Multiple Attorney Generals have to get involved to shut this company down and get refunds to all their victims. One more thing, AWR claims their Berry is Pure, has anyone checked out the other ingredients? I checked out the price of Acai Berry in stores and you can get it for as low as $7.99 for 100 capsules. AWR sells their not so Pure Berry for $79.99 for 60 capsules. Extreme over-pricing in itself should be a crime.
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Joe
US
2 comments
Joe
of US
May 20, 20099:50 pm EDT
I read here that the only way to stop getting charged was to cancel your credit card. When I received an email confirmation that my subscription (I didn't subscribe to anything of course, just asked for the free trial with $4.99 S&H) was cancelled, I thought that was good enough. Just fight to get my money back on the scam. Then I was charged two charges of $83.80.
I phoned and was told they accepted no returns and never give refunds, but would cancel my subscription and gave me a confirmation number. Again, I was charged two charges of $83.80 each. So I cancelled my credit card and fighting to get back what is already over $500 for little bottles of totally worthless product that I never asked for.
When you read here that the only way to stop getting charged is to cancel your credit card, take that warning seriously. I would like to know if any banks have ruled in favor of Advanced Wellness Research. I've decided if Citibank decides in favor of these crooks, I'll cancel all my accounts with them.
Joe
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MS. Monica
Spring, US
1 comments
MS. Monica
of Spring, US
May 21, 20098:24 am EDT
Well...I have joined the sucker club! They got me too! I ordered the teeth whitening products from advanced Wellness Research and Ivory whites to get free trails which I paid for the shipping and handeling. I was not pleased with the product so I simply did not order anymore. Low and behold, the are two charges to my accout for $78.93 and $88.00 plus another charge of $9.99 for what I do not know. I called the company and they bascially told me that I was out of luck as I did not cancel before the 14 day deadline...which was actually 13 days. Any ideas of how to get my money back?
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BWH
US
1 comments
BWH
of US
May 21, 20091:20 pm EDT
This company is a complete joke. If you have intentions of doing any legitimate business with them or intend to purchase product.
I was charged for several different products from this company that I did not order. I had never even heard of them until the charges showed up on my credit card statment.
When I called them to inquire about the charges they immediately became rude and very evasive. They would not tell me what I was being charged for and it was clear that they were not going to help me in any way. I was transferred several times and received a different story from each person I spoke with on the phone.
I was finally asked for an order id # and then they had me right where they wanted me for their little scam. If you say you don't have an order id # they immediately go to the "call your credit card company" card.
They first said that I must have placed the order or they would not have gotten my credit information. Once the topic of credit card fraud came up they shifted gears and said that it was up to my credit card company to handle any refund.
The supervisors in customer service are EXTREMELY sketchy and will all give you a different story each time you speak with them. I was finally told by a supervisor named JILLIAN to call back once I received the product and a refund would be processed. When I made that call, she told me that we never had that conversation and that because I was claiming fraud it was the responsibility of my "bank" to handle any refund.
THIS COMPANY IS NOT LEGIT IN MY OPINION AND I WOULD URGE YOU TO DO BUSINESS WITH SOMEONE LOCAL IN YOUR AREA. DO A LITTLE RESEARCH ABOUT ADVANCED WELLNESS RESEARCH AND YOU WILL SEE PLENTY OF CASES LIKE MINE AND PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY TRIED TO PLACE ORDERS WHO WERE RIPPED OFF. I am convinced that the person who obtained my cc information works with this company. They know that once you are charged, they get their money.
You better hope your credit card company has a good policy regarding fraud.
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Maria
Lake Worth, US
4 comments
Maria
of Lake Worth, US
May 21, 20099:18 pm EDT
I have logged a complaint with Consumer Affairs, Attorney General, Lisa Madigan in Illinois and the Attorney General in Florida. Why these states? Because Advanced Wellness Research is in many states. The office I was dealing with is in Illinois and I know from reading complaints they are also located in Florida, Ohio and Denver. I cancelled this product months ago but continued to get the Acai Berry and the charge. All I want to do is return the sealed unopened product and get a refund. I was charged $330.21 for four bottles of their berry. This has been going on since February. I have found so many complaints about AWR, I don't understand why someone has not contacted their Attorney General about this. The Attorney GEneral in Arizona is taking a similar, if not the same, company to court. My local TV station just had a segment on "Free Trial Scams'. If everyone victimized by these scams reported them, I'm sure we can put them out of business...Maria
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Joe Nohl
Morton, US
1 comments
Joe Nohl
of Morton, US
May 22, 20093:48 pm EDT
A sample tooth whitener was offered for $4.99. In addition to that charge on my credit card statement, I was also charged $78.93, for not cancelling the next shipment within 14 days. This is, in my way of thinking, nothing short of thievery.
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Alida
Denver, US
1 comments
Alida
of Denver, US
May 25, 20099:31 am EDT
Yes, I agree. This company is a scam. They not only charged my credit card in an unauthorized payment, but after cancellation they did not send the product and recharged my credit card after I had cancelled. I got some song and dance that my dates did not coincide with their billing dates. I plan to pursue other action.
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darren
Houston, US
2 comments
darren
of Houston, US
May 25, 20092:27 pm EDT
All the complaint is false, , , , , , the company is not scam and every thing is very clearly mention that to in bold letter, , , . I would like to advise you people before u go and sign up for any product please go and read the term and condition that will be more beneficial. Instead of just signing up for any product knowing it is free. However nothing comes free in this world.
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2641 E. Atlantic Blvd., Ste. 202, Pompano Beach, Florida, 33062-4978, United States
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Nov 04, 2024
Advanced Wellness Research Category
Advanced Wellness Research is ranked 22 among 54 companies in the
Diet Products category
On 3/19/09 I fell for the free offer and did receive one bottle of Pure Acai Berry for just shipping of $4.99. Then on 4/05/09 they charged my account $78.88 for nothing. NO additional product has ever been received. I called the number listed on the charge and was told to email advancewellnessresearch.com which I did. It came back as undeliverable. So I have filed a complain with the State Attorney General's office.
Well, here's one more sucker to add to the pile. Same story different day. I'm glad to here that someone is investigating them for fraud. Anyone know of a class action suit? If so, I'm in! I have been charged $79.72 & $85.92 & no product. Have canceled acct, but cc co says it's too late to have charges removed. Unfortunately, my cc company has had a lot of complaints about them. Deceptive Trade Practices seems to be a constant for this company.
overcharging.i was charged $78.81 for a product that did not work.expected result was poor.teeth whitnening shouldn, t cost so much.14days to refund your money was a night mare.please do not order these products.they scam to lure more from the consumers.be warned.i was refunded $60 later after 2weeks of hell.
I can't believe I have fallen for this. On April 1 the product arrived. On April 2 I called to cancel as the product is loaded with caffeine and I take it. (something they don't disclose on the web site). My visa bill shows a charge of $78.81 US - or $100.38 Canadian charged in April 1.
I just called them to complain about my visa card being billed on April 1, got some guy who is challenged with English, who told me that no one will give me a refund - refused to let me speak with a manager - told me it was policy and I didn't cancel within the 14 days. I am FURIOUS.
They are taking such advantage of so many people. It's truly a crime. I will followup with my bank on Monday and will be writing to every magazine I ever see the ad in requesting they stop advertising this. What a SCAM. I will start by returning the product, which likely causes heart attacks...
Well first of all I ordered this trial bottle of pill for $4.99 on 2/10/09, which is what you are told at the time. Then I was charged $78.81 on 2/26/09. Then they sent me another bottle which I did not order and they charged my credit card $83.80 I sent the bottle back 3/19/09. Well I got my credit card statement on 4/18/09, and they still didn't credit my account. And the bottle got back to them by 3/21/09. So I called today 4/18/09 and talked with a service person(if that what you want to call them). Told him I wanted by refund. He said he couldn't do that. So I ask for a supervisor, and he said one was not there.
So he asked me to hold on a minute to see if he could sort it out. Then came back on the phone and told me he could credit my card for $78.81 he couldn't give me back the postage. Which I paid $2.26 to send it back. So here I am with this bottle of pill that was suppost to be $4.99 which turned in to a Big Scam. I'm sure if I did not follow up on this they would not have credited me any money. Lucky I sent it back delivery confirmation.
So that way I know they got it. Don't order nothing from these people.
Made charges to card without authorization.
This is a complete Scam. My wife ordered the product and they called me to verify the order since the credit card was in my name. I sensed high pressure in the salesmans presentation so I told him that i did NOT authorize the charge and to cancel the order. I then asked him why the high pressure over a $14.99 charge. He elevated and hung up on me. We subsequently received the product and returned it according to instructions. We were charged the $78.81 and the shipping of $14.99. The next month they shipped it again AND billed our credit card a second time for $83.80. I called them and they agreed to eliminate half of the first month charge and take the second month charge off of my card. They asked me to send an email asking them to cancel. Apparently I send the email to "services" instead of "service@advancedwellnessresearch.com and they never got the email. I just got off of the phone with Molly (in Canada) and I forwarded her the email from March 30th. She said that she was sorry but since they didn't receive the email they could only refund me the most recent of the four charges. I asked her why there were charges at all since we not only never confirmed the order in the first place but we returned all three bottles of product to the addess specified. She said that she had no way to contact "shipping" to confirm the return of the inventory. Long story short, it is a scam to charge your card each month for an amount that they hope you won't notice. By the time you do notice and call them they have made $177.60 or $261.40 off of you and they move on to the next one. I guess I work too hard for my money. What a nice little scam they have created for themselves. You have to respect their ingenuity with the marketing, the difficult return timeline and process, and then the offer to make it right by discounting the product. Of course they have gotten greedy in my case and didn't even cancel my account when I returned the product and called in. This will be their downfall when an Attorney General gets hold of it. Good luck, Jerry
"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.
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.
You can't deal with a bogus Company, You have to file fraudulent charges with your credit card company. Don't believe me? Read the rest of the complaints here under Diet products... someone posted the ingredients here and one of them said " NOT DIGESTIBLE BY HUMANS."
4/22/09 I sent 6.99 as a shipping and handling fee for teeth whitening product. Never received anything but have been billed 85.92 for a product I have not received. Called the number to cancel and spoke to someone with an East Indian accent. She said her name was Cherry White and that I did not cancel within the 14 day period. Keeping any satisfaction there was impossible. This is an internet rip-off. I will join any class action suit. Don't buy anything from Advanced Wellness Research.
They sent a second bottle and charged me 78.81 after I told them to cancel. VISA is putting this down as a disputed amount. I must return the product return receipt required and send this with a form that VISA will send me. I am sending your reports to VISA so they can clamp down on these so and so's.
I bought the trial which said, clean your teeth for only $6.95. Now they say I signed up and have charged me $85.92 and $81.30. I called and they are in India and will not refund my money. I have not received the products. My credit card was a pre paid card, I will file a dispute, but not optimistic about a refund.
I have had the same problems. Charged my card for something that was to be a trial offer. Couldn't get through to them to tell them the product didn't work. Since I didn't give my authorization to charge my card, or for an autoship. I stopped trying to contact them. Also the first bottle didn't come with any paper work what so ever. just the bottle in the bag. When I received another shipment, it did come with a piece of paper stating that thanked my for my order. I called the phone number, and tried to tell the lady that I did not order this and asked what I was charged for it she told me $78.81 what I agreed to . I told her that I never agreed to that. she said it was in the terms and conditions. I told her that I never gave the authorization for that, that I only agreed to the shipping and handling charge. I told her that I wanted my money back. She told me that she couldn't do that, but she would cancel my order if I wanted her to. We argued for several minutes about it, her continuously interrupting me to tell me that this is what I agreed to and that I needed to keep trying the pills for 3 months. I told her that I wanted to talk to a supervisor, she told me that, that was impossible. But she then told me that she would give me $20.00 back. I told her that was not good enough, she then offered 60.00 told her no, I would get an attorney. She then offered me $70.00, but for me to keep the pills. I took her name, and I will b sending the pills back with a letter. I don't see any better outcome, but I am going to do it anyway. Its companies like them that keep me from ordering things on line. It really makes me sick. Not to mention the fees at my bank that was charged because of them
Add my complaint to the others. I sent for a "free sample" of Acai Berry and was charged $78. My pharmacy carries the same thing for about
Add my complaint to all the others. I sent for a "free sample" of Acai Berry, and was charged $78. My pharmacy carries the same thing for about $12. Judging from the foregoing complaints, I may as well accept the loss. Worse is the inconvenience of having to cancel my account, since it has been compromised. Is there no way to stop these people from their scam, or to prevent them from advertising on line?
Company and product: scam...total scam...unauthorized charges on my credit card...though because of my own stupidity...legal.
Called today because another bottle came in the mail and it thanked me for my order -- WHICH I NEVER PLACED! After a very long conversation, during which I was offered various deals to continue receiving the product--the agent finally "got it" ... but she said she could not give me a cancellation number.
I called my credit card company and because I didn't read the terms & conditions I have no way of getting my money back...at least any thing they try to put on my credit card from this day forward CAN AND WILL be disputed.
BEWARE THIS COMPANY AND APPARENTLY SEVERAL OTHERS THAT ARE PEDDLING ACAI BERRY ...
I was charged $275.75 in less than 30 days. I wrote the BBB, the Attorney General in the State of Texas and the United States Postal Service for Mail Fraud. I went to my bank and disputed the charges. Today I got all my money back.
Don't take someone stealing from you without a FIGHT!
I think the only problem I had with my order was that the shipment was a couple of days late. The acai berry product really does work great! I love it I feel so much better when every i take it and I'm lousing weight. Thanks Advanced wellness for this great supplement!
I haven't had any problems with this company, and Acai Berry has worked great for me!
I haven't had any problems with this company other than the shipping was a few days late. Acai Berry has worked for me.
OMG! Everthing in these coments are exactly what happened to me! I clicked on add that I saw on myspace bc it was talking about a woman had used this stuff and it worked so well to whiten her teeth. It looked like a blog, not an ad so i clicked on the product name that became highlighted when scrolled over. It ttok me to a site where I could order a free trial where all i had to do was pay shipping and handling to try the product. I was billed the 4.99 for s&h on 4/16 and recieved the trial 5 days later. The box that it came in sat on my frig for a couple weeks and never even got used, I never even opened the baggie it came in. Didnt even think about it, but when I checked my bank account online today 4/30 there was a charge on my account of 78.93. I immediatley called the customer service number listed in my account info and immediately thought something was strange bc the automated intro sounded like it was far away like when someone your talking to was on speakerphone, very unofficial. The first woman (also Indian named "sarah") i talked to explained to me that in the "terms and conditions" it was stated that if I did not call with in 14 days of the day I ordered the product that I would be charged the full amount of the product. There was nothing unless it was written microscopic that I read stating that I only had 14 days! I demanded that I recieve a refund and told her that i hadnt even tried the trial and that I would gladly return it so that could have my $78.93 back, but she kept saying the same exact thing (like it was written) that all they could give me back was $40! I was not taking that for an answer and asked to speak with a superviser, in which she put me on hold for 2 minutes and when she came back on she told me that her "supervisor" tld her that the max they could return to me was $60. i was not about to give up. I told the woman that I demanded to talk with the supervisor and did not want to continue to talk to her. she keep informing me that she going to assist me and refund the $60 back ignoring my requests for the supervisor. So I told her I wanted to talk to someone that spoke clear English bc obvisiously she was not understanding me. she transferred me to another indian who spoke slightly better English who told me that he was the supervisor and insisted that 60 dollars was all they could do, that that was "policy". Still not accepting that, i asked to speak with someone higher up and he insisted that he was the highest and that that was all that he could do for me. i was at this point all but screaming at this ignornant man and asked him how he slept at night knowing that he was working for a company that scams people out of money. Of course he insisted that it was no scam and hat it clearly stated how to keep from incurring the full price of the product and cancelling the account. Account?! I didnt set up an account! All I did was give them my credit card number so that I could pay for the 4.99 s&h! I explained that this was no free trial that a free trial was when you get to sample a product and then if you like it you order more. I then asked him where he was located and he told me Illinois. BS! and so I demanded that I speak to someone higher up and American and threatened that I was going to report him to the Better Business Bureau and finally he said he would "try" to connect me. I was transferred to yet another Indian woman who I could hardly understand at all who was with Vonage phone service! I said I was talking to the people @ Advanced Wellness Research! I was so confused... i asked her to transfer me back and she said that I had to call the CS # again, I asked her why she couldnt just transfer me back and asked her where her call center was located, can you believe she said New Jersey?! They couldnt even keep the lie straight! Then she hung up on me! So I called the number again and this time instead of hitting 1 I hit option 2 for billing, I spoke with another Indian and asked for their corperate number, he told me there was none, that they didnt have a corporate office pretty much that he customer service was all there was. He insisted that I explain the problem and let him help me, so I gave in and told him what happened, with the bare details trying to hold back my rage. He immediately assured me that he had cancelled my account that he would refund the full amount, that I should recieve an email in about 10 minutes confirming this. I was so thankful and told him that they other people had told me that they could only refund $60, he had no explaination for this of course and when I asked him what his name was he said Alex Jones. He even admitted tome that this wasnt his real name. he insisted that if I had anymore problem that I call back ask for him. So I waited..and waited for the email. three hours later... no email. So I again called the CS and asked for Alex Jones, the Indian rep asked for my phone # email and address but I refused saying that I would only talk with the polite Alex Jones and of course he said that he was not on the shift and insisted that I let him assist me. I explained it allover for the 12th time and he told me that I would have to mail a statement of my account to them so in order to recieve a refund! I was so upset i was beside myself, he assured me that I would recieve an email in 3to 5 days, where "Alex" had told me that it would only be a few minutes! He said oh okay "it take 10 to 20 minutes for email". Like he was just telling me what I wanted to hear. To make a long long story shorter I finally recieved an email stating that my account was cancelled and that I would get a refund for the full amount. So help them God if I dont. So if you battling them DO NOT, DO NOT GIVE UP! Thats what they expect you to do, to give up and settle for the partial amount! I am going to do some research and see what can done about this, this is insanity, i thought i was going to lose it! I will not let this happen to more people, they need to be shut down. I only wish that I had seen this page beforehand but now am all the more determined!
This company is the biggest scam in the world! They advertise a 14 day free trial; however, they don't mail the product to you until about day 10. I received the product and tried to cancel it after having it in my hand for 7 days. They told me the 14 day trial was over and charged my account TWICE for $78.69. They insisted it was my bank's error. I went to WaMu (now Chase) and they confirmed I was charged twice. It was not a bank error. The company continued to offer me free products which I refused. They refused to give me their mailing address. I am filing a dispute with Chase to prevent payment. I am also contacting the Carlsbad California Police Department for theft and fraud charged against this company.
Well I have cancelled my order last month and recieved the full amount back. Then just yesterday I recieved another bottle. I thought to myself I tought I cancelled it. I know I did because my bank statement has the money returned. But they said that I did not cancell the order, yes it was Indian the first one was amale and the second one a female and you can hardly understand them. So after arguring with them I finally got it cancelled for the second time with a cancellation #. The first time I did not get one. If they said that you can cancell at anytime then you should be able to get your money back. They just send you the product and not sending a letter stating that would you like to cancell, they just send the product and take your money. It does not even state that they will keep on sending you the product after you recieved the trial offer. I will never do this again!
I too responded to an ad online for a product to be sent free where i was only to pay $6.99 s&h. Later I noticed $69.99 was debted oout of my account an saw it was for the FREE product. I contacted someone and told them what happened and was told there was a "fineprint" concerning a response date/time deadline and that i missed it, therefore I was charged full price. So I decided to keep it. Soon after I saw another debt for 54.99 on my accountfrom them. Called again and talked to a "representative" who told me I didn't cancel my subscription and it automatically charged me and sent out another package, which I didn't want, order, or authorize. I told him to cancel all future shipments and the subscription and to refund my money. He told me to send my request in online and it will be taken care of. So I went to there website to respond to my complaint which was bogus, but found the Better Businees Bureau on this page and they graded them with a big fat"F" concerning their business practices. I filed my complaint to the BBB and got a letter from them 3 days later stating they would contact AWRI and submit my request. 2-3 weeks later another letter from the BBB came stating part of what my request was and was refunded the 1st charge of 69.99. By the way, the rep said he couldn't see the second charge in his computer. I checked my account 3 days after and 69.99 was refunded. So I left it at that. A week ago from today another charge of 54.99 comes out of my account from them again! Now I'm pissed off because they lied to me via the last transaction. So now I'm gonna contact The BBB again and let them know what happened as well as my attorney, and see if they can be shut down for fraudulent actions as well as theft. I've already told a rep from AWRI today I was gonna do this and he kept telling me to call him back in 2 days so the system can be updated to see my charges. BS! CALL OR WRITE THE BBB ON THIS COMPANY. THE MORE YOU FLOOD THEM ABOUT THIS COMPANY, THE MORE LIKELY THEY WILL SHUT AWRI DOWN. THEY ALREADY HAVE AN "F" GRADE AS IT IS!
Free sample offer charged for shipping and then, without authorization, began charging my credit card a monthly fee. I called when I first saw the charge on my cc bill. The charges continued
and so I called again and was told that there was no record of my call and I therefore had not "cancelled my order". They refused to reimburse the unauthorized charges.
I have the same complaint as all of you. I would love to be involved in anything that whould shut these folks down
I had read a blog on teeth whitening, it had a sample of the product for 4.99 so I sent for it NO PROBLEM! got the product on 4/12/ 09 .
Then I got my visa bill on 5/12/09 with a charge for $78.93 for it . SCAM! I immediately called them and asked what it was for they said I signed up for a service that they send you the product EVERY month and charge you $80.00 for it.
Don't get sucked in, do not buy from these people, I also contacted my credit card co. to file a dipute on the charge, and I will also be contacting the Attorney General, and Better Business Bureau about this Co.
My name is Jennifer Tercero
I received 2 items from you and I want to send them back and I want my money back. It's way to expensive and I can't afford it rigth now.
I went through my transactions and $187.87 has been taken out of my account. I want and need that money back. I would be more than happy to send the items back.
I didn't use or open the items luckily.
But please get back to me as soon as possible, I have been sending you emails since yesterday. (5/17/09)
Get in touch with Attorney General, Lisa Madigan in Illinois. Fill out the Consumer Fraud Bureau and send it in to her office as I am doing. Hopefully if she receives enough complaints about this abusive AWR company, she can take them to court just as the Attorney General in Arizona is doing to similar companies who scam people on line.
Maria
I received my Kit & I recommended it to my mother. She ordered and did NOT receive the full kit - only the Gel and the light and blue gel were missing. She called to tell them and they said that when her trial period is up she will be charged - NO MATTER IF SHE HAD THE COMPLETE KIT OR NOT. They have continued to charge her bank account for another full kit and only sent the Gel again. Even in my 2nd shipment they did not send a complete set. THIS COMPANY HAS NO PRIDE - THEY ARE TAKING MONEY WITHOUT SENDING THE FULL COMPLETE SET. THEN THEY SAY "OH WELL, YOUR TRIAL IS UP" AND CHARGE YOUR ACCOUNT - WITHOUT EVEN SENDING THE COMPLETE KIT. THIS IS FRAUD! DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM OR YOU WILL BE DOOPED. THEY NEED TO BE STOPPED.
This guy is in the same office with Advanced Wellness Research...
Philip Goldin [protected]
I FELL FOR THE SCAM TOO... Then I did some some research of my own.
Advanced Wellness Research is an overseas company operating out of the offices shared with South Florida Title Group...
Dial by name: Philip Goldin [protected] --- he is the landlord for these criminals. http://www.sftitle.com/
I logged this complaint with Consumer Affairs
I ordered a free 14 trial of Acia Berry on the internet but when I cancelled it apparently was never recorded because when I spoke to a rep he had no record of me cancelling. End results: AdvancedWellnessResearch billed me to $330.21 for four bottles of their Berry. One of those bottles was supposed to be a trial bottle but that didn't work out either. I have been trying for the last month to return three sealed unopened bottles and they Nick Enrique tells me he cannot process a refund for me and yet, their website claims, 'easy cancellations and returns upon request.' I have done research and found site after site dedicated to the complaints on Advanced Wellness Research victims. I am getting in touch with Attorney General, Lisa Madigan requesting and investigation into this company. The complaints, grievances and protests against this company are innumerable. They are breaking the law in a number of states. Multiple Attorney Generals have to get involved to shut this company down and get refunds to all their victims. One more thing, AWR claims their Berry is Pure, has anyone checked out the other ingredients? I checked out the price of Acai Berry in stores and you can get it for as low as $7.99 for 100 capsules. AWR sells their not so Pure Berry for $79.99 for 60 capsules. Extreme over-pricing in itself should be a crime.
I read here that the only way to stop getting charged was to cancel your credit card. When I received an email confirmation that my subscription (I didn't subscribe to anything of course, just asked for the free trial with $4.99 S&H) was cancelled, I thought that was good enough. Just fight to get my money back on the scam. Then I was charged two charges of $83.80.
I phoned and was told they accepted no returns and never give refunds, but would cancel my subscription and gave me a confirmation number. Again, I was charged two charges of $83.80 each. So I cancelled my credit card and fighting to get back what is already over $500 for little bottles of totally worthless product that I never asked for.
When you read here that the only way to stop getting charged is to cancel your credit card, take that warning seriously. I would like to know if any banks have ruled in favor of Advanced Wellness Research. I've decided if Citibank decides in favor of these crooks, I'll cancel all my accounts with them.
Joe
Well...I have joined the sucker club! They got me too! I ordered the teeth whitening products from advanced Wellness Research and Ivory whites to get free trails which I paid for the shipping and handeling. I was not pleased with the product so I simply did not order anymore. Low and behold, the are two charges to my accout for $78.93 and $88.00 plus another charge of $9.99 for what I do not know. I called the company and they bascially told me that I was out of luck as I did not cancel before the 14 day deadline...which was actually 13 days. Any ideas of how to get my money back?
This company is a complete joke. If you have intentions of doing any legitimate business with them or intend to purchase product.
I was charged for several different products from this company that I did not order. I had never even heard of them until the charges showed up on my credit card statment.
When I called them to inquire about the charges they immediately became rude and very evasive. They would not tell me what I was being charged for and it was clear that they were not going to help me in any way. I was transferred several times and received a different story from each person I spoke with on the phone.
I was finally asked for an order id # and then they had me right where they wanted me for their little scam. If you say you don't have an order id # they immediately go to the "call your credit card company" card.
They first said that I must have placed the order or they would not have gotten my credit information. Once the topic of credit card fraud came up they shifted gears and said that it was up to my credit card company to handle any refund.
The supervisors in customer service are EXTREMELY sketchy and will all give you a different story each time you speak with them. I was finally told by a supervisor named JILLIAN to call back once I received the product and a refund would be processed. When I made that call, she told me that we never had that conversation and that because I was claiming fraud it was the responsibility of my "bank" to handle any refund.
THIS COMPANY IS NOT LEGIT IN MY OPINION AND I WOULD URGE YOU TO DO BUSINESS WITH SOMEONE LOCAL IN YOUR AREA. DO A LITTLE RESEARCH ABOUT ADVANCED WELLNESS RESEARCH AND YOU WILL SEE PLENTY OF CASES LIKE MINE AND PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY TRIED TO PLACE ORDERS WHO WERE RIPPED OFF. I am convinced that the person who obtained my cc information works with this company. They know that once you are charged, they get their money.
You better hope your credit card company has a good policy regarding fraud.
I have logged a complaint with Consumer Affairs, Attorney General, Lisa Madigan in Illinois and the Attorney General in Florida. Why these states? Because Advanced Wellness Research is in many states. The office I was dealing with is in Illinois and I know from reading complaints they are also located in Florida, Ohio and Denver. I cancelled this product months ago but continued to get the Acai Berry and the charge. All I want to do is return the sealed unopened product and get a refund. I was charged $330.21 for four bottles of their berry. This has been going on since February. I have found so many complaints about AWR, I don't understand why someone has not contacted their Attorney General about this. The Attorney GEneral in Arizona is taking a similar, if not the same, company to court. My local TV station just had a segment on "Free Trial Scams'. If everyone victimized by these scams reported them, I'm sure we can put them out of business...Maria
A sample tooth whitener was offered for $4.99. In addition to that charge on my credit card statement, I was also charged $78.93, for not cancelling the next shipment within 14 days. This is, in my way of thinking, nothing short of thievery.
Yes, I agree. This company is a scam. They not only charged my credit card in an unauthorized payment, but after cancellation they did not send the product and recharged my credit card after I had cancelled. I got some song and dance that my dates did not coincide with their billing dates. I plan to pursue other action.
All the complaint is false, , , , , , the company is not scam and every thing is very clearly mention that to in bold letter, , , . I would like to advise you people before u go and sign up for any product please go and read the term and condition that will be more beneficial. Instead of just signing up for any product knowing it is free. However nothing comes free in this world.