I have alluded to these people before as they are one of the minority of companies that bring the dietary supplement industry into disrepute. (These are the people that run the 'Smiling Bob; adverts.)
It is bad enough that they have been selling overpriced products that do not do what they claim, but they are also guilty of defrauding customers by billing their credit cards and shipping unwanted products.
They have been following a practice which is still quite common so you should be aware of it.
This is what they and other dubious companies do…
They promote their supplements with claims that are really too good to be true, but they are done in a very slick manner and are very convincing. But, in an effort to make the potential ‘customer’ feel comfortable that the products really will work they offer to send some product for ‘free’.
In other words you don’t pay for the product, just the shipping and handling. This then gives them access to your credit card details.
Then they proceed to ship you product every month whether you want it or not. They then make it almost impossible to get a refund because either their email does not work through their website or, the phone lines are always busy.
According to court documents they successfully defrauded customers and merchant banks of more than $100M.
Needless to say, they are in big trouble now…but, like all these types of cases a big chunk of the money usually disappears and is never recovered.
The moral of this story?
Well, if a company is offering to send you ‘free’ samples for just the shipping and handling fee, then you must do four things before making a final decision.
- Don’t rush in. Research it carefully.
- Read the fine print.
- Call the company and see how easy it is to speak to an executive…not, an answering service which many companies hide behind.
- Email the company and see how easy it is to get a response.
If you have an reservations, don't proceed. If you would like more info on this particular company and the current status of them you can read an article by clicking here.