It may seem that everywhere you look online, you see advertisements for weight loss supplements that include acai berry. They may urge you to follow one simple rule to lose weight, or they may mimic the look of a news website talking about a “local” woman’s weight loss. Unfortunately, many of these are scams. The Connecticut Attorney General’s office reports that there is no competent scientific research supporting the health claims made by these companies.
Types
The initial scam is that acai berry is not a weight loss miracle. The Center for Science in the Public Interest states that acai does contain nutrition and antioxidant properties–all berries do–but there is nothing special that sets it apart as a weight loss solution. The bigger scam is that the companies that produce the supplements often sign consumers up for a monthly program to purchase more supplements, charging up to $80 a month for the supplements.
How It Works
The companies lure unsuspecting consumers with the offer of a free sample, collecting the credit card information to cover the costs of shipping. In the fine print, it states that the consumer will start to be charged a monthly fee after a certain time frame. If you don’t regularly check your credit card bill, it could be several months before you find the charge.
Time Frame
Typically, the company will begin to charge you for your monthly supply after two weeks. Once they start to charge you, they will charge the same fee once per month. Some companies may wait a month before charging you.
Prevention
Always read the fine print when submitting your credit card online. Remember that free offers are rarely truly free. If you are interested in using acai berry as a supplement, it’s easy to find pills and juices in grocery, vitamin and discount stores. When you purchase the pills over-the-counter in this way, you won’t have to worry about getting sucked into the rebilling cycle.
Warning
You may think that you can order the free sample and simply cancel before your free trial period ends. However, some of the companies make it difficult for you to cancel your membership, requiring you to call numbers where trained sales staff are ready to answer your call and persuade you not to cancel.
Photo Credit
- jeans, belly and hand image by Vasiliy Koval from Fotolia.com
