by Dan-N on December 18, 2009
There is an old corny joke -
Q- How Do You Stop An Elephant From Charing?
A – Take Away His Credit Cards
Well, it looks like Visa has finally seen the giant Elephant in the room – All the Free Trial Acai Berry Scammers – and true to the joke, they have taken away their credit cards!
Visa Inc. Cuts Off 100 Merchants Who Have Been Deceiving Consumers
On December 17, 2009 Visa Inc. announced they cut off 100 scammers who used bogus marketing techniques to dupe consumers in the past six months. The scam involves what is called “negative option” or “forced continuity”. This is a process where the consumer signs up to get something for free (such as Acai or Resveratrol) and is just asked to enter a credit card to pay for shipping. What the consumer does not see is that there is tiny print buried pages deep in the site that says they give the company the right to charge them upwards of $90 a month and continue to bill them for products every month.
“The game here is to get people hooked, keep them on the hook for monthly charges as long as you can, and only stop making those charges when you’re forced to,” said Stephen Salter, vice president of BBB Online. BBB has received thousands of complaints about the problem, with multiple companies to blame. “The product is irrelevant to getting the charges on the card.”
Let’s All Welcome Visa Inc on Board the Stop Acai Scams Bandwagon – What Took You So Long!
Any regular regular of this blog knows that we have been calling for authorities to shut down these Acai scam sites for close to a year now. We have seen Attorney Generals from various states bring actions, The Better Business Bureau issue warnings and Oprah bringing a massive lawsuit against the scammers. Still, we have always felt the best way to stop these acai scammers was to hit them in the wallet and cut off their ability to accept credit cards. So, while Visa Inc is a little late to the party – we definitely welcome them and applaud their actions.
100 Merchants? Is That All the Acai Scammers Out There?
No – just a small drop in the bucket. The good news is this sends another signal to any company who practiced deception online that deceit does not pay. Maybe they were not caught in this round by Visa Inc. Maybe they were not named in the Oprah Lawsuit. Maybe the FDA and FTC has not filed charges against them today. Maybe the Attorney General in their state has not shut them down yet… but tomorrow is another day and they might be next.
We really believe the way to stop these Acai scams is to create an environment where the risk outweighs the reward. These scammers are all about making money and not getting caught. As they start to see more legal action taken, their risk of getting caught increases. Let’s hope everyone keeps applying more pressure so we can all believe in the old adage again – crime does not pay!
Additional Resources:
Black Belt Course In Spotting Acai Berry Scams
Visa Inc Information on Negative Option and Deceptive Marketing
Visa, FTC and BBB Press Release on Avoiding Online Scams
by Dan-N on December 9, 2009
A quick follow-up to our post yesterday – Who Can Explain The Mysterious Acai Berry Side Effects? In our article we talked about how we had heard reports of side effects when using Acai products, but it was probably due to other ingredients mixed in with the Acai. Well, it looks like we were partially right – it was from other ingredients, just not ones listed on the label.
How About Some Sildenafil To Go With Your Acai
On 12/8/09 Health Canada reported that they had identified a number of Acai supplements that contained the erectile dysfunction drug Sildenafil. Of course, Sildenafil was not listed on the label since it is a prescription drug. Health Canada states…
“The prescription drug is used to treat erectile dysfunction, but could cause serious side-effects in some people and should only be used under the supervision of a doctor.”
Well, it looks like we just figured out where the mysterious side effects with Acai were coming from. Health Canada goes on to state -
“But it notes that sildenafil should never be used by people taking a nitrate drug, for example nitroglycerine, as it can cause low blood pressure. Individuals with heart problems taking sildenafil would be at higher risk of heart attack, stroke, chest pain, high blood pressure and abnormal heartbeat. Other side-effects include headache, facial flushing, indigestion, dizziness, abnormal vision and hearing loss, Health Canada says.”
Health Canada found traces of Sildenafil in the following brands: Anti-Aging Acai Berry, Guarana Blast, Brazillian Pure, Anti-aging Vital Rez V, Weight Loss VitalAcai, Dietary Supplement Acai Power Blast and Muscle Mass.
To Avoid Acai Berry Side Effects – Use Pure and Tested Acai Brands
It feels like we say this about 100 times a day, but probably worth repeating – if you are going to try Acai, stick with a pure and trusted brand of Acai. Our brand of choice is the the Perfect Acai, because it has just one ingredient – 100% Organic Freeze Dried Acai and is a well established brand with a strong history of safe usage.
Additional Resources:
Read the Full Story from Health Canada (with photos of tainted Acai products)
by Dan-N on November 20, 2009
Arizona (AZ) is quickly becoming our favorite state. In June we reported how the Arizona Attorney General had reaches a settlement with the makers of Acai Pure for their deceptive “free trial” scams. Now Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard is making it clear that Acai Scammers are not welcomed in his state!
“An Arizona company pushes “free trials” of acai berry products online and then repeatedly bills customers for stuff they didn’t order and don’t want, the Arizona Attorney General says. The attorney general says Nature’s Acai Berry hides its scam in “faded print” that mentions a bill of $85.91 and a monthly “membership” fee of $29.95.”
-Court House News Service – 11/20/09
But What About that 14 Day Free Trial They State on the Site?
“Nature’s Acai Berry offers a “14-day risk-free” trial offer, allegedly for $1.99 plus shipping and handling, the state says in Maricopa County Court.
But the order button on its Web site conceals a “faded print stating that the ‘14-day trial offer’ began on the date of the order, and that unless the consumer canceled before 14 days passed by calling a toll free customer service number, that the consumer would be charged $85.91 … and would receive a new shipment … 30 days after their trial order date,” Attorney General Terry Goddard in says.”
-Court House News Service – 11/20/09
So I Just Need to Cancel in 14 Days – Right???
But the state says that many people who order the “14-day risk-free trial offer” do not get anything within two weeks, and when they try to cancel by calling customer service they face “excessive hold times, disconnections, and customer service reps who say their cancellations cannot be processed because “‘the computers were down.’”
Customers who were led to believe they had canceled found their credit cards were billed anyway, Goddard says.
-Court House News Service – 11/20/09
How Do These Acai Scammers Sleep At Night?
I have no idea. Even with all the recent legal action taken acai scam companies, it is amazing that they continue to try to pull all their dirty tricks. Well, let’s look at the positive and applaud the Arizona Attorney General for doing the right thing and protecting the rights of their citizens – they are seeking refunds and an injunction.
Additional Resources:
Oprah and Illinois Attorney General File Suit Against Acai Scam Companies
How I Lost $90 in 30 Days Using the Acai Berry
What Did Oprah and Dr Oz Really Say About Acai
Acai Berry Scams – How to Avoid Them
Acai Berry Maxx named Texas Lawsuit
Free Black Belt Course in Spotting Acai Berry Scams
Information on Supplements
by Dan-N on November 3, 2009
If we had a dime for every minute we spent writing about Acai Scams we would be rich! And tired, from lugging all those dimes over to the bank… but that’s not the point. As the calendar turns from October to November we might actually see a very positive trend – a decrease in acai berry scams!
Oprah Lawsuit Might Finally Be Putting a Dent in Acai Berry Scams
Our unofficial review has shown the number of free trial acai scams increase every month since about July 2008. October 2009 looks like it may be the first month where the number of Acai free trial scams did not increase. Of course, it is almost impossible to scientifically measure this, but when we look at Acai related spam and Acai advertising – it did look like October was a cleaner month than September.
We have no doubt that the 267 Page Lawsuit by Oprah (Harpo Productions) had a lot to do with this trend. It was not just the companies that Harpo brought suit against, we believe it also had a ripple effect by scaring off many other acai scam companies. The Oprah lawsuit made it clear they would go after anyone who used her (or Dr. Oz’s) image to promote their Acai supplement.
Let’s Not Count Our Chickens Before They Hatch
Let’s not pull punches, there are still thousands of Acai Berry products being sold in deceptive and dishonest ways. If you have a shark tank filled with 100 sharks – it would be dangerous to jump in. If you then removed 70 sharks, I guess it is a little safer, but I would still be vary cautious about jumping in!
As we have said before, there are some quality Acai Supplements out there, you just need to be very careful before you give out your credit card to anyone.
We will report back at the end of November and see if this positive trend in decreasing the number of acai scam products can continue.
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