by Dan-N on August 20, 2009
Justice may move slowly, but at least it is finally moving. On 8/18 the Attorney General of Illinois announced they are bringing a suit against 3 different Acai companies that have scammed and deceived customers. In addition, Harpo, Inc – producers of the Oprah Winfrey show – filed a trademark infringement suit against 40 internet marketers of dietary supplements such as Acai.
You Go Oprah – Stick it to Them!
Our regular readers are sick to death of us writing about Acai scams. In case you missed any of our posts, will put some links at the bottom of this article. Here is the quick summary – Acai Free Trail Scam companies have been ripping off consumers for over a year now and we have been screaming for the FDA, FTC, Attorney Generals, BBB – anyone to put an end to this! It now looks like Oprah and Attorney General Lisa Madigan are finally putting a dent in the Acai scams.
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) really does want to protect consumers from deceptive advertising, but sometimes it seems like their laws have an opposite effect. This summer, the government agency will issue new advertising guidelines requiring bloggers to disclose when they’re writing about a sponsor’s product and voicing opinions that aren’t their own.
“If you walk into a department store, you know the (sales) clerk is a clerk. Online, if you think that somebody is providing you with independent advice and … they have an economic motive for what they’re saying, that’s information a consumer should know.”
-Rich Cleland , Assistant Director of Advertising Practices for the FTC
by Dan-N on June 25, 2009
Maybe there is some justice in this world…
Maybe crime really does not pay…
On 6/25/09 the Arizona Attorney General announced it had reached a record settlement of $1,375,000 with Central Coast Nutraceuticals (CCN). CCN is the company that makes the Acai Pure (acai-pure.com), one of the many so called “free trial Acai Berry Products”.
We have been over the various angles to Acai Berry Scams but they involve the same basic elements of deception and misrepresentation. The Arizona Attorney General had received hundreds of complains about CCN and brought a lawsuit in December 2008 alleging CCN used a variety of deceptive tactics marketing low cost “risk-free” trial offers of health supplements.
If You Have Purchased Pure Acai you May Be Able to Get Your Money Back
Under the terms of the settlement, the state of Arizona is receiving about $1 Million and $350,000 is being put into an account to refund to customers who have purchased the Pure Acai from CCN. If you did buy Pure Acai you want to call 1-800-352-8431 by August 17, 2009 so you can file your claim for a possible refund. It is important to note that anyone who has purchased Pure Acai can file a claim (you do not need to live in Arizona).
Let’s All Say a Big Thank You to the Arizona Attorney General
We can at times be a little cynical about the supplement industry, but let’s pause and for the moment be thankful that the bad guys got their due. Sure there are still lots of other Acai Scams floating around the internet, but at least this was a step in the right direction.
More Information:
Press Release from the Arizona Attorney General
Nice piece in the Consumerist about this Acai Berry Scam
Acai Berry Videos that expose Acai Berry Scams
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