-
Step 1
First of all, understand that the acai berry itself is not the problem. The acai berry is high in antioxidants, fiber, and heart-healthy fats. All of this is very good. All of these things are certainly components of a typical weight loss and/or detoxification program. However, the acai berry will simply not do what the hoax ads promise it will, which is to help you lose a tremendous amount of weight in a short time.
A healthy weight loss goal (other than initial water weight loss) is to lose 1% of your body weight each week. A 200-pound person should aim for 2 pounds per week. This is only accomplished by eating fewer calories each day than you burn. Any supplements that you take may aid in the process to some extent, but do not take the place of this. Even powerful prescription appetite suppressants do not work miracles. -
Step 2
Next, understand that the documented health benefits of the acai berry can also be obtained from many other sources. There are many foods that are high in antioxidants. In particular, studies have shown that pure cranberry juice has just about the same antioxidant capacity as acai berry juice. That is why fitness guru Jillian Michaels includes cranberry juice in her detox water recipe. Pomegranate juice and even red wine have been shown to have an even greater antioxidant capacity than the acai berry.
As far as fiber, plenty of foods are high in fiber, and there are plenty of delicious fiber-rich supplements available. As far as heart-healthy-fats, many doctors recommend taking fish oil capsules that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, and there are certainly many other foods that offer this. The acai berry is simply not a miracle food. -
Step 3
The first step for avoiding an acai berry scam is recognizing that acai berry products are readily available from your local pharmacy, or through reputable online drugstores. There is no reason to order any acai berry products via some cheesy website, from a company that you never heard of. These are simply all hoaxes. They do not have access to any special acai berry product that cannot be found elsewhere. You don't have to patronize the website of a scammer whose website says in huge letters that you will lose 25 pounds in 10 days if you buy their product.
-
Step 4
Assuming you find an online retailer that seems somewhat trustworthy, the next step in avoiding a scam is to read all the fine print on the site. You might have to click one or more links to get to it. If it mentions anything about recurring billing, it's a scam. If it mentions anything about a free trial, but requiring you to cancel by a certain time in your billing cycle, it's a scam. If it involves the inclusion of some unrelated product which has its own recurring billing plan, it's a scam.
-
Step 5
Assuming you are at the point where you found what you really think is an honest online retailer, the next step is to research the company. One easy way to do this is to just Google the company's name. You could also tack on the word "scam" or "hoax" or "complaints", and see what comes up. Of course every company has unsatisfied customers who complain, but if you see nothing but people claiming that they were cheated, and you don't see any rebuttals to the contrary, that is a bad sign.
Also try Googleing the company's phone number. If people claim that they have difficulty getting through to it, they will often include that number in their posting. Finally, you can also look up the company on the website of the BBB. If they have many complaints against them, or aren't listed at all, then avoid them. -
Step 6
Understand that what happens with these acai berry scams is that they offer you a free trial of the product, but they ask for your credit card number. They then say that if you cancel in 14 days, nothing happens, and you can keep the free trial. They then ship the free trial such that you get it after the 14 days have passed, and then they bill your credit card around $80, as part of their monthly recurring billing program. You then try to call and cancel, and find that the number is either disconnected, or they say that have no record of your order number so they can't cancel the order, or they put you on hold forever, or similar.
In some cases they may say that they will cancel you for the future, but that your next month's order already shipped, and cannot be canceled or returned. Many times they will simply lie to you and say that billing will stop, but they still continue to bill. Many people can only resolve these problems through lengthy disputes with their credit card company, followed by canceling their credit cards. -
Step 7
Understand that you will never have these problems with a large, reputable company. Sure, they could make a billing mistake, or there could be a misunderstanding, but it is always quickly resolved with a simple letter. Big companies don't want trouble like that. It isn't worth it for them. These small hoax companies just operate above the law, and it is difficult for the government to keep up with them. Don't become a victim of these hoaxes!
Comments
cheatedagain said
on 9/24/2009 I too, got scammed, but my credit card company would do nothing. I told them I did not authorize the charge. 87.13. so don't use Sears MasterCard, or Citibank Master Card. They don't do crap to help you. So it did me no good to cancel my card.
wingsat46 said
on 9/18/2009 acaiberrydetox.com AND Colon Cleanse 3000 SCAM
My call to stop additional orders or any initial charges for this "FREE Trial- just 99 cents for s/h" within the 14 days of ordering was not sufficient because I was charged $39.95 the very next day after the order - unbeknownst to me. I called within the 14 days of ordering to cancel any additional bottles. I called on 9/04, was assured that no further charges would be made to my account yet was charged that very day $83.95! So back to the phone to "wait 10 minutes because of an unusual volume of calls" to get my money back. I was refunded 2 days later.
Get a confirmation e-mail or number because you WILL be calling them back about an additional problem.
Hollywood, FL 866-736-1040 or get the number from your bank statement.
Be sure that if you ordered the Colon Cleanse with it, you will need to call to cancel that as well.
Risk Fre...
olivia02 said
on 8/28/2009 I too have fallen for this one, however I canceled my card before the payments cleared, I was charged for a second time, the duplicate charges fell off my account without posting, the account is drawn down and they no longer have access to my money. I'm so glad I used my checking account instead of a credit card so I could watch it more closely. Today I received two calls from them. they state that they have "lost the order, how can I get you the acai berry today?" I stated "is that right? the payment cleared yesterday", they asked when did you place the order? When I stated last Friday the operator then stated "well then you will be receiving it" then he just hung up on me. Later I received another call stating "your order was missing the zip code we need to reorder this for you". I replied "the payment cleared yesterday so just ship it" the operator hung up on me again. The w...
sewingon said
on 8/17/2009 Danna says Thank you everyone for being honest about this scam .It helped me !
ladyann48 said
on 7/18/2009 CANCEL YOUR CREDIT CARD!!! It is much easier to cancel your card and get issued a new one than having to fight to stop those auto billings. I only got hit with the $5.95 S/H. on my card...then cancelled it before they had a chance to get me again. I also sent their package back unopened with "REFUSED" on it! Never heard anymore from them.