“My mother and I both became members of L.A. Weight Loss/Pure Weight Loss and were pursuaded to pay for the entire program up front in July 2007 to the tune of about $1,820.00. Then, they closed their doors in January 2008, but our counselor was able to assist us with filling out documentaiton for a refund from the company, which totalled right around $1,400.00. When I found out they were filing Chapter 7, I contacted the United States Bankruptcy Court for Eastern District of Pennsylvania and completed documentation needed to become a party to that action. As of this date, I have been corresponding with the trustee and was advised that he anticipated a distribution of funds in 2010; however, as of this date, I have not heard anything futher from him.

“The case number is 08-10315(JKF), which should be accessable on-line. As Charmaine stated earlier: BUYERS BEWARE, DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY AND DAMN SURE DON’T PAY FOR ANYTHING UP FRONT OR PROVIDE CREDIT CARD INFORMATION SO THEY CAN CHARGE IT ON A MONTHLY BASIS!!!”

Charmaine writes:

“I just got the postcard in the mail, too. Now I am upset. I filed suit with the PA attorney general and got a letter saying there was nothing I could do, I am out over $500 owed to me for products. I contacted the PA attorney general via e-mail today asking how this can happen. Meanwhile, I was so disgusted, I threw out all the original paperwork. Somebody should contact 60 minutes and refer this story to THEM so nobody buys this crap ever again. I suggest mass emailings AND phone calls to the PA attorney general and to attorney generals in other states if you got your previous items there. And the center I was a member of did not notify consumers they were going out of business, so when I found out from a fellow member, I ran down there, but they were out of everything. I see they are also offering new franchises. BUYERS BEWARE!!!! DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY!!!!”

Steven Ferguson:

“I just got the postcard many of you have mentioned and I am furious as well!

”I am owed quite a few LA lites from the abrupt closing of Pure Weight loss.

“It is true those bars are the best – but the ripped off customers should get the supply they never got free from this “new” company. Everything looks very close to the old LA Weight Loss! They have to be the same people.

“The PA attorney general should not allow this to happen without compensating the clients of the bankrupt company which has now re-opened!

“Has any one approached the PA AttorneyGeneral about this ?

“I hope we can get something back – either $$ or product!”

“I was with La weight loss for about 1 year and a half.” writes Trina. “They owe me over $2,000.00 I will say that I am very unhappy that they have never paid me back and I would like my $2,000.00 back. The only good thing I have to say about this company is that if you follow the program and excersize that it does work. I lost over 80 pounds. It is sad that so many individuals were owed $$$ or product or both, I think that they should have to pay everyone back before they can sell more. But just my thought! Wish there was something we could do to get our $$$ back or product owed to us!!!”

Kim writes:

“I did get a small amount back from the bankruptcy court but nowhere near what they owed me. FYI: if they are the same folks, they already have your credit card info unless you changed cards or paid with cash. And you can put a stop on it through your card company if you are unhappy with the service/program. They can only bill for stuff sent after the fact. So don’t order in a hugh bulk. I loved the Lite bars and a MONTHLY bill for bars sent at their expense does not make them expensive for me. I have seen posts from folks who say that they get them at a fraction of the cost. I figure them to be $1.60 a bar which is about what the individual bars of other brands are at the grocery stores and places like Wal-mart. NOW, if they are packaged as the same size as they used to be . . .”

Trina Anderson writes:

“la weight loss owes me and my daughter over,$500.00. i wont deal with them again. i have the tools to keep my weight off now. would have been nice if they were honorable and paid people what they owed them. rip offs.”

Hillary writes:

“I am out $750. Trying to dispute it with credit card but BOFA wont do anything about it. How do I get my money back? I contacted everybody I can. Also filed a complaint with the FTC and BBB against them. Trying CA attorney general next.”

Sheila writes:

“For those of you who lost money…. I am not sure if it’s too late but I contact my sate attorney general and filed a claim. I got about half my money back. I am going to contact them and see if there is something I can do about the product.”

DID YOU LOSE MONEY WITH LA WEIGHT LOSS SCAM?  DID YOU PAY FOR LA LITES YOU NEVER RECEIVED?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

Then they barrage them with postcard sales pitches for their LA to Your Door program, asking them to pay again for products they never received in the first place!  Here are some reactions from our readers:

Mary writes:

“When I see this kind of thing, my blood boils. Harold Katz, Kristy McKenna, Tim Britt and Bill Warrin all cheated every L A Weight Loss client and then pulled this further scam. They ought to be charged by the Attorney General. They owe people bars because they screwed us by closing the doors with zero notice. Now they want us to pay for the very bars we already paid for. Please Mr/Mrs Attorney General…..dont let them pull this kind of stunt. In setting up this “new” company, but with the same group of theives, it would seem like some type of fraud was at hand.”

Jean writes:

“I also had LA bars owed me which I never received nor was given a credit. Customers beware as the saying goes.”

Karen writes:

“Yes! I lost alot of money to La closing thier doors, I think they could give a discount to those Ladies that have already invested, or free products to help us back!!! I learned alot from LA.. I have already ordered again a yr ago…I believe this is the Best,, Safe, Fun. No Hunger Diet plan but I need help so Im back!!”

Marion writes:

“It is bitter sweet seeing this postcard from LA Weight Loss. I worked for the company for 10 years and loved it! I hope this works out for them. I miss my job there and have great memories of this job and met alot of great people and do not regret it! This is a great program and it really works I still have my menu plan…good luck,.”

Cindy writes:

“Don’t trust these people they will take your money like they did everyone else in the centers. These people are selling bars that people have already paid for. I hope the attorney general can help, stop them crooks there goal is to make money not to help people. Everyone please be careful when dealing with people like them.”

HAVE YOU PAID FOR LA LITES FROM L.A. WEIGHT LOSS THAT YOU NEVER RECEIVED?  HAVE YOU BEEN A VICTIM OF WEIGHT LOSS FRAUD?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW!

Rita J. Wilson writes:

“It is the exact same executive staff, they just changed the name of the parent company. Christy McKenna was in charge of Operations of the company when it had centers and she now is running this division. I would not trust them with my credit card information!”

BB writes:

“Well I used to work for them… I got the same postcard. Yes the company basically closed there doors and some of the employees from there…. started the LA to your door thing. Its still based out of Horsham but in a different location. They do still have the rights to the name and all. Its the same food and everything just they dont have the centers with counselors anymore just if you were interested in getting the product still they have it available. Its a shame what happened! I feel”

Kelly writes:

“OMG this is absolutely ridiculous. I just got this postcard in the mail–meanwhile I am still waiting for the $560 they still owe to me. This is nuts.”

Bernadin, N. writes:

“What a rip off !!! The place closed up with out a word and I am out 86 boxes of LA lites. Forget it on buying more, once Ripped off is enough!!!”

AG writes:

“OMG is right! I’m owed money as well after the centers near me closed with no warning. They tried to sell me on “LA On the Go” which I declined so they told me I needed to fax paperwork in to get a refund – numerous tries with no response and then the number was disconnected. Now I received a postcard in the mail to sign up for “LA To Your Door” – is there nothing we can do?”

HAVE YOU BEEN RIPPED OFF BY L.A. WEIGHT LOSS, PURE WEIGHT LOSS OR LA TO YOUR DOOR?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW!

Others claim that these supposed diet products are marketed with fake claims that they are endorsed by Oprah, Rachel Ray or other trusted celebrities.

Some claim that many of the “after” photos on these fake weight-loss, diet supplement and Acai Berry related blogs are just stock photos of models.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is warning consumers about “fake blogs, fake endorsements, fishy science, and hard-to-cancel credit card transactions,” all related to acai berry products.

According to Peggy Rowland on Blisstree:

“Even though acai berries are supposed to be the new, exotic super antioxidants, there’s no evidence to support any weight loss claims. Nor is there evidence to support other “magic powers” of the acai berry: cleaning colons or enhancing sexual desire. If you’re thinking of giving someone your credit card number to cover shipping for a free trial of the powerful acai berry pills, think again. They go by many names, but suspect them all.”

HAVE YOU BEEN RIPPED OFF BY SITES SELLING ACAI BERRY PRODUCTS, DIET PILLS OR WEIGHT LOSS SUPPLEMENTS?

SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

(Image via Pure Acai Berry, Blisstree)

Instead of losing weight, Lipoban buyers simply lost their money… and scammer Frank Sarcona has now lost his freedom.

The 58-year-old Frank Sarcona was convicted of 29 felony counts regarding his “Lipoban” product

According to a CBS4 story:

“A West Palm Beach man who promised miracle weight supplement in a bottle has been sentenced to two decades in federal prison.
Last October, 58-year-old Frank Sarcona was convicted of 29 felony counts regarding his “Lipoban” product which purported to absorb fat.

“Sarcona had faced up to 33 years in prison, but during a sentencing hearing on Friday, Judge Kenneth Marra showed leniency with a 20 year sentence. Sarcona’s attorney has vowed to appeal it.

“Though Sarcona made about $10 million on Lipoban, and millions more on other products, his attorney argued he didn’t financially ruin any victims. Lipoban cost about $60 a bottle.

“Sarcona has received up to 13 state or federal cease-and-desist orders since 1984. He allegedly formed Lipoban just months after cutting a deal with the Federal Trade Commission regarding another supplement.”

HAVE YOU LOST MONEY ON A WEIGHT LOSS SUPPLEMENT OR FAT ABSORPTION SCAM LIKE LIPOBAN?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

Read CBS4 story here.

Friday, January 22, 2010 on the Ripoff Report, Haraldg of Washington, Iowa) wrote:

“After canceling our online account and WeightWatchers closing it so we could no longer access it, they continued to charge our credit card.  I did not notice it because they waited three months to charge the first amount then did it intermittently sometimes monthly, sometimes with two months in between.”

Saturday, February 21, 2009, James of Atlanta, GA wrote:

“I am a online user experience expert reviewing weightwatchers.com for an upcoming blog article. I signed up for the FREE 7 DAY trial to conduct the review.

“I clicked the FREE TRIAL button and was redirected to a sign up page. I didn’t see anything about a free trial so I went back to the previous page and clicked the FREE TRIAL button again. The website landed me back on the same sign up page.

“So I assumed I was signing up for the free trial and continued through the flow. When I came to the credit card entry form I assumed my card would be charged at the end of the seven day trial or at the least the funds be refunded when I canceled.

“After I completed a my usability review of the website I clicked on the Cancel Account link. I also sent a cancellation email to the customer service department.

“An agent named “Kelle” with Weight Watchers Online accounting department responded to let me know that my credit card was charged $65.00 and that I would only be receiving an $18.10 refund. So my two-hour “FREE TRIAL” actually cost $46.90.

“The agent was not at all concerned when I told her that I clicked on the FREE TRIAL link and cancelled after only 2 hours. Instead of addressing a significant error in the user interface, she referred me to the 10 page legal agreement I was supposed to read during sign up.

“After a bit more research I learned that Weight Watchers Online has an UNSATISFACTORY record with the BBB of New York and has had 43 complaints in the last 12 months! I also found many more users complaining about this very same issue in various forums.

“Weight Watchers Online baited me with a FREE TRIAL offer on their website. I signed up under this pretense. The fact that they immediately invoked the legal agreement without addressing an obvious problem on the website leads me to conclude that this is a deliberate BAIT AND SWITCH technique employed by what I believed was a trustworthy brand.

“In my opinion this despicable practice constitutes blatent online fraud. I will do everything in my power to make sure that Weight Watchers Online is investigated by the New York attorney general’s office. James Atlanta, Georgia
U.S.A.” (Ripoff Report)

Wednesday, December 14, 2005, Corrie from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania wrote:

“Last posting: Wednesday, September 17, 2008
I purchased one month of weight watchers online in June. After two weeks, I decided that the service wasn’t worth the cost. I decided not to renew. However, I apparently did not read the terms of service/small print closely enough.

“They automatically renew your subscription without telling you. They have charged me for June (the month that I purhased), plus July, August, September, October, and November at a rate of 16.95 each month.

“I have emailed them at least 20 times. After about 15 emails, they decided that I can have a refund of 2 months. What about the other three months of service they charged me for but I did not use? Corrie, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania U.S.A.” ((Ripoff Report)

HAVE YOU HAD EXPERIENCE WITH WEIGHT WATCHERS?  WHAT DO YOU THINK?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

On the Consumer Affairs board, Susan of Simi Valley, CA wrote:

“On Sept. 23, 2009 I joined Jenny Craig in Simi Valley, Ca.,however, the next day I changed my mind. I was not given a copy of the contract I signed so I went to the center and got my copy which said I had 3 business days to cancel “without penalty or obligation. I sent my request to cancel via Fed Ex on 9/24/09 and Jenny Craig Corporate offices received my cancellation letter on 9/25/09 at 2:42pm signed for by K F at Jenny Craig per FED EX. Several attempts to find out the status of my refund have been futile. The corporate offices state my letter is “m.i.a” and the manager at the Jenny Craig office in Simi Valley where I signed up states I was obligated to purchase a full week of the product in order to qualify for a refund even though the contract clearly states I had 3 business days to cancel “without penalty or obligation”.

“Futhermore, the contract states that upon receipt of request to cancel the buyer will be refunded in 10 days. I am getting a run around now from the corporate offices and the center. The very fact that the manager of the center did not give me my copy of the contract made my husband suspicious. And when I went to pick it up the next day an employee retrieved it in an unsecured area of the office with my credit card information available to anyone that entered this area. I left a message for the manager who did not call me back until the corporate offices told her I was unhappy with the treatment I received from her.

“All I want is my credit card to be refunded as I did all the right things according to the contract. Instead I am being told by the manager that I am going to be penalized because I did not keep the agreement for a full year!”

HAVE YOU HAD EXPERIENCE WITH JENNY CRAIG?  WHAT DO YOU THINK?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.

February 4, 2010 Jenifer of Garland, TX posted this complaint with Consumer Affairs:

“On January 14, 2010 I joined the Jenny Craig on-line program. On January 15, I called back to cancel after I realized they misrepresented their program and SHIPPING COSTS WERE 65.00!!!!!!!!!! They said 7-10 days for a refund. The next day the representative who signed me up for the program originally called me to confirm I wanted to cancel which is completely retarded. She said she had to talk to me before she could release my order. I told her to release the order.

“THEN by January 28 (13 days after I cancelled) I still did not have a refund. Lyndsey Nims is a supervisor at Jenny Craig and she said she was walking the refund upstairs "right then" when I spoke to her on February 3, 2010. However, when I called back today, Feburary 4 to make sure she had actually taken it "upstairs" I was told by "Brenda" that they didn’t have my credit card information and therefore could not process my refund. Now I’ve spoken to about 5 people regarding my refund and Brenda is the first person to ask for my credit card number. I am livid.”

HAVE YOU HAD EXPERIENCE WITH JENNY CRAIG?  WHAT DO YOU THINK?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW. 

Former member Elizabeth Martin who was allegedly ripped off by LA Weight Loss was furious when she received this postcard solicitation after never receiving the products she paid for.  She writes:

I received a COUPON for LAtoyourdoor.com. After checking out the website, it’s the exact same thing as LA Weight Loss, but they are trying to say it’s a different company, and are not affiliated with LA Weight Loss even thought he LA Weight Loss name is all over the product and their previous website takes you directly to LATOYOURDOOR.COM. LA Weight Loss was out of Horsham PA, and the coupon I received is from Willow Grove, PA. The towns are five minutes apart.

I am so angry i can’t see straight. The best part is they are also using LA Weight Loss records for their mailings. this coupon was sent to a residence that I haven’t lived in for 5 years, and the name on the coupon isn’t the name I had when I lived at the home, it was my married name. I have only been married for two years. I was on the plan once when I lived at my parents house, and went on the plan again right before my wedding, three years after I moved out of my parents home at a totally different location. THey connected my files and are using LA Confidential files for mailing out new coupons.

Here’s the back of the postcard Elizabeth received:

The obvious question is:  If LA Weight Loss can ship out LA Lights to anyone willing to pay, why can’t they ship out the products to those members who ALREADY paid and never got their products?

What’s going on here?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.