Brazilian acai berries

Another Day Another Victim

Today I heard from my mom that one of her friends just bought into one of those Acai Berry “free trial” offers.

Everywhere you look, you see these “Free Trial” offers all over the place. “All you need to pay is shipping and handling”, they all say. And they all have Oprah or Rachel Ray’s name as well as some big name media logos plastered all over their pitch page, as if they are being endorsed by all the parties.

On top of that, you have these fake “dieting mom” blogs poping up everywhere, strangely resembling each other and all telling a similiar fair tale like weight loss success miracles, by using the 1-2 punch of Acai Berry plus some “Colon Cleanse” pills…

Only recently, the BBB revealed that they have recieved an alarming amounts of complaints about these “free trial” offers which promoted them to issue a nationwide consumer warning on acai berry marketing scams.

Despite all these warnings, people are still falling for it in troves.

While the biggest reason that many people fall for this kind of marketing scam is due to the fact that they are always on the quest for that one last little magic pill that’ll finally set them free from weight problems, to finally “melt” their fat away like butter in a hot plate, it’s actually not that simple.

One of the reasons for this is that many people just simply have no idea how this marketing scam works.

Here’s How The Scam Is Set Up & The Trap They’re Getting You Into

Their “formula” is very simple:

1. Lure you in with a “free trial” offer

You pay shipping and handling, thus giving out your valid credit card and authorize them to charge you per THEIR TERMS that are well hidden in fine prints.

Below is a quote from one of these fine prints (actual product name withheld):

“I understand that by ordering Acai Berry …[product name withheld], I am agreeing to receive Acai Berry … for a 14-day trial period (days of availability for actual usage could be less depending on shipping time) beginning on date of order. Three dollars and ninety five cents (non-refundable) [$3.95, see how they "hide" the dollar amounts in block of texts!] for S&P. I understand that unless I cancel by calling 801-xxx-xxxx [actual number withheld] within this 14-day period, beginning on the 15th day my credit card will automatically be charged eighty nine dollars and thirty one cents [that's $89.31 per month] for a 31 day supply of Acai Berry…. Thereafter, until and unless I cancel, my credit card will automatically be charged an additional eighty nine dollars and thirty one cents every 31 days for a new supply of Acai Berry …”

2. Make it impossible for you to cancel on time.

Don’t be fooled by the seemingly “easy” call to cancel reassurance, because when you do call to cancel, that’s when you realize things are about to get ugly.

You will very likely encounter every dirty little trick in the book designed to defeat, deter and delay your cancelation, until you are charged at least one big fat follow on charges, if not more.

• Line busy all the time.
• You are disconnected (somehow) right after you finally got through.
• Even if you do manage to get through after wasting who knows how long and how many tries, just when you are about to state your case, somehow the line is mysteriously disconnected yet again.
• Or you will be bounced around between their bogus “departments”, and somehow get disconnected in the process (how convenient!).

You may have to go through this whole aggrevation process over and over for days, usually way past the extremely short cancel deadline, and AFTER you have already been charged the first $89 or so.

In most cases, the best you can accomplish is probably only to stop the ongoing charge of $89 -$130 per month to your credit card. It is very unlikely that you will ever get back the first $89 or more that you got charged for failing to cancel before the short deadline.

3. Hit you with monthly charges left and right, even on services you have no idea about

What else are they tagging onto your credit card charges? Let’s see their fine print again:

“I would also like to take advantage of the the 21 day bonus trial to Bonus#1(PriceLimbo) for eight dollars & fifty one cents a month [that's another $8.51 per month for something you don't know anything about] thereafter, should I choose not to call and cancel Bonus#1(PriceLimbo). I also agree to the (21) day bonus trial to Bonus#2(FitFactory) for twenty-nine dollars and ninety five cents each month [that's yet another $29.95 per month for something you have no idea about]thereafter, should I choose not to cancel….” [what on earth are these charges?] For questions or to cancel, please call our Customer Support team at 1-866-xxx-xxxx M-F, 9am-9pm, EST. [this is a totally different number than the other one, the more numbers you have to call to cancel, the more likely you will miss the cancelation deadline - all designed to make sure that you WILL be charged no matter what you do!]

Wow! You see where this is going?

Here’s a quick recap, you will be hit with:

• $3.95 for the “FREE” trial bottle the day you order.
• $89.31 on the 15th day from your order date
• $38.46 ($8.51+$29.95) just 7 days thereafter.

For a total of $131.72 in a flash, and then $127.74 PER MONTH!

Many people are so frustrated by the hellish and next to impossible cancelation process in order to stop the non-stop monthly charges, they have to litereally cancel their credit cards.

What about those “rave reviews” that are popping up everywhere?

Well, it won’t take a rocket scientist to realize that those “rave reviews” by “dieting moms” pushing the scammy ‘free trial’ offers are nothing but total BOGUS.

It beats me why FTC even allows practices like these continue to defraud consumers on mass.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the (I’m sure) wonderful health benefits of acai berry, or authentic acai berry products, it’s that these unscrupulous scammers taking advantage of our vulnerabilities and explore our weakness (desire to lose weight quickly) that gets on my nerves.

Let’s face it, the scammers will never go away, they will always be there, ready and willing to take your money as much as they can, and they don’t give a damn about how you feel, besides the fact that they outright lie about the “miracle” weight loss “effects” of these “pills” to begin with.

Oh, and Oprah Winfrey has nothing to do with any of these offers.

Don’t fall for it!

Better yet, spread the word, let your friends and everyone know about it!