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January 5, 2009 9:35 PM

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I think I read somewhere that, by eliminating all anti-oxidants and sugars from your diet, your body will start to create lots of free radicals and you'll feel really sick for a couple weeks. Then, your body starts to create an enzyme or something that naturally rids your body of free radicals and, supposedly, you'll feel better than ever. I can't go without chocolate that long, though.

4 replies

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January 5, 2009 10:00 PM

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I don't know where you got that information from, and frankly, it blew me away.

\"read somewhere\" - check
\"I think\" - check
hard facts? - nope.

You stop ingesting carbohydrates (SUGARS)- your body uses lipids (fats) instead. One of the byproducts of fat metabolism in the absence of carbohydrate metabolism is the production of certain ketoacids (beta-hydroxybutyric acid, and acetoacetate). Those can be considered free radicals, in a sense.

High levels of ketoacids can cause blood acidosis, and cause brain chemistry to change, resulting in a slight euphoria.

What you described has nothing to do with antioxidants. It's the Atkins diet.

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January 6, 2009 1:47 AM

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@Parapraxis: The dreaded ketoacidosis.

[en.wikipedia.org]

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January 6, 2009 5:23 PM

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@failurate: Doesn't that exactly sound like what's wrong with Steve Jobs? And insulin *is* a hormone, so technically it wouldn't be a lie....

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January 5, 2009 9:47 PM

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Can I just say I am LOOOVING this huge increase in posting?!

On topic...

@dorianh49: That's where the idea for all these juice \"cleanses\" came from. I tried the lemonade diet once and lost like 15lbs in 2 days. I was already underweight so it totally freaked me out plus gave me strange cravings for McDonald's (I'm a vegetarian and haven't eaten McD's in yeeears) so I quickly stopped the fast.

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Superawesomerad

January 6, 2009 2:15 AM

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@TinkishDelight: 15 pounds in 2 days? Good lord, person, get your metabolism checked posthaste.

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January 5, 2009 9:38 PM

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I am quite skeptical of endorsements by Oprah. In fact, if Oprah endorses it, it probably is bad. Remember, she is the one that foisted Dr. Phil on us.

7 replies

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Julia789

January 6, 2009 12:26 AM

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@The Name's Ash78, Housewares: She didn't endorse their products, she had a doctor on her show stating the berries were healthy during a show about healthy diets. The shady company took that and ran with it, putting Oprah's photo on their website and stating \"endorsed by Oprah!\" As if she was endorsing THEIR company instead of the guest doctor on the show endorsing certain berries.

I wouldn't buy anything medical or dietary she sold or endorsed, regardless, she's into too much woo-woo and yo-yo dieting. But still it was scummy what the companies did.

Same thing with Rachel Ray, she featured a recipe with the berries, and mentioned they were healthy, and the companies started saying their products were \"endorsed by Rachel Ray!\" She never endorsed those scam artists, she just said the berries were healthy.

I noticed another tactic, if ABC or NBC or some channel features an expose on what a scam these products are, the people with the products will say on their website \"AS SEEN ON ABC!!!\" As if the channel has endorsed it. They know most people clicking on their website probably didn't watch the special.

Another trick is, if the company ADVERTISES say, during Oprah, for example. They will then claim \"As seen on Oprah!\" when it was just a commercial during that air time.

Regarding those berries, I read that blueberries have more anti-oxidants.

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January 6, 2009 1:15 PM

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@Julia789: That reminds me of an episode of \"The Tonight Show\" when Jay Leno was making fun of headlines and ads. He'd made fun of this one guy's mailer and a few months later someone sent in a new mailer from the guy Jay made fun of that read \"As seen on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'\". Jay responded to that with \"Yeah, more like 'As made fun of on The Tonight Show!'\"

Seriously, though. People do this stuff all the time and its really up to the consumers to check up on these claims. It can't be that hard to go to Oprah's site and see if she does, in fact, support the company and their products.

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Julia789

January 6, 2009 11:30 PM

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@Keavy_Rain: That's funny! I forgot about that one on The Tonight Show.

Agreed, consumers need to be more savvy. But I also hope Oprah and Rachael Ray (as mildly annoying as they are) sue the pants off the scam berry website using them for fake endorsements.

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January 5, 2009 11:39 PM

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@Triborough: I agree for the most part, except that it was Oprah's endorsement of TIVO that persuaded my wife to get it. So she's not a TOTAL loser.

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Ingram81

January 5, 2009 9:46 PM

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@Triborough: Didnt she endorse Obama?

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mythago

January 5, 2009 10:17 PM

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@Ingram81: Broken clock.

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Ingram81

January 6, 2009 2:48 AM

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@mythago: Is only right twice a day? Cause me hopes you meant more along the lines as its worthless and can be thrown out.

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Ash78 ain't got time to bleed

January 5, 2009 9:49 PM

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The biggest problem I have with Acai is pronouncing the nasal vowel sound that the a-i dipthong makes. It's a sound native to Portuguese, but has no English equivalent. Pretty tough.

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LetMeGetTheManager

January 5, 2009 9:40 PM

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You can trust her book reviews though...oh wait.

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Ash78 ain't got time to bleed

January 5, 2009 9:45 PM

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endorsements by Oprah and Rachel Ray are pitching acai-berry-themed weight loss products

That spells scam right there.

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WBrink

January 5, 2009 9:46 PM

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Is Rachel Ray an actual cook? I guess I've never actually seen her cook anything. She just seems like a marketing scam. I'd love to see her on Iron Chef lololololololol

4 replies

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January 6, 2009 5:26 PM

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@WBrink: I've actually learned a lot of little tricks from Ms. Ray, incl. how to do perfect hard-boiled eggs and how to finely dice an onion without making a mess.

Chef? No. (Though she's been on Iron Chef twice now, I believe) But I do learn something from her 30 Minute Meals show. The rest of her endorcements and products however....

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ionerox

January 5, 2009 10:51 PM

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@WBrink: She's already been on Iron Chef. She & Mario Batali competed against Giada de Laurentiis & Bobby Flay in Battle Cranberry. Rachel & Mario won.

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January 5, 2009 10:19 PM

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@WBrink: She is actually a cook... not so much a chef, but a decent cook. She has lots of practical methods and suggestions and is more likely to get people cooking for themselves than Iron Chef is.

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January 5, 2009 9:50 PM

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You don't have to look far, she's already been on it.

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bravo369

January 5, 2009 9:51 PM

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People actually fall for this? I keep classifying these acai themed emails as spam yet they still come through. The article says online ads but I have only seem them through the spam email. Why anyone would purchase anything through an unsolicited email is beyond me.

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January 5, 2009 9:58 PM

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I told my mom to leave this nonsense alone when I caught her looking at it online. I hope she listened.

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tande04

January 5, 2009 10:01 PM

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@Triborough: I did like The Road though.

The best part of them making a movie is that all of the sticker badges on the book changed to \"now a major motion picture\" from \"part of the Oprah book club\".

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January 5, 2009 10:02 PM

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I can never quite pronounce it, and I don't think it's a magical weight loss product or anything, but the bottled acai smoothies they sell at my grocery store are delicious and have some measurable amount of nutritional value.

That's all I really ask for.

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January 5, 2009 10:02 PM

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Is part of the scam to get someone's credit card number as part of signing up for the free trial?

Yeah, it's tough, but you gotta teach yourself that if they ask for a method of payment for a free product, they're likely going to find a way to charge you for something. Just ask yourself--or ask them--why exactly they'd need any information besides your name and address.

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January 5, 2009 10:09 PM

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If you really must try these, use a virtual credit card number to sign up - or be prepared to just cancel your card and get a new number issued. My wife tried this, and ended up being signed up for two add on products at nearly $100 a month. When we tried to cancel, they gave us the runaround. We canceled the credit card she used, got a refund for one of the products, and disputed the rest.

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January 5, 2009 10:13 PM

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The same supplements are available at any pharmacy or supermarket with a decent vitamin section, as well as at GNC, Vitmain World or probably any other health food store. Do people just not leave the house? Why sign up for home delivery of something they can just go down to the store and get?

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kabuk1

January 6, 2009 10:25 AM

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@MaelstromRider:

No kidding!!!

I have never understood the sheer LAZINESS it must take to sit at home & order stuff rather than going to the damn store & just buying it. Is getting off the couch really that much trouble that it's worth risking your identity security & having to wait for products in the mail?

I HATE ordering stuff online.

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January 6, 2009 5:27 PM

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@kabuk1: \"Is getting off the couch \"

Especially for a DIET product!

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MissTicklebritches

January 5, 2009 10:15 PM

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Are Oprah and Rachel Ray actually endorsing these products? Something makes me think they really aren't and that the ads are done w/o their knowledge.

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Kekaha

January 5, 2009 10:19 PM

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The simplest solution to this sort of scam is to use a temporary credit card number.

Many banks and online payment sites like PayPal will generate a temporary card that allows you to limit either the validity dates or the total amount or both. Some even fill in the order form for you.

If you limit the amount to the shipping/handling charge they won't be able to charge you for more when they \"lose\" your cancellation.

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Anonymous

January 5, 2009 10:27 PM

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O.K. I'm a dolt for falling for this one. So when I called my credit card company to close out the card they told me the charges could still be incurred because the numbers would still be linked. Huh? About to call back and close the account. Dealing with Acai and its associates is simply too much of a waste of time (2 hours on the phone the other day).

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January 5, 2009 10:29 PM

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I was totally hypnotized by these sites over the weekend -- they were EVERYWHERE!

I found at least three different \"blog\" sites all pointing to the same deal:
[meganweightloss.com] (OUCH)
[michelesweightloss.com]
[www.8weekslose30lbs.com]

They've all been redesigned in the past 24 hours -- Oprah, Dr. Oz, and Rachael Ray must have called their lawyers because their pics are down today.

1 replies

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January 6, 2009 1:27 AM

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@meechybee: I see them in the sidebar ads on Facebook constantly. They've been up for at least a month.

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khiltd

January 5, 2009 10:30 PM

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No, the simplest solution would be to purchase your juice from a store like a normal person.

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albear

January 5, 2009 11:10 PM

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Endorsed by Oprah! HA! have seen her lately?

It doesn't work!!

1 replies

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fatcop

January 6, 2009 2:07 AM

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@albear: Yeah and RR has more than a bit of ass on her.

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doctor_cos wants you to remain calm

January 5, 2009 11:17 PM

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Has no one mentioned [purplehorror.com] yet?

It's a health drink! No wait! It's a MLM!
Here's a fact...the average distributor's biggest customer is . . . THEMSELVES.

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January 5, 2009 11:41 PM

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this is the same strategy that companies selling computer screen cleaners have been using. Or toner cartride companies. Send you one box cheap and then subscribe you to an ongoing supply, impossible to get hold of once the goods start coming.

1 replies

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Anonymous

January 6, 2009 12:11 AM

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And the comments section on meganweightloss.com is disabled.

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Anonymous

January 6, 2009 12:27 AM

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Working in a bank, I can guarantee that these Acai berries will somehow magically start taking more out of your account that you haven't ordered if you don't cancel, etc. Oh, and their phone doesn't work either. I don't understand why Oprah would condone such a thing when they like stealing from the American wallet.

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January 6, 2009 12:59 AM

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Ah...acai...the new colon cleanse. I go by a basic rule of thumb. If it is a product that shows up regularly in my spam box, it is a snake oil scam! Also, you can spot the latest scam-trend food by checking to see what trendy shampoos are out there. When wheat germ was trendy, it was in shampoo, when green tea was trendy, it was in shampoo, when soy was trendy, it was in shampoo, etc etc.

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January 6, 2009 1:36 AM

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Pomegranate juice and blueberry juice are both extremely healthy have great amounts of anti-oxidants. And you can buy them in the store.

I have yet to find a pure 100% Pomegranate juice though.. Why does everything have to have fillers?

2 replies

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TVarmy

January 8, 2009 11:07 AM

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@Skankingmike: It's extremely expensive. However, last time I checked, there was Pom 100% Pomegranite juice. Adding more cheap juice may be a shrink ray of a sort, if it's changed.

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lilyHaze

January 6, 2009 12:29 PM

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@Skankingmike: I haven't had that problem. There's definitely some in Trader Joe's. I've bought a bottle or two in Costco. They might be impossible to find in your typical grocery store though.

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January 6, 2009 4:11 AM

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If it asks for a credit card number, it's not a free sample.

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January 6, 2009 4:54 AM

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Tropicana makes a tasty Acai-themed beverage. Kinda an absurd way to spend 5 bux -- I'd have felt better spending the money if only my wife had told me that Oprah finds it to be healthy.

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kabuk1

January 6, 2009 10:29 AM

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I actually fell for a scam like this. Well, I didn't really FALL for it, I knew what it was, but I planned to cancel before they signed me up. Problem was- they didn't tell me what DATE I had to cancel by, they just said \"within 4 weeks\". Well, 4 weeks actually meant 20 days. They debited $120 from my account before I even had a chance to really try the damn product(it took 2 weeks just to get to me). I had to mail the next shipment back & I'm still waiting on my refund.

Never, ever again. If I want snake oil in the future, I'll go to the health food store.

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SKURRY

January 6, 2009 1:01 PM

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If you get an F shouldn't BBB pull your business license?

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justsomeotherguy

January 6, 2009 1:52 PM

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It's got electrolytes! What plants crave!

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johnfrombrooklyn

January 6, 2009 2:55 PM

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Right now there are two major scams online. The first is the acai berry scam where you see lots of different ads that take you to different \"weight loss blogs\" but are all run by the same company. The second are the current IQ ads where you see Peyton's Manning IQ = 125. Again, there are hundreds of these but they all end up selling you ringtones and charging your cellphone company every month. The shady tactics are so similar I wouldn't be surprised if they're the same company.

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January 6, 2009 4:25 PM

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Oh man, Central Coast Nutraceuticals. There's a name I wish I hadn't heard of. My mother ended up being scammed by that scummy corporation after buying some Hoodia despite my multiple warnings that the business looked shady. They fleeced her for almost two hundred dollars before she went to the bank because she couldn't believe it was anything more than a free trial.

That said, a question. CCN runs out of both Arizona, for their acai products, and, for the hoodia, Florida. Which attorney general and/or BBB should she report this so-called company to? And how do she do it? I don't know how, but this is the first time she's ever been taken for a ride like this.

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pattymc

January 9, 2009 10:01 PM

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A friend of mine sent the following tale to the Consumerist but I'm not sure it will get posted so I volunteered to add it into the comments on this story being as it is pertinent. I advised her pursue a charge back (something I learned about on this site) on the second phantom shipment. Her letter::

I recently had an experience with Supreme Brands, LLC, of LaJolla, CA similar to those discussed in you 1/5/09 article on The Consumerist website. In November, my husband requested the free 15-day trial offer of VitalAcai without reading the Terms and Conditions of sale. On 12/9/09, the company unexpectedly sent him a shipment of VitalAcai and, of course, billed our Visa account in the amount of $78.91. When my husband made a call to Supreme Brands on 1/2/09 regarding this unauthorized shipment, a Rep named Nancy agreed to issue a credit for the shipment making no reference whatsoever of a \"no returns\" policy. She did indicate that someone named Stephanie would call us about the situation. That call never came through.

The next day we noted on our Visa bill that a second shipment had been charged at $83.86. We waited until 1/6/09 for the second shipment to arrive (which it didn't), and on that day I called the company to arrange to return the initial shipment along with the pending shipment. The Rep I spoke with this time cited the company's \"No returns\" policy included in their Terms and Conditions and refused to take the products back or issue a credit. He indicated that the only way to stop the monthly shipments was to cancel the contract. Needless to say, I immediately cancelled the contract. I then mentioned that a few days before a Rep named Nancy indicated to my husband that she would issue a credit for the first shipment. At that point, I was told that they had no Rep named Nancy on staff, and that their records contained no indication that a credit had been granted for the first shipment.

I then asked about the second shipment that had been billed at $83.86 but not received. The Rep indicated that his records showed that the material had been delivered on 12/31. I told him the order had not been received and that I would refuse delivery when/if it did arrive. At this point, the Rep consulted someone else who agreed to credit our account for $59.18, the difference being a restocking charge and shipping costs. While $24.68 seems like a stiff charge for restocking and shipping, I decided this was the closest I was ever going to get to seeing any credit, I did not complain. They sent an email confirmation of the credit to be issued, but I am not confident that we will ever receive it.

I believe this company is employing a disingenuous business model, consisting of unethical and deceptive practices. It amounts to nothing more than a costly scam. While Supreme Products is most likely legally covered by their Terms and Conditions, I am sure that they are banking on the fact that very few people, especially elderly people, will take the time to read through or thoroughly understand all the legalese in the Terms and Conditions of the contract.

I would like to see this company and others like it shut down so that other trusting consumers will not be taken in by their deceptive practices. I have already notified Visa to disallow any additional charges from this company and I intend to notify the BBB, the Ripoff Report, and the Attorney General of CA.

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Chris Allen

February 10, 2009 6:17 PM

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I fell for this scam myself. I ordered the 14 day \"Risk Free\" trial. Before the trial dose came in, I got a full 30 day supply and was charged the full $89.50. The trial dose came in after about 30 days. The 30 day supply came in on day 15. They fought me for 2 hours on the phone, never once letting me talk to a manager, and then said, and I quote, \"Ok, I will go above what I am allowed to do and refund half your money. Do you agree to this?\" They were insistant on me saying I agree so I assume they were recording the conversation. First of all, no customer service rep ever has the ability to go above what they are allowed to do regarding discounts. Second, how can you test something out in 14 days if it takes a full month to get to you?

These guys are predators and should be shut down and charged with criminal fraud. On a side note, the ads on Myspace, which is where I found this ad, are obviously not screened for legitamacy, so you might want to think twice before clicking on any of them.

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Anonymous

February 16, 2009 7:39 PM

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There is no substance on this planet, Acai or otherwise, that will magically undo a lifetime of poor unhealthy habits and make you shed fat instantly. Guess what? ALL fruits and vegetables, when fresh (and raw) are packed with antioxidants and very healthy. Give up the big mac's, get some exercise and eat a salad.

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Kheryl

March 2, 2009 9:48 PM

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The Acai Berry Company is definite a SCAM!!!! My visa card was charges for $88.95, for this product I never received. I have been calling Acai Berry since Dec 08 up until today March 2, 2009. I keep getting the run around. Something needs to done to protect good honest people from SCAMS such as this one. I plan to contact the BBB and find out from my attorney's office what can be done. Julia informed me the funds were credit back to my account, that wasn't the case at all. I asked what account number you are you using; she changed the subject to something else. I was given some numbers… I stated to Julia that's not account, and would not give her my account…. The bottom line, these people are running big time SCAMS and need to be STOPPED.

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Anonymous

March 24, 2009 4:18 PM

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Be very careful!!!! I also fell for this scam however before even receiving the order I called to cancel. Somehow they never received the cancellation, then I get a charge for 69.90 go through on a card that had expired 2 months before they charged it. Funny thing is when I called their customer service they claimed I had put the expiration for 2 years later. I found the order form luckily I printed it off when placing the order it showed the expiration date just as I stated expiring 2 months before they placed the charge. My bank is working with me on this however I will contact a lawyer if need be. Just on principals alone!!!

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Anonymous

April 12, 2009 10:46 PM

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just to let everyone know that when you sign up for your free trial of acai-burn you also sign up for at least 2 other products that automatically get charged to your account and never receive any info about it. Also the same thing with the product Bromalite which they suggest you take as a colon cleanse. However if you watch your bank account and catch it pretty fast you can get your money refunded as long as you don't take no for an answer. Also you get charged an international fee on the product even though the product comes from within the US the money goes overseas. One last thing to consider you can get ACAI at walmart 500mg for just at $8.00 for 100 pills suggested use 2 pills a day so you are getting 1000 mg of acai and you aren't getting that much with acai you get online.

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six pack expert

April 3, 2011 8:50 PM

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If only we were a little smarter, willing to pay some sweat to shed the weight in the natural way, there will be no land for acai berry scam.

Irina @ http://www.learnhowtogetasixpack.com/

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