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  • #280 BBB 01-22-09 59

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    The Better Business Bureau named two supplement companies, Central Coast Sutrzreutirals Inc. and FXSupple ments, for misleading marketing practices such as negative option marketing that required customers to cancel recurring orders they may not have been aware of. The BBB received numerous complaints from customers who found it difficult to cancel orders and were often charged multiple times. The BBB also criticized the companies for appearing to use celebrity endorsements like Oprah Winfrey and Rachel Ray to promote their products, though the celebrities did not actually endorse them.

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    The Better Business Bureau named two supplement companies, Central Coast Sutrzreutirals Inc. and FXSupple ments, for misleading marketing practices such as negative option marketing that required customers to cancel recurring orders they may not have been aware of. The BBB received numerous complaints from customers who found it difficult to cancel orders and were often charged multiple times. The BBB also criticized the companies for appearing to use celebrity endorsements like Oprah Winfrey and Rachel Ray to promote their products, though the celebrities did not actually endorse them.

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    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    5 views1 page

    #280 BBB 01-22-09 59

    Uploaded by

    bmoak
    The Better Business Bureau named two supplement companies, Central Coast Sutrzreutirals Inc. and FXSupple ments, for misleading marketing practices such as negative option marketing that required customers to cancel recurring orders they may not have been aware of. The BBB received numerous complaints from customers who found it difficult to cancel orders and were often charged multiple times. The BBB also criticized the companies for appearing to use celebrity endorsements like Oprah Winfrey and Rachel Ray to promote their products, though the celebrities did not actually endorse them.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 1

    The REB on Monday named

    Central Coast Sutrzreutirals


    Inc. of Phoenix and FXSupple
    SUN-HERALD ments of Arlington. Texas. as
    BILOXI. MS two companies that engage in
    C~rculattan= 56M3 misleading sales and market-
    DAILY ing practices. At least part of
    0110812009 the issue is their use of "nega-
    tive option marketing" tech-
    niques that require rustomers
    to cancel recurring orders or

    I
    membership in ongoing p r o
    grams they may or may not
    Diet pills he au-are they've signed up
    for. BBB said it received nu-
    merous complaints from con-
    slimming sumers who found it d i c u l t
    to cancel the orders, and were
    often charged multiple times.

    some BBB also criticized the com-


    panies for using what appear
    to be endorsements from
    Oprah Winfrey. Rachel Ray
    people's and other celebrities ior their
    products to lure customers in.
    'Tkey knew they had a gold
    wallets mine here by using Oprah's
    name," said BBB spokes won^-
    an Alison Preszler-Southwick.
    Both Web sites feature p h o
    THE ASSOCLJTED PRESS tos of and comments made by
    ,2QC Winfrey and others regarding
    NEW ~ ~ R k ' / - ~ a n eCher-
    ~e the reported health belletits
    nosky saw an ad on a Web site
    offering a free sample of a nu-
    of acai (pronounced AH-sigh-
    ee). along with identical photo
    1
    tritional supplement featuring montages of other stars who I
    Brazilian acai berries. the lat- have purportedly used acai to
    est "superfood.* and decided boost their diets. While nei-
    to try the product. ther site specifically claims en-
    The Austin. Texas. resident dorsement of their products. (
    expected to be charged for the BBB said the tactic misled /
    shipping and handling. But consumers who thought the
    when she got the bill. she was products were getting the nod
    surprised to find she'd also of approval from their favorite
    been charged for an online fit- stars.
    ness advice program she was "Consumers should be
    unwittingly enrolled in. aware that Oprah N'Infrey is
    "Apparently when I bought not associated with nor does
    the stuff, I joined a club," she she endorse any acai berry
    said. "I went back to that site product or online solicita-
    and I printed out the terms tion of such products," said
    and conditions, and it didn't Don Halcombe, a spokesman
    say anything about a n y club for Harpo Productions, iZ'm-
    that you join." key's company. "Attorneys
    Chernosky complained to for Harpa are pursuing any
    the company, and had her companies that claim such an
    credit card canceled to avoid 1 affiliation."
    future charges. She also conl- The BBB Web sitelists more
    plained to the Better Business than 1,000 complaints about
    Bureau. "For th7miisign me Cenhal Coast in the last three
    upfm aclub that I didn't know years, nearly half regarding
    anything about. that's what billing and collection issues.
    made me upxt." she said. In addition, Arizona Attorney
    Chernosky was far from General Terry Goddard sued 1
    alol~e. the company last week, al-
    leging violation of the state's l
    Consumer Fraud Act
    Among the allegations is
    that people who signed up for
    the free samples were also
    enrolled in the company's "Fit
    Factory" online diet and fit-
    ness consultation service, and
    were signed up for a monthly
    shipmen! of the product they
    askrd to tw.

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