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Quick Weight Loss Centers is designed to take advantage of vulnerable overweight clients, such as myself. As a consumer you are drawn to their ads and radio advertisements with guarantee that you will lose 3-7lbs per week with food from home and no exercise. I was coursed and sold a miracle diet plan under false pretenses. From the company’s advertisements to the deceitful sales pitch of their counselors, I have been lied to! I personally have been trying to lose weight for over 10 years. I was recently diagnosed with PCOS, an illness that causes infertility and insulin resistance. Just in December 2008 I was hospitalized and given a blood transfusion as a result of the excessive bleeding. I went in poor health desperately hoping I could reverse the symptoms with weight loss.
I was initially lured into the center by the radio advertisements claiming the program was medically safe, the plan is designed around home cooked food, no exercise needed, and every bit was a lie. When I initially agreed to join the program the representative asked me inappropriate questions to belittle me and humiliate me into signing up. The “counselor” I met with on my first day (01/26/09) assured me that losing 130lbs was possible by simply following their diet plan and nothing more. She purposely did not disclose how the plan worked in it’s entirety in order to make a sale. She asked I pay a deposit in order to begin & installments for a 44 week regimen to lose 130lbs. She assured me that “the cost of the plan included everything, no hidden fees, weekly weight loss guaranteed of 3-7lbs, and supplements would be supplied at no additional cost; although they were not necessary. Obviously now I know this was too good to be true. She had a very thick accent and spoke very quickly to push me into signing paperwork. When I asked to read it she stated she already went over all the details and began asking me questions about my personal life that I did not feel pertained to my weigh loss. She never once asked to speak with my doctor nor cared much about my illness. She asked questions about my love life and how my weight affected it. This was a ploy to make me feel close to her knowing that was a very sensitive subject for anyone who is overweight. She had a box of tissues on her desk as if she was expecting her clients to cry; which I did with the embarrassing questions she made me answer, humiliating me because I am obese. Then she asked I return the next day to “get started.”
When I came in (01/27/09) and I advised the girl at the front desk I was there to “get started.” She told me that according to my file I was not even in the preparation stage yet and I would have to speak with the counselor, I did not know what this meant. She weighed me and sent me home. When I returned with my concerns the counselor told me I would not “get started” until I paid $378! She spoke down to me making fun of my incompetence for losing weight on my own making me feel shamed into continuing with the clinic. When I returned with the full payment (02/10/09) again she used these tactics to force me to sign paperwork without fully reading the details. She told me she would provide me with copies of everything, which she never did nor disclosed crucial information to me as the client. She gave me a bag of supplements that she kept stating were free, but instructed not to use them. I began the preparation phase still not being provided with any services from your facility. She stated I would not officially begin until I took the nutrition class. I did everything this deceitful woman asked of me then she accused me of eating fattening foods when I returned to be weighed in. This accusation as false since I had my menstruation and gained 1lb; therefore, she stated she would have to extend the preparation phase even further out.
Finally she scheduled me for a nutrition class to "get started" and this is when I realized it was clearly just a sales presentation to force the client into buying overpriced food (supplements). When I refused all of a sudden she claimed the clinic’s foods and excercise are a requirement in order to guarantee the weight loss and I would be incurring additional costs. These hidden fees prove the deception of the clinic. This method of hiding the truth about a product or service until after it is sold is illegal. I was completely lied to and taken advantage of! I was so upset I began shaking and demanded my money back. The counselor continued to speak down to me stating I will never lose the weight on my own. In the end she stated she did not have the authority to give me a refund, but would forward it to her supervisor and she would call me in the morning.
When her supervisor called she also spoke down to me regarding my weight. She gave no apologies for the counselor’s behavior or misrepresentation. In fact she reiterated that the supplements are necessary for weight loss under their program and the enrollment fee was non-refundable. I went over that same day and returned their bag of unopened supplements along with a letter requesting a full refund for being sold a service under false pretenses. Since then I have filed a with Bank of America and the Better Business Bureau, Quick Weight Loss Centers is claiming I signed documentation stating the products I received were non-refundable and did not attend the clinic 3 times a week as required. I did in fact return the merchandise that was never explained to me as being non-refundable. On top of that I never officially began with the program, but I did visit the clinic every time I was required. It is apparent that the counselor did not have my best interest at heart. For that reason she never contacted my physician and knowingly mislead me using my low self esteem as a key to my debit card. I do not feel Quick Weight Loss Center deserves even a penny of my money. The services were not fully described to me until after I was robbed. I would never have provided them with my credit card if I would have known the full extent of the plan. They are thieves and I demand this claim be reconsidered, I cannot let them get away with this. I should not pay for services that were falsely misrepresented with the intention of the employee’s profit. I paid for services that were never received. I was lied to and that is unjust. The merchant’s statement is false and absurd! I requested a full refund and cancellation, how dare they say I did not go in periodically as requested and I returned their products unopened. I was not allowed to start until I gave them my money. Once I finally did, I found out all the lies I was told and how I was taken advantage of! I am the victim of discrimination against the overweight. Because of my condition this company is attempting to steal my money and defame my character.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Honestly, QWL is not needed to lose 2-3 lbs a week! One can simple do that by reducing calories and being more active. I considered doing QWL but then i though myself, i could save a lot of money but not trying to take the easy way out or seeking a quick fix. Want to know the secret to weight loss...3500 calories = a pound. Eat less than that a day or burn that much a week, and BOOM you lose weight. Not hard at all! That's a easy as eating 1800 calories a day and going walking for an hour a day. I don't understand why people even pay so much to do something they can do at home. I have . I weight 290, now I'm down to 230 in like 5 months. Of course I had to increase my physical activity and work out more, but as the weight comes off, working out becomes easy and apart of your daily routine. I eat wonderful food every week, only cost me $40 a week at the most. Actually I joined MyFitnessPal.com and I love it. I still enjoy steak, ice cream, pasta (whole grain), etc...just within moderation. Cant go out and eat a 12oz steak with a loaded potato then a fudge brownie for dessert and expect to lose weight. Just doesnt work like that. Also, I have diabetes type 2, but it seems to have fixed itself as the weight has come off. I want to get to 150, so I have about 80 lbs to go. But if I can do, the right way, eating healthy, enjoying life, and getting active. Surely some of you people can too! Remember, the only one stopping you from losing weight is yourself.
I agree with the comments about how they lure you in with false promises. They are very slimy in the way they do business. I was conned into paying $1200 that was only good towards their supplements and snacks. Counseling - which they are terrible at - is extra. I lost weight the first 2 weeks, then only lost 1/2 a pound the 3rd week, even though I followed the plan to a T! They said I must be cheating. Nice way to treat a paying client. This place is the biggest ripoff! They get really mad when they figure out you're on to them. It's fun to mess with them though. Lol!
I was turned down by Quick Weight Loss Clinic because I was not “compatible” with their program! I had heard the radio ads about how successful people were and that they guarantee 3 to 5 lbs. loss per week. I needed to loose approx. 110 lbs. according to my cardiologist and and had already lost 35 on my own, so I figured I would check them out. I call and made an appointment for me and my wife, as she is overweight too. We went in, filled out the information form which asked all the usual expected questions about previous diets, why you want to lose weight and what medications you are taking. My wife and I went through the weigh in, measurements, blood pressure checks, etc and then the counselor took us to "the room". There the counselor asked me and my wife if we had a prescription for Nitro glycerin (in case of heart attack). I did not list it on my form because I do not have a prescription for it and don't carry it. I explained my doctor had a long time ago (10 yrs.) given me a prescription for it, but I have never had to use it and he and I agreed since i never needed it he didn't need to continue writing a prescription for it. I explained all this because the counselor then told me I was not compatible with their program. What!? I said. Why? I was informed that because I had a prescription at one time in my life for Nitro, I was not "compatible" with their program. I pressed to find out why I was not "compatible" and the counselor was very vague and simply said over and over that it was company policy and would not explain why. Now comes the funny part. My wife also recently was given a prescription (last week) for Nitro because her doctor said she was a "heart attack waiting to happen" and felt she need to carry the medication "just in case". The counselor then said that it was OK for my wife to be on the program since she just got the prescription! I was furious by this point and told the counselor the was a bunch of "hooey" and I got up and told my wife we were leaving, this didn't make any sense and that I wouldn't trust these people with squat! Bottom Line: They are turning away the very people that really need to lose weight for their health. It is very apparent to me that they are only interested in making money and not helping those who really need it. I would have signed a waiver 0f liability if they had asked, but the way it went down, I was left feeling I had been scammed.
I signed up for the QWLC diet in the spring of 2009 (Easter weekend to be exact, who does that? No chocolate for me! LOL) I read everything, asked lots of questions and understood that the sign up cost was basically for counseling. And let's face it, most of us who need to lose weight NEED counseling...we need someone to be accountable to because we can't do it alone or we would be fit and healthy to begin with. I wanted to lose weight because I was going to be 40 near the end of summer and was tired of feeling like a blob in pictures with my 2 small children (6 & 3). I had tried all sorts of diets and WW I always was good for about 10 lbs, because that diet did not teach me to eat healthy ... it taught me how to eat french fries and bagels with cream cheese and ice cream as long as I counted points. QWLC was perfect for me because I would see a counselor 3 times a week who would chastize me for straying. I needed that, I needed to be accountable to someone. I had an addiction to overcome ... any other addiction, I would pay gladly for ongoing therapy ... why not food?
I lost 32 lbs in 4 months ... that appears to be an average of 2 lbs a week. In reality I lost 3 lbs a week, because I froze my account a couple of times to go on a cruise and other summer travels. On those weeks, I neither gained nor lost, which was superb because I always gain @ 6lbs while crusing.
One of the greatest things about having those mandatory visits, is that you really pay attention to how you are following your diet plan. The counselor would offer great suggestions to help when I would have only lost 2 or 2.5 lbs a week ... like splitting up protein across all 3 meals, rather than just having it @ 2 meals ... the next week I lost 3.5 lbs.
I also felt that I needed the 'verbal punishment' many of you mention. Who complains about their drill sargeant? Or more closely related, the Biggest Loser trainers? They are not always peaches and cream ... and we sometimes need that to get it through our thick skulls that what we have been doing IS NOT WORKING!
I did not take the appetite suppressants, unless I felt the need to, so whenever I did buy them, they lasted forever. I used all the other suppliments and had already been on fish oil for years due to my mother's breast cancer diagnoses. I looked at the cost of the protein suppliments and those lime/orange drinks, etc and just weighed it against whatever unhealthy snacks/drinks I had been consuming and it really wasn't that much.
I enjoyed how this diet actually taught me how to eat healthy. I have never felt that way about any other diet. People spend so much $$$ to get their food shipped to them and are just never taught how to shop healthy and cook healthy in order to maintain their weight loss (and that's if they stick to the expensive food-in-a-box diet). I would much rather spend the money on a counselor to coach me through this process. And enjoyed it! Even the occasional berating when I accidentally ate tilapia (You would have thought I had eaten a freakin' candy bar, though! LOL!), or forgot cottage cheese hadn't been added in. Ruh-roh ... another water flush for me!
I can see how discouraging it may be, but I would rather see some bed-side training for these counselors ... I really hate to see the diet as a whole poo-pooed on, because it does work! But you have to follow it ... to the letter ... and be creative with your spices (there are so many food options) ... set an alarm in Outlook for snack time and drink time (I used to treat those lime/orangeaid-ish drinks as a snack, so I was pleasing my palate frequently).
Since coming off the diet, I have pretty much maintained my weight loss for a year and a half ... with the occasional slip up (gaining 6 lbs here @ Christmas, etc or some emotional eating relapses). And when that happens, I whip out my QWLC book and do it again for a couple of weeks ... but I do it with Special K or South Beach protein snacks and a different berry-aid drink (I tried to match up the nutritional information perfectly with the QWLC suppliments).
One issue I had and overcame was that my friend had 100 lbs to lose and I had 32 to lose ... they tried to charge us the same amount ... her weight lose phase was say, 35 weeks ... mine, 10. Her maintenance phase, 10 weeks ... mine, 35. THAT made no sense to me ... why would it take me 3 times longer to maintain something it took her 3 times longer to establish? So I was able to get them to adjust my price to reflect that ... maintenance is maintenance ... should be the same across the board.
Well, so far so bad. I was lured in by an ad on a Christian radio station. Thought it meant they were an honest, upfront group. The $300 TOTAL cost they assured me, turned out to be close to $1000 when you included the supplements and pills you ended up HAVING to have to lose the 3# weekly when initially, they were NOT NEEDED. Hmm. I was a home client being too far from any centers, and was supposed to receive everything by mail within a week. It came 2 wks later. Well, a few pages came enabling me to do the 3 day prep and the follow up maintainance phase and nothing in between!. I called both my initial contact person, the director, Brooke, and my 'counselor' Olivia; both of whom were highly resistant to my very polite suggestions about increasing their initial veracity on cost, and on the fact that I did not receive much of what they said was in the initial mailing. Olivia subtly implied that I was not being honest. Now, what reason would I have to lie about that? That's just silly. Olivia was a 'new yorker' (no offense, New Yorkers!). She was rude and inconsiderate; a long way from the encouraging, supportive and motivating personality I was promised! I am a nurse practitioner, and I understood completely, early on, that this is virtually the south beach or modified Atkins diet. It will work, but not because of QWLC. I'm going to follow it myself and not bother contacting the center again, for any downer 'pep talks' or high pressure sales talks on what imperative products I supposedly 'need' costing so much more than disclosed. Innumerable times I was promised phone calls, products, information and triweekly phone counseling; none of which materialized. probably better because Olivia was so incredibly rude. I'll lose the weight because we are capable, strong people who can do this without the coersion and deceit of QWLC. Save your hard-earned money, buy a copy of either the Atkins Diet or the South Beach Diet, buy quality herbal appetite suppressants and vitamins, find an encouraging friend to be your 'counselor', Get a Wee Fit (it'll ultimately cost you less and be more fun and effective!) and watch the 3# come off the scales weekly. Don't join QWLC. You can more readily lose this weight without QWLC, than with them. I know you can do this! (and so can, and WILL, I!). Bless your success!
That's funny because I spend about $34 bucks a week on Quick Snacks and I signed up for $195. Guess what, I've lost 35 lbs and my health is better than ever. I took a hiatus from exercise and combat sports to heal a sports hernia, and I didn't exercise for the first 6 weeks of the program and still I've lost an avg 4 lbs a week. I can understand how people feel pushed, it's a high pressure sales world. Grow some skin. Read the fine print, nobody forces you to sign anything. Nobody takes the money from your wallet. How about you take some responsibility about the matter? It's not a magic pill, it takes time. And I love it there. Guess what, I don't work there. I look around and see my friends and myself who've used QWLC and I see a bunch of people that have had their lives transformed by the program. I can understand being overweight, been that way my whole life, but I'm not going to feel sorry for someone who is not up to the task. Like I've always said...you dig your own hole. It's up to you to stay disciplined, not the salespeople.
While it seems that a variety of the ppl who posted comments had a horrible experience with QWLC. I joined the program today. I had a very nice and informative counselor who explained in great detail the cost associated with the plan and the need to follow the diet guidelines. She further explained that in lieu of taking supplements you could add exercise to the program. The supplements to speed up the weight loss but is not necessary for the weight loss. I feel bad that most of you had a negative experience, but so far mine has been positive. Guess I will find out for sure in 30days. :)
My SIL lost over 70 lbs. in 6 months in 2009, and that is what interested me.
I did follow it and lost 26 lbs. after the first 2 months.
But I do agree that their attitude is a very hard sell attitude. (Maybe it is a requirement to have experience selling used cars),
They should be up front with how much it costs BEFORE someone decides if they want to try it.
That would force the cost down cause people would just be walkin out.
I have read so many times that people felt pressured or trapped into it.
With the money they charge, they could afford a national website so clients can communicate with each other .
So why isn't there one ?
Why wouldn't they want clients communicating with each other ?
What are they doing with that extra money ?
It's almost a shame the diet works so well, cause that initial cost and the continued pressure to buy more of this or that "on sale"...gets very tedious.
I think people who get wind of the initial costs don't even give this diet another thought because of cost alone.
That is a shame cause it could be helping so many more people than it is.
A personal food complaint I had was I am not a big fan of chicken...and that got old real quick...
They didn't like it, but I ate beef more often than is on the plan.
Oh well...
I too was lured into the Quick Weight Loss Center by a radio DJ i liked. I had 70 lbs. to lose and followed the plan, with all the supplements, to a t. After losing only 10 pounds in 3 weeks, which i thought was fine, my "counselors" kept insisting i must be cheating, and i was not! I had to explain to them that being female and post-menopausal was going to make it slower for me. I had to explain this to them? They are not professionals, not even intelligent or compassionate. Even though my counselor said she was a nurse! I paid top dollar for their program, but watched while the counselors (all woman) would fawn all over the male clientele. Extremely unprofessional. Their so-called pep talks to me made me feel worse about myself. I guess i wasn't losing the weight quickly enough for them. I walked away from their over-priced, over-hyped program. And notice their spokespeople who have been through their program are all male and are given a much reduced in price or free program. Don't believe them. Save your money and go to Weight Watchers - where they know everyone loses weight at different rates, won't charge you an exboritant fee, don't load you up on their carb blockers and other supplements, and will not accuse you of not following the program.
I believe that almost every diet you go on and stick to you will lose weight. Anyone with an overweight problem has been there and done that. This diet is the worst one with false advertising that i have ever seen. The say QUICK weight loss and they define that as 3 - 5 pounds a week. Well I have faithfully followed this diet and yes I have lost weight however, i lost 11 pounds in 10 weeks, that is not 3-5 pounds? The centers put you down and blame everything on you. One week i had 3 1/2 ounces of cottage cheese in the same day as i had salmon, well that is a no no on this diet so that was one weeks excuse why I only lost a pound, then I forgot to take there very expensive pills ONE meal as i left them at home during dinner, well that was their excuse why that week I only lost one pound. The diet is expensive and works better for men and very overweight people. When you walk into the center it has a chalk board with the biggest weight losses each week, down 18, down 10, down 6 etc. however, if you ask them how much they need to lose they say the program works. The center knew I wanted to loose 19 pounds and they said oh yes, 10 weeks, well they will try and get me for the extra money but i will not fall for their tricks. Go to weight watchers if you want a nice slow weight loss. They are mean and make you feel bad. Buyer beware you have to buy their supplements but can purchase them on other web sites cheaper. If you do purchase them elsewhere you have broken the contract and when your time is over they will not help you...not a good diet nor good people
I have been doing QWL for 14 weeks and am down 52 pounds with 18 more to go. It works. Yes, the supplements and office visits are required but if you know how to use a search engine you can find the exact same products elsewhere for a lot less. I'm in about $1, 500 at this point and I knew it was going to cost this much. But, I feel it has been worth it. The food (outside of the suppliments) is easy, but limited. You cam be creative with everything you're allowed to eat but i just stick to a daily meal plan that works for me. I don't really eat the daily fruit that i'm allowed because it seems counter -intuitive. The problem I think that the OP had was that when it says 8oz of grilled chicken, then you only eat 8oz! Portion control folks, portion control.
It is very motivating to see the number on the bathroom scale lower than the day before 98% of the time.
If you can't lose weight on this program by yourself then you need to see a doctor because there is something else wrong.
My wife started her QWLC program in October of 09.
Believe it or not it works, just not as fast as they claim. She loses around 1 pound a week.
The good news, my wife has lost 30 Lbs since joining. Now for the bad news; the total cost so far has been $7000.00. Thats $233.33 a pound!
In October her program will expire again and QWLC will charge another $2000.00 She has another 50 pounds more to go and we just can't afford it.
The person that said how happy they are with the program must be an employee. I don't think it is a real commit.
I went in for my"30"minute app. to learn about the plan and I was there for 2 hours! I too didn't get a direct answer about how much per month this would cost. They do have papers you sign about the products being non-refundable, but when I signed it I didn't realize that was what I was sighning. They are very sneaky that way. If their plan is so good and works so well why don't they stand behind thier products with a money back guarantee if you aren't satisfied. I too feel like I have been ripped off. THey make sure they are covered, but you are left out standing in the rain holding All your products.
They made me feel like I had to spend all this money on their products for the plan, so I said yes, with tears in my eyes because it was SO much money but they said I would loose the weight if I did the plan exactly, which I was prepared to do because I wanted to loose the weight. This is the hardest plan I have EVER tried! The products made me feel very jittery and then I would feel low. It is so restrictive I felt like I was in food prison and that is the last thing someone who is overweight wants to feel. Like they have been cheated, because that just makes you want to eat more! Now I have a cabinet full of stuff I can't use and I am so frustrated! MaYBE i CAN SELL THEM TO PERSON WHO LOVES THIS PROGRAM SO MUCH. I will give you a really good deal I promise, right after you sign something for me.
Anyway I have talked to corporate a few times and they just go on and on about how good thier plan is. She even told me I must be sick if the products were making me feel bad. She asked where I buy my vitaimins and mega 3 fish oil and when I told her Wal-Mart she went off on a tangent about how she wouldn't buy ANTHING like that from Wal-Mart and that it was probably their stuff that was making me feel bad, even though I have been taking them for several years now and I've been fine until I started taking their products. I got so frustrated and stressed talking with her I said I wanted to talk to her boss and she said she would have her call me and I am still waiting here for her call. I can't do this plan it is so hard and they don't tell you this up front. Anyway PLease if you are thinking about this plan be careful very careful before you join. It is tremendously expensive and if it doens't work for you, you are stuck big time. They hit you with the hard stuff after you have paid.
Especially if they are vague about explaining things which they are. I feel pretty dumb right now and broke, and hungry! Well, they say you learn something everyday and I have met my qutoa for the year!
I joined Quick Weight Loss Center years ago. It DOES work...I lost 80 LBs in 16 weeks. I am a member on the maintenance plan. The maintenance plan helps you keep the weight off. I had dental surgery and was away from the center for a year and gained a lot of weight back...so I returned and was welcomed with open arms. My membership was still active, I did have to purchase extra weeks but they gave me a great deal and all I needed were some of the products. I am lossing now.
This program is difficult at first but when you get into the swing of things ... IT REALLY WORKS. When I went back in, I talked with a guy that had lost weight then got off the program and gained it back so he went and got the gastric band. He said that was HORRIBLE and learned really fast how to appreciate the QWLC. He had the band removed and came back to QWLC because he knew it worked for him.
This program IS HARD WORK...but it is well worth it. It is NOT MAGIC...you have to do your part by following direction. They will tell you exactly what to do and will stick with you through it. You will be weighed and measured two to three times a week and have your blood pressure taken. I speak with lots of other members, some have gotten off injections for diabetes. Others have gotten off High BLood pressure meds due to following the rules of QWLC. Many other people on the plan that I have talked to have had medical conditions that have dissapated or at the very least have become more controllable.
I also went to a quick weight loss center and they tried to bully me into signing their papers. I had been warned by a friend beforehand so I knew what to expect. When I made my appointment over the phone, I explained that I only wanted information on their program as I was also checking out other programs in the area. They seemed to understand and wanted me to come in.
They gave me the usual talk up about how their program is great and I could lose my weight with them. They seemed lost when I asked questions about the weekly cost of supplements and protein they need me to take to "guarantee" the weight loss. Then the nice lady went to 'ask' her manager about lowering the price. She had asked that if the program was free would I sign up... of course I would, why not?! Then in came the no-so-nice lady...
I explained again that I wasn't going to sign anything today, I was only here for information and that $600 would be too much to spend without talking to my husband first. Then, to herself she said, "Don't you make your own money?" (Was that supposed to hurt or something?) I wouldn't want my husband to spend that kind of money without talking to me first.
Then she told me that money wasn't the issue. (I didn't know she worked at my bank and paid my bills!) And that mentally I wasn't ready to loose the weight. She also said, "Obesity is a disease of procrastination." I again said I wasn't going to sign until I talk it over with my husband, "Call him." I don't think so. Then she wanted me to hurry home and talk to him so I could call by 7pm and give them my credit card number over the phone. After 7pm the "great deal" they were giving me would no longer be valid.
I could definitly see how they take advantage of people in a weak moment. I'm not a person who can be bullied but they don't know me and I had been told about the pressure sale before I went. They're criminal to prey on people that way.
I would never suggest even stepping foot in that place!
Oh how I wish I had looked into reviews before I went there. They never even asked to be in touch with my doctor first. I got very sick on their diet and they did not care one bit. I even returned all the unopened boxes of everything. They said we cannot take this back but as soon as I said I will donate to whoever wants it because I cannot use it. They grabbed those bags so fast I could not believe it. But they kept all my money and it was over 3000.00. And it was not even a full 2 weeks I was with them. I am older and just trusted them. My huge mistake. I would tell everyone not to go to any of their places. They are thiefs.