Acai Advanced review: Unauthorized charges 219

I wished I had read the comments above before I ordered! What a scam! It took two weeks to get the bottle but it only took them a few days before they billed my account! now there are charges for $24.95 and 3 days later $64.95 ! What a scam! Called them and they said sorry - you can't get your money back! You can't cancel during the trial period bacause you ca't get them on the phone! They said they don't have a phone number fot the company but gave me an address, hope it turns out to be the right one! Here it is for anyone that doesn't have it!
Acai Advanced
PO Box 17855
Portland, Maine 04112

I have had the same problems as everyone else. I ordered it on 6/2 I recieved it on 6/17 . I called and cancelled it well today there is a charge for 64.95 on my account. I call them back and was on hold for 20 min before anyone answered. She tolod me that was for the trial bottle not the next shipment. Will not refund my money. The pills don't work. Same thing with Living Lean. It says it's free but come to find out only for 20 days, then they charge you the 24.95. They won't refund your money either. I told them they are rip offs. I had real bad cramps with them also. I should have posted this a week ago but I have been working. (with the bending over about to die cramps) I hope others reads these before trying.

I have experienced the same mysterious charge. When I spoke to the compnay representative he claims to have cancelled my order but could not refund me for a product I dod not authorize or receive. I spoke with a superviosr who told me I had to call another company as well. I have also disputed it with my credit card company. In my opinion, the Acai Advanced was so called free trial was not free, as they charge you for the entire bottle once you accept the package and continue to send them and charge outrageous amounts for the monthly subscription.

Jenny Y

I wanted to add that I read the terms and still got scammed. I'm glad that you got your money back Marcia. I am going to complain and take further action against this Acai Vitamin company as well.

~Nita Mae~

I agree with the complaints. I know personally that this is a scam. I like many others, paid the $5.95 for the trial in hopes that it would help me. Needless to say, the company charged me $24.95 after having the vitamins less than a week? I guess they must have multiplied the odd days of the week twice or something. They charged me so fast that I hadn't even opened the bottle yet. I got my credit card statement to make sure I was correct and to have proof just in case I needed to fax them a copy or something. Needless to say, they started counting my trial days from the day I placed the order instead of from the day the item was shipped or received? I was paying for days that they were still processing the order which was just crazy. Even as I present my evidence the operator was still reluctant about crediting me back my money. After asking to speak with a supervisor, I was swiftly given a credit and received it in about 7 or 8 days. While on the phone I canceled my trial and was ready to send them their stuff back. I was told that my trial had stopped and that my account would never be charged again. I was told to keep the bottle because there was no RMA number to give me therefore they could not take the vitamins back. Needless to say, about a week or 2 later, I was charged $64.95 for a product I never received because it was never shipped and I still have not been credited my money back. After going through all the crap they told me to do, sending back the trial vitamines and all, postal confirmation shows that they received the vitamines back but my money is still in their pockets weeks later. I had confirmation numbers, cancellation numbers and it did not matter because they were still going to charge me in hopes that I would not fight back or dispute it. This company has a Scam! going on and it's sad how they make their wealth by being deceitful.

~Nita Mae ~

I totally agree with "Angree" and Karen! THIS IS TRULY A SCAM! The monthly charges will continously appear in your statement so IT IS BEST FOR YOU TO CANCEL YOUR CARDS!

I have been trying to reach Acai Advanced at the toll free number for two days without an answere. Thank you for posting your complaints and helpful information. Wish me luck, I am going to try to cancel.

I wrote a letter to cancel, because of the unprofessional matter in which this company is handled. I waited on the phone for 1 hour and 35 minutes . I would still be on hold if I didn't write a lettler of cancellation, which means nothing to this company. Very unprofessional is you ask me... I will not pay for any more shipments.

Stay away from these companies. They will hide behind other names and products. Be very, very careful. These companies are scams and cheats.

FWM Laboratories
2040 NE 163rd, Suite 305
North Miami Beach, FL 33162
[protected]
[protected]

Acai Berry Detox (Same as FWM Labs)
3007 Greene Street
Hollywood, Fl. 33020
[protected]

Real Technology Labs
970 W. Broadway, Suite 83
Jackson, WY 83001
[protected]
[protected]
[protected]
[protected]
[protected]

Acai Berry
127 NW 13th Sreet, Suite #4
Boca Raton, FL 33432
[protected]

Advanced Acai
5300 Ontario Mills Pkwy, Unit 400,
Ontario, CA 91764
[protected]–3083

Berry Max Products
1435 East Venice Ave. # 257
Venice, FL 34292
[protected]

Max Colon Products
10088 6th St. Suite G
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
[protected]

Pure Nutrients
3280 Suntree Blvd
Suite 101
Melbourne, FL 32940
[protected]

Other numbers:

[protected]/[protected]

I wish I had read all this information before ordering the product. Yes it is a scam for sure. I did order the Acai Advance and with it came a flyer Live Lean for Life I have tried numerous times to call them but get a busy signal. I looked into my account today and saw the 24.95 charge for lean for life. Called the bank had to cancel my debit card. Lesson well learned. Next time I will just go to the physican and get prescription for weight loss. It will be alot cheaper in the long run

Total scam! I have tried numerous times to cancel and haven't been able to. I am so tired of them putting charges on my credit card, I am about to close my card and get a new one.

Agree with you. I have never ordered a product like this, but had a weak moment I guess.

Here is my experience, which doesn't seem as bad as others (YET, perhaps?).

Ordered on June 3. It was June 16, and the product had still not arrived, so I went online to research the company because I thought maybe it was a ripoff scheme. Sure enough, I found websites like this one and learned that I should call to cancel as soon as I received the product because this is a headache just waiting to happen. I ended up getting the package in the mail the next day on June 17.

So today, June 19, I called to cancel. The guy I talked to was very nice and accomodating, and didn't try to sell me anything. Right away he gave me two cancellation numbers, one for Acai Advanced and one for the weight loss program. I am still going to call their number to cancel, too, though, just to be sure. It was kind of odd because when I asked him if he could cancel the weight loss program too he said, "Yes, I'm getting that number for you right now also.", like he had already begun cancelling it before I even asked. So it seemed like I was getting better service than others who have made complaints here.

Next he said he would get me an RMA number to return (this was a relief because it means I made it within their 14-day trial period, from time of shipment), and he put me on hold. He came back about 30 seconds later and said that their system was down and he would have to call me back. I asked how long it would be (I was fearing I'd never ever get a call back, and I was glad to actually be talking to someone so I was scared to hang up!), and he said within a few hours. I was skeptical, but sure enough, he called back in about 10 minutes, if that, with an RMA number for me.

So - so far - so good. But I'm not out of the forest yet. I plan to send the bottle back, get it certified (thanks for that very helpful tip I found here from others), and hopefully the only thing I ever see is the $5.95 and the $7 it costs to send back. In the end, $13 for a bottle of caffeine pills seems like a lot, but really, is nothing compared to what others are losing in this scam.

Last but not least, I would like to say I do agree there is responsibility on the customer because we should read the terms before we buy. But there is a differnce between customer responsibility and outright being misled. I did read over the terms quickly before purchasing and I don't recall seeing anything about being signed up for the the Live Lean weight program. That part is really unfair and sneaky in my opinion. If I had found this stuff online, I wouldn't have even KNOWN I was signed up for it! It isn't anywhere on the invoice or brochure that comes with the bottle, and if you don't happen to look up these types of forums online, you might never know until it appears on your credit card. And even then you might be confused about where the charges are coming from!

Anyway - lesson learned here.

I too am experiencing the same thing. I ordered it on 6/5 and never received the supplement until 6/17, today is the 19th and I have been on the phone - first with busy signals, then open lines, finally a pre recorded message. I am still holding UGH! Today is day 15 so I need to cancel, I only got 2 days of my 15 day free trial. I will be calling my credit card company next to cancel that card and to open a new account so they can not charge me any more . How do you bring a lawsuit against a company like this. I will be contacting the BBB about them! What crooks!

FYI, I had the same problem but I was able to get through to Nature Cleanse at this number: [protected] between 8-5 EST. I can't get through to Acai Advanced. The [protected] number is just a non-stop recording...

I ordered my free trail bottle 3 weeks ago and I just received the product 2 days ago. I immediately called to cancel using the 888 number on the package label, but today is the third day I'm calling and you CAN'T get anyone on the phone. I have to give up after being on hold for more than an hour each time. Can anyone tell me how I can cancel my order with them? Thank you so much

It would have been nice if there had been SOME disclaimer regarding side effects. Primarily, EXTREME cramping so bad you can't go to WORK! I am so angry about that. If I had known I could have taken it on a day off! I canceled my free trial and I'd better NOT be charged anything ELSE!

TO EVERYBODY OUT THERE WHO'S BEING SCAMMED BY THIS MAINE-BASED COMPANY: Definitely take my advice and submit an online complaint with boston.bbb.org. I got one e-mail from the company saying I hadn't cancelled within the 15-day limit and therefore they wouldn't give me a refund and right behind that came an e-mail from the BBB to which they had replied they were giving me a full refund of all monies charged to me. GO FOR IT! You can get a refund too! It's worth the effort. Marcia

You definitely make very valid points. However, I take exception to being called "lazy". This scam company knows the majority of people will fall for their ad for "free" stuff. I personally can get all the Acai I want from the vitamin co-op I manage. I just gave our co-op order yesterday and noticed some very good companies in our catalog offering Acai for between $6 and $10. My interest in this company's scam advertising was that my son's wedding was approaching and I wanted to lose some weight. Our co-op orders only once a month so the time element factored in. I reasoned that the $5.95 was probably about what I would pay wholesale through the co-op. Believe me, I've learned an important lesson re reading 'terms and conditions'. I do have positive news about my situation. The BBB got me a full refund of all monies paid. I LOVE THE BBB! Incidentally, the only reason their product could cause weight loss is that it contains Cascara Sagrada and Senna, powerful laxatives. Have a nice day 'Savvy One'.

I'm so happy that I read these comments. Thank all of you. I was about to try out the free trial. I was almost to filled in the credit card information to pay for this.

I am having the same issue with this SO CALLED company. They told me I have to WRITE to corporate, give me a break like there going to refund. Just cancel your cards people, this scam is crazy and a lot of innocent people are losing money due to Oprah with her millions backing it, I'm shocked she is this dishonest. I guess money goes to money like they say, and we all suffer for there stupidity to scam us. *sigh*

ACAI ADVANCED IS A SCAM.DONT FALL FOR IT, I PLACED MY ORDER ON 06/16/09 AND THEY TOLD ME I WILL RECEIVED AN EMAIL SHORTLY, I NEVER GOT THE EMAIL, I CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE NO RESPONCE, I CALL AGAIN @ FEW DAYS LATER AND HOLD FOR ALMOST AN 1HR AND FINALLY TALK TO @ CUSTOMER SERVICE AND ASK WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY ORDER?THEY TOLD ME THEY DO NOT HAVE MY INFORMATION BUT, THE $63.98 WAS ALREADY TAKEN FROM MY ACCOUNT, I CALLED UP MY BANK AND EXPLAIN THE MATTER TO THEM AND I ASKED THEM TO STOP ALL TRANSICTION AND ALSO CANCLED THE CARD AND ISSUE ME @ NEW ONE.SO PLEASE DONT FALL FOR THE RISK FREE TRIAL JUST PAY SMALL SHIPPING AND HANDELING.

After 25 min of holding, I finally spoke with an associate. She gave me a cancellation number, her name and associate ID. When I asked to ship the product back, they wouldn't allow me to do so saying that "it was a compancy policy" that they don't accept returns. I asked why you could retun the trial product and they said, "the return only applies to the trial shipment and you are over your 15 days". I have a feeling this is not the end.

I want to thank all of you. I also fell for the scam and ordered the free trial paid the 5.95 it wasnt until I tried to cancel I found this forum. I cancelled my check card right away and all I was out was the 5.95. I am still trying to cancel but no luck. I wish there was a way to get back at these people for taking advantage of us. But hopefully this will help another unsuspecting victim. Thanks again to all who wrote in.

I totally agree with all of you on this issue. They got me too. I just spent 45 minutes trying to get this subscription stopped. I had already returned the product but then the next credit card bill that I received had the online subscription to some weight loss program on it. Something that I had never even heard of... I was so mad! I called and called for 3 days and today was the first time that I could ever get a live person on the other end. The other times it just rang and rang. After letting it ring for 29 minutes today, someone finally answered but after discussing my issue with the girl she told me she would cancel my subscription and then she hung up on me. Never again..not me!

The numbers I was given for Google Chest is [protected]. The number for Blazingwords is [protected]. This is a fraudulent practice and I don't know how they are getting away with it. But they say they will refund your money, but be persistent if they tell you they can't. They eventually give in, especially when you accuse them of what this practice is...FRAUD! I have learned my lesson about falling for these internet schemes. Once they get your credit card number for ANY introductory offer, you are going to be billed in the future because the fine print just doesn't explain their policies.

I emailed them and said I never signed up for the Live Lean and never got the pills in the mail. I also called my credit card company and declared the charges as fraud. I will keep you all posted.

I ALSO TRIED THE FREE TRIAL AND DID READ EVERYTHING HOWEVER I DIDNT REALIZE THERE WERE TWO SEPERATE COMPANIES TO CANCEL IF I GET NO RESPONSE I WILL CONTACT MY CREDIT CARD COMPANY WITH SO MANY COMPLAINTS YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT I WILL GO TO WALGREENS OR RITE AIDE AND TRY OTHER ACAI PRODUCTS WITH OUT THE HASSEL I WILL NEVER EVER EVER DO SOMTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN

completely agree with all comments. Have just spent 2 hours on the phone trying to cancel this membership, haven't reach anybody yet...What they do should be illegal.

Buyer Beware---Every complaint is legitimate. Very unethical business practices. Very difficult to contact and resolve complaints. Live Lean Membership is very concealed. This group should be forced out of business.

They sucks charge my credit card before time won't send me RMA # SO i can returned the product which made me sick also, 3 other product which I Order from another company I know problem with them returning there products.

I had the same efects you did, but you have to add very severe mood swings to my simptoms, so much so that my family and friends REALLY notice it. Just wanted to let you know, you are not the only one.

This is a total scam. I agree with every post above me. I ordered the 5.95 trial like an idiot. I got the bottle quickly. When I found out about the recurring costs, I called to cancel and get an RMA#. They simply refused to issue one. Two days later I got a charge for the 24.95 and 64.95. The first charge for the B.S. "Live Lean" membership which was concealed and never requested. The second charge for 64.95 which they said was a two month supply on the initial order sent out. She said they save on postage by shipping 60 capsules. I finally closed my bank account that was used for this transaction. Today they said they would cancel my membership but could not issue any refunds due to it has been 17 days (2 more than the trial period not shown). I think we need to all band together a bring a class action suit against these scammers. They are making millions of dollars fooling people with their $2.00 snake oil. Please don't hesitate to contact me if such legal action is initiated. apbrajevic@aol.com

I just wanted to look at their website and get some info and give the phone number so that I will know some info when they call me. They call me and after talking with first customer service agent I said I am not interested then still atleast 30 people call me inspite of saying I am not interested and they promise me I don't have to return the package and i just need to cancel if i don't like the trial supply. which i do and they asked me to send the trial supply unlike what they promised me. then added to all this foul game which they played, they said they never recieved the trial supply which i sent and charge me 79 dollars. Thankfully, after the bad experience I sent the package with USPS tracking number and when I told them the tracking number then they could verify and returned back the money. I don;t understand how foolish they can be and what these people can downgrade themselves to. its unimaginable lies, i made sure that none of my friends even will try the trial package after that.

This company has cost me a lot of money. The best thing to do is to cancel your card. I see others have had the same problem. I hope this company gets sued. I wish I knew what to do to stop this company.

I am still on hold with this company. I wonder if they will ever answer. Did they for you and did you get your order canceled?

You are not going to believe this, but I have been emailing them since the end of May to cancel my husband's order (they said he had to be the one to cancel - and yes I was being doubly charged) and I finally tried one last attempt this morning after seeing your post. I received a response back! I received a response from support@acaiadvancedcs.com GOOD LUCK!

i have tried both the [protected] # and the [protected] and cant get through to anyone - lines are always busy - i also tried to do the online chat people when you go to place your order - but they keep giving me the run around too -
i charged mine to my bank account card - so now i have to go close out my entire checking account so I can avoid charges from these people.

anyone know a good lawyer? wonder if we can do a civil action suit against them?

I had the same experience. I received product and paid shipping and they enclosed a invoice stating they were start charging my account if not cancelled before 4/15. I did call and cancelled on 4/12 and surprise on my credit card billing they charged me 64.95 on 5/21, 24.95 on 5/26, and 74.90 on 6/5. I have contacted my credit card company and hopefully I will get a refund. This is crazy. I should have searched on the company prior to asking for the sample. I was on Oprah's web page and that is where I saw the offer. SHAME on OPRAH for supporting this scam.

I also ordered Acai Advanced and took pills for a few days and had to stop because it made my stomach very bloated and gave me a lot of pain, and that was only taking it for 4 days so I discontinued. I have tried to call them several times and cancel after the first trial order but all of a sudden they have no record of who I am and are telling me that this is not their product. HELP!
Carrilyn, New York

I just cussed one of their people out...this is ridiculous. The lady told me...after waiting to speak with someone for 35 minutes...that 15 days already passed when I just recieved the product 13 days ago. Not to mention I threatened to dispute the charges and then she said it would take 30 days to see my refund and I would be responsible for the shipping charges. She then offered me a 50% refund, which I accepted so I would not have to deal with these freakin idiots anymore. Screw them and their product...Something needs to be done about it!