Advanced Wellness Research review: overcharged! scam!!! online orders acai berry 500 321

I am submitting a follow-up to my posting 51 minutes ago. I tried again and selected option 3 instead of option 1 on the automated phone selections. I can only say that I talked I talked with an Indian lady named Cecila who agreed to refund me $60.00 on each bottle ($120.00) and cancel all future shipments. I can only hope that this happens. If it works I can only suggest that one keeps trying until they get the one that will help and to discourage anyone else from trying this bogus 14 day trial.

I agree with everything being said. I placed two orders for a 14 day free trial. I did not receive the bottle until January 9th. The 14 day trial should not have started until the product was in hand but I was billed $78.81 on January 22nd. When I called as has already been stated I talked with an Indian named David who said that the trial period began on the 7th. How can I try a product that I do not even have. It is a SCAM and all these charges are fraudulent. Something needs to be done about this.

axactly what you said happened to me too! scam scam scam advanced wellness reserch inc.is a scam and is being reported now!

Omg, I too ordered this...makes me feel kinda dumb. I did recv the product like w/i 2 days. I was only charged the $4.99 so far. It's been a few days now. I keep checking my credit card acct. So far, so good. I called this morn to cancell al future shipments & the guy with a thick accent (Igntius?) gave me an extention on the free trial. I sat on that for a while & called back this afternoon. I think it was the same guy & he knew I called eariler. I told him my stomach hurt after 2 days of using this & I needed to return the product & cancel any future shipments, ASAP. He gave me an RMA (return) number. I will pop it in the mail tomorrow. Keep ya posted. Holy Cow...Never again. I'll watch what I eat & run with my dog. Not worth this hassle.

i oredered as s trial of brite white for the cost of shipping and handling. i was charged 69.99 instead on my credit card. this is fraud and i need to be refunded and this company needs to be put out of business.

Advance Wellness Research Inc. is nothing but a call room. No management is present to settle complaints. I canceled within 15 days and was still charged $78. I took the product for 1 week and could not stand the headaches I received from the pills. Do not buy from this company. They are in it for the money not to help anyone but themselves make a buck. The product is not FDA approves so we do not have a clue what is in these pills and it took a week for me to get over the very dull and persistent headache.

I also have had a very bad experience with this company. I originally placed an order on Jan 3rd in hopes of receiving the product within 5 to 7 days as listed on the website; however, that did not happen. On Jan 12th I called back asking why I still had not received my order and the person "Freddie" who I spoke to, could not give me a clear answer to my situation. Frustrated with his response, I canceled my order. I was told that I should receive the product at any time and that I had 10 days to return it so I would not be charged the almost $80 amount for the product. several days came and went and no shipment has been received.

So I called back on Jan 17th and spoke to "Dean" demanding to find out what happened to the shipment that has been supposedly shipped out to me on the 3rd. I explained to him that I had already canceled my order and I needed to receive the product in order to return it. Again I was given the runaround and then was told that the "Shipment Dept" would need to research what happened to the order and they were supposed to contact me within 2 days. Ok, now today is Jan 21st and guess what? NO PHONE CALL! and NO SHIPMENT!

So I called back a third time explaining my situation all over again . This time I was told that, even though I have not received my shipment, they would be charging my credit card the $78+ and then i would have to call back in to have them refund my card. I argued with the guy for almost 30 minutes without any resolution to my issue. By the way, asking for a supervisor does not work...they will only tell you that the one manager in the place is in a meeting for the rest of the afternoon. Now I am at the point where I just want to cancel my card which I should not have to do.

I have been calling [protected] and I always get thru to someone but they are absolutely no help.

FRAUD ALERT! FRAUD ALERT! FRAUD ALERT!

I TOO WAS FOOLED BY THEIR 30 DAY FREE TRIAL OFFER THAT ENDED UP A 14 DAY TRIAL INSTEAD!

WE NEED HELP! THIS IS A SCHAM THAT IS FOOLING LOTS OF FOLKS AND NEEDS TO BE STOPPED!

This Company is being investigated for fraud.

I didn't even order this product. I was charged over 4.99 Dec. 12th...Then on the 29th, $78.81 dollars was illegally drafted from my accont.

Oprah supports this? Rachael Ray?
Do they even know the deception of this Company?

I already have an attorney, I have a case...All I want is for these funds to be sent back to my account...Permission was never granted from the beginning. I can't even "Cancel" A "Confirmation/Order number" is asked for... I DON'T HAVE ONE!

This has taken a toll on my health...I am a single Mother with an icurable disease that has spread. I have 3 children. I'm on disability, and cannot even do sedentary work...Now...Bounced Checks?

I have no number...Not an, "Order Accepted." Nothing.

Lhpm50@aol.com

I also ordered what was suppose to be a 14 day trial sample. No where in the ad did it state you only had 14 days to cancel or be charged. It stated you were getting a 14 day trail sample! So I'm thinking only enough pills for 14 days to try them. I ordered on the 22nd of December, they charged the 4.99 plus a .05 service charge on the 26th. I didn't even have the pills yet, once I received the pills it was a bottle of 60 caplets, which I thought was strange, but starting taking them, I had no results after 14 days. On the 8th of Jan. my account was hit for 78.81 and a service charge of .79! When I called the company, I also got an Indian representative who told me the add clearly states you will receive a months supply and have 14 days to try it, afterwards your card will be billed...I argued and he canceled my future shipments...future shipments! I read nothing of future shipments, and he would only refund 30.00, making that bottle still cost me 48.81 + the original 4.99, plus the services fees! I refused his offer and am currently disputing the charges with my bank. Oh and when I asked for his name and id number...he told me his name was Stephan Adams! He was clearly a Indian operator...it's nothing but a scam. So be warned!

I also ordered the Pure Acai...after 4 days, decided to cancel it. The rep from India quickly agreed to cancel. ...telling me I would not incur any more charges BUT I HAD TO RETURN THE PRODUCT AND IT HAD TO REACH THEM WITHIN 10 DAYS OR I WOULD BE CHARGED THE FULL AMOUNT.
I don't recall reading that on the website...that the product had to be returned if you cancelled.
So I hope I don't incur anymore charges but I think the whole outfit is shady. The product came from Nampa IDAHO and the call center is in INDIA.

I ordered the product december 24, 2008, and received it on December 29, 2008. It did not work, and after only 13 days out of a 14 day trial they charged my bank account $78.00 ! I called to let them know I was not happy with the product. They said it had been longer than 14 days, so I was out of luck. I told them that I only had the product 13 days, and they said they start counting the 14 days FROM THE TIME OF THE ORDER, NOT WHEN YOU GET THE PRODUCT ... I argued with the guy, and he ended up refunding $60.00, but would not do any better, so I got stuck paying $18.00 for a small bottle of tablets that do not work as promised. I will dispute this issue with my bank on monday

Found out too late!

This company needed to be shut down. I ordered something on trial, when tried to cancel could not get through, before it was over I had charges from 4 different names. I had to close cc account and get new one. Now they have charged on my new account and I didn't give it to them. This has to be ilegal and they need to be SHUT DOWN NOW!
There are all these complaints. Why isn't something being done?

Here is a phone number to contact advance wellness research, but good luck finding someone that can help you. 1.866.484.2863. I always end up speaking to someone that sounds Indian that obviously is giving me a fake name, and the telephone connection always seems to break up. When I try to give them my information, I have to repeat myself numerous times before they get it right. Then they proceed to tell me they can't pull up my information because they are having technical problems and to call back in a few hours. Finally, I get so angry with them, I ask to speak to a supervisor who is conveniently not there. What "James" doesn't realize is that I have already spoken to "Peter" and "Suri" and the other fake names they give me. They all tell me the same thing, to call back after the system is back up. What a crock! I think they delete your infomation after you try to cancel. Oh, except for your credit card number.

Unlike some of you, I have received the product. I have called this number to get a "RMA" number to ship it back for a refund. They sent an email with the RMA number and address, so I had to spend an additional $10 to ship it back to them. They received it on Dec. 16th, and I still have not received a credit. I am going to wait until Jan. 16th, and if I do not get my refund my bank is going to be contacting them. I have already filed a fradulent charge against them, so they are being watched.

Also, to those of you who have not been charged or received your product, I suggest you cancel your credit card now. Before they get ahold of your hard earned money.

And to Lois Boyd, I would be happy to sign your class action suit. Let me know when it's up and running.

P.S. If you call this number and you hear hold music, press 0 and it will direct you to one of these idiots.

This is the WORST customer service experience I have EVER had. I placed an order for the 14 days trial and tried to cancel 5 minutes after doing so when I realised the the trail peiod INCLUDES delivery time. Customer service dicked around so much that the product was sent and took 21 days! to reach me here in NZ.

I have been charged for the Acai berry ($148 NZD for 60 caps) and have been trying to get an RMA for three weeks. I have called and emailed. I have tried polite I have been rude I even emailed Nick Malina the supposed CEO for assistance and he was as useless as his staff who send me the same email about 7 times with the same crap on it in return (Rings us on this toll free number (Hello NEW ZEALAND - its not toll free outside os USA and they don't seem to understand that NZ is NOT a state in ALABAMA!) or fill in this form online) I go to fill in the online form and lo and behold ITS NOT THERE! When I ring I get voice mail every time.

This is the worst customer service I have EVER recieved and Im sure its just to make sure they can suck every dime they can from your pocket. Since I am not in the USA I can't even sue them to get my money back its gone. And now that time is running out to get an RMA soon I will not be able to get a refund. I will be cancelling my credit card tomorrow to make sure they don't get any more money out of me.

These people are the WORST COMPANY in the world. DO NOT PURCHASE THIER PRODUCT unless you are 100% sure you want it or 100% want to have a stoke at the ripe age of 24 like me!

This company is totally misleading. I ordered a "free" trial($4.99)In less than 2 days I was charged $78.81 For the full offer. I was to have 14 days to decide. I have called my credit card company But according to them it has already been paid and there is nothing that they can do. I am not having any luck with the company. I phone and they say there is a 60 to 85 min wait time to talk to a rep. I don't care how good this product is I DO NOT WANT IT!

Same thing happened to me except that I charged it to a card which allowed me to dispute the charge. This company's advertisements are false and misleading. When I called I got a rep who spouted company policy and would not let me talk to a supervisor and kept interrupting me when I tried to state my case. The only positive thing the customer service rep did is to cancel all future shipments (which I never signed up for in the first place). The $78.81 is still in dispute and I will continue to pursue this until I get a credit on my account.

Help! what do I do. I'm a college student and don't how to deal with this. It's just an automated system now. I can't contact them. should I cancel my card?!

Does anyone have an actual mailing address to return the stupid product? When mine came, there was no address to return them to. I am at my wit's end. Thank you. Rhonda Sonnek - rhondasonnek914@hotmail.com

I'm pissed!

This is a very disgusting company.They suck you into the free trial offer for $4.99, and then you haven't received your order they are charging $83.80 and $78.81 to my card. I am very upset and have notified the fraud department at my local bank. This type of "###" business should be completely SHUT DOWN and NOW! I had to change my card and get all new bank information to make sure this stealing stopped. They do not answer any calls, and are the slim of the earth!

I too was scammed out of $70 some odd dollars by Advanced Wellness Research and would like to know if anyone has a valid phone # the one I have always goes straight to busy, imagine that?

I too ordered the free trial. When I tried to cancel the product - I could not leave a message because of the "mailbox full" problem. I promptly contacted my credit card company (because they had charged me the $78.81) and filed a dispute. I'm not paying for a product that I have not received for starters - and then having them charge me again and still not receive the product. It is a sham. I won't pay it.

I just found the charge on my credit card statement for $78.81. I was able to put the charge into dispute with my credit card company who gave me the telephone number to contact this company. When I called the number, it had been changed. Here it is for those who need it - toll free @ [protected]. I spoke with an Indian sounding person who gave me the spiel about you had 14 days to cancel, blah blah blah - this information was never on the website that I ordered from. He assures me they are cancelling my account. I will keep an eye on my account to see what happens.

I too have been screwed by advanced wellness research! just yesterday i spent an hour at my bank straightening out my situation. Had to get a new card and this un athorized charge of 78.81 made a couple of my checks bounce also!.I agreed to the 4.99 shipping of my 2 weeks trial of this product. not 78.81.My bank reported it as a fraudulant company!

me2! what do i do...noone will return calls!

The exact same thing has happen to me. I never recieved one thing from this company and they have charged my account twice. I might have been a loyal customer (who knows) but I have not have the chance to even try one pill. I am mad!

When they said I could cancel within 14 days of receiving the order, it then took them nearly one month to get the order to me -- for the free trial offer using standard shipping. Since when does it take one month for standard shipping to work? Also, I have been calling them over and over and only get an answering machine. I will gladly add my name to a civil suit against this company. They have also charged me for a product that, 5 minutes after placing the order, I then called to cancel because AFTER you place the order then a page comes up saying that the product should not be used if you have certain health conditions. Therefore, they set it up to totally rip me off.

In addition to my phone calls and emails, I will be sending two letters (one to the address provided by another complainant, below) and to the company itself. Actually, 3 identical letters, the third to the "standard shipping company." This is a complete scam and totally set up to get your credit card information for a fake product.

How can you stop them from taking your money? Does anyone know?

Thanks.

I place my order also on Nov.11/08 and have not received the order yet. can any body please tell me how to get in contact with customer service because the number i dial is incorrect. can you please help

this company a fraud. no poduct. service dept does not answer and i have been charged 78.81 I want them out of my life. I should have gone to the health food store.

I also have not received my product and can noone to answer the phone at two of their offices. All I get are really stupid e-mails that tell me nothing. Only to return the product I don't have. Also they have charged my checking account 78.81. How can I stop this? I really need help. This company is a sham. Can anyone any where help me. I am disperate and don't want to close my checking account and open a new one because it is a lot of work and all my stuff is auto desposit. Help Help

The following is the coorespondence I have sent and received from Advanced Wellness Reseach. They obviously have no intentions of making good on anything. The only content that was changed was the removal of my full name, address and phone numbers. The rest is unchanged. As you can see both from their lack of responce as well as the only response thus far, they are tryuly a very shady and underhanded company.

This last one being sent today (Nov 25) at approximately 6:30 pm

Mr Smith,

If you read the two emails that were sent to you, you would know this does not answer my questions. I dont have any questions, I just want my money back. That is all. I dont want your product, I dont want an explination and I especially dont want your reassurances for anything, I just want my money back. I paid $12.99 for 2-3 day shipping, not the standard 5-7 business days for $4.99. It has been 14 days since I placed the order online. It was not shipped within 24 hours of placing the order (I placed the order on the 11th, it was supposedly shipped on the 13th), it has not been received, and I honestly dont care if it shows up on my door step next week. That is not what I paid for and I want my money back NOW! I also want the entire order cancelled effective Nov 18, because that is when I first made the request for it to be cancelled, and it still has not been done. If I receive another charge from your company, as I am now at the end of the 14 day trial period, I will be contacting a lawyer. I am apparently not the only customer with this very same complaint. I was on a web site today that showed 30 other complaints exactly the same as mine with your company, so this is apparently a common business practice with your company. It is fraudulent and illegal for you to withhold my money for a product I have not, nor do I expect, to receive. So I hope that answers your questions Mr Smith. If I have not made my position clear enough for you, feel free to give me a call @ xxx-xxx-xxxx.

I also want you to know that I called your customer service department today and demanded to speak to a manager on duty and while on hold I was transfered to the General Manger of Dish Network. He was very interested to learn that I was transfered to him from your lines. He assured me that he will be looking into how it is that you were able to transfer me to him on his internal line. You may very well be hearing from him as well. Regards, Amy S

--- On Tue, 11/25/08, Service wrote:

From: Service
Subject: RE: Fw: Poor customer service
To: ladytech74@yahoo.com
Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 2:38 PM

Dear Amy,

Thank you for contacting customer services,

Firstly, let me confirm you that your order was shipped to you right on the next day you ordered your ACAI BERRY and also our records shows the same status. You just need to check it with your nearest USPS courier services. We really appologize that your product is being delayed to be shipped to you but we can reassure you that you will recieve your product in the next few days.

Your order number is: PA-3012

I hope this answers your questions.

Thank you and have a nice day,

Ron Smith,
Customer Service
Original Message
----------------
Subject: Fw: Poor customer service
From: ladytech74@yahoo.com
To:
Date: [protected]:14:32

To whom it may concern:
Today is November 24...and I still have not received the order that was placed on November 11. I sent an email (attached) on November 18, and have yet to receive a response. I called on the 19th and spoke to someone with an indian accent that I could not understand who told me at the time that I would have to wait 24 hours for a response...still no response! I paid $12.99 for 2-3 day shipping...its been 13 days! My credit card has already been charged the $12.99. I have called repeatedly, only to be met with several different messages, none of which have gotten me through to your customer service department. I tried calling again today at approximately 6:30 pm, and I got a voice message that said your hours of operation are from 8am to 8pm (it was 9am to 9pm before). I want all shipments cancelled...NOW! I want the $12.99 returned to my card, as I have not received my delivery in the specified amount of time. I will be filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in my local area as well as the area that you are located if I do not receive an immediate refund of the $12.99 for the shipment that has not been received yet, as well as a written (letter and/or email) confirmation that all shipments have been cancelled. Your company is shady, your business practices are shady and your customer service sucks! I am beyond frustrated at this point with your company and its lack of want to take care of its customers. You will never have my business again. I will expect a response within the next 12 hours as you now owe me for not returning ANY of my prior messages, verbal or otherwise! Regards, Amy Schumacher215-205-5487

--- On Tue, 11/18/08, Amy S wrote:

From: Amy S
Subject: Poor customer service
To: service@advancedwellnessresearch.com
Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 10:05 AM

Customer Service:
I placed an order online on Tuesday, November 11. I also paid for the 2-3 day delivery for $12.99, of which my credit card has already been charged. I was told yesterday that the product was shipped on November 13. I have yet to receive the product. I called your customer service department yesterday and explained my situation. The operator I spoke to said she had to speak to her manager and would be right back. The operator did not answer the phone in a professional manner, and never gave me the opportunity to ask for her name or operator number. She did not put me on hold and I heard the conversation she had with the manager. She explained my situation to him, and the first words out of his mouth were "How much money have we made from her?". She then explained my situation again and said that I hadn't received the product yet and was about to cancel my order. He then proceeded to tell her to call me back after checking on my order status. She then told me she would call me back in a few minutes after checking on my order, and then hung up on me without taking my phone number. I never heard back from her or anyone else. I have since tried calling back several times between today and yesterday, leaving several messages. None have been returned. I have left a message with Nick at [protected], and no return. I have also gotten a recording telling me that I need to call back between 9am and 9pm, which I was well within that time frame. I have gotten the menu recording, only to select the menu key for customer service (4), and have it return me to the main menu again. Now I am getting a recording that you are experiencing a high call volume and to send an email! This is getting rediculous! I fully expect a return phone call before the end of business today confirming the cancellation of my order and have all charges credited back to my card. I also expect a confirmation email stating that the order has been cancelled and that all charges have been credited back to my card. I have not received any product as of today. If it has been shipped, as I was told (on Nov 13), you should have a way of tracking and verifying that. At this point your business and business practices are looking shady at best. I do not have an order number, as I never received a confirmation email. My information is as follows:
Amy S
Home address
Home phone number
Cell phone number
If you have any questions, feel free to call me on my cell number listed above.
Regards, Amy S

never received my product. charged for trial shipment and then 78.81 for a product i did not receive. cannot get a person to answer the phone and am at loss as to what to do next. what a scam. help

So how do I get out of this?! I too have not received my order and cannot make connections with the "correct" people to cancel my Trial Order. What a scam! How do you get out of this without being charged for a terrible product and service?
Thanks for any help.

UPDATE:

Mr Molina contacted me and apologised and personaly guaranteed the return of my funds. Although this does not excuse the actions of the customer service staff. I understand his position and accepted the apology.

UPDATE!

The Company CEO contacted me and apologised for everything and is returning my funds. He explained the issues and was very sorry. Since I have no clue how to delete the complaint I can only update that, the CEO contacted me and apologised. I will update as soon as the funds are released from autorization pending status

this is my complaint on here too!

Advanced Wellness Research Inc — over charged and rude service

This is the corporate information I found online at www.sunbiz.org

Detail by Entity Name
Florida Profit Corporation
ADVANCED WELLNESS RESEARCH INC.
Filing Information
Document Number P08000099391
FEI Number NONE
Date Filed 11/06/2008
State FL
Status ACTIVE

Principal Address
1000 SOUTH POINTE DRIVE #1901
MIAMI BEACH FL 33139
Mailing Address
1000 SOUTH POINTE DRIVE #1901
MIAMI BEACH FL 33139
Registered Agent Name & Address
SPIEGEL & UTRERA, P.A.
1840 SW 22ND ST.
4TH FLOOR
MIAMI FL 33145 US
Officer/Director Detail
Name & Address
Title PSTD
MOLINA, NICOLAS
1000 SOUTH POINTE DRIVE #1901
MIAMI BEACH FL 33139
Annual Reports
No Annual Reports Filed
Document Images

I have the same compliant as Shannon Ortner. I also spoke with Betty in Oregon, and she has the same complaint. I am in the process of collecting enough people to file a class action against Advanced Wellness Research, Inc. If anyone esle is the victim of this unethical company. Please contact me at lois.boyd@yahoo.com