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Weight Watchers International

Weight Watchers International review: no free trial - it's a ripoff! 5

J
Author of the review
8:58 am EDT
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This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

I signed up for WW Online simply to try it. Their website says that your card wil not be charged during the 7 day trial period, but mine was charged on day two. This did not contribute to my overall good feelings about the company, and I decided to cancel on day five, well within the seven days. I did this by email. I rec'd an email back saying I was not eligible for any refund because I did not notify them of my cancellation within the seven day period, which was obviously not true. After three emails and a phone call to customer service, they said they would indeed refund my $65, that I should not have been charged until day 7. Of course 4 days later I have seen no credit on my charge account. I do believe that this is a calculated customer service rip-off practice on their part. Not smart, as I have been a loyal follower of WW for 20 years (in person meetings, not online). I promise you I will NEVER darken their doors again, and I will tell everyone who will listen about their shady business practices.

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gail
Oct 07, 2008 2:59 pm EDT

I had the same thing happen. It wasn't a free trial at all and I canceled and they still charged me again for another 16.95 after the 65.00 charge. Its a SCAM WATCH OUT.

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Kathy
Oct 26, 2008 7:37 am EDT

I also signed up for WW Online last Sunday and within 10 minutes, decided that the plan was not for me. I cancelled. They did not refund my $65, but informed me of all the reasons why they were keeping it. In our state anyone can cancel any contract within 3 days with a full refund. I plan on contesting this and will notify my bank to reverse charges and to NOT accept any more.

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Ruth
AU
Apr 22, 2009 2:24 am EDT

I am reading the USA experience with interest and comparing it to my own in Australia. I had attended WW meetings many years ago with a great deal of satisfaction. Due to time pressure I signed up online for a 3 month no join fee promotional package.

I did not find the online experience suited me and mentally wrote off the remainder of my $65 as the cost of the try. I continued to receive what I thought were spam emails from WW as i had not visited their site in months. Time pressures had also meant I had not done an item bu item tally on my visa but simply paid it out every month. While checking something the other day i see WW has billed me 3 further monthly amounts without any further email being sent.

To say i was not happy with this method of business is under-stating it. I exchanged many emails with the company and they sent me formula responses back which told me they prided themselves on their customer relations. In this country no other contracted service provider would dare bill you without a monthly account to your mail or email. WW seems oblivious to this and will go on billing you the monthly amount which readily slips under the radar as a single item. They succesfull billed me 3 times totalling $75 and would not settle a refund of a single cent. My guess is no refunds are ever made.

The billing by default on an opt out basis without further notice is nothing short of shady! I will ensure I point this out to any others contemplating the 'deal'.

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Blanca581
Humble, US
Jul 13, 2009 7:50 pm EDT

Weight watchers offered a one month free when signing up for a month pass for 39.99. After you sign up, they don't give you the one month free. When you contact them they offer you two weeks free. It is a total rip off. I asked for a full refund within two days.

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B
Billco4
Bracknell, GB
Feb 08, 2012 2:35 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Still Going on - I'm UK based and got caught by this 'Free Trial' scam - see below for a copy and paste of an email I sent last week to WW - not had a response back ( have a feeling now they have my money I won't)
Last week, upon recommendation of a colleague, I checked out the Weight Watchers Program on-line. Although impressed by the methodology and the introductory price of £32.85 for three months, I wasn't totally committed to trying it so I closed down the browser Window. Upon doing this a 'Pop Up' Appeared saying basically - try free for one week.

The Options, as I understood them, were to try the program FOC for 1 Week and then either cancel during this period or continue - to which WW would extract the fund for three months.

Fair enough, however here I made my mistake, I didn't read the T&C's closely enough and assumed WW would take £32.85 as per the offer I had been looking at.
If I had closely read the T&C's and not relied on, what I perceived to be, the good name of WW I would have either cancelled my weekly 'Free' and signed up for the offer after say 5 Days or not bothered at all.

Why? - Because instead of paying £ 32.85 for Three Months, by taking the 'Free Trial' I have been charged £49.80 ( £ 16.95 or 51% more ).

I am annoyed with myself, mainly as I don't normally get caught in this kind of Scam / Confidence Trick and will normally read T&C's diligently so I know I don't have a 'leg' to stand on - it's my own fault for trusting the integrity of Weight watchers and not looking for the small print which has resulted in me paying £16.95 for a 'Free Weeks Trial'.

Having been caught out by you I don't expect anything as a result of this e-mail as you have done nothing illegal or technically wrong - the error is my fault for trusting you and I disagree strongly about the way you have made extra money out of the fact that made assumptions on the offer instead of reading every line of the T&C's ( why would anyone willingly pay more to have a free trial - I don't understand!)

Shame, as a brand I have always thought positively about Weight Watchers until having now been suckered in!

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  3. Weight Watchers International emails
  4. Weight Watchers International address
    11 Madison Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, New York, 10010, United States
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    Oct 07, 2024
Weight Watchers International Category
Weight Watchers International is ranked 1 among 61 companies in the Weight Loss category