FiberThin Cortislim Scam: Protect Yourself From Dishonest Supplement Retailers!
 Supplements like FiberThin and CortiSlim are usually offered with a 100% "satisfaction or your money back"
guarantee. While this corporate demonstration of "confidence" in a product is appreciated by consumers, it is unusual to find such a guarantee that is actually honored.
In my experience, most are offered simply in order to "tip the balance" in favor of a purchase. Should you actually request a refund, more times than not you'll find yourself stuck in voice-jail hell, belittled by unpleasant and uncooperative support staff, or unable to receive a response from customer service at all.
This is one of the reasons why I recommend Isatori's Lean System 7 (reviewed here). It is simply one of the few products I know of that is retailed by an ethical company that will refund your money -- no questions asked -- should you be unhappy with your purchase (your purchase must be made direct in order for this guarantee to be in effect).
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Lately, another high profile company has been implementing
some pretty dishonest and underhanded tactics. Ever since I
wrote and posted an article on the "As Seen on T.V." product
FiberThin (read the Fiber Thin review!) I've been bombarded with e-mails.
Seems that not only
is it extremely difficult to squeeze the promised refund
from the makers of FiberThin, customers are finding that
they've been arbitrarily signed up for monthly recurring
shipping and billing...
... without their consent. In other words, they are
receiving a new bottle of FiberThin each month, and their
credit cards are being charged accordingly -- despite the
fact that they did not authorize such a charge. This brings a whole new meaning to the words "scummy
behavior".
Since then, I've also received word that another aggressively promoted product, Cortislim is doing the same thing ( Read the Cortislim review! Read the Cortislim warning!)
Since I originally wrote this article, the FTC has charged both the makers of CortiSlim (you can read the details of that action here) and the makers of FiberThin (you can read the details of that action here) with making false and unsubstantiated claims about their respective products.
As you can imagine, this does not speak to either the credibility or ethics of either company, and certainly makes placing an order with either company a real gamble. |
Luckily, there are things you can do to protect yourself.
For "As Seen on T.V." products, which are usually ordered
by phone with a credit card, here's what I suggest...
Make a brief note of the order for your records. In it be sure
to track...
i) the time and date
ii) the exact number of product(s) you are ordering, and whether or not you will be added to a recurring billing program.
iii) the amount of your bill
iv) your operator's first and last name and extension (if they won't give
you this, do not give them your credit card number).
v) the appropriate contact information (should you need to
contact them or return the product for a refund)
vi) any other data you deem relevant
For good measure, you may wish to state that you do not
wish to receive products on a monthly basis. Be emphatic here -- this may be important later. Writing this down may seem like a pain, but it will pay you
back in spades, should you need to call your credit card
company -- it adds great credibility to your story.
In Canada, the U.S. and many other countries, major credit
cards have what is called a zero-liability policy. This
ensures that the client (you), is not responsible for any
non-authorized charges to his/her credit card. If a company
like FiberThin or Cortislim has signed you up to receive their product on
a monthly basis (and you did not authorize this), simply call
your credit card company and do a "charge-back".
Merchants really don't like charge-backs. If they get
enough of them, they are in danger of losing their merchant
accounts (i.e., their ability to accept and process major
credit cards), which severely jeopardizes their business.
When faced with a charge-back, even the most uncompromising
of merchants usually change their tune. And guess what?
Any time a merchant accepts a credit card online or over the phone, it is called a "card not present" transaction. Since the merchant does not have a signed credit card receipt, there is no real proof of the transaction. This makes it very hard for them to dispute a "charge-back".
Unfortunately, you probably will not be able to process a
charge-back against a company for products for which you have authorized an initial purchase, but are looking
to receive a refund according to the manufacturer's
guarantee. And you will also not be able to receive a refund for recurring shipments, if you authorized such shipments. And be careful here -- plenty of less than scrupulous retailers will bury your "acceptance" in such a program into lengthy user agreements and legal texts that no one ever reads.
For consumers, the best protection comes from MasterCard,
which is the card I recommend you use anytime you purchase
online or by phone (or any other time the merchant does not
receive your signature as the result of a purchase).
MasterCard tends to favor the cardholder over the merchant
more so than other card companies. If you have any questions about your credit card company's
policies, please contact them directly. In the meantime, shop smart -- shop safe!
Have you used FiberThin, ZetaCap, Propolene or Glucomannan ? Tell me what you think!
Looking for a fat burner recommendation?
Read my review of Lean System Seven!
Have you been the victim of a product that makes exaggerated claims? Launch a complaint!
US visitors should submit a complaint to the US Federal Trade Commission!
Canadians, submit a complaint at the Canadian Competition Bureau!
Back to UltimateFatBurner.com: Reviews of Fat Burners, Diet Supplements and Weight Loss Programs!
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FiberThin Cortislim Scam: Protect Yourself From Dishonest Supplement Retailers!
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