Kiwis lash Out Against Scummy Celluslim Retailers!
I thought I’d include this story here to illustrate that scummy behavior, especially in the weight loss supplement industry, knows no international bounds…
A New Zealand court recently ordered Dennis O’Neill and Martini Limited to pay NZ$256,000 in customer redress. These funds would cover fines and refunds in relation to the fraudulent marketing of their weight loss product, Celluslim. Apparently, Celluslim could melt away both fat and cellulite — it would disappear in just three weeks — without diet or exercise! Yeah, right!
And here’s where it gets even better. O’Neill and Martini claimed that Celluslim had been tested by the emminent Doctor Malissi at the Saint Alto Research Centre, Switzerland. Guess what? There is no Doctor Malissi. There isn’t even a Saint Alto Research Centre in Switzerland. Worst of all, this sort of thing happens all the time. Unethical companies often misrepresent
their spokespeople, and occassionally even their own staff, as medical authorities.
What’s annoying about this is obvious. When we are being marketed to we expect the company doing so to play by the rules, and follow some sort of ethical code of conduct. In other words, if a company tells us their product has been successfully tested by some emminent doctor in a foreign country, we believe them. Our first inclination is NOT to think…
“Hmmm… I wonder of said doctor and said research facility exists.”
However, the supplement industry has demonstrated to us time and time again that this is EXACTLY what we should think. Once again, it all boils down to this…
Weight loss is never quick and easy, as much as we’d like it to be. Any product that makes claims contrary to this does not have your best interests at heart, and should be approached with a hearty dose of skepticism. And if the product has “emminent” doctors proclaiming its miraculous virtues, be very concerned. After all, real doctors are well aware that weight loss is about hard work… and not some miracle pill.
