Posted in Acai Berry, featured on July 9th, 2009 by lee
Everyone who has bought any acai capsules will be aware of the sometimes dubious sales techniques used by a minority of on-line sellers. I have been stung by one particular company: CCN (Central Coast Nutraceuticals). It warms my heart to see that this organization has been forced to pay a settlement of $1,375,000.
The settlement came about as a result of the action brought by Attorney General Terry Goddard after hundreds upon hundreds of complaints about CCN’s unethical practices came flooding into his office.
I was one of those complainants. I signed up for the acai free trial; like others I was drawn in by what seemed to be a very good deal. I paid a nominal fee for shipping and handling and waited for my bottle of acai berry. The acai arrived with what were described as ‘bonus products’. I didn’t think much of this, and as I didn’t want them, I threw them away.
I finished the bottle of acai, and I wasn’t that impressed with the quality. I decided not to repurchase with CCN, but instead looked around for an alternative supplier. To my surprise and disappointment, I noticed another bottle of the same acai product arrive from CCN. I checked the documentation that came with it, and saw that I had been signed up to an expensive monthly subscription. This was not what I wanted, and I called to cancel straight away. After 90 minutes on hold, I gave up an sent an email. No reply.
Next month the product arrived again, and once again my credit card was billed. Still more phone calls and e-mails: still nothing. In the end I had to cancel my credit card, which was a major inconvenience, and shouldn’t have been necessary just to stop a monthly subscription which I never wanted in the first place.
I hope to get some – if not all – of my money back when the Attorney General apportions the restitution money. Acai might be the next super food (I still buy it from a reputable company) but this kind of scam puts a bitter taste in your mouth.