http://www.bbb.org/us/article/weight-loss-berry-claiming-oprah-endorsement-makes-wallets-slim-and-consumers-angry-warns-bbb-8493
If you’ve spent any time online, you’ve probably seen them: the ads for diet products made with the trendy berry açai. But you may want to think twice about signing up for one of these diets.

The consumer advocacy group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, is warning that not only are the diets questionable, many are offered through an online scam.

There’s no evidence whatsoever that diet pills made with açai (pronounced a-sigh-EE) will help flatten tummies, cleanse colons, enhance sexual desire, or perform any of the other commonly advertised functions, the CSPI warns in a news release Monday.

What’s more, many of these pills are offered through “free, risk-free” 14-day trial offers that are really part of a scheme called “negative option” advertising.

The companies offer samples of the products but then charge the customer’s credit card month after month unless the consumer cancels the order.

“Law enforcement has yet to catch up to these rogue operators. Until they do, consumers have to protect themselves.”

The Better Business Bureau in the U.S. released a statement this January warning consumers to be wary of website offering acai berry-related weight loss products, saying it has received “thousands” of complaints from consumers.

In many cases, when customers try to contact the company and cancel their subscriptions, they are forced to sit for more than an hour on hold. Additionally, some consumers have complained of unauthorized charges on their credit card or bank accounts for products they did not order.

Others have had trouble cancelling their subscription using the email addresses provided. In some cases, the address did not work or the complainant continued to be billed despite multiple emails.

Several customers reported they were eventually forced to close bank accounts and cancel credit cards to stop the charges.

Winfrey, Oz, and Ray have all publicly disassociated themselves from the sites that make unauthorized use of their names.

A disclaimer was added to the Oprah website last month that reads: “Consumers should be aware that Oprah Winfrey is not associated with nor does she endorse any açaí berry product or online solicitation of such products.”

Duration : 0:4:54

Technorati Tags: acai berry, ACAIBERRYEXCLUSIVE.COM, antioxidants, Brazilian fruit's juice, clay douglass, diet products, disclaimer, free, FREE TRIAL, health claims, internet scam, mitch platt, not associated, nutrition, online scam, oprah winfrey, risk-free 14-day trial, Viv3 Lab Limited, weight lost