The perils of slimming pills ... you could end up £100 a month lighter
The ads say they’re free – but once the trial is over, diet firms have hold on your account
A NEW Year resolution to lose weight can turn into a costly mistake for those who are tempted by offers of ‘free’ slimming pills.
An explosion of online adverts for diets to coincide with these January pledges boast how you can ‘lose weight and feel great’ once you have signed up to receive a free trial bottle of pills.
But unwary customers often find they have agreed to a ‘continuous payment authority’ where up to £100 a month can then be taken from their credit or debit card without their knowledge once the trial ends.
These authorities allow companies to siphon off varying amounts of money from cards because bank details are included in the personal information provided when signing up. The only way to stop payments is by ordering the bank to halt them – after first cancelling the agreement with the pill provider.
Continuous payment authorities are different from traditional standing orders that must be set up between the customer and bank – not provider – and are for fixed regular amounts.
The other alternative is a direct debit where the supplier must apply to your bank every time a payment is due and any changes can only be made if your permission is given.
The number of complaints received by Citizens Advice about slimming pills has risen eightfold in two years to more than 1,500 for the three months from April to June 2014. The biggest criticism is how cash is being taken without customer knowledge.
Heather Green, 50, from Ilkley, West Yorkshire, signed up for two free pill samples – Prima Cleanse Plus and Ketone Slim XT – in October. She only had to pay £3.95 postage for the Prima Cleanse Plus and £4.95 for the Ketone Slim XT but sent them back when she started to feel ill because at least one contained traces of garlic to which she was allergic.
She says: ‘I returned the tablets by recorded delivery to the address given on the package within a few days but they came straight back with a return to sender message. They also did not answer my phone calls or emails.’
Heather adds: ‘Unbeknown to me the company took money from my credit card after the free trial period had ended. Almost £200 was taken before I checked my account. I cancelled immediately to stop more withdrawals.’
The slimming pills company was not acting illegally as under the terms and conditions – which Heather had not read – she had signed up to pay up to
£92.78 a month if not cancelling within 14 days. Cleanse Pro charged £89.47 a month after the trial.
Heather accepts she should have been more diligent about the small print but is not alone feeling the victim of a scam. More than £1million was unwittingly spent on such diet pill deals last year, believes Citizens Advice. Gillian Guy, its chief executive, says: ‘Burying the actual costs deep within the small print is misleading customers. The biggest complaint is about continuous payment authorities used to take cash from cards without permission – with many people saying they were unable to get a response when they tried to cancel during trials.’
The UK weight loss industry is worth more than £1billion a year. More than 20 million people will have attempted to lose weight over the past year – but the average diet lasts only about 19 days.
Under the Consumer Credit Act 1974, a credit card issuer must take joint responsibility with a product or service provider if a buyer’s goods do not arrive or are faulty, but this only applies to purchases of £100 to £30,000, so cheaper diet pills are not covered. Customers can report a firm to Trading Standards if the pills do not match expectations. Despite many customers feeling tricked into unwanted deals this does not cover the quality of tablets, which is hard to prove. The watchdog Advertising Standards Author- ity wants to hear from those who feel they are victims of misleading marketing. This does not mean money will be returned but it might make it harder for the adverts to be used to trap victims in the future.
Matt Wilson, a spokesman for the ASA, says: ‘Always look at the terms and conditions with any promotion involving a free trial. Adverts should always be upfront and not bury the payment details. If you feel this is not the case, contact us.’
Helen Saxon, a senior money writer at consumer website MoneySavingExpert, says: ‘These slimming pill salesmen are behaving in an insidious way. The details of the arrangement should be made far more clear and upfront to stop people signing up to free trials that actually turn out to be really expensive.’
She adds: ‘But unfortunately, if you sign an agreement you must read the small print. Even if you stop payments at the bank, be aware money may still be due if you have signed up to a contract.’
Many of the companies that promote slimming pills are US-based but with distribution companies within Britain. These include Crystal Labs Limited of Linlithgow in West Lothian, which is behind brands such as Mega Cleanse Plus, Super Raspberry Ketone, Cleanse Extreme Ultra and Raspberry Pro. It also has headquarters in the US state of Nevada.
Lauren Stone, a customer support manager for Crystal Labs, says: ‘The trials allow you to try before you buy with the first two weeks free. Terms and conditions mean you can contact us in two main ways to cancel – by phone or email. This is a guarantee. You can leave without paying a penny. If you are not aware of the contract terms, we also have a 30-day money back guarantee.’
Prima Cleanse Plus and Ketone Slim XT both have a base in Reading, Berkshire – though returns should be sent to another address in Milton Keynes. A customer services assistant for Prima Cleanse Plus said: ‘We cannot discuss details of the product and services unless you are already a customer. Details are available on the website.’
Slimming pill providers are not alone in preferring customers to sign up to continuous payment authorities. Gyms, magazines and dating agencies do likewise.