Provided by the Bucks County Department of Consumer Protection:
Q. The other night I was up late watching television and saw a commercial for a dietary supplement that claims I could lose weight effortlessly without exercising. I thought this would be great since I have a bad knee and can’t really exercise. I ordered the product and when it came in I started taking it immediately. It has been two months and I haven’t lost a pound. If anything I gained. Something else I noticed was that I started having indigestion. I went to the doctor about the indigestion and we both figured out that it was probably the supplements. I called and canceled the monthly order of supplements following the directions the company gave, but my credit card was still being billed. The credit card company helped me out by freezing my account, but boxes of supplements are still coming to my house. Can you help me with this issue? H.B., Hilltown
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A. Consumer Protection was able to contact the company and they will credit you for any unopened boxes of the supplements that you send back, plus they have taken you off their mailing list so you shouldn’t receive any more shipments. Whether they’re looking for a short cut to losing weight or a cure for a serious ailment, consumers may be spending billions of dollars a year on unproven, fraudulently marketed, often useless health related products, devices and treatments. There are a lot of “miracle” drugs and creams that promise quick cures and easy solutions to many different problems from health to beauty issues. Consumers who fall for fraudulent “cure all” products usually don’t find what they are hoping to get from the product. Usually they end up feeling like they have been taken. Then consumers end up wasting their money and a lot of their time trying to return these “miracle” products. Some products may even cause serious harm. To avoid becoming a victim of fraud, consumers need to learn how to access health claims and seek the advice of a health care professional. One thing consumers need to always remember….If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
For additional tips and brochures on many consumers related issues please visit us at http://www.buckscounty.org/government/CommunityServices/ConsumerProtection/ConsumerTips
