Acai Berry: Scams Everywhere, Buyer Beware

Acai berry, is one of the latest many online fraud triggers out there. Companies are sprouting up all over the place since Oprah touted the benefits of Acai berry a while back. A lot of different claims are being made by various sellers online. According to all the claims, you can lose weight, get improved health, more energy, etc.
So lets take a look at what wikipedia has to say about the Acai berry product in general:

from (source) Wikipedia:

"Recently, the açaí "berry" has been marketed as a dietary supplement. Companies sell açaí berry products in the form of tablets, juice, smoothies, instant drink powders, and whole fruit.

Marketers of these products make unverified claims that açaí provides increased energy levels, improved sexual performance, improved digestion, detoxification, high fiber content, improved skin appearance, improved heart health, improved sleep, and reduction of cholesterol levels. Açaí has higher levels of antioxidants, which are claimed to promote health, more than cranberry, orange, and apple juices, but less than Concord grape, blueberry, and black cherry juices.Apparently false claims include reversal of diabetes and other chronic illnesses, as well as expanding size of the penis and increasing men's sexual virility and sexual attractiveness to women Açaí is most commonly marketed as a weight loss product.

As of March 2009, there are no controlled studies backing up any of these claims. According to ABC News correspondent Susan Donaldson, these products have not been evaluated (in the United States) by the FDA, and their efficacy is questionable.^[4] In late 2008, lawyers for The Oprah Winfrey Show began investigating alleged statements from supplement manufacturers who suggested that frequent Oprah guest Dr. Mehmet Oz had recommended their product or açai in general for weight loss.[5]"

Now lets take a look at some of the grievances against the various companies touting the acai berry. From the Complaintsboard.com website, 7,205 complaint matches for acai berry to date:

can't get refund
double billing
unauthorized billing
worthless product
card fraud
recurring unapproved charges
impossible to cancel
bad customer service numbers

With all these complaints against the various sellers, it sure makes sense to take a good look around before you even consider a purchase. Over 7000 complaints on complaintsboard.com alone? This should be enough for most people to pay close attention before buying.

Just in case, lets go take a look at the Ripoffreports.com website to see if they are getting hit with a lot of acai berry complaints. Here you go, 645 complaints to date against various Acai berry vendors. Similar to all the complaints board.com results.

billed for free trial
billed for products not ordered
no refund after returning product
unauthorized billing
no customer service

Folks, please do your research you buy anything online. These vendors that you have never heard of are a terrible option to give up your credit card information. Once they have your card info, they call all the shots, and you are stuck trying to sort out the mess. Please use some common sense.

Please see other articles in this online scam series

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http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2688647/free_online_iq_tests_avoid_the_scams.html?cat=7

teeth whitening scams
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2026168/teeth_whitening_scams_buyer_beware.html?cat=35

credit history scams
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2273139/free_credit_check_scams_beware.html?cat=4

google cash scams
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1988702/google_cash_scam.html?cat=7

thanks for reading