BREESE, ILLINOIS (KTVI-FOX2now.com) -
We hear a lot about supplements promising to help with everything from weight loss to an energy boost. An Illinois woman complains about being tricked into buying supplements she no longer wants and is out nearly $600.
Karen Humphrey was reading e-mail when she got a pop up with an intriguing claim about a weight loss product.
"It showed a picture of a woman who they said was from Breese and she had lost 40 pounds," Humphrey said.
Breese, Illinois is a tiny town about 70 miles from St. Louis. Karen was surprised to see a resident from her town promoting the product Pure Nutrients on the internet but odds are the woman wasn't from Breese at all. It was more likely part of a slick marketing ploy.
"I don't usually order anything from the internet. I stay away from it. I don't do any online banking, nothing and I just hook, line and sinker fell for it," Humphrey said.
The site, healthyonlingliving.net was selling trial samples of something called Nature Cleanse, a detox product, and another product, an acai berry supplement, but it wasn't long before Karen realized she'd been duped.
"When I opened it and saw my bank statement I said, 'wait a minute!' It was supposed to be $5.95 but it was $88, so since my daughter was on my account it was 88 dollars twice," Humphrey said.
And the double charges kept on coming. Information from Pure Nutrients says customers have just 12 days from the date of order to cancel.
Karen says the company's website convinced her to order. "It has all these logos for these shows like Rachel Ray, Oprah, so it looks very legit," Humphrey said.
The company has an "F" rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Consumer advocate Chris Thetford says the company is on the Better Business Bureau's radar.
"Just because you see a professional looking website, with things like logos from TV networks you recognize, logos from television programs you recognize, it doesn't mean you're going to get professional service or even what you think you're going to get to begin with," Thetford said.
Since opening a file on Pure Nutrients just three months ago, more than 350 complaints have been filed with the Better Business Bureau. We tracked down several addresses for Pure Nutrients but there were no phone listings for any of them. We called the toll free number that came with Karen's order but were never able to get through to a representative.
Unfortunately, Karen paid with a debit card. If she had used a credit card Karen could have disputed the charges and possibly been paid back the nearly $600 she was charged.
Karen Humphrey was reading e-mail when she got a pop up with an intriguing claim about a weight loss product.
"It showed a picture of a woman who they said was from Breese and she had lost 40 pounds," Humphrey said.
Breese, Illinois is a tiny town about 70 miles from St. Louis. Karen was surprised to see a resident from her town promoting the product Pure Nutrients on the internet but odds are the woman wasn't from Breese at all. It was more likely part of a slick marketing ploy.
"I don't usually order anything from the internet. I stay away from it. I don't do any online banking, nothing and I just hook, line and sinker fell for it," Humphrey said.
The site, healthyonlingliving.net was selling trial samples of something called Nature Cleanse, a detox product, and another product, an acai berry supplement, but it wasn't long before Karen realized she'd been duped.
"When I opened it and saw my bank statement I said, 'wait a minute!' It was supposed to be $5.95 but it was $88, so since my daughter was on my account it was 88 dollars twice," Humphrey said.
And the double charges kept on coming. Information from Pure Nutrients says customers have just 12 days from the date of order to cancel.
Karen says the company's website convinced her to order. "It has all these logos for these shows like Rachel Ray, Oprah, so it looks very legit," Humphrey said.
The company has an "F" rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Consumer advocate Chris Thetford says the company is on the Better Business Bureau's radar.
"Just because you see a professional looking website, with things like logos from TV networks you recognize, logos from television programs you recognize, it doesn't mean you're going to get professional service or even what you think you're going to get to begin with," Thetford said.
Since opening a file on Pure Nutrients just three months ago, more than 350 complaints have been filed with the Better Business Bureau. We tracked down several addresses for Pure Nutrients but there were no phone listings for any of them. We called the toll free number that came with Karen's order but were never able to get through to a representative.
Unfortunately, Karen paid with a debit card. If she had used a credit card Karen could have disputed the charges and possibly been paid back the nearly $600 she was charged.
