On July 24, 2009, I ordered Acaiberry Exclusive online, then I got an email from them said CAD$1 will be charged by Viv3Labs. They didn’t mention any additional changes.
On July 25, 2009, my credit card was charged USD$1.43 (CAD$1.60) by VIV3 +442031399027
On Aug 11, 2009, my credit card was charged USD$118.63 (CAD$132.35) by FOCUSCLEANSE 3618088234
On Aug 26, 2009, my credit card was charged USD$119.02 (CAD$134.14) by FOCUSCLEANSE 3618088234
I received my first bottle of Acaiberry in August, I don’t remember the date but there is nothing in the envelope indicated I would be charged additional.
I called my credit card company (CIBC Visa) and they told me the FOCUSCLEANSE is the same company of Viv3. As I gave Viv3 my credit card number, they cannot do anything.
on Aug 31,2009, I called Viv3 to cancel my membership and they did it for me. Then I asked them to refund, but they refuse to refund the transaction on Aug 11. And they said the 2nd bottle is on its way to me, and I need to contact them for return after I receive it.
On Sep 3, 2009, I received the 2nd bottle of Acaiberry. This time they put the invoice of £69 in the envelope.
On Sep 4, 2009, I called them for refunding. They said they will send me an email in 72 hours to tell me what to do.
On Sep 6, 2009, I received their email which told me why they charged me twice, and confirmed my account is cancelled. So I wrote back to ask how to get a refund.
On Sep 7, 2009, I received the 2nd email, they said they cannot credit me as I accepted the terms and conditions. So I wrote back that I didn’t accept the terms and conditions at all, there is not checkbox for me to check. And I attached the original email they send me of charging $1 for shipping the free trial, there is no terms and conditions in that email.
On Sep 8, 2009, I received the 3rd email. They said I did agree to their terms and conditions, but they were going to give me a refund of 118.63 USD, as they prefer not dispute with clients. I wrote back I never accepted the terms and conditions, and if they will refund me, the refund amount should be 118.63 USD + 119.02 USD.
On Sep 9, 2009, I received the 4th email. They said they credited 118.63 USD and 119.02 USD to my credit card.
On Sep 15, 2009, the credit transactions appeared on my credit card (The transaction date is Sep 10). I got my money back
Lessons learned:
Before ordering:
1) When some free trials asked for a very small amount of money for shipping, you should be aware of they actually want to get your credit card number.
2) Never give your credit card number before researching the company. Don’t assume your credit card company will protect you.
3) Read the terms and conditions carefully. You don’t care about wasting a few buckets but you may be trapped into some memberships that cost you hundreds of dollars.
4) Google the company to see what kind of reputation it has, especially in the www.complaintsboard.com
5) If you really want to order the free trials no matter how many complaints you found for this company, buy yourself a visa gift card of $25 or less and use this visa number to order.
If you already got scammed
1) Calm down; don’t upset yourself too much for a few hundred dollars.
2) Google the success stories of getting a refund from that company, so you could get an idea of what kind of difficulties you can expect and how to deal with them.
3) Contact the scam company immediately. The earlier you call them, the smaller your loss.
4) Contact your credit card company, but don’t expect them to dispute all the charges.
5) Try to follow up with the scam company. If other people could get refund from that company, you definitely can as well. If other people cannot, you may also get refund.
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8 comments:
It is a long story.
You defeated a professional conman company using your smartness and determination.
The good side is you not only learned something but also was helping others from falling into the same trap again.
You made it a long good story now.
BonnyBoss
How did you get in touch with them? What email or phone number did you use? I also got scammed and am trying to track them down so I can request my refund. Thanks!
Their email: support@viv3.com
Phone:
English phone support
Toll-free UK 08082389891
International Contact Number +44 2031399027
French phone support
Toll-free France 0800915118
Toll free Canada 888.325.8623
Good luck!
I live in Ireland and ordered Resveratrol Extract, again the same scam ordered a sample in august and have been charged over €270 since under different company names eg. ctt+singapore, focus cleanse and age health. I had not agreed to further orders but my credit company MBNA did not support my position and have refused to act.
I would like to thank those who have posted information on this company and wish you all the best.
I'm also in Ireland. Got billed for $119.02 for Youth health and $119.02 for Facew factor on this months credit card. Did not order or receive these items. Did however, pay for P&P with credit card for free samples. Hope Credit card company can do something about this fraud. Don't know how I can stop furtehr amounts being withdrawn from my credit card.
I also received tablets from viv3 which I didn't want and contacted them using the number provided by the company. My account was cancelled but I was told they wouldn't refund my money. I rang the number Carol provided and was advised that I would receive an email and the money would be refunded, also if I don't receive the email then to contact them again so they can 'sort' it out. I will let you know what happens
I am just going through the same thing with an AcaiForce Flex, Effective Cleanse Extreme and Acai Berry Exclusive free trial orders. It has been 19 days since my initial order and I have not received any trial bottles nor confirmation of shipment as promised in their e-mail. Thanks to this site, I was able to get through to the company using the 888.325.8623 number (the +44203 139 9027 number given in the initial order confirmation e-mail did not work). I now have confirmation of cancellation of my subscription and it says that from today on I will not be charged any further.
I called my credit card company and they said that the charges of three times(!!) $117 are pending to go through and have been authorized, but not yet deducted from my account. They also canceled my card.
Just now as I was writing this, the first bottle came via collect shipping and if accepted, I would have to pay $10!! It was shipped from the UK. I refused to accept it and it will now be shipped back and the company will have to pay double for shipping (it should have been $1.00 for shipping in the first place!!). I am so mad, but mostly at myself for falling for this garbage!! Hopefully, I will get a full refund.
Thank you for your detailed information on the trek you went through to get your money back. Unfortunately, I Acai refund problem still exists so hopefully people will read your experiences and the experiences of others before getting caught in this web. From what I habve read, one of the main marketers of Acai are Jesse Willms companies. He allegedly is involved with other "ventures" that people should be aware of. His pattern of marketing appeatrs similiar. Two good choices (as a heads up) are:
http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100320/EDM_w5investigation_100320/20100320/?hub=EdmontonHome
and
http://hubpages.com/hub/Jesse-Willms-Charity-Cancer-Ethics-Community-and-Biography-What-the-media-is-claiming
We need to band together to help others. If you look at the media, they say the authorities are powerless to go anything due to the "fine print."
I do know reversing the charges does help though. Apparently, if a merchant has too many chargebacks, they will pull the merchant's account.
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In sum, I hope the authorities take notice on the magnatude of the problem and do something. Until then, we need to rely on experiences like what you went through.
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