FWM Laboratories review: unauthorized charges and fraud 647

Welcome to the club of have been dupped...

In a scheme called "negative option" advertising, dozens of companies nationwide offer "free" trials of acai diet products, claiming endorsements from Oprah Winfrey, Rachael Ray and others, but then charge month after month unless the consumer cancels the order, according to the bureau.
"BBB [the Better Business Bureau] can't speak to the restorative or weight loss properties of acai-based products, but we are taking companies to task for their misleading sales and marketing practices, " bureau spokesman Steve Cox said in a statement.
"Many businesses across the country are using the same selling model for their acai products: They lure customers in with celebrity endorsements and free trial offers, and then lock them in by making it extremely difficult to cancel the automatic delivery of more acai products every month, " he said in the release.
The endorsements are also misleading, according to the bureau, and some celebrity lawyers have already gone after these online companies.
"Consumers should be aware that Oprah Winfrey is not associated with nor does she endorse any acai berry product or online solicitation of such products. Attorneys for Harpo are pursuing any companies that claim such an affiliation, " said Don Halcombe, spokesman for Harpo Productions, Winfrey's production company.
Consumers can check www.bbb.org to get a "reliability report" on particular companies before purchasing an online product.
"These companies are simply abusing general acai berry endorsements from well-known, trusted celebrities by using it as a tacit endorsement of their company and products specifically, " added the bureau's Cox.
"Consumers trust Oprah and unfortunately, if they are tricked into believing that she is putting her stamp of approval on a product then they are definitely more likely to purchase it, " he said.
In my opinion, the BBB can only give these bogus Companies a bad name, you have to file charges to get these crooks off the internet!

Like so many others I was tricked into ordering the so called free trial of Acai Detox. The charge to my credit card was to be $2.00 for shipping. Nothing at all was stated about canceling anything within a certain time period. In fact, as soon as I gave my info for the two dollar charge another site popped up referring to Cash for your old Gold. There wasn't even anything to print out with the name of the company on it. Now my account has been charged 87.13. This was not authorized and when I tried to call the phone numbers listed for this company they were all out of service. I am currently trying to cancel this transaction with my bank. Something should be done about this fraud. I am a senior citizen living on a fixed income.

Wow...I'm glad I'm not the only one that missed the "terms and conditions" when I ordered my free trial. When I saw that they had charged my credit card $87.13 I called immediately to cancel my account. It was too late. They sent another bottle and charged me again. I refused it at the post office and called them back. I called them every week for 10 weeks. They told me they had sent my request to the refunds department. When I called 3/19/09 i spoke with a supervisor and she told me it was their policy that each customer was to receive only one credit. What a scam! I have since taken the advise from I GOT MY REFUND and hope to get my second $87.13 back. Good luck to you!

FWM Laboratories

FWM Laboratories SCAM!
FWM Laboratories
Florida
Wow...I'm glad I'm not the only one that missed the "terms and conditions" when I ordered my free trial. When I saw that they had charged my credit card $87.13 I called immediately to cancel my account. It was too late. They sent another bottle and charged me again. I refused it at the post office and called them back. I called them every week for 10 weeks. They told me they had sent my request to the refunds department. When I called 3/19/09 i spoke with a supervisor and she told me it was their policy that each customer was to receive only one credit. What a scam! I have since taken the advise from I GOT MY REFUND and hope to get my second $87.13 back. Good luck to you!

I ordered a 30 day "free" supply of acai berry from this company on or about march 1, 2009, and gave my credit card number to pay for shipping...it was my understanding that this was a free 30 trial offer, and if I wanted to purchase it, I would then give them authorization to bill me for future shipments...I did not know that in their fine print on the "free" offer site, I had to notify them within 30 days to NOT bill by account...I don't consider this a free offer...on march 18, 2009, I discovered that they had billed my credit card for $87.13...I never even found a price on the original offer, so I didn't have any idea who this was from...I called my credit card company, and was given a merchant number to call, which ended up being a number to dell computer!...when I got home, I found the order which I had not started taking, and a number that I called and spoke to both a clerical person, and a supervisor, who both told me it was too late to stop payment because I didn't respond within 15 days, which I never sayw on anything...there was no such information in the order itself!...I think this entire thing is a complete ripoff! win parr, granbury tx

I was also scammed by this company. My story is just like everyone else's so there's no need of getting into that. I got my money returned by disputing the charged through my bank. When I called to dispute I was told that many people called in with the same problem, with the same company. My money was refunded immediately. Now I am trying to figure out a way to expose this company.

I being a sucker and not doing any research went ahead & placed an order for the free trial of ACAI BERRY DETOX (F.W.M LABORATORY). [protected] is the # listed to call customer service. I have been trying to call that # for 4 days, all i get is a busy tone. Which made me feel uncomfortable & wondered what I got myself into. (idiot) I called the bank to see if the charges went through and FWM charged me twice. one charge of $2.02 & $1.97 whiched totaled to $3.99. My bank debit has a # listed which is [protected]. You can actually speak to a LIVE rep if you push option# 3. The rep cancelled my order, said I will not get charged in the future and that my trial bottle is for me to keep. The web site stated that I had to return the bottle in 14 days not to incur future charges. The rep insured me that I will not be charged for my trial, it is compliments of FWM. Ill see how that goes in a few week. GOOD LUCK!

Alternate # to speak to a live rep. : [protected] option #3

DO NOT ENTER YOUR CREDIT CARD INFO AS REQUESTED BY THE AUTOMATED RECORDING!

NickyMahan

As much as you don't want to do it, you will still get charges whether you like it or not. Alot of us had to close Our CCards just to stop these charges. Some people are saying a few months down the line they still see charges. They take your old information and add it on to their new CCard.

You're not the sucker, they are when they go to jail and sued for taking advantage of Consumers!

ATTENTION: If you have been scammed by FWM laboratories Hollywood, Florida, write a letter of complaint to the BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU and make sure to provide all the information from your bank statement, and the nature of the complaint within the body of your letter.

I have been scammed a total of 174.26 by FWM laboratories: TWO charges of 87.13 unauthorized charges to my bank account. I am amidst undergoing a claim fraud process. However, banks can only do so much for the customer against fraud. The best bet is to get in touch with government agencies like BETER BUSINESS BUREAU and other agencies that work to shut down scamming companies like FWM.

Oh! I am so angry. when I called the [protected] number, I got a lady I couldn’t even understand and then she transferred me to her supervisor. I couldn’t understand her either. all I got out of the conversation is that I am screwed and am being charged for all of this and then some. I did cancel my account on time, and am furious! I then asked to talk to the supervisors boss and she said she cant do that. they don’t answer these kinds of calls and its for their protection. I have a feeling its because they would get screamed at for hours. I cant believe I fell for this crap! I feel like an idiot. how dare they scam us when the economy is so fragile for us all. they are predators who came out b/c they are feeling financial strain and decided to fix their problems by screwing over other people. ###. They are the lowest of the low. They would probably kill their own mothers for a nickel. I am so sorry you are all going through this with me. They will get what they deserve. Its called karma!

we find the same problems that have been issued no paper work for cancellation as well as hard to contact for cancellation, the costumer service was harsh as well as no satisfaction they claimed they canceled we will put a stop order in we cant afford this payment for a product worth only $5.00 this is a total switch bait product, witch in most states is very illegal we would have canceled in 15 days if we were able to contact them, very dissatisfied with product doesn't do what is claimed

I did what NickyMahan suggested and sent a complaint to the Better Business Bureau. I am urging everyone to at least look into making a complaint to them. if enough of us do it, maybe they can at least shut them down so they cant do this to anyone else. Please please please at least look into it. their website is www.bbb.org.

I called [protected] and was surprised to get a person.This person told me since the cost of 83.? is pending I can not do anything for 2-3 business days.Neil ( his name ) gave me a confirmation # to post on fwm laboratories site.He did not say where.But I do have confirmation it will be cancelled and the money returned to my acct. in 2-3 business days.We will see.Since I do not know where this is to be posted I am going to wait for my own conf. I will never allow myself to be duped this way again.What started out as a simple trial offer with only s & h fee of $ 3.95, has been a disaster for me, causing bills to be late and acct. overdrawn.

The Forida Secretary of State might be interested to hear about this. Use the info below to start a complaint.

Florida Profit Corporation
FWM LABORATORIES, INC
Filing Information
Document Number P08000057187
FEI/EIN Number NONE
Date Filed 06/11/2008
State FL
Status ACTIVE
Effective Date 06/11/2008

Principal Address
4961 LEEWARD LANE
FORT LAUDERDALE FL 33312 US
Mailing Address
4961 LEEWARD LANE
FORT LAUDERDALE FL 33312 US
Registered Agent Name & Address
WEISS, BRIAN J
4961 LEEWARD LANE
FORT LAUDERDALE FL 33312 US
Officer/Director Detail
Name & Address
Title VP
WEISS, BRIAN J
4961 LEEWARD LANE
FORT LAUDERDALE FL 33312 US
Title VP
HARRIS, ROBERT W
4961 LEEWARD LANE
FORT LAUDERDALE FL 33312 US

BTW - Here is a list of Brian Weiss' other companies...

Officer/Registered Agent Name List
Officer/RA Name Entity Name Entity Number
WEISS, BRIAN INSOMNIA AND SLEEP DISORDER CLINIC OF FLORIDA, INC. 464049
WEISS, BRIAN THE LONDON GOURMET, CO. K47810
WEISS, BRIAN DORAL 18, LLC L05000079814
WEISS, BRIAN MY HOLE IN ONE, LLC L05000079818
WEISS, BRIAN MY MAZAL, LLC L05000079822
WEISS, BRIAN ON GROVE, LLC L05000079824
WEISS, BRIAN PLAY THROUGH, LLC L05000079829
WEISS, BRIAN SAND TRAP, LLC L05000079836
WEISS, BRIAN BAYVIEW 18, LLC L05000079863
WEISS, BRIAN 9 IRON, LLC L05000079882
WEISS, BRIAN CAMBIE PROPERTIES, LLC L05000080184
WEISS, BRIAN CAMBIE REALTY, LLC L05000080186
WEISS, BRIAN CARMEN, LLC L05000080485
WEISS, BRIAN NOW PLAYING ENTERTAINMENT, LLC L05000121820
WEISS, BRIAN AXIS EMG, LLC L06000050745
WEISS, BRIAN ONE TO ONE SALES TEAM, LLC L07000098891
WEISS, BRIAN BRIAN WEISS INSTITUTE, INC. L62851
WEISS, BRIAN AMERICAN FRIENDS OF LITTLE CHILDREN, INC. N97000001546
WEISS, BRIAN AXIS INTERACTIVE MEDIA, INC. P02000036137
WEISS, BRIAN 2JW HOLDINGS, INCORPORATED P02000109111
WEISS, BRIAN EFFICIENT LEADS INC. P03000132149
WEISS, BRIAN HBI HOLDINGS, INC. P05000012680
WEISS, BRIAN IBDS SYSTEMS INC. P06000046240
WEISS, BRIAN B&I PROCESSING INC. P07000032205
WEISS, BRIAN USA HEALTH ALLIANCE, INC P07000051485
WEISS, BRIAN ONE TO ONE SOLUTIONS, INC P07000106846
WEISS, BRIAN PHILMINGTON, INC P07000107489
WEISS, BRIAN BW MARKETING CONSULTANTS, INC P08000051469
WEISS, BRIAN BAW DISTRIBUTION, INC P08000093206
WEISS, BRIAN AXIS EMG, LLC L06000050745
WEISS, BRIAN ONE TO ONE SALES TEAM, LLC L07000098891
WEISS, BRIAN EFFICIENT LEADS INC. P03000132149
WEISS, BRIAN ONE TO ONE SOLUTIONS, INC P07000106846
WEISS, BRIAN PHILMINGTON, INC P07000107489
WEISS, BRIAN BW MARKETING CONSULTANTS, INC P08000051469
WEISS, BRIAN J REBATE LOCATORS, LLC L08000097102
WEISS, BRIAN J DIET FOR THE LAZY, INC. P02000056809
WEISS, BRIAN J BJWEISS, INC P05000050335
WEISS, BRIAN J HOT OFFERS NETWORK, INC P05000050366
WEISS, BRIAN J AXIS DISTRIBUTION, INC P05000106244
WEISS, BRIAN J TOP CAPITAL FUNDING, INC P07000006294
WEISS, BRIAN J STRAXTEC, INC P07000085860
WEISS, BRIAN J SOUTH BEACH NUTRACEUTICALS, INC P07000130242
WEISS, BRIAN J FWM LABORATORIES, INC P08000057187
WEISS, BRIAN J HEALTHY LABS, INC P08000071296
WEISS, BRIAN J DEW LABS, INC P08000083069
WEISS, BRIAN J REBATE LOCATORS, LLC L08000097102
WEISS, BRIAN J AXIS INTERACTIVE MEDIA, INC. P02000036137
WEISS, BRIAN J BJWEISS, INC P05000050335
WEISS, BRIAN J HOT OFFERS NETWORK, INC P05000050366
WEISS, BRIAN J AXIS DISTRIBUTION, INC P05000106244
WEISS, BRIAN J TOP CAPITAL FUNDING, INC P07000006294
WEISS, BRIAN J STRAXTEC, INC P07000085860
WEISS, BRIAN J SOUTH BEACH NUTRACEUTICALS, INC P07000130242
WEISS, BRIAN J FWM LABORATORIES, INC P08000057187
WEISS, BRIAN J HEALTHY LABS, INC P08000071296
WEISS, BRIAN J DEW LABS, INC P08000083069

He's scamming thousands of victims using all these entities.

Acai Berry Detox

Attempted to steal from my account

FWM Labs
Florida
United States
Phone: [protected]

I paid the $3.95 for the "Free" 2 week trial bottle of Acai Berry Detox. I printed my receipt, which showed only $3.95 as the amount deducted from my account. A short time later I noticed a deduction from my bank account in the amount of $87.13 from them, which I did NOT authorize. When I called them they stated I had to call to cancel or they would charge me for more product. I did not see this note on the website or my printed receipt anywhere. I did not receive any more product either. When I talked with my bank about it they told me they attempted to withdraw another $87.13, in addition to $40.00 three times, three days in a row but the bank declined them. I did call and get my $87.13 back. I am in the process of reporting them to the Attorney General and anyone else that can help stop them from stealing from innocent people. The product didn't do anything for me either. Do NOT order from FWM Labs in southern Florida!

natures acai berry /acai berry detox

horrible services

FWM LABORATORIES

I WAS A VICTIM TOO... WE NEED JUSTICE FOR THIS! ITS NOT BECAUSE OF THE MONEY THEY GET FROM US BUT BECAUSE OF ALL THE INNOCENT VICTIM LIKE US!The products is horiible, I tried the natures acai berry product and the acai berry detox and i thought they only charged me for $4.99 for the shipping & handling but they have lots of hidden charges ... FOR THE NATURES ACAI BERRY THEY CHARGE ME $79.96 & $29.95 FOR THE LIFSTYLFIT (I DONT KNOW THIS IS ###) AND for the other one NATURAL ACAI DETOX IS $87.13 and 1.95 & 14.95 for the other but i only ordered 2..this morning i recieved the statement from the bank and and i saw all the charges from my credit card...I HOPE SOMEBODY FROM THE GOVERNMENT OR FROM ANY FBI WILL HELP US AND THE OTHER VICTIM TO HAVE JUSTICE...I FELL BAD FOR THE COMPANY WHO DID THIS... THEY GONNA FEED THERE FAMILY WITH ALL THE MONEY THEY GET FROM FOOLING OTHER PEOPLE... REMEMBER BAD KARMA!

I hope they get to the bottom of this...it's a rough economy out there and they are taking advantage of a lot of innocent people!

For any of you that are interested, there is a Case in the State of Florida that is happening right now with one of these Companies who sell Acai berry and Colon Cleanse... FTC.gov in the State of Florida

Unauthorized Charges

FWM Laboratories
2495 Stirling Road
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Phone: [protected]

I took the trial product that says I only had to pay for the s/h, I received the product and it did absolutely nothing but make me constipated, the opposite of what it was suppose to do. I looked on my bank account today and saw that they had charged me full price of $87.13. I called my bank immediately.

I called the company and spoke to Brian who explained to me that if I didn't call and cancel in 14 days I would be charged full price. I asked him where was that stated and he said in the "Terms and Conditions". Well who reads those things. He cancelled my account. I guess I better pay more attention to things I order off the internet.

My bank is helping me dispute the charge. This is truly a scam.

Just a friendly advice, be careful when giving out your credit card account. Some people will take advantage upon knowing this piece of information. And I suggest you call [protected]. This contact number really works. You can cancel future shipments and charges.

i too had ordered the acai berry product- but my transaction created an immediate fraud alert on my CHASE card- & the member told me that this company was listed as one troublesome place.

I immediately called up the [protected] number prompt 3 prompt 0

spoke to a layd by name KIZZ & she gave me a discount & offered the product at $40 - I refused to have any tranasction with this company & wanted to cancel - she finally obliged & gave me a cenceltion number.

I have called CHASE & they have agreed not to allow any debits of NATURALACAIDETOX -----

I thank CHASE for bringing this to my notice.

Ram

I never ordered anything from this company and there were three charges on my credit card. I closed out the credit card.
The phone number with the charges was bogus.

Catryna White

Next tine you purchase items online, read in detail the terms and conditions and know when is the right time to divulge your credit card information. I have here another contact no. for FWM, [protected]. The representative on this line will not waste your time and will fix your issues right away. I can attest to that since this was also the same no. I used just a month ago.

same with me

FWM Laboratories

fwm laboratories
Hollywood, Florida
United States
Phone: [protected]

this company is scamming americans by their product. I want my 174.26 back. This is my hard working money that i earned to pay my share of the american way. When you call the toll free number all they want to do is confuse you even more and most of them don't even speak english.

The trial period was for 14 days, however I never received the product before the trial period to cancel.

I had to cancel my debit card so no more reoccuring charges would occur and over draw my account. This is not fair. This is such an inconvenience.
Now that I am 174.23 poorer, which bill do i not pay? My gas bill so they can shut off my heat? my water, phone or electric?
My car payment? so I can't get to work to earn money? my mandatory car insurance I need to have a car?
NO wait, I just won't eat, as there is no money for groceries. I hope they are all warm and cozy or cooled by air conditioning and sitting back eating with electricity and drinking water while talking on the phone. Wake up people and help the little guy, get us all back our money.

"Wish I’d had the sense to Google FWM before I also became a victim of its practices…Do you have any other numbers for FWM? I am having difficulty getting through on the posted number. Thank you-" (End of consumer complaint).

The phone numbers I have for FWM Labs are:
FWM Labs([protected]
The billing department [protected] or [protected]

If you have been scammed by this company file a complaint with the Florida Attorney General Office:
Economic Crimes Division
Office of the Attorney General
PL-01 The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL [protected]
Phone: [protected]
Fax: [protected]

Also file a complaint with your state Attorney General if you live in a different state than Florida.

And, file a complaint against the company with the Federal Trade Commission
www.ftc.gov
Phone [protected]

Are you a consumer who has done business with FWM Labs and purchased the AcaiBerry Detox? Please let me know of your thoughts and experience as a result of doing business with the companies that provide telephone services to inmates - positive or negative - and I will share them with the readers of my blog.

Also, if you need my consumer advocacy services, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be delighted to help you if I can.

If you are a consumer with a compliment, complaint, concern, issue, question, or a SCAM to report please email me at harold@bepositiveday.com or call me at [protected] and I will be delighted to try and help you if I can.

First of all, be sure to read line per line the terms and conditions. This way, you'll have no regrets in the end. But I can still help you solve your problem. Call [protected]. You can talk to a live person who can fix whatever problem you have on your account. This was relayed to me by my sister who was a Acai Berry product user before.

FINALLY! I GOT MY REFUND. Thanks to someone who shared the following e-mail addresses to contact. I am also including the actual message I sent.

west@firewatermail.com
fwmcancellations4@gmail.com;
billing@fwmlabs.com

Good luck!

We have been going round and round in circles trying to get a refund that I am owed. I have contacted the BBB of your county and filed a complaint. I am working with the Attorney General for the state of Florida and law enforcement who have shared some very valuable informatin with myself and the attorney general. I have also narrowed down 2 names responsible for the licensing for this fraudulent business

Brian J Weiss & Robert W Harris
4961 Leeward Lane
Ft Lauderdale, FL 33312

Let them know to expect to receive legal papers soon if I do not see a refund immediately.

I too, received the "free offer" and it did not do what it said it would but caused by blood sugar to go out of range (304). Now I'm being
charged $87.13 for nothing. Please call your bank and credit card companies about this company. Maybe we should make a list of names and sent to the BBB in our towns. They also have a lady from Charlotte, NC on their web site. I wonder if she has anything to do with this scam?

Did you know that you should cancel within the 14 day trial period or else you'll pay the full amount? Since it's too late for that, call [protected] and resolve your financial issue with fwm. You can talk to a live person on this line and you'll not hear any automated message.

Thanks for the advice... they charged me twice in less then 2 weeks with no product, they overdrew my account and caused 300.00 of over draft fees! NOT HAPPY!

all of this is fact. everyone should write Dr. Oz a letter since they are using his name to sell this product.

I am in complete aggreement with Sarah and am in complete disagreement with Abby. First, when you dial the number, it took me close to 30 minutes to be directed to an actual person. These operators are far from "accomodating." I was on the phone for over 45 minutes arguing with these so called "accomidating operators." This is a scam and they know exactly what they are doing.

Terrie

Today recived the product of the scam of acai berry and life cleanse on march 31 2009.I called them to cancel my order and that i would return the product and return my money.They said NO. The bottles did not look like what i thought they would look like on line when i look them up. when i got my package in the mail that dayopen it and thought. this is NOT right!So icall them up and i ask them if this was a scam of corse they said no . PEOPLE DO NOT ORDER FROM 3007 GREENE ST. HOLLYWOOD, FL 33020.

OH and also the number is [protected]

Trial period of Acai Berry products cover only 14 days and not 30 days as what you had thought. FWM lab has another helpline which is [protected]. This is a valid telephone number. There are operators on the line who will help you with regards to your problem.

My husband was viewing my financial acct and noticed that their was $87.13 taken from my acct... and i normally don't order on line but for $2.00 for a free bottle of Acai berry i'll try it i didn't see if this really works. i didnt read about any extra's saying i had a 14 day trial i would not have purchased it more less getting a follow up to let me know that they would take it out of my acct, i would have never ordered this product my husband called and all they did was give him a big run around, He also ask for a supervisor and that person on the other end said they were a supervisor and that the could not reverse the charges and that case he also said ill send the bottle back and they said he could not ...what ever happen to if you don't like it for a full refund i don't have an extra $87. to throw away i live check by ck my little money is for the kids to get them stuff they need when they ask for it ... can you help me get my money back the internet sites are changing the names with acai berry, acai slim, acai detox its never the same how do they want us to get refunded they are ripping us off, ( please help us DON"T BUY ACAI FROM THESE WEB SITES THELL RIP YOU OFF! concerned, chulavaldez@yahoo.com

First of all to find the same website impossible! their changing the name to acai berry detox, colon cleanse, acai slim what is it ... my husband was viewing my financial acct and noticed a charge of $87.13 and an extra charge for $1.92 besides the first $2.00.. i was never notified to confirm$87.13, didn't see that posted as well. as if i did see that i would of never ordered acai detox, but it said free and for $2.00 i'll order it.. An my husband called [protected] that was the number posted along side of my acct called it and they were no help at all and by now he was already pissed off, he asked to speak to supervisor and the person on that end said he was, and that their was nothing he could do to reverse the charge my husband also told him he would return the product for a refund and he said he couldn't, what ever happened to if you don't like the product for full refund right their is real customer service... that's what get a consumer like us to buy and try.. I don't have that extra kind of money to give away like that. ANYONE OUT THEIR DONT ORDER THEIR A RIPPP OFF, CAN ANYONE HELP ME TO RECOVER MY $87.00 Financially thats alot to me if you are trying to budget . i'll never due this again i'll stick to store products were you'll get to return within 60 days real customer service, ) Thank You, chulavaldez@yahoo.com pissed off, (

I went thru the same thing, I mean exactly the same. The only difference is that I received a second bottle and I called in about it and they gave me a CMA number. I returned it and received an email stating that $83.18 will be refunded. I am disputing the $87.13 on my credit card, since they charged without my approval. Public should be alerted on these rip-off artists.

I think you overlooked listed on the terms and conditions that you should cancel within the 14 day trial period or they will charge with the full amount of the product. This is the right merchant number to call: [protected]. This is the customer helpline of FWM. There are representatives present on the line who'll help you with canceling future shipments and charges.