The bureau released a statement this January warning consumers to be wary of online sales offering acai berry-related weight loss products, saying the marketing of these products is often misleading. The bureau said it has received “thousands” of complaints from consumers about online sales of acai berry products.

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 claimed 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 lawyers representing those celebrities 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. Rachael Ray has also complained to companies that falsely claim she has endorsed their products.

Consumers can check http://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.

It’s nothing new, we all deal with our “personal problems” in different ways ie: shopping, drugs, gambling etc.

It’s just that this type of problem is visible.

The individuals who promote these products are preying on these people and offering false hope to make a buck.
Those of you who say such things as “Here is a clue…eat less, eat healthy and exercise a bit more.” make specious arguments about how simple things are when you simply have no clue about the frailty of the human psyche.

These hucksters are targeting people who most likely have tried EVERY imaginable weight loss program out there to no avail.
They’re desperate to try anything so they can feel a sense of worth and for once in their lives feel as if they belong in society.

There’s a simple to solution to every product like this that makes false claims.
The vehicle used to promote the product (TV, Radio, Websites etc.) must be given valid proof that the products work or they (the vehicle) won’t carry it!
Of course that won’t work because top to bottom it’s all about the power of the almighty dollar…..