This can be argued back and forth with no resolution - those who like them like them, those who have been preyed upon by them do not. If you search fradulent case websites, LA Weight Loss takes home the Oscar.
I joined LA Weight Loss on June 25. Within the first month serious issues with this company came to light which involved lying about hidden costs, misrepresentation (the employees wear medical scrubs to give the illusion they are nurses.
They also draw blood at the center [although I did not allow them to draw mine] but show no certification that they are phlebotomists who are trained to do so), coercion (stop the program, gain all the weight back) and manipulation (don't you owe this to yourself. No one will take care of you if you don't take care of yourself - doesn't your husband love you enough to see you happy) by all of their employees.
On July 23, I fought to get back some of the money the company had cheated me out of through a credit agreement that turned out to involve a lot more money than I was told by the person who did my interview and had since been fired (presumably because of the fight I had with them).
Since I was let out of the credit agreement, I considered my contract with the company null and void, including the 2-part rebate all clients are promised upon reaching their weight goal (which I found out later on has a million loopholes not discussed initially). I would have had no dispute with giving up this rebate, since I had opted to fight the contract. I would have stayed with the program, lost the weight, and walked away happy.
However, I was told at that time as well as 2 other occasions when I would casually bring it up during a consultation that my eligibility for the rebate was still in effect as long as I followed the program and kept the weight off. For those of you who have been on this program, you know that "follow the program" translates into "spend more money". I was assured that as long as I remained with the plan, came to the center twice then once a week on maintenance, nothing had changed.
I lost the weight long before my goal date, and got a song and dance about how if I did not continue as they told me to it would all come back. I brought up the fact that I joined this program to lose weight from a pregnancy, not because I am a chronic overeater and need life-long counseling regarding my eating habits. I told them this clearly from the start; that I did not want a long-term program, that I have never had a history of weight problems and I did not have the money to afford a long term program. I said this before I even signed any papers.
They gave me the line about how my health should be more important than money. This is something they all do, and it's despicable to speak to another human being like that. My response to that was "I don't have enough money to send my daughter to Harvard - does that mean I don't LOVE her?!?!?" I got no reply to that, as you can imagine.
I had also said in crystal clear English that I was not looking for any kind of plan that involved pills of any kind. I didn't care if they were "herbal", "natural" - I didn't care what you called them. I was not taking them. I was told unequivocally that while they did OFFER supplements, I was not required to take them.
Two weeks into my program my weight loss stopped dead and I had a long way to go. I expressed disappointment and was asked if I am not taking my supplements every day. I said I never took them at all, that I was told they were not necessary, and this "counselor" put that "oh well" type of expression on her face and said "you need to take them, or you will not achieve your goal". I almost started to cry - I knew I was never getting out the hole I had dug myself with these people.
I stayed with the program partly because I had already paid for it and did not want to cut off my nose to spite my face, but also because I was suckered in. I am a gullible person by nature - I admit that I am more inclined to trust people than not. This makes me a perfect candidate for this company - and they got me hook, line and sinker. They will sit and tell me "you should have asked this" or "you should have known that" - essentially they are telling me I have to assume they are lying and probe everything they say to me?
On Friday, February 18, I went in for my weekly weigh-in. I again asked about the rebate, because I thought it was coming up to that point. I also was still untrusting of them somewhere in the back of my mind. It was then that I was shown the rebate sheet in my file which read VOID in large red letters. I was quite angry, since I was obviously once again lied to by these people. The counselor, as well as the manager, told me there was no way anyone ever told me that the rebate was still in effect after breaking my credit contract back in July.
I said then why have I been coming in here every day for the past 4 months and spending all this money??? I reached my goal in OCTOBER!" and the manager says "so the only reason you are taking care of yourself is because of the money? That's very sad". I wanted to put her through the wall - they are very good at this, they try to turn everything around and make it YOUR fault, make you look stupid for trusting people you do business with, and make themselves look so legitimate.
I stormed out the door, because my baby son was with me and I knew if I stayed there I was going to lose my temper in front of him.
I now have several boxes of unused, unopened products that I never needed to buy in the first place, and the company will not allow me to return them for a refund. I tried to reach corporate headquarters on February 21, and received no answer to a voice mail.
Since I did not want to go back there, my husband went to the center on February 25, and was told it is against company policy to accept goods back. I told him before he left that if they said this, he should point out that during the course of my time on this program I have been allowed to return products with no questions asked (I now see it is because they knew that they would get my money some other way). Then he was told that it is because there is no way to determine the expiration of the products, but the lot numbers are clearly stamped on each unopened box, and my file with them clearly states when I purchased each box. They turned him away, telling him that he was not getting any money back, end of conversation.
I tried to contact the corporate office a second and third time, by phone and email, and to this day have not received a reply despite saying that I would refer the matter to the BBB, FTC and Dept of Consumer Affairs if I did not get the courtesy of a response (which I did before typing this).
If I had known I was not eligible for the rebate any longer, I would not have continued with the weekly visits, the supplements and the diet bars because I had already lost the weight and could maintain it without any difficulty. They knew I would leave the program, and made me believe that I would begin to gain weight as soon as I stopped going. However, since leaving the program, I have lost 5 pounds without taking a single pill or eating a single LA Lite bar, whereas when I was on the supplements and diet foods my weight was fluctuating up and down by 5-7 pounds on a regular basis.
My complaints with LA Weight Loss are numerous, but right now although LA Weight Loss owes me a lot more than $100, this is all the restitution I am seeking - to return these products and never have to see these people again.
For those who wrote to this site praising them, I am happy for you. But this is NOT just about who loses the weight, who keeps it off and who gains it back. This is about the business ethic of the people at this company, and how they are trained to speak down to people when their self esteem is almost non-existent. They use weakened people as prey, and view them as easy targets for their money.
I was asked my first day if there were any special occasions coming up and I was stupid enough to mention a 20 year class reunion 3 months away. This came back to haunt me when I expressed unwillingness to take the diet pills, and was told "do you want to show up at your high school reunion with 40 extra pounds on your body?" Again, I felt the tears come. Many conversations I have had in that center made my eyes sting - and sadly I was NOT sitting there thinking "how can this woman talk to me this way" I was thinking "she is right, I look horrible, I am embarrassed of myself".
And who are they to tell the love my husband has for me is measured by how much I am allowed to fork over to them? Who are they to cross that line into my private life?
And what is with the medical scrub outfits? These women are NOT health care professionals but it is ok to dress like them and be misleading? They will say "I never said I was a nurse" - so you are supposed to look at this person dressed like a nurse and be rude enough to ask "are you really a nurse or just look like one?"
Bottom line? Stay away from this place - no matter how smart you think you are. I am not a stupid individual, I am an educated, 40 year old mother who walked in there feeling like lesser of a person just because I gave birth and could not lose the weight as quickly as I wanted to. No matter how smart you are, you are still human, and your emotions will be played on like a grand piano in this place.
See your doctor - see a nutritionist - see someone with medical background - and spend the same or less money there - but DO NOT give these people your business or your self-esteem. They will run away with both. I don't care what anyone says - anyone who says this place is legit has been suckered in and some day the light will shine.
Diane
Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
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