EAT ANYTHING, DON’T EXERCISE, AND LOSE WEIGHT? RIGHT!
Carole Carson
Can 14 million people be wrong? That’s how an advertisement in a weekly national publication opens the promotion of its weight-loss product. Written to appear as if it is a newspaper article, the author cites studies by 1,200 doctors and scientists, along with quotes from celebrities who are, no doubt, paid for the sponsorship. The author assures readers they can eat as much and as often as they like, while they lose weight. And exercise isn’t necessary!
If the reader sends three $30 checks dated for three consecutive months plus a $6 handling fee, she or he will receive a supply of Montignac Weight Loss Plan pills. What’s in the magic pills? The 3,000 word article doesn’t say, although readers are assured that they do not contain ephedrine and are not dangerous. A money-back guarantee seems to cinch the deal.
Too good to be true? You can bet on it. According to local pharmacist Dale Boothby, any person who ingests a drug without knowing the active ingredients and potential effects is at risk, especially if the person has a health problem, high blood pressure, heart disease, a thyroid condition, is pregnant or breast-feeding, or is at risk for stroke. Even more dangerous, the consumer may be unaware that she or he even has these conditions.
“Lightening the wallet—not the bathroom scale” is what this promotion is about, according to Boothby. “Without any governmental regulation (the Food and Drug Administration currently does not have jurisdiction over products promoted as dietary supplements), these kinds of promotions exploit persons desperate to lose weight and find easy solutions.”
Despite the bold headline claims of success, evidently users of the product are not 100 percent satisfied. In the smallest, lightest print, the ad states the post-dated checks cannot be canceled and service fees will be added to returned checks. The advertiser counts on most people to throw the pills away when they don’t work and forget about the post-dated checks. Others who try to cancel their check will find service fees added to the original amount of the check on their bank statement. Ouch! And ouch again!
Until protections are in place for consumers, “Caveat Emptor” or “Buyer Beware” would be a more honest title for this promotion.
(Source: Advertisement, USA Weekend, August 29-31; Dale Boothby, pharmacist, Nevada City.)
