Complain about a product or service

LA Weight Loss - Refunds

Mary of West Seneca NY (02/15/08)
I signed up with LA weight loss 7/06 with a 6-month maintenance period with rebate programs at 2 increments during this period. My maintenance date started 2/17/07 with first check due ($156.37) in August, 2007. Staff kept telling me it takes 10-12 weeks to be processed. Unfortunately, this check never was processed; and henceforth, my next and last rebate check was due 12/17/07. It was never processed as they were closing their doors.

I also had been encouraged to pre-purchase their bar supplements to get me through maintenance which I did, and  again I am due $608.42 for the bars that I had purchased. In total, I have been robbed of $921.16. This is outrageous as I had signed a contract and had followed their program and their suggestions to the "T". I have 4 children in college, I work full time to support them, and then to be taken for this much money. I am asking for your support and guidance.



Karla of Louisville KY (6/1/04):
I went into the store planning to sign up for the current special advertised "lose 20 lbs. for $99". I ended up walking out with a bill of over $1700. Over half of the bill was the LA Lites nutritional bars/drinks that you have to use for the diet, at least that is the way it was discussed.

My plan was for 20 weeks of weight loss, 6 weeks of maintenance and 52 weeks of stabilization, totaling 78 weeks, right? The manager told me you needed to eat 2 of the supplements per day and one box covers a week's supply. At $28 per week it was much smarter for me to buy the bulk supply at only $9.10/box for the whole time I would be on the program. I realized after I got home that the bulk I purchased was for 100 boxes! What gives? When I returned 3 days later and said I wanted the bulk removed from my credit card I was told the food was NON-REFUNDABLE.

Now here comes the good part, nowhere in the contract that I signed is there any indication or word that states NON-REFUNDABLE, in fact there is nothing in my contract regarding refunds. What right do I have? I came back in less than 3 days! I am now ready to just cancel the whole thing! Never mind the fact they gave me a free box to try and I am completely dissatified with the taste, I cannot imagine having to eat these things for the next 1 1/2 years!

Brenda of Englewood NJ (5/11/04):
I signed up to use their program last Sept. 03. On Feb. 3, 2004, I decided I didn't want to continue with the program and filled out a refund application that would credit my credit card in the amount of $121.60. Almost 4 months later, I still haven't received this refund. I called the center and was told that they could not give refunds and to call the 800# which is 1-877-524-357.

This is suppose to be their customer service number. It was a menu and if you had any refund inquiries you were to leave a message. I did several times and absolutely no one returned my calls. Sometimes when I called to leave another message, it would not record it. I called back the center and spoke to the LA Weight Loss New Jersey Supervisor, Cheryl Frank, who at first seemed to be helpful and said that she would contact corporate headquarters and get back to me. She never did get back to me.

I have repeatedly called the center to try to get in touch with Cheryl Frank about this matter and I am told that she is speaking to a client and will return my phone call except she doesn't.

Rosie of Forest Park IL (4/21/04):
My mother and I signed up with La Weight Loss Center in Sept. 2003. Due to the mismanaged center and very disorganized setting we decided to cancel after only three weeks. The program we signed up for in total was $2300 for the both of us; because of the large sum we decided to open a line of credit through the center Care Credit.

Now that we have cancelled and have had the refund papers approved and signed the center has not cancelled the account with Care Credit so they keep sending us statements for payment. For the past six months we have made phone calls to Care Credit, have visited the center, have spoken to various managers at the center and everyone keeps giving us the runaround. Everytime we go to the center it has a different manager and they give us phone numbers to call that no one ever picks up and we have tried leaving messages but the voice mail box is always full. It seems very hopeless, meanwhile my mother's credit history is being ruined all because we decided to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle.

April of Pegram TN (4/14/04):
My husband and I signed up for their weight loss program in January and about a week later decided it wasn't for us and canceled on January 15. We were told it would take 10-12 weeks to receive our refund. We are now in week 13 and still no refund. We had to pay them over $1000.00 and they are only giving us back $700.00.

But that is not the problem. The problem is that it did not take them 10-12 weeks to cash my check when I paid initially so why does it take them that long to issue my refund. I called Tiffany on the 12th week and she said she contacted the corporate office and they said they would have us a check by the 15th on April. Well today is the 14th and we still have no check.

Alice of Columbus OH (10/21/03):
I started the program on 10-13-03. was told that I would be paying $611 to begin the program. But was not told anything about having to buy the La Lites (bars/soups/shakes..eg) I went back on 10-15-03, had lost 2.5 Lbs, I was told to come back on 10-17-03. But I informed them that I could not make it back until Saturday 10-18-03, they said ok, no problem, I get a call on 10-17-03 telling me that my 20% off LA Lites were going to expire, I explained to them that it's one day, come on. so they said ok.

When I went Saturday 10-18-03, I was then hit with the $1091.81 and an addional $771.78 for the supplements. I was shocked. I couldn't breathe. I felt so alone, and the three days had past to cancel. I was in a complete daze. The girl (Nicole) who was very polite and friendly assured me that I will not be sorry. I wrote the check out. When I went back on Monday, I told them I wanted to cancel. They told me it was too late, that I had signed the contract. I was scared and today I put a stop payment on that check for $1893.20.