Nutrisystem

Carol of Middletown NJ (07/03/08)
I have ordered the expensive Nutrisystem program for 3 months. Each month I get food substitutions that I won't eat. I called today to ask for the food I orderd and paid extra since I wanted to choose my own food. It's approximately $40 a month more. I was informed that I had to pay to ship back the food I didn't order. Since I'm paying more to chose food I like, I don't feel I should have to pay to ship back food I didn't order to begin with.

Paid extra for food I wanted instead of going with the plan where Nutrisystem chooses for me, which was approximately $40 a month extra or $120 for the 3 months I've ordered. I keep putting this food I won't eat in food banks. I don't feel Nutrisystem is fair in this practice. I also get subsitutions when I would rather have the out of stock food at a later date than what they send. Their program is expensive enough not to get what I ordered.

Nisha of San Leandro CA (07/03/08)
I order products from Nutri-system ususally you didn't get all the items your order on line. You often got subsitiutes and I has problems with certain foods I couldn't eat. I often had to return items that were expired by months. This was something that happen too often. I decided to stop ordering. They replaced the expired itmes but every oder I would have this problem. SO, I could no longer trust the products and I begin to felt that all the items were not fresh.

The physical damage was I became physically sick thinking about these old products. I was suspicous about all the food I had in my home and I ended up throwing all my food in the trash. I felt like how honest could they be with continous expired items. I imagined they removed expired labels and replaced them with new labels.

Nick of Yonkers NY (07/02/08)
I am very satisfied with Nutri System since I started with them on 3-12-08. I have lost 52 lbs.  The food is good (what do you expect its a weight loss program) I tried Jenny Craig years ago. N/S food tastes much better. I have lost this weight with no exercise at all, although I am starting to jog now as the weight loss naturally is much less now, 16 weeks into the plan.

I have never been sick at all on this plan as some have written and the customers service I have received could not have been better. (I made a mistake onmy order when I 1st signed up..my error) Overall, obviously, I am very happy and tell everyone (who asks me) that the reason I so good and so much thinner is due 100% to Nutri System.

Kathy of Mount Airy MD (06/30/08)
When starting Nutrisystem in May, I didn't know what to expect, but have been pleasantly surprised. True, the food is not gourmet, and some items I just cannot eat, but much of it is ok, and a few items are actually good. And on the Nutrisystem site, it provides information on how to return or exchange any unopened food. Although on the autoship program [which I'm on] they do make substitutions, I've still been able to make 3 exchanges so far, totaling about 80 items, and Nutrisystem has sent me exactly what I requested in return.

Sure, it would be difficult to be on this diet long-term [more than about 6 months], but as a jumpstart to losing weight, and a teaching tool for learning and practicing portion control, I say it can be very effective.

Pat of Lewisville TX (06/28/08)
I am not complaining. I like the food. I like the people. I have been on for 3 months and yes food is substituted but it says that it may happen. I like some others am losing weight on nutrisystem I know I won't be on it forever. It is a great plan and people should quit complaining or go find something that will work for them!

Charlie of Chandler AZ (06/22/08)
I had used Nutrisystem in the past a few years ago and the food was awful and made me very ill. I also could not order just what I wanted in the quantities I wanted so I stopped dealing with them. This time after seeing all the commercials I figured the food had to taste better and the service surely had to be improved. So reluctantly I ordered the vegetarian womens plan. I received the first order in April, 2008 and immediately began to identify the foods that were unedible. Since I was on the auto order plan, I immediately customized my order to the few meals that I could stand to eat. Mind you none of it is good but tolerable.

Well I just received my first auto ship order with the custom requests I had made. Not only did they not get the custom part right, but they made substitutes with the nasty food I purposely left out of the future orders. When I called to cancel any future business, the representative was reallly nice, but he said they usually substitute with what you have ordered. I told the poor boy that they obviously did not have what I wanted and that is why the provided substitutes for stuff I did not ask for. I went on to say I would not accept a wrong order from a restaurant or grocery store, why would it be OK for Nutrisystem. With that I asked him to just simply cancel the order which he did promptly.

I think they have a lot of guts to shove the bad sellers into orders as substitutes. Shame on Nutrisystem and for all these sham systems. I will say that I lost 6 of the 15 pounds I wanted to lose simply because I couldn't eat this.

Helen of Everett PA (06/19/08)
In response to your many complaints regarding Nutrisystem, I have to register a good recommendation for the company. I have been on the program since 5 March and lost 49 lbs on the diet. It is an easy diet to stick to and the food, although not perfect, is fine for the short haul. I have another 51 lbs to lose.

Yes, the diet is high in sodium, but eaten properly, it has not resulted in any water retention. It requires a fluid intake like many diets although this seems odd to some folks that think fluids will cause retention vice assist in losing the weight. The food varies from bland to spicy and does not taste all that bad. It is a mindset that some folks believe since it is not similar to their normal diet, then the taste is not to be liked. If there is a particular food that is not palatable, then choose something different with a custom order. Very few times has my order been changed, and usually only if I order above 4-5 of a given meal.

The good part of the diet is that you don't have to go to time consuming meetings or pay the high cost of weekly doctor visits to follow the diet. It does require a commitment on your part to lose the weight effectively. There is a wonderful network of folks similar to yourself and counselors that can help you with any issues...and just a key stroke away. The web site provides all the tools that you need.

Yes, this diet is expensive, but with the results that I have encountered, it is worth the price to lose excess weight and hopefully in the future to become more healthy without the aid of some of my medications. Like with all diets, it is a major lifestyle change and it means giving up some of the foods we really enjoy.

John of Granite Falls WA (06/13/08)
I have been unable to access my nutrisystem online account for several months and have been receiving repeated emails informing me that they were not able to ship my orders due to problems with my credit card. Being unable to login I was not able to remedy this conveniently.

On June 3rd I contacted a rep via the online chat and was told that there was a problem with my account and that it would be reported to IT for remedy within 48hrs.

On June 12th still being unable to login I called and waited 45 minutes to speak to a rep. After researching, she confirmed that there was an issue with my account. She said that due to a server migration my account was inaccessible as it was one of the accounts that hadn't been migrated. I asked when this would be fixed and she said that she didn't know.

I later received a voicemail from a supervisor who informed me that my account would not be accessible until July 13th! I am now considering other options, although I've been previously satisfied - not being able to order or access my account for over six months is ridiculous. The fact that it will take an additional month to fix? Unacceptable.

Goodbye Nutrisystem

Frank of Wilmington DE (06/12/08)
Both my wife and I have used this product for more than 6 months. We conduct our business with them via their web page. Our accounts on this site show our account history, delayed shipments, menu change etc.

We were going on a 3 day vacation on June 7,8 and 9th. My wife had a pending delivery from NutriSystem scheduled to be shipped June 9th. On June 5th she contacted NutriSystem via the web page and postponed the order until July 7 2008. As in the past they responed on her web page that the order has been postponed and will be shipped on July 7th. She copied the reply. (Which also is logged in our account history).

When we return on June 10th we see they have pulled 277 dollars from our account and have shipped the previously cancelled order. When we go to my wifes account information her entire history has been removed. (Over 6 shipments). When I go to my account history, my information has likewise been removed. (2 shipments). My wife calls them to have our money refunded and the shipment cancelled. She is told that they will attempt to intercept the shipment and when they have they will refund our money in 4-5 days.

On June 11th the shipment shows up at our house. My wife calls again and is told as soon as they have a truck sent to pick it up and it is on the truck, they will refund our money in 4-5 days. At this point I get involved. I do not understand the ethics invovled. They keep calling this shipment our shipment and we had nothing to do with it. They, not being authorized, went into our accoount and took 277 dollars.

I called them and after 30 minutes with a gentlemen named Wesley, was put through to a Supervisor named Madelin (emp # 3788) I explained what has been mentioned above and asked why is our money which was taken without permission, being held up by NutriSystem while they attempt to cover an asset which we never asked for. Madelin continued to hammer home that they will not refund our money until they have their product. I again attempted to make it known to her that I do not have their product. They have always had their product and the problem is that they stole our money.

In all of this they never mentioned a reason for why both my wife and my account histories were deleted. They say they have no record of our delay shipment request, and since they deleted our histories, now either do we. We do have the date and time of the delay shipment request, along with their reply that it has been noted and the new ship date is 7/07/08. For now I am going to see when they send a truck. My bank (the payment was made with a debit card) can not contest the payment until the money is transferred. (Right now it is pending)

Alan of Woodbridge VA (05/23/08)
Nutrisystem - Day 70. I have followed the Nutrisystem program exactly as laid out for 10 weeks. During that time, I have dropped 28 pounds, with a goal of dropping 7 more. According to my doctor, this is a reasonable and safe weight loss rate. Maybe it doesn't work for others, but it works for me.

Anne of Whiting NJ (05/14/08)
I order a months worth of food, only to to find that the food was absolutley horrible. Everyting is made for bomb shelters! I called and was advised to send the food back before the 30 day window. The last day would have been March 28th. Nutrisystem is in PA and I live in NJ. We sent back the entire amount of food, boxed and lists made of all the food. It was sent on the 21st of March. It arrived on the 30th which was a Monday.

The 28th was a Friday. I called and advised them that it had been postmarked for the 21st and that it was not our fault the shipment arrived almost an entire week later. We gave plently of time for the shipment to arrive. They said too bad and refuse to send back any refund.So now I am out several hundred dollars and the food. I have been unsuccesful in reaching anyone of authority and need some help! I have never seen a business run this way and the CEO Michael J. Hagan,has a lot to answer for.

Shelia of Garland TX (05/07/08)
I decided after watching the infommercials about Nutrisystem with the wonderful endorsements from Tony Orlando and many others that I should give this a try. After one week of trying to eat this garbage, I called to let them know that I was returning the rest. After the first day I knew I was in trouble and after 4 days I could no longer stand it. There was one meal,the roast beef with vegetables that did me in. When I opened it the smell was so bad like opening a can of dog food. I tried to eat it not wanting to be a pansy but I couldn't. After that I had to get out the air freshener,open the door and take out the rest of the meal to the garbage.

There were really no side effects other than the complete feeling of being sick to my stomach after eating each meal. Besides the awful meals you still had to provide proteins, fats and dairy as called for in the menus. So over all very disappointed with this program. It's a good thing they have a 30 day money back guarantee or I probably wouldn't have tried it at all. Programs like this should be stopped because of false advertising because it's not a doable program.

Debbie of Perris CA (05/05/08)
I think the public needs to know that the Nutrisystem commercials are very deceptive. Their latest ad with Jillian Barbari is a great example. I watch her on a local morning TV show a few days a week. The before picture they show of her in the commercial was taken when she was pregnant! I even saw her in the same dress on the morning show -- and she was pregnant at the time! Of course, she lost a lot of weight after her baby was born! This is very deceptive and misleading.

Also, I don't think the commercial showing Larry the Cable Guy is above board, either. I tried them for three months a year ago. The food was awful, and it was like torture to think of my next meal eating their food. I actually could choke down two items! I lost ten pounds in three months and could have done that on my own cutting out the wrong foods.

People also need to realize that the Nutrisystem plan costs over $300 per month, and they tend to forget that they still have to buy food for the rest of the family. This just adds a much bigger burden to middle class Americans who, if they look at their overall budget, quickly discover, they cannot afford Nutrisystem. And especially so when it doesn't work that well and their food tastes like cardboard with watery tomato sauce on it!

Archie of Vancouver OTHER (05/04/08)
The food they send is no better than garbage. Not as advertised. All the food you need is included. Wrong. Seggested meal plan includes at least the same amount as they ship to be supplemented.

Made me sick almost to the point of vomiting.

Ron of Pueblo CO (03/23/08)
My wife wanted to try the system and she felt it would be too hard for her if she had to also cook for me. I agreed to join her as I need to lose a few lbs. We didn't get what we ordered, lot of substitutions. The meal are very hard to eat, all smell and taste the same. After a week we decided there had to be a better way. Tried to contact them several times and was put on hold for long periods and then just got disconnected. Sent them an e-mail telling them not to send any more and that future shipments would be returned.

We are out $587.44 and we have had gas from the first bite. I felt hungry all the time, ate the food because we had nothing else to eat and no money if we wanted to get something edible.

Florence of Niagara WI (03/03/08)
When I first started using the product I had severe gas and a constant headache for 2-3 days. I called and was told that the headache was probably due to cutting back on calories. I discontinued using the product on a daily basis about 3 weeks later. I would occasionally use an item in my diet. On Feb. 22, 2008 for lunch I had the tortolini in red sauce. About 30 minutes later I had severe pains in my stomach. I went to the ER later that day as the pains did not go away. Tests were done and everything came back normal. My family doctor believes it was the tortolini. I can only assume that is what it was from since I had problems when I first started using the products.

Dora of Austin TX (02/18/08)
I believe that Nutrisystem is falsely advertising it can help nursing mothers with losing the baby weight after having their children by sponsoring and making commercials with Tori Spelling and Jillian Barnerie Reynolds who promote using the system while still being able to nurse. Nutrisystem doesn't allow their agents to sign up women who are nursing but they still promote it through their celebrity spokespersons. They have very conflicting messages.

Very disappointing for women who are looking for the answers to lose the baby weight and can be very harmful for those who go ahead and do it because they were lead to believe by the commercials that they could still do the program no matter what Nutrisystem's fine print says.

Kristin of Monroe WI (02/13/08)
I have read and heard good and bad about NutriSystem. So I decided to try it for myself. The food is packaged in such a way so as not to need refrigeration. Which is very handy. The down side is that the flavors tend to blend together, as in any unfrozen/refrigerated preparation. The convienence much outweighs the negatives in this instance for me. I do not have the luxury of having a freezer everywhere I go. But there is a microwave available almost everywhere these days. These are no gourmet meals, but in my opinion they are as good, if not better, than cheap frozen dinners, such as Budget. I personally have not tried the prepare yourself items, such as the pudding, so I cannot speak for those. But the deserts are tasty, the portions are sufficient and you are supposed to eat snacks provided, as well as, fresh fruits and veggies. If you pace yourself throughout the day, this should be sufficient. Part of the reason most of us are overweight is that we eat too much to begin with. This program is designed to help us learn how to portion our food properly. Well this program gets my thumbs up. While following the program I lost weight and learned how to portion food properly. I did not want nutritionally and it was convenient enough to stick to.

Elena of Damascus OR (02/12/08)
I ordered the 2 month auto-delivery for Nutrisystems. I experienced a lot of gas and diarrhea. Diarrhea to the point of it being uncontrollable! In their advertising no where do they mention the possibility of uncontrollable diarrhea. I do realize that increasing fiber can create gas and diarrhea. I thought maybe I was sick but when I went on the internet and read all the other complaints about diarrhea I realized it is the food. I am an RN, so I am not an ignorant person. The reason to go on the diet was viewed as an EASY way to lose weight, and have my clothes fit better. But when you have to take a day off from the diet food, because you are so tired of having diarrhea, it seems kind of ridiculous. They really should have some kind of disclaimer similar to medication what the diet may cause. Uncontrollable diarrhea is a definite side effect of nutri/system food.

None, but I will not reorder after my initial trial period. No wonder why they push the trial period, because so many people drop it.

Lilli of Novi MI (02/12/08)
I am so glad I read this site before I ordered Nutri-System. From watching the commercials, I thought maybe it had changed, but apparently not. About 15 years ago, I enrolled in a Nutri-System clinic that opened in Flint, MI, and the food was so horrible I got out of it. I recall that my granddaughter saw me fix one of the meals, and when she looked at it, she asked me if that was dog food. Actually, I don't believe a dog would eat that food. I see why so many people are trying to sell their Nutri-System food on E-bay. Buyer beware!

Linda of Virginia Beach VA (02/05/08)
Ordered the Nutrisystem Advanced New for 2008 program, which included 56 (2 weeks) of free food. I did NOT get the food that I ordered. And the 7 days of free food that came with the order is food I can not (allergic), or will not (do not like), eat. When I called to complain, I kept getting recorded menus to choose from until I tried other numbers. When I FINALLY was connected to a real person, I was told that I could exchange the items I didn't want for ones that I did want (even though they had already SUBSTITUTED items for the ones I ordered!), or I could return everything within 30 days in the original packaging. Of course with each option, I would have to PAY FOR SHIPPING! The food is some kind of processed substance, high in sodium, tastes like starched cardboard, and comes in portions smaller than what I would feed my fish! And as I write this, I've been on hold around THIRTY minutes, waiting, once again to speak to a person so that I can cancel future automatic shipments.

I am out $293.72 which I will now have to pay finance charges on, as I had to put it on my credit card. I now have to contact my credit card company to ensure no future automatic charges are added, as I am still waiting (around FORTY minutes now) to talk with someone to cancel future orders. And IF I get through, I cannot trust them to honor my directions to CANCEL my program.

Richard of Denver CO (02/03/08)
I ordered the second month online. Two weeks later we received an additional order. I called, and was told to return product for a refund. That was about three months ago that we returned the product. They didn't refund the $295.00 that was automatically deducted from my checking account. We are no longer clients. We didn't like the food at all. My wife and I now buy the Weight Watchers meals at the store. The food is tasty. She has lost 30 lbs, and I 12 lbs.

Loss of almost $300.

Paula of Islip NY (01/31/08)
This food is AWFUL. The smell alone is disgusting. What a complete waste of money. Sure, some weight has been lost, but only because of LACK of eating, not because this stuff actually works. I think their ads are a hoax and they should be run out of business for false advertising.

Charles of Altoona PA (01/25/08)
I read your critiques of the Nutri-System diet. I have been on the program for about 10 days now and have lost 10 lbs. I have been on many diets before and don't find it more expensive than say buying the Weight Wathcrs for instance and or their meals and supplements. I was alos on a program at a gym and the whey protenin powdersw and bars were tasteless and expensive.

I have found for the most part the food is better than comparable low calorie food such as Lean Cusine or South Beach Diet Particularly Lean cuisine is so loaded with garlic and other harsh spices to give the flavor that you don't get, because after all fat is flavor, that their foods to me are unpalatqble. By and large, so far, the meals though small, are as tasty as the competition in my humble opinion.

Michael of Tucson AZ (01/23/08)
I started on the diet a few months. I have actually lost and kept off about 15 pounds. However, this whole program is misleading. You do not get all of the food you need to be on the program. You still have to buy the fruits, veggies and other items. Most of the food is awful and has them same aftertaste no matter what you may be eating. The commercials talking about the delicious meals are just wrong. I still have most of the lunch entrees in my pantry because they are pretty much inedible. Plus I noticed that some of the food causes a sharp increase in flatulence. A little extra bonus there. Bottom line, the lean cuisines, etc. taste better and probably cost about the same. Can't recommend this to anyone who remotely enjoys food.

None. Just fed up with false advertising.

Lynn of Hobbs NM (01/23/08)
I was convinvced by the sales ad on TV to try Nutrisystem as a weight loss alternative. I have had a triple heart bypass and the information regarding their salt content was not revealed until I received the merchandise. I have used their product now for two days and have noticed an uncomfortable feeling in my chest which reminds me of eating too much salt. I will be contacting my cardiologist today and seek his professional opinion on this diet plan.

Denise of Saugus CA (01/21/08)
The food is revolting. I have had to throw away food because of the taste and smell. Also, substitutes were items I did not like, either, because of taste or smell.

I have actually gained two to three pounds because of all of the water gain--probably from the high salt content.

Gary of High Point NC (01/20/08)
No problems with the diet. Food is okay, convenient!

Vicki of Mims FL (01/14/08)
The food was horrible and so many of the products tasted the same. Many times my orders were substituted as they advised that they were out of stock or low. The items that you had to prepare yourself (ex pudding etc) turned out like school experiments . like glue. Sometimes when I opened the packages and tried to cook the smell and taste would send me to the restroom. Couldn't keep down or once I did they went right through me. I lost the weight in the beginning but just couldn't stomache the food. Their ads with celebrities are put ups or at the most pay offs to sucker people into joining. When you go off you bounce right back with the ability to taste real food.

Denise of Conrad IA (01/09/08)
My husband and I ordered a month's supply of meals on Jan. 7. The order arrived in 2 days. I was excited! Until I opened the boxes. Balanced meals? Not till you go shopping for proteins, fruits and veggies! Small small portions, dried soups. A 3.42 oz. flatbread pizza costs $5.33. You have to spread the sauce and cheese on yourself. You have to call to get a return authorization to return the meals. You can't get through on the phone, I was on hold for 15 minutes and then was cut off, tried again, 30 minutes on hold then got cut off, third try and I was on hold for 25 minutes and finally got through. I have my authorization numbers to return the packages, now I wonder how long they will use my money before it's credited back to my account? It's just $563.67! Not happy and can buy frozen diet meals at Walmart for much less!

Jeanne of Longmont CO (01/04/08)
I am cancelling my NutriSystem subscription. The food is unpalatable, extremely salty and they often substitute my pre-selected menu with other foods they choose. Most of the food is revolting to me. The minute I open the package the smell is overpowering and I have to force myself to eat it. I cannot believe those commercials where the supposed customers extoll the virtues of the program and the delicious meals! I cannot imagine anyone thinking these meals are delicious!

I have paid a lot of money for this food and have tried so hard to stick to the plan. I am so disheartened that it hasn't worked because I cannot stomach the food.

Dr of New York NY (12/30/07)
Nutrisystem food is totally unacceptable even with even low standards of food quality. They should not be allowed to sell their synthetic, salty, full of preservatives food unless they make radical changes to the taste, appearance and overall quality. I think the only way that this progmam may work for weight loss is by making consumers hate food altogether. Utterly unacceptable. A complete loss of $300, which is unacceptable.

Charles of San Marcos CA (12/28/07)
My wife wanted to try and lose some weight so she ordered Nutrisystem. I used the Bill Me Later system to purchase the food. I made and initial payment of $50. My wife tried 5 or 6 entrees and didn't like the food. I prepared what was left in the box for shipment back to Nutrisystem, and another box of food arrived. So I sent both boxes back. This was in a time frame of about 3 or 4 weeks. The Bill Me Later account was credited for one box of food. I tried to contact both Nutrisystem and Bill Me Later for several months trying to resolve getting a partial credit for the first box of food, but only received limited responses from my emails. I called a couple of times, and they could not find any record of my account.

To make a long story short, after 5 or 6 months of this (and I haven't paid on the account because I firmly believe I didn't owe anything), I finally got an email response telling me that the first shipment was returned after the 30-day grace period. It took 6 months for them to tell me this! If Nutrisystem would have told me this after the first month, I would have understood and case would be closed. As it is, the original $278 ballooned to $385, and for me to keep my credit rating from going south, I had to deal with a collection agency from Bill Me Later. Is there any justice?

I'm out $385 and a possible hit on my credit report; plus the original food that am now having to pay for is back with NutriSystem so they can resell it to some other unsuspecting person. I hope they like the food better than my wife. My strong request to anyone thinking about purchases from NutriSystem, Think Long And Hard About Anything Like This Going Wrong, Especially If You Are Planning To Use A Third Party Like: Bill Me Later.

Janie of Greenwood IN (12/26/07)
Where do I file a complaint on a Nutrisystem commercial that is very disrespectful to those who are overweight? I mean this lady flat out says that no man would look at a heavy person twice. Some people are fat just because they are. Others are due to thyroid problems, etc. Her two sons and husband's pictures were on the commercial also. One son was overweight and the hubby had some extra luggage as well. How did that make them feel? I was very upset when I heard this, as I am sure many others were, also. We cannot say GOD anymore or someone gets offended, but yet its OK for her to degrade every heavy person on a commercial. Where do I file a complaint on this TV commercial?

I feel very disrespected and degraded.

Nancy of Elizabeth CO (12/04/07)
I could not eat the food and called to get a return number and address to return it. The address was bogus; I sent it USPS. No one can find the package, and Nutrisystem says they didn't recieve the package or cannot tell me without a confirmation number. I gave them the only number the USPS gave me, and they said it has to be a 20 digit number. I don't know where the box is of the lousy food I couldn't eat! It made me feel light headed.  It cost 25.00 to send it back, but they say I will never get a refund.

I am out $299.00 plus shipping of $25.00. They gave me a bogus address to send it to in Kansas City, Kansas!

Sandra of Carolina, Pr OTHER (12/03/07)
If you see the Nutrisystem meals, you would understand the complaints. When I called on my second month to place the cancellation (because I forgat to call earlier), the operator asked me the reason to cancel. I asked, "have you tried them?" And her answer was, "No, but I heard they are pretty bad." The TV dinners look like dog food but with a worse smell. Some of the snaks (150 calories) are ok but I can find similars in the grocery store with less calories (90) I am thinking about giving the box of meals to charity but the less fortunate may not like it eather.

Cassandra of Minot ND (11/15/07)
When I received my order from Nutrisystem, more than 10% of the items I had custom-ordered had been substituted. The food they did send me was marginal at best, although I was not expecting gourmet food. I decided to send back my order because the cost of the program plus the cost of the extra groceries was just too expensive for the quality of the program. I called customer service to return my program and they gave me an RMA number to write both on the packaging slip and on the outside of the box, which I did. They gave me an address to send the package to, and told me to send it either UPS or USPS. I decided to send it through the USPS. I got delivery confirmation on the package and was notified that the company received the package on November 5.

I called customer service to see when I could expect credit to my account and was told to fax a copy of my receipt from the USPS and a list of all the food I returned. Blanch told me that since I sent my package with the USPS, my return would not be processed until I faxed these things. She said if I would have sent it UPS I would not have had to do this. Had they told me this I would have simply sent it UPS and saved this headache. If I had not called I do not know if I would have ever received a credit. Now I have to pay to fax these papers. The time, energy, and extra money it will cost me to receive a credit for a package that they already have at their warehouse is ridiculous.

Edithof Delray Beach FL (11/05/07)
I ordered 4 weeks of Nutrisystem and 1 week free. I asked if this was good for a diabetic; they said there is a special package for diabetics. I received order that said "diabetic menu"-- most lunches and dinners are over-spiced, some are completely inedible, and after 2 weeks have lost no weight. They claim that the food, in order to be preserved, has to have more sodium and spice. It's disgusting.

Carla  of New York, NY (11/04/07)
I received my food package and started the program 5 days ago. How I regret it. Most of the food is horrible. The breakfast and desert are not bad. As for the lunch and dinners, they are totally disgusting.  I believe this is probably because the food comes in a vaccum sealed package (not frozen) and thus needs too much preservatives.

I tried to keep going after my first day because I thought I would get used to it, but after the 3rd day I was I realized I can get the same amount of calories with Lean Cuisine and it tastes much better.

Joan of Lake Helen FL (11/02/07)
I ordered vegetarian diet from Nutrisystem and received Silver food.....This food was picked up by UPS, and I reordered Vegetarian diet. I received 28 chicken noodle soup, 28 packages vegetable fajitas and 28 cinnamon chocolate bars. I called, and the person insisted that this is what I ordered: not true. The CHICKEN SOUP doesn't sound vegetarian to me! According to person I talked to, this had been substituted. I was so angry I canceled any future food and will donate this to the food bank. They did offer to pay for it to be sent back -- but I declined, so I will pay and donate.

Just very upset at their stupidity and nonchalant attitude.

Craig Smith of Boulder CO (10/12/07)
I have a similar experience to the one posted on your website. I placed an order with the Company and got replacement items for 33 out of 140 items or about 25%. Their substitutions were especially aggregious. I ordered 1 of an item and got 12. Another item I ordered 6 of and got 18. They ought to be forced to limit the amount of substitutions they can make without prior approval. Five percent would be reasonable but not 25%.

They promised a refund but said I would have to pay for the return shipping. I imagine they will issue a refund for their product but not the $16.00 for outbound shipping. So I will be out of pocket twice that amount at a minimum for their mishandling of my order.

Teresa of Benton City WA (10/11/07)
After seeing the commercials, my husband and I decided to give the plan a shot and ordered one regular plan and one men's plan. I chose the pick your own food plan, but over 40% was substituted, mainly with cereals that I can easily purchase at a fraction of the cost. Nutrisystem was unimpressed with my complaint and no corrections were sent.

My plan was also missing the intro packet and checklists, so had to wait to get those to start. We also had to ship back the diabetic plan that was shipped in error instead of the men's plan. We had thought the men's plan would have entrees more appealing to men, but the food was the same as the regular plan.

Once we finally got the products, we started and gave the plan every chance for success. I was actually starting to lose weight, but the food was so horrendous that after a couple of weeks, we had eaten everything we were willing to choke down.

When I tried to cancel by email, Nutrisystems tried to tell me I had to speak to a counselor by phone in order to cancel. I replied that I had signed up via internet, ordered via internet,requested corrections via internet, and had every intention of cancelling via internet unless they could show me in writing where I agreed to speak to ANYONE in person. Overall, the plan was labor intensive and most of the food was inedible.

Doreen O`hara of Midland TX (10/04/07)
I love the nutrisysyem. It has helped me loss weight and lower my blood pressure. Why complain, if you don`t like the food don`t byt it. I agree some food is not good, but most of it is. And when I was sent subitutes, All I had to do was call. and they sent what I orderd, and I got to keep the other food. Nitrisystem, I Love you

Jean of Thomasville NC (10/02/07)
Ordered Nutrisystem because of the commercials on TV. The first meal of roast beef was horrible, the roast looked like a block of wood and tasted about as bad. Cereal is ok but such a small amount, most of the snacks are soy and taste horrible, like eating cardboard. Tuna was awful, runny mess that a cat would not eat, it was suppose to be tuna salad, I poured it out of the bag and the smell was nauseating. The rest of the order is still in the box, they said I could not return it I had waited too long. Also some of the snack bags were open and the contents had spilled out in the box.

I would not recommend this to anyone, when you add salad and fruit and vegetable to the nutrisystem meals it can become very costly. Best way to lose weight is to eat right and make it a life time change. Nutrisystem is not something that can be tolerated for a life time, it would take a strong stomach to use it even for a month.

I am still paying for something that I could not possible use. I am on a fixed income and it is hard to make payments on something that is still in a box. I only want Nutrisystem to take the product back and not make me continue to pay for something I cannot possibly use.

Irma of Austell GA (10/01/07)
I agree 100% with the results you got with Nutrisystem diet. It was the most horrible meals I've ever eaten. I tried it for two montrhs and I still have over 2/3 of it left. My dog will eat almost anything, but he will not touch the remains. I'm the same weight bu the way.

Barbara of Roanoke VA (09/28/07)
I started Nutrisystems last month and checked with my doctor after a huge box arrived. He created a diet for me and told me not to use the products, but I can't find a way to cancel the contract. The next box is coming Oct14.  It is easy to get in but next to impossible to get out. Help.

I'll pay the first month for being stupid, but I've tried to leave messages in print and have received no reply. The customer service is sly and never gives you an opportunity to get out. Please help me. The product has too much salt and items that must be fake or you would need a refrigerator. I feel like a fish on a hook.

Kelly of Eagle, ID (09/27/07)
I ordered Nutrisystem for my husband and myself, and told the woman on the phone I wanted one month's worth of food for each of us. The food was inedible, but we tried to stick it out. A second month's worth of food arrived for me three weeks later, and when I called about this, they told me I was on their auto delivery program which I was never told about or requested. I wanted to send the food back and called five different times to do this. I was given the number to UPS to deal with this who in turn told me I needed a special call ticket placed on the box for them to pick it up at Nutrisystem's expense. I explained this to the people at Nutrisystem on three seperate phone calls, but was again given the number to UPS, then one time put thru to UPS who again told me I needed this special call ticket. I finally sent the food back requesting the costs I incurred to do this. They are refusing to pay me back for this charge and further more say I should see a credit for the food I returned in a month or so.  I still need to be credited for $293+ worth of food they received on Sept 14, and the $17.19 for sending the food back via UPS. They are claiming I set up the auto delivery which is untrue. I was never told about this option. I spoke to one supervisor who again refuses to reimburse me for the shipping costs and when I requested to speak to a manager above her, I was placed on hold for over five minutes, and when she came back she said no one was available and she would call me back later. I wonder if this company is placing people on autodelivery without their knowledge to sell more food, in hopes they won't send it back?

Sue of Republic MO (09/20/07)
On August 31st I ordered via phone a months worth of meals and snacks, along with a free weeks worth of food that was included in the price of the order. The order's total (shipping was free) was $297.32.

Upon receiving the boxes of product, I tried a lunch of beef stew which tasted like I imagine bad dog food would taste, and sampled a bite from 12 of the snacks, all of which were stale, broken and tasted absolutely horrible. The chocolate tasted like ex-lax squares, the snack cakes dry and old, the popcorn stuck together and stale, all inedible.

Nutrisystem advertises 3 meals a day plus snacks for less than $10.00 per day. They also guarantee satisfaction and a no hassle return policy. I also noticed that the meals were sodium laden and very high cholesterol for all of them. I can't eat that unhealthy even if the meals weren't vile to begin with.

I packaged up all of the remaining food products which was almost everything, including the weeks worth of free food and snacks, a cd that was included in with the order and all literature. The box weighed 36 pounds - what it weighed when I received it - and was shipped back via Fed Ex for which I paid $25.00 in shipping charges. The tracking number indicated that the package had arrived on Sep. 10th.

I checked my credit card on the 14th and noticed a refund for the amount of $23.66. I was sick. I phoned their customer service line. Indeed they did receive the package and indeed it did weigh 36 pounds. The woman said she would put a message in the computer to amend the refund amount. I have also sent a minimum of 7 email requesting a break down in price for the sampled snacks and the one lunch that I tried, but they refuse to give me any breakdown, will not give me a refund amount, and keep sending the same form e-mail just saying that a refund will be issued to the method of payment that the order was paid for.

I am frantic. They are definitely the big giant corporation and I'm the little consumer, but I don't understand how they can get away with things like this. The $25.00 I had to spend to return the product far outweighs their cost of the snacks and 1 lunch that I sampled trying to find SOME redemption in their rancid, broken product that they sent to me.

Alma of Warren MI (07/18/07)
I Customized my order and still they substituted meals. I told them I am diabetic and am in a low salt diet but when the food got here is unedible. Some do not have an expiration date on it and I do not dare to eat it. Their customer dept. have not given me any satisfation and the package is too huge for a handicapped person to take to the post office.

I am out of $279 for the first month. Fortunately I was able to cancel the first week. They are unable to give me the money back until they receive the package.

Renee of Sterrett AL (06/29/07)
I have been on the Nutrisystem diet for 3 weeks now and have had horrible stomach pains and bloating. I have loss of appetite and have stopped the diet. After stopping the diet I begin to be back to normal within 5 days.

David of Morristown NJ (06/11/07)
I joined the Nutri System Program in 2006. After paying for some orders, I found that I could no longer use the products. The boxes of food (which is NOT perishable) came once a month automatically and my credit card was charged each time for $278.00. I returned 3 UNOPENED boxes of products to Nutri System. I was only given credit for one box. Therefore, NutriSystem has two months worth of product AND $756.00 of my money.

Lara of Denver CO (06/03/07)
I had ordered some food. After receiving the second month of food, I decided I did not want it. I called to see if I could return it since it had been past 30 days and most places have some type of policy. The man I spoke with said that it would be fine for me to return it and gave me the phone number to UPS so that I could schedule a pick-up. After returning the food & waiting several weeks, I called to see when my money would be returned. They said that I had returned it past their 30 day return policy and that they had no record of the phone call where I spoke with the man who told me it would be okay to return and still receive my money back. They would not be refunding my $293.72 and they would not be returning my food.

They offered me nothing (even speaking with a manager). There was not even a courtesy call to tell make sure I understood that not only would I not be receiving my money back, but that the food I returned would be destroyed and offer me the option of having it returned to me (even if I were to pay the shipping).

Elaine of Goffstown NH (05/31/07)
The so called NEW products and old foods with new ingredients that are offered by this company have literally made me quite ill. I found first the taste and texture to be less than pleasing and I did use their system a year or so ago before surgery and thought it would be okay again. However, within a few days of trying the foods (I could only actually eat 3 or four meals before giving up due to taste)I vomited for a couple of days and then found I couldn't eat anything.

The smell of coffee, bacon and eggs and basically anything made me nauseaus (who doesn't love the smell of breakfast?)and I have spent the last 12 days in bed and have lost over 10 pounds, not a good way to lose weight. I guess their foods did make me lose weight, but the wrong way. I am unable to see my own doctor as he is on vcation, but I am almost certain NutriSystem foods will be what has caused my illness and I certainly hope is is nothing very serious; then I will not only be ticked off more, but I will feel like a jerk for trying to take the easy way out to lose weight.

I have yet to receive any response from anyone at the company except a oh you poor thing from the girl with whom I cancelled my future orders with.

Mary of Hastings, NE (05/28/07)
I was appalled at the amount of sodium in the "Female-over40" Nutrisystem food plan that I ordered from QVC. As a registered medical technologist, I know that most of the people on sodium restricted diets are over the age of 40.

Surely the professional dieticians in the Nutrisystem company know this.

I'm out $200, but was smart enough to throw some foods away and not re-order.

Gisela of Fort Benning GA (05/21/07)
I ordered Nutrisystem on March 18, 2007. The food was delivered to me about 7 days later. I have never seen so many powdered entrees in my life. Not at all what I expected. Powdered eggs, powdered mac and cheese, powdered soups all in containers as those ramen noodles come in. The taste of the food is horrible. I opened a dinner entree labeled chicken and dumplings...I feel like I had poured a jar of stage 3 baby food. It was so nasty I took one bite and threw it in the garbage.

Today I thought I try eating another entree because I already spent the money on this and I opened meatloaf and mashed potatoes and it was aweful. Their caramel and chocolate bars taste like they have alcohol in them. The only thing I liked was their lunch chocolate graham bar.

I chatted with one of the counselor's to see if I could return some of these unopened items and replace them I was hoping for the lunch barsbut was told that if you wait more than 30 days you can not exchange or return any items. So I guess I'm stuck with this nasty food. How is that for standing behind a product!. I guess most people order the foods based on the commercials and realistically the food entrees are items most people would not normally eat so you would have to stay on nutrisystem forever not to gain the weight back.

Lauren of Loma Linda CA (05/08/07)
The food is HORRIBLE!!!! I started on Jenny Craig and switched to Nutrisystem because it was about half the cost, I can see why. Everything I tried was so bad, I ended up just throwing it away . I would not recommend this to anyone. Jenny Craig has way better food. Its worth the extra money.

Joe of Winthrop MA (05/06/07)
I found the food terrible. I tried to send back my second shipment but they wouldn't accept it! I am near 70 years of age and can't really afford that loss of almost three hundred dollars for an unopened box of awful, so-called food.

William Ruffin of Alpharetta GA (04/30/07)
Like other posters, I received my NutriSystem, only to find that the packing slip didn't remotely resemble what I ordered, and what was actually in the box didn't remotely resemble what on the slip. They just filled the box with the stuff that wasn't moving. What a total waste of time and money! Don't do it.

Wasted money. Wasted Time.

Sharon of Hercules, CA (04/30/07)
In 2005 I was in the program for about a month.  With my first order, I got what I ordered. After that, the substitutions escalated with each order. Their policy of substituting without notifying is unacceptable.

I thought the dinner and lunch foods were mostly terrible. They had good cereals, snacks, and pizzas, but that's it. The thought of eating meat that isn't fresh or frozen is disgusting. Most of the meals were drenched in a gravy to preserve it.

In the early 1990s, NutriSystem had storefronts where I could see and choose the food.  Also back then, the food was much better.  I was very disappointed with NutriSystem's food this time around. 

Roberta of Riverside, CA (04/28/07)
The first time we joined Nutrisystem, we were surprised at the number of substitutions.  We tried a couple and found them unpalatable.  Customer service was friendly, courteous, and had the substitutions picked -up and new selections delivered free.

This time, we had over 1/3 of our meal selections substituted.  When we called customer service, the woman first denied Nutrisystem had substituted anything, then said we had to accept the substitutions. She finally gave me a return number (for one of our orders) and told us to ship the stuff back.

It cost over $16 to ship the substitutions back to Nutrisystem. It could be two to four weeks before we receive our new food.  I am afraid this is it for Nutrisystem, a company with which we were previously delighted.

Ron of San Diego CA (04/05/07)
After using about half of their products I opened a Thick Crust cheese pizza and found blue/green mold on the pizza crust. I let NutriSystem know that I could no longer trusted the quality of their products and ask to send the rest back for a refund. I was told I was past 30 days--too late, too bad. Also, there was no lot number/use by date on the bad package and some other packages I checked after finding the mold.

I lost my money on the remainder of the uneaten products.

Loretta of Gulfport MS (03/24/07)
Your commercials are the worst taste I have ever seen on TV. I suggest every employee of Nutrisystem go home and tell their significant other that they would be less disgusting if they lost a few pounds. And that trophy wife wearing a ribbon arund her pubic hair reallyl is disgusting.

My fingers are sore from switching channels each time your commercial interferes with daytime TV programs. I hate you.

Vivian of Annandale VA (03/21/07)
I do not recommend Nutrisystem to any that is trying to lose weight. I saw the commercial on QVC, and they made the food look so good, tasty, and large portions. But when I got my order the portions were very small and the food is horrible. I mostly got pasta dishes and they were nasty. I tried to change my order and they refused to. I wasted a lot of money like $400.00 on this product and I didn't even lose weight. Please those people out there that are trying to lose weight, don't waste your money on Nutrisystem. I would haved spent less money and lost more weight joining a gym.

Brande of Gordon GA (03/11/07)
My husband and I ordered the NutriSystem diet for a month and canceled our order after throwing away 50% of what we ordered. We saw QVC selling Nutrisystem and they really made the food look good and the portion size Large. It taste horrible and we ordered from Nutrisystem.com because of free shipping. We waisted over 600.00 dollars and was going to ship it back but that would cost us a extra hundred. For people on a budget trying to get healthy it kind of sucks. The people who do enjoy this diet must be lacking taste buds.

Gloria  of Jesup GA (02/17/07)
Ordered food online then cancelled the order and they were to take charges off my credit card. Then I had a call from Florida that my house was flooded and it is inhabitable. Then i flew to Pgh., PA, because my nephew had been killed at work. Had to bring my 87 yr. old mother back to live with me because she has dementia. Then when I returned to my GA apt. the nutrisystem food box was delivered to my neighbor's house, which i had previously cancelled. I then return the box to nutrisystem. it has been almost 1 yr. now and still no refund from them. i mailed the complaint papers to them and my credit card company, yet my refund was denied.

I really don't know about all that other than I am a 5-yr breast cancer survior with many other physical alments and under much stress that is in my life due to family and economic problems. Taking care of my mom is like working a 40 hr week +. She will live with my sisters in Pgh for the summer or as soon as they can cope with her. My nephew's killer has not been found yet, keeps my sister under a lot of stress and my other sister was in a terrible car accident and has 4 children, it is hard for her to take care of my mom at this time.

G. G. of Houston TX (02/01/07)

How much longer are we going to be subjected to the commercial featuring the dizzy broad gushing about fitting into a size 2? We would have bought and tried the product but the commercial is a total turn-off.

Beverly of Rome NY (01/23/07)
The food is gross and I can't believe this company expects people to consume this as nutritional. The nutrition comes from all the extras you buy at the grocery store. It's not less than $10 a day, they want you to drink 2x as much water than recommended because the sodium intake is extremely high.

REFUND POLICY WATCH OUT!!! I sent it back and of course I had to pay. The package was sent back Aug/06 it's now Jan.23 2007 and my credit card was never refunded. Make sure if sending anything back you call them right away with the tracking number, and make sure you check your account. This company seems to have all the answers about why my account was never credited along with many others.

The wait time on the phone they say is due to the high volume of calls for their product...HA HA HA. I would have to believe it's because there are so many calls about getting nasty food and people not getting their money back. This would have to be the worst company I have ever dealt with and definitely would not recommend this program to anyone. Also...all the people that work for this company should be ashamed of themselves for what they do for a buck. Get a real job and have some pride in what you do for a living. I could go on and on but this company has already wasted enough of my time.

Jan of Mission Viejo CA (01/22/07)
I read all the complaints about Nutrisystem after I ordered my food and food for my husband. I was worried. Our food arrived, packaged as we chose. We were excited to begin. The food is flavorful, not salty. Some of the products are not to my liking, so I will not order them again, i.e. Toaster pastries and blueberry muffins. In two weeks my husband has lost 10 pounds and I have lost 5. We find it an easy program to stick to and have NO complaints. I just wanted to write to say I am a happy customer who hopes to lose a lot more weight in the next few months.

Kathy of Liberty Lake WA (01/14/07)
Nutrisystem food packaged with maggots, bugs, etc. they will not exchange or refund because its over the 30 day policy.

Nancy of San Diego CA (12/29/06)
Food was terrible, expensive and arrived late. I tried to cancel my second order, but the food arrived anyway. I returned the orders for both my husband and myself, but was only credited for my husband's order. When I followed up, was told that I sent back ONE day after the thirty days, even though I spoke to a counselor who told me that the order would be considered refused and that I would receive a refund. Now they say that I have to dispute with the credit card company.

I'm out $289.46 and have a box of food that will be thrown away because it is so bad!

Ashley of Indianapolis IN (11/18/06)
I wish I would have read all of the messages posted on consumeraffairs.com before I placed an order with NutriSystem. Like everyone else on here, I chose to place a custom order where I picked the foods I wanted. I spent about 30 minutes carefully making my selections based on what I thought I would eat. I received my order within a few days after placing it, in which I was very excited about. When I first opened the box, there was my packing slip and a letter.

The letter said: "Due to the upcoming, exciting launch of our New & Improved NutriSystem Nourish program, we are currently retiring a few of our food items to make room for all the delicious new and improved selections...Because of this, we may have had to substitute some items which you ordered that have been discontinued, with other comparable items..." 

They were right about that. There were several things that I did not order included in the box, such as vegetarian sloppy joes (I hate sloppy joes), turkey hot dog, 2 southwestern chicken dinners (which I specifically did not order because I get bad acid reflux when I eat spicy foods), among others that I did not select. I didn't mind too much when I was unpacking and organizing all of it. On day 1, I ate scrambled eggs for breakfast and the chicken noodle soup for lunch (both were pretty good). For dinner I had chicken pizzaiola, which was average. Day 2, I ate bluberry muffins for breakfast, which tasted like cardboard. I had to take a drink of milk with each bite, because they were so stale and hard, not to mention no real taste of blueberries. I also ate a carmel chocolate dessert bar, which was ok.

For lunch, chicken and veges, and dinner homestyle chicken noodles with gravy. Both were horrible. I ended up choking down my day 2 meals. I expected that the food wasn't going to be wonderful; you can't expect too much when you're ordering pre-packaged food. However, I was not impressed by any means. Here is the worst part (and somewhat embarrasing). The last two days, I have had to 'number 2' several times each day (like, 5 or 6 times), and my stomach has hurt. I normally eat fruits, veges, and salad, so I know it is not from that stuff. Something about the NutriSystem food does not agree with me at all.

I called today and selected the option to get a refund. I was immediately connected to Sandy, who told me how to return my order and that I would get the full amount refunded back to my credit card within 10 days after they received my order. I do have to call them 2 days after I ship it back to give them my UPS or FedEx tracking code, then I will get the refund. She then transferred me to Christina, a counselor, who cancelled my account so I would not be charged anymore. Neither asked why I was cancelling, but that's ok with me because they wouldn't be able to talk me into keeping it. I do have to pay for return shipping. The customer service was good and fast. I was on and off the phone within 15 minutes.

Maybe they have changed some policies in the last few months to better service customers. But, one thing is for sure, they have not made any improvements in the taste of their food. If they have, I would hate to have tasted it before!

Pat of Wrangell AK (11/17/06)
I placed a new order after placing my last one in 5-06. They have always shipped to my home st. address, but this time they shipped to my PO box. I live on a small island in SE Alaska and things can be slow, but they sent it regular mail. That means it will come by barge from Washington and take 4-6 weeks and they have already charged my card. I checked with the post office on delivery time. I tired to cancel, but if I refuse the order and send it back that will be another 4-6 weeks plus what ever time they fix my credit card. I have not had good results with them on this delivery and now I find they are selling the product in stores. What gives? Yes I am uspset as some of the food isn't that great and they have not lived up to their promise.

If I don't pay off the credit card, I will have intrest charges added.

Diane of Pembroke Pines FL (11/16/06)
This is what happened when I ordered their product: I am in the process of returning my 1st order for the second time & canceling my plan. Since I have ordered my plan I have found several people who have had problems getting the correct food. Some of the problems are: You cannot choose the free week of food & they don't tell you that anywhere that I found. You don't get what you ordered (the first order there were at least 44 items wrong and/or missing). I had to send the whole order back (at their expense because it was their fault & there were over 39 items, which is their limit in order to not have to send back the whole order).

During the second order they sent me the same items that I had already sent back, and I have to pay the shipping to send it back. I am out the $22 that it cost to ship back a product that I tried & am totally dissatisfied with & all they could say was unfortunately, yes you are out the money. I felt strongly that their product would have helped me; however, I have just started and the problems are many. As of now I am disappointed in the company and I will tell people to stay away from the company.

I am out the money it cost to return their product. $22

Lee of Sherwood OR (11/16/06)
Misrepresentation of product, performance, guarantee, everything about them as distasteful as the food! I was promised a Full refund when placing my order 9/30/06 as long as I cancelled by Oct 30 and returned remaining product which I did. Now they try to cover it by saying only a refund of returned food which they even try to cheat you here by estimating refund instead of crediting individual items!

Waste of money & time, poor service. Bad experience all the way around and to try to talk to them you must sit through incessant repeats of their false promises on recordings over and over for 5-10 minutes. If they were honest recordings should say high volume of calls of disatisfied customers RUN FOR YOUR LIFE do not order here! Wish I would have read this site before ordering!

Pete of Elk River MN (11/07/06)
Why would you have a site that is devoted only to complaining about things and then say that you are looking for the truth. That's irresponsible! The fact of the matter is, I've really enjoyed Nutrisysem. The food that was described as salty and terrible tasting I find quite delicious considering that it is prepackaged food. I have had some substitute meals but they have been good about replacing them. We need to have advocates that reveal the flaws in things but it's irresponsible to say that you are giving people the Truth.

Donna of Rockport TX (11/01/06)
I wish I had read the comments on this site before signing up for the NutriSystem Diet. I agree and experienced the same problems as others, but mainly the food is simply inetible. One of my daily routines became comparing the actual prepared food next to the picture on the package. Except for the dry cereal, none of the dishes even closely resembled the pictures either on the packages, the commercials or the website.

One example is the meatball sandwich. I counted no less than 17 meatballs spilling out of a bun on the picture. Inside the foil envelope, however, was about 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and four meat pellets. This lunch entre was the equivilent of a catsup sandwich.

The dehydrated hamburger becomes meat mush when prepared. Tuna and chicken salad are puree. The chocolates are like eating sawdust. Plus when you break down the cost, this food is costing more than the most costly prepared low calorie meals on the market (nearly $2 for 3/4cup of frosted Cherios, over $10 for 3 turkey weiners!)

I finally cancelled despite my resolve to stick to it when I opened a dinner entre (tuna casserole) and actually found the smell so revolting I threw it away. I cringe everytime I see one of the NutriSystems commercials and hear the testimonial of delicious food. I cannot believe that anyone could even call this food acceptable much less delicious. I wasted nearly $600, did not cheat on the diet and lost only a couple of pounds. When I called to complain I was told that I was not losing weight because I was not eating all of my food and my body had gone into starvation mode so I would not loose weight unless I ate every bite of this swill.

I wasted nearly $600.

Erin of Everett WA (10/17/06)
I saw the NS commercials and thought that it was my answer to losing my pregnancy weight. But the price was too steep to continue after the first month...Since I was set up on the auto-ship they sent me the second order before I cancelled. When the order arrived via UPS, I denied the order and tracked it on its way back to NS. I figured I would have my money credited back within a few days, but soon learned that it would be two weeks for them to process the return and even more before it would be posted on my bank account.

I called them after the two weeks to check the status figuring it would be back in the account the next day. The guy told me that the return wasn't even submitted. He did it there (or so he said) and it would be in my account in 3-5 days (again so he said)...As of this writing it has been 5 days and I still do not have my money back...

Oh and by the way, not only is it a hassle to return product with NS, but the food wasn't that great. Some was edible (at best) but a lot of it was gross...The chicken entrees taste like cardboard, I started making my own food cause i got sick of the fake chicken, I began to dread dinner with the NS food. I still have 1/2 of the NS food in my cupboard that I will never use and I have thought of returning it, but its such a hassle.

Kris of Gulf Breeze FL (10/16/06)
Returned order due to 1/3 of ordered items were not what I ordered. It has been 5 weeks since my returned order was signed for by Nutrisystem via UPS and I still do not have credit back on my credit card after trying several times and several phone calls with several different customer service reps. I keep getting the run around. Economic consequence is $245

Cate of St. Louis MO (10/09/06)
I am in my third month of ordering from Nutrisystem. I order on line and pay extra for the privilage of ordering the meals I want, rather than doing the automatic ship where they choose the meals. For two (2)of the three(3) months, I have ordered, they have shipped me Substitute items, and I Quote here from the letter that arrives with my order, "Due to unusually high demand for our weight loss program, we are experiencing temporary shortages of some of our food products. Because of this, we may have had to substitute some items which you ordered that were out of stock with others of comparable value. We apologize for this temporary inconvenience, and thank you for your understanding in this matter."

Of the 112 items in my last order(28 days worth), 32 items, (29%) were substitutes. It is unconscionable to me that they would arbitrarily opt to substitute almost a 3rd of my entire order. I can't think of any other business that would presume to ship a third of an order with items of comparable value of their choosing. On Sept. 26, 2006 I contacted Customer Service to express my displeasure. I spoke with a very pleasant young man, Denaro (sp?). We went through a list of current in stock items, and ordered replacements for most of the substitution. When the items had not arrived by the following Tuesday Oct. 3, 2006, I again called Customer Service and spoke to a rather snippy representative; who informed me that the order had shipped the privious day, Oct. 2, 2006.

Today is Oct. 9, 2006, and once again, I have called Customer Service. Today, a very professional rep, Mary Ann informed me that the order wasn't picked up by UPS until Oct. 5th and is scheduled for delivery tomorrow Oct. 10th. NOW HERE'S THE KICKER AND THE LAST STRAW!!! Mary Ann informed me today, that they had SUBSTITUTED SUBSTITUES FOR THE REPLACEMENT ITEMS I ORDERED FOR THE ORGINAL SUBSTITUTES.

Terry of Ortonville MN (10/07/06)
I received my order that included many substitutions for what I actually ordered. About 25% substitutions. I called in to cancel as there is no way to do this online. When I expressed my dissatisfaction with their service, I was hung up on. This company exhibited no respect for me as a person in any way. I received no apology or offer for replacement or reduction in price.

I am stuck paying for items I did not order and do not want.

S of Woodbury MN (10/03/06)
After two months of the salt laden food, I canceled my autoship and sent back the last order that was shipped to me. (I never even opened the box.) It was shipped UPS back to NS on 9/11 and arrived 9/13 at 9:22 am and was signed for by a person named Brewer. This is all per UPS tracking system. It is now 10/3 and I still do not have credit for it. When I called NS (customer service had to actually look up the tracking number because they didn't even know it was receive keep in mind this is almost one month after they received it) to ask why I have not received credit they told me it can take up to TWO billing cycles to receive credit but they will put in a request and I should see a credit in 3 to 7 business days. That is unacceptable.

My second complaint is the fact that their food is like eating straight salt. I emailed customer service asking if they offer or were planning to offer lower salt foods but of course, received no response. How can you lose weight when you are retaining water from eating so much salt? This program is junk!! I have been on Weight Watchers for one year and was trying Nutrisystem to get over a plateau but would NOT recommend it. I'm continuing with WW and they are wonderful!

M. of Issaquah, WA (10/01/06)
I really DO like the Nutrisystem plan (I've gone from 162 pounds down to 145 in 50 days), but they continually substitute out-of-stock items with items I did not order, rather than substituting them with items I did order. Most people do not order items they don't like, so if they substitute with items not on your list, it is likely you do not like that item (which is the case with me).

In my last order, I received 16 replacement items I do not like, out of the 112 items I ordered.

Angie of Indianapolis IN (08/20/06)
For those out there who have struggled with you weight for a long time, I urge you not to believe what you see about Nutrisystem. I've battled my weight for nearly 8 years and done almost everything. Nutrisystem was one of the last things I'd thought I'd try. I checked out their web site and tried to read through every piece of infomration they published to make sure I understood the program. I ordered my food, with my own food choices based upon their descriptions of the food.

I was completely stunned by how horrible the majority of the food was. I also encountered several issues with the cooking directions. No matter how many times I followed the directions exactly, some products never came out at all. I wasted a lot of food. The other food that did cook ok was barely edible at best. I've only lost a few pounds on this program and I have followed it to the letter. I understand that each person is different, but this program claims anyone can benefit from it. Just beware that you are better off learning the nutrional value of foods and understanding portion control. That partnered with exercise is the best way to lose weight. Don't shell out the money for this program....it's not worth it.

Joanne of Largo FL (08/16/06)
I ordered for the first time Nutrisystem on line. I signed up for the over-60 program, I thought. I tried to customize my foods since I am a vegetarian and I tried to avoid unwanted foods. When the order arrived, it was full of all sorts of items I did not order nor want. I called them and explained the problem. A young man explained I had probably signed up the wrong program . He gave me a credit for the next order and told me to send back the unwanted items with a list of new foods to replace. I did. Tracking the package, I know they received it on 8/4/06 at 10 am.

I was still waiting for the replacement package when a box arrived. it turns out to be my monthly order order and has all the items in it I do not want !!I called after receiving the box. Spoke with Jackie who told me I was signed up for automatic delivery. i told her I was waiting for a box to replace the sent back items, when this monthly box arrived. I told them not to send me the regular monthly because of the items I did not want in it. She said she would have it picked up since I cancelled it but made no mention of sending me the replacements items from the first delivery, bot to mention what the charges will be to my credit card. Now she tells me she cannot place the pick up order because the compuets are not working and will not let her to it in. I need to call her back later when the computers are back up. How should I know when her computer will be fixed!

I fear she is just putting me off. I need to get someone in there who will listen and resolve this mess. I do not want ANY of their food ever again. (It tastes awful too).

I was dealing with all this when my husband died so that I could not call them as often or as timely as I normally would have. I do not like having to beg for decent customer service. I spent money to have it sent back; I do not plan on reordering so I am out the $20 and I still have a box here to get returned. Besides, I paid the full price and never received the replacement foods. I would rather get credit on my card then fight with them about getting replacement foods now. Customer services from them gets a bad grade as far as I can see. I do not need the financial hastle as well as the aggravation when I am trying to pay for a funeral.

Greg of San Jose CA (08/06/06)
Order was wrong. I know about the bad food as a former client but there is no reason to substitute food causes it's from a warehouse. I got about half of my order.

Chris of St. Petersburg FL (07/12/06)
Wow! I wish that I had read the things on this website BEFORE I ordered from Nutrisystem! At the end of June I decidedThat is it I MUST lose weight! but I felt that I needed some help doing this. The ads looked good, the price seemed fair, if you broke it down to the less than $10 per day. Problem being that #1- the company advertises the Pay as you go Program. But what they do not tell you is that first the total gets charged to your card and then-if you are approved- the separate entity lender pays it back to your card and then you pay the lender some monthly fee plus some HUGE percentage of monthly interest!

Problem #2-I agree with all of the people that said the Sodium content in the food is WAY too high! I was actually swelling up from Sodium intake!

Lisa of Westminster CA (06/08/06)
I ordered Nutrisystem to lose about 20 lbs. I was referred by a friend. I have to say, most of the food is not anything I would buy. I am not a big eater, nor do I use a lot of salt. The salt MG are high, too high if you ask me. It's based on a 2,000 calorie diet and I don't eat that much at all in one day. They substitued some items for things I didn't pick or want. I am a vegetarian and picked the veg diet, but do not like certain flavors, such as smoke or sausage and they sent me 4 boxes of pasta with vegetarian sausage. I will not eat it. I love the scrambled eggs and think the ravioli's and lasagna are good. The desserts, snack bars and muffins are GROSS! The one thing that I have noticed is I can eat this stuff and feel full. I do not crave sweets as I once did and in a week I've lost 2 pounds. But if you ask me do you think you should buy it. I will say no, go to Weight Watchers and buy your own food at the grocery store, it works just as good.

Lisa of Powhatan VA (05/22/06)
I have been with Nutrisystem for 4 or 5 months, now and each and every order i have received has had products missing. I was forgiving the 1st and 2nd time but the 3rd time, it was getting old...AND I am getting billed for each of these missing orders!!! Their RUDE cust service rep told me that they don't send notifications that things will be replaced nor do they let the customerknow there are things missing...they wait for the customer to discover it & call in. To me, that is a dishonest way of doing things and tehre is no telling how many people don't check their packages!

I spoke to a customer service supervisor, who was very nice and she gave me a $20 coupon towards my next order. I also omplained to the PA BBB. when they approached Nutrisystem, their contact advised them that I had been given incorrect information from their customer service rep and that their policy is to include letters in their packages advising customers of changes in their orders. I just got my next order.

Well, needless to say, there was a replacement (no big deal) but again, there were items completely missing with no replacements and no courtesy letter advising to call in for replacements! I e-mailed the customer service supervisor letting her know that I am going to the BBB again and that I am very disappointed! Also called in to customer service and my missing products are being shipped to me now. For this company to be $70/share on the stock exchange, they should not be as disorganized, coordinate order better and have much better customer service than they do!

Ann of Oxford NC (05/17/06)
This company states that they will make a automatic draw off your account monthly, on the day the food is shipped. THIS IS A LIE. They put a hold on the money three weeks ahead of time without notifying you and create Overdraft Fees in your account. I was just charged 170.00 in overdfraft fees due to them putting a hold on my account on 5/12/06. My product doesn't ship until the 19-21. This has caused a tremendous hardship on my budget. 

Duwane of Bakersfield, CA (05/05/06)
I tried Nutrisystem at the beginning of this year and found it was HORRIBLE. The first entree tasted like spam with some sort of wierd seasoning, so I immediately cancelled future orders and returned the product. The customer service line always says they are experiencing heavy calls at the moment and after 1/2 hour waiting I got transferred and then got cut off.

I finally got through and got my return code. I returned the order and it was received by Nutrisystem on Jan 16.  I called a week ago and was told that nobody put in for the refund, but it would be processed immediately.

Its now May 4th and I haven't received my money back. I think 4 months is long enough. I am paying interest on this every month not to mention the $44 it cost me to ship it back.

Barbara of Scottsdale AZ (04/27/06)
They put me on hold for client services but nobody ever picked up. I ate Burundy sauce and Beef with Rice and got food poisoning.

Joan of Carmel CA (04/19/06)
Actually, I am writing to suggest to people who are having problems with Nutrisystem to use QVC to order the Nutrisystem products. QVC has a 30 day return guarantee. You have to pay to ship stuff back, but even if you've sampled a bit and determined it's not to your liking, you can return it for a full refund including the shipping charges you paid for QVC to ship the order to you.

If Nutrisystem "acts up" or doesn't send what it said it would, it will deal with QVC and not you. Since this company represents thousands of buyers, it will have to give good service or lose its contract. You can pick smaller time frames including one week of "Italian Dinners" or "two weeks of desserts." While the Nutrisytem meals are far from gourmet I don't find most of them unpleasant. Usually the addition of some frozen peas to a dinner entree fixes it up just fine.

My complaint would be that there is too much sauce in the entrees. I don't know whether they need it as a preservative or whether it's just "make weight." The items do seem a bit overcooked, but that could be the result of their being much like canned foods. I do find selling packages of cold cereal and breakfast bars rather much. My complaint with the system as such is their making cheap choices in the name of "variety." The dinners only selections aren't bad. I must agree that sometimes they blow the setup.

They had a deal a year or so ago with "hamburgers" and "hotdogs" as well as "buns" which left much to be desired. If (on the QVC website) you find something to your liking, it's worth the risk to order it. I've used it for emergency rations. I discovered that my local Albertson's stocks the snacks, many of which such as the soy chips are quite tasty. Nutrisystem remains a mixed bag.

Danette of Apopka FL (04/15/06)
Consumers beware! While there are some products of Nutrisystem that are edible. The bulk of them are just plain awful. So after the first month, I decided to customize my order to select things I felt were edible. My order arrived and most of the items I spent the time custom selecting were not there ~~ they subsituted them. I placed a call to them and was advised that their policy is to substitute and they are not required to advise the customer. When I advised them that I was going to file a complaint with consumer affairs.com and my credit card company they did agree to have fed-ex pick up the shipment and they would cover the costs. I would strongly advise against dealing with this company. No one needs this type of hassle on a month to month basis.

Jacquie of Sicklerville NJ (04/12/06)
I ordered the NutriSystem nourishment plan after seeing a TV commercial about how great the food was. I was promised a free week of food which I did not receive even after several complaints to customer service. I finally received the free week of food but it was awful. Everything in it was whatever no one else would eat. The food in general is absolutely horrible, it's inedible, that's why you lose weight. You're so sick from whatever they put in the food that you can't eat. If it wasn't for the fact that you get to add a piece of fruit and a yogurt everyday I would not have gotten through even one week.

Calling customer service is a joke. I finally gave up. Everytime I received an order it was wrong. I took lots of time to customize my choices but I NEVER once got what I ordered. Then to add insult to injury I had to send it back at my expense! I finally demanded a refund then they ran me around for 4 weeks saying they never received my return package and asking me to send them shipping info. I did that a total f 4 times, and still they claimed they couldn't find my return. After almost 6 weeks and me threatening to contact the Attorney General's office they finally 'found' my return. I had delivery confirmation stating it had been delivered 6 weeks earlier.

Davida of Newport News VA (03/25/06)
Ordered the NutriSystem in February 2006. I was overall pleased with how quickly the order was received. Out of the 4 weeks (1 week free) order, approximately 1/3 of it was horrible. I had some success, so I decided to order again, except this time I would Customize my order. When I received my order in March, I was missing items even though the sheet was identical to what I ordered. Much to my surprise, customer service blew me off like a lot of the customers on this site. I do plan to report them to the Better Business Bureau. No one contacted me that changes or substitutes would be placed in my order.

Rebecca of Jackson TN (03/22/06)
I cancelled an order today and received a return authorization for an exisitng order. My question is, why is it that every time I tried to call to cancel, the wait is extroadinarily long? It wasn't that long when I placed the order or had questions about it. I actually missed the return time on the original order (1/21/06) because I could never get through to anyone for an authorization number. I called several times and waited up to 30 minutes or longer each time. This was, of course, after I chose the selection to cancel the order. Everything went quickly up until that point.

Is this the usual practice when things are purchased through Nutri System? Needless to say, I feel a bit ripped off. At least of the first order which I am now stuck with. I have to pay the exorbitant shipping to return the box that came in the meantime, while still trying to return the first order and cancel the monthly orders. Now I understand that the company may not be able to cancel this next order in time and I may possibly be stuck shipping this box back as well. I'm sorry I didn't like the products, but that is the way it goes sometimes.

I do, however, feel that I am entitled to at least being able to stop future shipments without having to pay to return them each time. Ideally, I would like to also be able to return the original order that I tried for so long to reach someone to authorize the return. I do not recommend giving your credit card number to this company. They are quick to sell and slow to respond to complaints. You're better off buying Lean Cuisine at the grocery store.

I lost approzimately $700 plus return shipping costs when I finally got to return 1 box.

Aimee  of Houston TX (03/18/06)
NutriSystem sounds like a great program in the ads, but once you get it home you will have a tough time swallowing it. Some of the food is good, and some is just horrible. It will cost you nearly $300 to even try a one month supply. The counselors never contact you- that's a joke. I now have 2 months of the disgusting food I will never use. You could save money by just eating 1 granola bar for breakfast and 2 of the frozen diet meals for lunch and dinner from your local grocery store. It would be a lot more tasty and less costly as well. Don't order NurtiSystem unless you have a lot of money to waste.

Lorraine of Feasterville PA (03/01/06)
On 2/24/06 I placed an order online for 4 weeks of food plus one "free" week. I spent a great deal of time picking specific food items in each category (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack) utilizing the "customized order" function. I was pleased to arrive home from work on 2/28/06 to find that my order had been delivered already. That's where my happiness ended. Because I am handicapped, I wasn't too happy with the overweight, over-sized package. I injured my back trying to get it into my house.

Shipping the items in two, or even three, packages would have been much more practical and customer-friendly. After recuperating somewhat from my injury, I opened the box. Inside I found a plethora of items that I did not order. A check of the packing list against my original "customized" order revealed that whoever packed the carton clearly did not pay ANY attention to my preferences. In addition to receiving 17 items that were NOT on my list, my package contained quantities that differed from what I'd selected for another 13 items. And some items I'd chosen were missing altogether! For the most part, the packing list accurately reflected what was in the carton but it differed greatly from my list of choices.

However, in a number of cases, the packing list was grossly inaccurate too. For example, I ordered three cheese pizzas but FOUR cheese pizzas were noted on the packing list. However, I did not receive 4 cheese pizzas, nor did I receive the 3 cheese pizzas I'd ordered. Instead, I received 4 mushroom and pepper pizzas! Quite a few of my snack and/or breakfast items were missing. When I contacted customer service about the errors in my order, I was told "no one has the luxury of picking their free items." (The "free" items that I would have to return/exchange -- a MY expense -- were an issue which I hadn't yet addressed!)

After 15 minutes on hold, I had to repeat my complaint 4 times before it was acknowledged. I explained that I was short several items, received items that I did not order/did not want, and didn't receive some of the items that I did order. The response by the customer service person was "well, sometimes items are backordered so other items are substituted." I stated that since I'd "customized" my order, I did not want someone to pick items for me. I was then told "that can't be helped." In the very least, customers should have the option of receiving subsitute items rather than just have them included.

Kathleen of Mayfield Hts. OH (02/27/06)
My January order arrived with food missing. It took many phone calls and but finally someone said they would give me a coupon off my next order. My February order was supposed to be shipped on 2/17/06. It is now 2/27/06 and so I called. I was told it had not shipped because I had not paid for the last order (which I had and explained this). They were very rude and told me to call another number. I called that number and spoke to another customer service representative who could have cared less and then I said I wanted to cancel.

I then had to call a third number and finally got a very pleasant customer service representative. She asked my why I was canceling and I explained. She told me she did not blame me, took my information, gave me a cancelation number and apologized. How sad is it that the easiest thing to do with this company is CANCEL! The system might have been working for me, but when you have a company that could not care less about any problems that may come up, that is a sign of a bad company and I will not do business with them again. I will be telling all my friends and family as well.

Scarlett of Little Rock AR (02/08/06)
Let me start by saying I am more than a little dissatisfied with my service at NutriSystem. This is the worst business transaction experience I have had to date in my life. A summary of my problem is I have been charged a total of $1,117.84 since ordering with NutriSystem on January 2, 2006. It is only February 2006 therefore my grand total should be $558.92.

I have received one order to date with the second order having shipped, but I haven’t received. January transaction: My credit card was charged once on 1/5/06 and again on 1/8/06. I received one order in January. I placed one order in January therefore I should only be charged once. I placed a call to NutriSystem and it was suggested I do not know how to read a credit card statement.

However, given that my degree is in Finance I am quite sure of my ability to be able to distinguish the difference between a debit and credit. I called my credit card company and disputed the charge. I faxed my credit card billing statement to NutriSystem.I was to receive a call back from NutriSystem and was never contacted. February transaction: My credit card was again charged twice on 2/4/06. Again, I have one order being shipped.

I placed a call to NutriSystem and once again the delightful Customer Service Representative suggested that I don’t know how to read my credit card statement. I faxed my credit card billing statement. I was to receive a call back but was never contacted. This morning, 2/8/06, I checked my credit card balance and saw that I have been recharged for the January transaction that I disputed. I called my credit card company and was told that NutriSystem is fighting the dispute. This makes no sense. One order each month, yet two charges each month. I immediately called NutriSystem and was told that my call would be returned quickly. Again, that did not happen.

My experience with NutriSystem has been so negative that I have reported my experience with family, friends, and co-workers currently on the program and those considering the program because of my success. Success alone does not influence. Fair business practices go much farther than success. If this is not corrected I plan to post my negative experiences on message boards, in our Medical School update, and as a last resort to the Better Business Bureau, and Chamber of Commerce where NutriSystem is locatecd.

I am not trying to receive a refund on the orders I have and will receive but simply on the over charges. Why is this so difficult? Everything is in black and white. Two orders, four charges. That is unacceptable. Course of action I would like to see take place. Refund my over charges equaling a total of $558.92. While writing this email I did receive a call back from the only Customer Service Representative that has been any help and I will hopefully receive a refund. However, it isn't redemption enough. I still plan to not order with NutriSystem again.

Patricia of Hull MA (01/24/06)
I received my box of food yesterday, and was trully overwhelmed by the volume of items that i would not eat...particularly snacks and dessert. Therefore, I am returning the order by UPS and expect a full refund. My mistake, but I can not do this program.

Connie of Minneapolis MN (12/15/05)
I so desperately wanted to lose weight, so I called. Placing the order was easy, that is where the easy ended. It took 15 days for my order to arrive. The Welcome pack was not included, after checking the order I found missing items. I tried to set up an appointment with someone, that was the biggest joke ever. No one EVER got back to me and I mean ever! I finally called the number to place new orders and spoke to someone, someone aactually answrs that number. There was no help there either. When I called to cancel the next order and was asked why I explained and it was truly no big deal. I had faith in your system and was failed miserably. Will you do something about my complaints? I have very little faith in that.

Jana of Baltimore MD (12/03/05)
I ordered the 4 week supply with 1 extra week (free of charge)special. I decided I would like to select my foods rather than receive an assortment selected by nutrisystem. My order arrived 3 days after placing it and most of the food items were incorrect. The packing slip indicated that the order inside was indeed the items that I had selected however that was not the case. I contacted customer service and explained that most of my order was wrong and that I would like to exchange the incorrect items for the ones I had originally selected.

Customer service said that would be fine, and I would just need to ship them back, priority FEDEX at MY cost! I explained that I felt it was wrong to expect the customer to pay for Nutrisystems mistake and that if this was they way they operated I would have to seriously consider cancelling my membership. I received a reply from customer service indicating that they cancelled my membership and good bye. I have contacted Nutrisystem headquarters but as of 2 weeks I still have not had a reply.

Catherine of Vero Beach FL (09/13/05)
The TV and Internet ads touted that Nutrisystems food costs less than $10 per day and if at any time you are not satisfied you can return the remaining food and get all your money back. (This was a pay for 4 weeks and get 1 week free deal.) They also said IT IS SO SIMPLE! NO WEIGHING! NO COUNTING! When I spoke with Customer Service Rep Doug, ext. 4771, I asked specifically about the money-back guarantee. He in turn specifically stated that if at any time I was not happy with the program I could return the remaining food and get a FULL refund.

Well, the food arrived. Some was very good, most was average, too many inedible. Many of the microwaveable foods exploded in my microwave at half power, when they say to use high power. The food plan that came with it (never mentioned before) lists all these additional foods you must buy in order to fulfill all your nutritional needs. Now, this meant counting and weighing! And more money! And shopping!

They also send an exercise plan and some motivational garbage. (I work out, hard, 4 days a week -- they can keep their plan. I'm way beyond that.) Then you have to drink more water than today's guidelines tell you to. Well, I gained weight after four weeks, as I figured I would because they were telling me to eat about twice as much as I was eating before, while losing weight. So I called them and asked how to ship the remaining food back and get my refund. I was told to make a list of the food I was returning, put it in the box, keep a copy for myself, and mail it back to them. Then I was told they would figure out how much it was worth and would refund back that amount.

I repeated their promised guarantee of a full refund. The rep told me no, that is not what they meant! I asked how could I know if my shipping the food back would cost more than what I would receive from them. I was told that I just couldn't tell. I'd have to wait and see. I called again and told Christian, my counselor, ext. 5335, how livid I was and disgusted with the misrepresentation and that I planned to make it all as public as I could. I've never had a worse consumer experience. The ads are more than misleading. 

Elizabeth of New York NY (09/13/05)
Nutrisystem is very adept at quickly taking orders and setting you up for monthly deliveries. They are super speedy at sending billing invoices. It is nearly impossible, as I have found, to reach anyone. There are great (it is a good idea in theory) promises of having a counselor call and spend 10-15 minutes with you to answer any questions and counsel you. I was never able to speak to anyone and waited at home one afternoon for a session that never took place. At inception they say someone will call you within an allotted time. Well, I've been on the program for two months and no one has called.

I tried to call customer service to have some issues with the billing cleared up and waited -- seriously -- over an hour to get a human being on the line. I had in the meantime emailed my questions, but I just wanted for curiosity's sake to see how long it would take for someone to respond to the call. And there has been no response to my email. I am beginning to suspect that Nutrisystem in nothing but a large preservative-filled food factory with only one person handling phones and emails.

If you are a person who can apportion your food yourself, do it. If you cannot, join for the minimum possible and begin to eat your own foods rather than spend the money on Nutrisystem. You can buy healthier foods and go to your friends and family for support. Even if their support is .05 percent, it is still greater than anything I have gotten from Nutrisystem this past two months. I was desperate to lose weight and loved the IDEA of their approach. Unfortunately, that does not exist. Only high-priced foods for sale. If you are desperate to lose weight and want Nutrisystem to be there for you, don't hold your breath. Try Weight Watchers.

I was desperate to lose weight and thrilled at the idea and very motivated to have access to a diet system that could both provide food and answer questions and be there for me. After all, I am paying aren't I? I gave up for a week until I realized that Nutrisystem may be a broken promise to me, but I am a big girl and will not break a promise to myself to lose weight. I don't know how many others may just give up.

Jana of Baltimore MD (12/3/05):
I ordered the 4-week supply with one extra week (free of charge) special. I decided I would like to select my foods rather than receive an assortment selected by Nutrisystem. My order arrived 3 days after placing it and most of the food items were incorrect. The packing slip indicated that the order inside was indeed the items that I had selected however that was not the case.

I contacted customer service and explained that most of my order was wrong and that I would like to exchange the incorrect items for the ones I had originally selected. Customer service said that would be fine, and I would just need to ship them back, priority FEDEX at MY cost! I explained that I felt it was wrong to expect the customer to pay for Nutrisystems mistake and that if this was they way they operated I would have to seriously consider cancelling my membership.

I received a reply from customer service indicating that they cancelled my membership and good bye. I have contacted Nutrisystem headquarters but as of 2 weeks I still have not had a reply.

Kathryn of Holly Hill, FL (11/18/05) On November 1, 2005 I placed my first order with Nutrisystem. I was told my order would arrive in 2 to 7 days. My order finally arrived on Nov 15th, but was several items short and did not contain the Welcome Package that included the meal planner, exercise guide or food list.

The Meal Planner and exercise plan is key to having success with this diet plan. Plus, I have no idea what foods are available without the list.

Today is November 18th and I have not received the Welcome Package or my missing food.

Damages: I feel the economic damage caused is $278 for a diet plan that not only includes food but instructions for successful results. Thus far the food is GREAT and have absolutely no complaints about that. I do feel however that the service leaves a great deal to be desired.

Toni of Las Vegas, NV (10/2/05):
When I joined the Nourish Diet Program, I only dealt with someone on the phone. One of the main questions I asked was would the food be shipped automatically with my credit card automatically debited? The answer was NO. I wanted at least 3 or 4 weeks to evaluate the program.

I started the program 9/12/05 and was told I should order again by 9/27/05. On 9/17/05 I tried to contact my counselor, who never responded to my calls, to tell her I was not ready for another order; didn't have the money; had an excess of food since the first shipment arrived so late and wasn't sure I wanted to do it for another month. After leaving messages on different voicemails and writing several emails, I was still charged $278 on 9/27.

I'm outraged. I had to borrow money to cover the charges. I was told the shipment would arrive on Monday 10/3 and I could refuse the shipment. Of course, it arrived on 9/30 so I wasn't available to refuse the shipment and can't return it.

E.C. of Burlington, VT, writes:
I joined the Nutrisystem program last week and it was the biggest waste of money in the world. But what is making me mad is that they did not explain everything. I spent $385 last week. $299 to join (and that was with a special and with a student discount!), $20 on "vitamins", and about $70 on food.

The food is TERRIBLE. Absolutely disgusting. The pills made me so sick that I didn't want to eat (maybe that's how some people lose weight on this program!) The $300 is supposed to cover counseling that you are REQUIRED to attend once a week. (I was not told this). With the plan I bought, you can continue with Nutrisystem forever if you ever gain the weight back. What they did not tell me was that you need to pay $50 a year to do this. And if you move and forget to tell them - too bad, you have to pay the full price again.

Also, you have three weekly food plans to choose from -- either 5 or 7 days a week, for $50 and $70 a week, respectively. And you are supposed to buy vegetables, fruits, and milk on your own. Who can afford to spend that much on themselves? Also they have a plan where you use your own food BUT you STILL have to pay them about $40 a week to get some type of protein shake stuff.

So, the sum of my claim is all the above and most importantly, this. Today is Tuesday and I joined last Wednesday. Supposedly, I had 3 days to get a refund and even then I would have had to pay a $95 fee. I was never told that so I just lost $300.

And even if I had been told that, two points.

1. Hardly anyone would refund it in 3 days because people like to give things a chance, pretend that they really can lose weight on that gross food.
2. Why would you have to pay a $95 cancellation fee when it had only been 3 days since joining so you hadn't even met eith a counselor yet?

I went away for Thanksgiving, and when I got back I went to weigh in on December 3 and was the center is closing down for the month of December.  "We don't reopen until January 4th," they said.

When I asked why they told me financially it's better for THEM to stay closed. I got no warning. They also said if I were you I'd buy as much food as you can. I thought that was pretty nervy, considering they had barely any food left.

At this point I was doing so well on the program that I felt pressured into buying whatever food I could b/c I didnt want to stop b/c I was on my way to goal. They also got me to spend $99 to make my food decrease $10 a week which in 10 weeks it would have been worth it.

I havent been able to utilize this as well b/c the center is closed. I have made several attempts to contact the corporation and I got no response. Finally I got in touch w/a women who promised me some answers last Thursday, January 7 and I had to call her and e-mail her for her to tell me she still has no answers for me. All she knows is that they are going through a corporate takeover and she doesnt know when or if the cener will open back up!

Why should I stay w/a corporation that false advertises? They dont give a damn about their clients. I want all my money back b/c it is not fair that I invested all this time and money into a corporation who obviously could care less. ... I shouldn't have to spend all my time trying to get answers when I keep getting brushed aside.

Its also false advertising to say they are reopening on Jan 4th and they still have not opened back up and its Jan12th. NOBODY has even contacted me from the center to inform me of anything.

It sounds like you're dealing with a bankrupt franchisee, which basically means it's not worth the time it would take to pursue them, since they probably have no assets. 

At leat the program proved to you that you can lose weight.  We would suggest checking the American Dietetic Association Web site (www.eatright.org) for a dietitian in your area.  A registered dietitian (R.D.) can provide much more help than any pre-packaged diet plan. 

In most states, an R.D. is the only person legally licensed to give dietary advice.  There's a reason for that;  they have the scientific training to know what they're talking about.

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