Slimtone Plus & Body Cleanse

Jess in a mess · September 15, 2012

Hi I have also been caught out by the Slim Tone [problem] and I sent the following letter to my bank. I thought it might help anyone else who decided to contact their bank.

Dear ******** Bank,

No Blueshoes you will get charged, you need to contact your bank ASAP, read on.....I write regarding an issue I havehad with a company called Slim tone Plus. I agreed to try a free sample oftheir product on the 06/09/2012. I decided within an hour of agreeing to theirfree trial to check the internet and I was horrified to what I discovered.

Please search the internet under slimtone plus, their are quite a few forums who are very un-happy with this company

Apparently I have contracted myselfinto a £75 per month agreement simply by asking for the trial. I telephoned thecompany immediately and told them that this was fraud as I had not signed orasked for this contract.

They told me that when the freesample arrives I should return it and at this point they will cancel thecontract. I have since learnt that this free trial does not arrive within the14 day cancellation period therefore voiding any rights I may have had.Please can you make sure that this company does not take any money whatsoeverfrom my bank account? I will be contacting the police for a crime number,obviously it will make life easier for me if you do not let them take any moneyfrom my account. If necessary please cancel my card and send mea new one. Thank you for your help in this matter.

Vixhatesscams · September 16, 2012

I've seen this kind of thing before with Acai Berry pills and they make it look like a genuine newspaper feature on them but it's the same every time the writer says things like I was sceptical too but decided to be guinea pig and oh look it was a huge success!!!.....(really?!)

Now I fell for the Acai Berry but I had no issues I got free trial they took a while to arrive so I rang up chasing them and they put extra time onto my trial which I was impressed with when they finally arrived I tried them and lost weight but nothing major as I was watching what I ate at same time so rang them and said wanted account cancelling and nothing further to be sent and no money taken they confirmed they had closed my account and emails came through instantly confirming this and luckily never took any money but this company seem to be whole new ball game,

I was on twitter and came across the "daily mail" story which was word for word what I had read last time except Acai berry was changed to slimline plus which is what made me think hmmm something not right I clicked onto slimline plus link and read all their T &C's and couldn't believe how many times they say they can change their conditions at any time without notification?!

Basically though I know for a fact as I have been through it as you pay by card you are not giving bank name acc no and sort code if you cancel your card that will be the end of it there is Noway the bank can give them your new card details just Noway and even if it was a standing order or direct debit you could still just cancel that and they could not restart it before you give permission!

It is a nightmare cancelling cards but easiest option in this case!

It's not fair what they are doing and need to be shut down the articles they claiming to be true ate alone fraud nevermind all the rest of what they doing

I hope you all get your money back nothing worse than that sinking feeling when you realise you been ripped off and it's over £100 these **** bags are stealing from people!!

Good luck guys really hope you win and stop them!!

Xxxxxxxx

bobbibrowngirlie · September 17, 2012

omg, I feel sick after reading these. I did the same after seeing an advert on Facebook (I rarely use it but I won't bother in future). Paid by credit card thinking it was safer. I've returned the item but it's over £8 to send back recorded to Ireland. I've also contacted my credit card company but they said there's nothing they can do - cancelling the card won't help because it's a recurring payment. Apparently I have to wait and see if they charge me then dispute the transaction if they do. Seems you're better protected with your bank rather than a credit card :~( I'm not signing up to anything ever again on the internet.

I'll lose bloody weight worrying about this now.

blueshoes · September 17, 2012

If anyone is with Nationwide, what address do you send letter to? thanks

Vixhatesscams · September 17, 2012

If anyone is with Nationwide, what address do you send letter to? thanks

Hi I wouldn't waste time by sending the letter I would just ring them and tell them you have been conned by a site offering you a free trial but by paying the postage on your card they are taking over £100 per month in fees it is a 30 day trial yet they take the money 14 days after you sign upto the trial and in most cases the pills are taking over 14 days to arrive anyway

Say you want all payments to skintone plus blocked most banks are aware of this name now as that many people have been done by them and appears most banks are being very helpful in these cases it seems after reading this forum though that it's much harder to deal with if you paid by credit card which is odd as normally you are more protected but anyway explain all that and that you want your old card cancelling and that way they can't physically take any money from your bank as all they have when you sign up is your current card details they don't have your bank name or sort code or account number they just keep taking payments from the card details you gave so if that card is cancelled regardless of if they set a recurring payment up or not they won't be able to take a penny from you as when they try it will just get declined as the card is cancelled you have the right to cancel any agreement at any time but as these jokers don't respond to emails or answer the phones often this is your safest option of definitely stopping the payment.

When my car insurance was due for renewal it was too expensive my the quote my current insurers sent so I shopped around and found a better deal and went elsewhere but as I was just looking threw the paperwork the day before my current insurance was due to end on the quote it said if I didn't get in touch they would take it I'm happy with the quote and take the full amount from the card I paid on on the renewal date by this time that was the next day it was a Sunday evening so the number on the quote was sales and were shut and the bank said if it was due tomorrow there was nothing they could do to just stop the payment Sony asked if I cancel my card (which was the card I had paid on the previous year so the card they were planning on taking over £1000 from in the morning) will that block the payment which they told me it would and I asked is there anyway they can get my new card details without my permission or knowledge to which the bank assured me they couldn't and they did try and take it but unsuccessfully as they sent me a letter saying they had tried to take payment but couldn't etc etc so rest assured guys cancelling your card will work they won't try and get your new card details as they don't want to highlight themselves in anyway as they know what they are doing is wrong so they won't push their luck thieving gets!!!

Good luck guys xxx

blueshoes · September 17, 2012

I have rang my bank, they say they cant action anything on a letter nor stop any payments going out. But if the payment does go out, I then have to raise a visa dispute to get my money back. They have stopped my card and issued a new one. They said if i had paid by credit card, it would be easier as they are covered by fraud regulations. Have sent pills back, so will wait to see what happens now!

Crazy Diamond · September 17, 2012

Sadly, this type of "marketing" scheme is common, relying on people forgetting to cancel or falling foul of deadlines, and most of them get away with it by being less blatant or better known names, that's all!

Weight Watchers, Lovefilm (and other online DVD rental companies), Netflix, credit search websites, gyms, etc... they all hook you in with a free trial where you have to give your card details and agree to have more money taken out automatically if you don't cancel within x amount of time. They rely on consumer apathy, and in the case of recurring payments, the unhelpfulness of the banks to keep on paying themselves over and over again.

It's been going on for a while too... AOL (remember them?) were one of the first companies to use recurrent payments and by god they made it hard to cancel!!! But as often, as the companies realised that consumers as a rule were getting savvier, they started using recurring payments more and more, because let's face it, so many people do not keep a strict tally on what comes out of their account every day, and especially if it's a small amount, they don't cancel... all profit for doing nothing.

It works like this: The moment you hand over your card details to company x, you are deemed to have authorised them to use the card to take a payment over and over again. If you say otherwise, your bank says: "well, did you give them your card details?" and you say "yes"... "well, it' s not fraud then, is it? YOU were negligent!"

It usually takes a lot of complaints like the one above for the banks to take collective action... but they won't refund if you don't ask! So out there by now, there'll be plenty of people who will have been conned too, and will never get their money back.

The moral of it is this: ALWAYS be very careful before handing your card details online. There are plenty of reputable companies out there... and there are plenty of fly-by-night ones. So remember to be waryl. Remember to check the background of the company you're about to trade with, and when it comes to miracle products, ALWAYS ask yourself whether it might not sound too good to be true... because it usually is.

dmb1979 · September 18, 2012

Hi all,

I too have fallen for this. I placed my "order" for their free trial on September 7th, received my Slimtone plus & Body Cleanse on the 10th and started taking them.

Having lost NO weight - what a surprise! I stumbled across this thread & realised I'd been duped.

I've had no joy either emailling or phoning - there's a 72 hour delay inanswering emails & all their operators are busy!

I paid by credit card so contacted them & they were great. My card has been cancelled so nobody can request funds & if they do, I can dispute it as I am now refusing permission for any payment to be taken by Slimtone Plus or Body Cleanse.

Here's hoping that'll be an end of it!!

Should I return the products? I grudge giving them any more money & I've paid for the postage for the trial? That said, it's useless to me so they can have it back!!

Crazy Diamond · September 18, 2012

Yes, return them, as, should they decide to dispute that you are owed the refund (unlikely but you never know!) you can then prove that you did send the goods back. ;-)

Jess in a mess · September 19, 2012

My bank The COOP have advised me they WILL refund any money to me if any money is taken from my account after the day I cancelled the agreement with SlimTone (This cancellation letter had to be in writing)

kayandrews · September 19, 2012

hi jb

i recently signed up to the same diet regime as yourself, i could'nt talk to anybody either, i have just tonight rung my bank and they have cancelled the card which i payed slimtone and bodycleanse, this will stop them from taking any money out of your bank, your bank will issue you with a new card, just explain that it is a [problem] and they will be more than happy to help,

kay

kayandrews · September 19, 2012

hi jb

just cancell the card you payed them with, they cannot take any money out of your account them, i have done this tonight

JessiePC · September 20, 2012

I too have been conned. Am amazed by how many people have fallen for this horrible [problem] (and not idiots either, judging by the quality of the posts!). I've been reading about these types of operations and have learned the UK is considered fresh blood because the scams - which originated in the U.S. - are now heavily policed in America, and a company like Slimtone Plus would be fined millions of practising over there using the techniques they use.

A quick overview of my case: I ordered the pills on Sept 2nd, received them on about the 14th (almost 14 days up from my 'free trial'), and given I didn't receive email confirmation of what I now know was an involuntary (and expensive) ongoing contract, I didn't know the trial was almost up! So when I got charged £112.50 in total on the 17th I got quite a shock.

I know it's redundant, but I researched exactly what is illegal about what they're doing and wrote a detailed email to them (after trying unsuccessfully to get them to refund my money - those bitches on the phone have had me worked up for three days, so INCREDIBLY rude and unhelpful. Their mothers must be so proud). I thought I'd share the email as it contains information I learnt about what specifically is illegal, just so you know (not that it's helped me get my money back yet!). Forgive the length, this has really touched a nerve with me!

I wrote...

To whom it may concern,

I have recently fallen victim to your company's fraudulent practises, and having had some legal advice am looking to recoup the money that was taken unlawfully from my account. You can see from the cancellation request that I have requested the 'contract' to be cancelled. However, I need the money refunded to me in FULL for the products you've charged me for and I'll explain why.

Firstly, after ordering the 'free trial' online on September 2nd, I received the pills almost 14 days later, only last Friday, September 14th. This left me with very little time to enjoy the '14 day free trial'.

I cancelled the 'contract' (I use this term in inverted commas because I was unaware I was entering a contract, hence the illegality) on Tuesday evening (last night) by email, but as you're aware there is no one fielding the emails so I received only an automated reply. I spoke to one of your staff members today who was most unhelpful, but I will keep contacting you until my terms are met.

I have been misled by your advertising and the process of the sales arrangement, and that you have not complied with the Distance Selling Regulations act, by failing to provide me with all the information of the contract in writing.

Further to that you have failed to comply with the following legal requirements in writing to me: you have not given your name and address (including a physical address), you have not included ingredients or characteristics of the products, you have not included details of the cost to me including taxes, you have not detailed the delivery costs at any point, you have not detailed the arrangements for payment and delivery, and you have not outlined the terms and duration of the contract.

For this reason I request a refund in full of the two payments taken from me; one of £37.50 and one of £75. It should go without saying that I want no further money taken from my account by your company, but given the situation and your immoral conduct thus far I will make it clear: you MUST NOT take any further money from my account.

I have spoken to my lawyer friend informally, but he has assured me that he will happily get involved in a more official capacity should it be required.

I would also like to take this opportunity to let you know I will be contacting the following should my terms not be met swiftly: The Office of Fair Trading, Federal Trade Commission, as well as VeriSign, Geotrust and TRUSTe for illegal use of their logos. I will also happily call my friends in the media, should it be necessary.

I hope I've made myself clear. I will take great pleasure in pursuing this matter until I feel satisfied with the result, so rest assured you'll hear a lot more from me until I receive my refund, such is my complete and utter annoyance.

I wait with baited breath for your reply.

********

I'm beyond angry about this, I hate the thought that I've been tricked in such a sinister way, and wish them great misfortune! I also want my money back as a matter of principle so will pursue this until I get a result... I say we join forces and get it done together. Has anyone contacted the Daily Mail yet? If not I will; they'd be interested in this story, as they're interested in their click-rate (as that's how they secure advertising. I'm a journalist and online copywriter also, so should have known better!), and I believe the thousands tricked by this [problem] will find the story very interesting!

Sorry for the mega ramble, I just want to offload!

xx

19mummy87 · September 21, 2012

Please can someone help me I've just done the exact same thing an now been sent email saying the products are on the way! How do I cancel these as I can't seem to find the cancel forms for any of the products, Slimtone plus + body cleanse please someone help.

Jess in a mess · September 22, 2012

Re: Slimtone Plus & Body Cleanse

19mummy87 Send the following letter to 222 Shannon airport House, 55z Shannon, County Clare, Southeren Ireland.

and cancel your bank card...... Good luck Jess