I hear you Tzoavva. I am actually very upset over all of this. First of all, the disclaimers they have with the hidden fees, and stuff like that are
not easy to find. I don't know where their supposed "sales funnel" is, but if they wanted us to know these policies, they should display them in big bold letters, just as they do their menu and all the other things that pertain to their program! I went to their biggest loser site, and its almost like a maze that just keeps circling around and around again. It was not even easy to find an email address for crying out loud (and I do a lot of shopping online)! I did not sign up through the site. I used the telephone number provided and never received an email confirmation or anything from them. I had to go searching for an email address. I finally clicked on a tiny link at the very bottom of the page that most do not even see or bother with as it shows the web designers link, and so forth in very tiny print. There and only there, do you get the real story (I must admit I looked and looked and saw nothing about a $99 cancellation fee with a four week minimum)! I looked under terms, and saw nothing there about this! I was dying reading what you wrote just now because I asked the nutty rep I spoke to about cancellations, and she said that I just needed to do so before the cut off date for the following week. She never told me that there was a four week minimum ever!
She never mentioned a cancellation fee! I've heard rumblings of a $25.00 fee, but $99.00 with a four week minimum! My God! To be honest, this is the first I have heard of THAT! I went back to read the fine print again, and still I do not see this anywhere. I did see the nasty bit about your first week not being refundable, but what you have shared is spooky. Did you get that from an eDiets rep or from a Biggest Loser rep (same company but they are running their programs differently)? I can't believe that NBC would be cool with such unorthodox, heavy handed, sleazy dealings like these with a company associated with their name, and a program they feature on television! This is pure sleaze here. I feel so dirty from all of this, that I need to take another shower here!
I've been trying to cancel my membership since Thursday evening. They are not returning any of my emails telling them to please cancel, and the wait times on hold have been nuts. The links they send you for live chat are a scam. Nobody is ever there to do live chat!
What a freaking nightmare!
Incredibly disappointed and horrified.
Editing to say that I just spoke to a supervisor who was sorry for everything I have gone through, and promises to cancel me out, and that I will receive no fees or anything. He says that my authorization should be temporary only, and that my card will not be hard charged. I guess time will tell, but it scares me that I ever gave it to them to begin with. The whole thing creeps me out now.
He did mention that $99.00 fee thing you brought up when I broached the subject of scary fees and things that made me uncomfortable that I had read about online from former members. He said that the $99.00 fee would not have applied to me anyway because I did not get 15% off (I had no idea there was a bigger discount available). He said that I would have had to be on some 15% off thing with a four week minimum. All sounds Greek to me. Too much confusion. At least I have him to go to if they do end up charging me something. What a bloody mess.......
I will have to wing it a bit until Bistro gets in some new foods. I may do a week here and there of Jenny Craig or Diet To Go's Low Carb only (not so hot about their fat free plan) to pass some time. There are some meals I loved on Jenny, but they are the frozen meals only (hate that Nasa food). I could live on JC's delicious French Toast With berries or their Chicken Fajita's that you stir fry in a pan.
I am totally getting a chocolate bar today! Either that or a large creamy Starbucks Frappe! Momma mia......
Oy veys mir!!!!