I just saw last night yet another new diet pill out there that has the same claims as Leptoprin but says it's ephedrine free and is a heck of a lot cheaper. Has anyone heard of it or tried it. I tried looking it up and didn't find anything about it.

I purchased Propolene from their 800 number about 45 days ago. I used it according to their acceleration instructions and didn't lose a single pound after 20 days. In addition, ten days after the original purchase they charged my credit card again (20 days before my 30-day trial was up) and ten days later sent another shipment with an invoice saying I STILL owe them $30!

Their customer service number has stayed busy - they say because of the current popularity of the product. Even my credit card company says they have received numerous complaints of the same nature and I had to cancel that card to preclude anymore charges. Needless to say I'm now in it for the goodfight with the Better Business Bureau and am turning in a mail fraud complaint with the Postal Service.

I feel sorry for anyone else who's purchased from them.... Buy generic from a reputable company!

Mary in Tejas

My friend that i work with bought some and she lost 10 pounds in two weeks. I dunno? I guess they have different results for everyone. She said that they were 89.95 a month, hmmm, i guess if they worked for her its worth it, but like mary if they dont work a total waste! Have a nice afternoon and happy dieting! =)

-Courtney

Mary - rather than cancelling your credit card, did the issuer suggest that you do a chargeback for the amount they charged you? Such a hassle to cancel a card...

I posted this at Buyer Beware yesterday in response to a post by Jiff:

Quote:

Yup - it's all part of the securities built into the payment card system. Doesn't matter if it's a credit or debit transaction...if you have the Visa logo on your card, you still have the right to file a chargeback.

From the Visa website:

Quote:
And while you're at it, make sure to file a complaint with the BBB:

http://www.bbbonline.org/consumer/complaint.asp

Oh and on the product itself...their 'official website' doesn't give much information other than it's 100% fiber and it's "all natural" (like every other OTC majic pill out there).

$90 is a lot of money to pay for a fiber pill. I think I paid something like $7.00 for a package of FiberCon at the drugstore...

OH and I just LOVE the fact that they're using the good old Fat Trapping explanation. Kind of reminds ya of Chitosan, doesn't it? And that stuff didn't work either, did it??

Incidentally, the active ingredient they tout in this product as such a miracle (Konjac/Glucomannan) is in a BUNCH of other - CHEAPER - diet pills. I just checked Netrition.com and you can get Glucomannan made by Nature's Way (a reputable company!) for....10.95 plus shipping. But I guess it doesn't 'work' as well as Propolene, since their ad doesn't have some model dressed in a doctor's white coat.

This just KILLS me - from their website:

And right under "No Dieting!" they state:

The diet plan (which was included as a PDF on their website) is just that - a low-calorie diet plan. Even without the pills, if you followed it, you'd lose weight.

Hmm...portion sizes no larger than your fist - I dunno but that sounds like a DIET to ME!!!

And one more thought - if this pill, and the hundreds of others on the market, REALLY worked - the New York Times, all the national newspapers, along with the Journal of the American Medical Association would have it as FRONT PAGE NEWS. Obesity is the biggest health problem in the US (and the world) today - a pill that TRULY worked would be HUGE national and worldwide news.

Sorry to sound, um, sarcastic here, but I can't believe that companies can still get away with this crap. But it's all marketing and packaging. Underneath it all, you're just basically getting the same stuff that's in the $10.95 Nature's Way bottle.

PS - on the Leporatin (sp) - they won't be able to sell the stuff after next Thursday anyway (FDA's cutoff date on ephedra products is 15 April) so it's kind of a moot point whether it's cheaper or 'ephedra free'. BTW that was/is overpriced crap too...just a WAY overpriced ECA stack that you could buy under 100 or so different brand names for less than 1/4 the price...

When I called Visa the rep and I both agreed it was prudent to cancel the card to preclude further charges that seemed imminent. I am in the process of charging back the second one, but have to fight the first thru the BBB because I authorized that one, but they aren't honouring their 30-day guarantee. (BTW: I was only supposed to be charged $29.95/2bottles.)

The rep also stated that he had several of the same complaints from other customers recently and even a friend of his was scammed.

I hope the other great info you posted helps someone else to avoid the situation I'm in now.

Mary

No problem (BTW I fixed the 'quote' tag in your post...those can be so pesky sometimes...

To all: It's REALLY important whenever you do business with a merchant that isn't on the up-and-up or is playing 'games' with you, that you report it right away both to the BBB and to your issuing bank (i.e. whoever issued your payment card).

Also, check www.visa.com - there are some really good tips there regarding shopping on the Web - not to mention some really terrific "Practical Money Skills" guidelines. Here's the US links:

http://www.usa.visa.com/personal/pra...ure_with_visa/

Regarding the claims by Leptoprin or similar products, never believe the informercials. Remember, they are a business and it's their job to make their product appear as appealing as possible. Everything they tell you will be with the purpose of making a sale. You may be familiar with our own article on Leptoprin. Leptoprin customer service even created a "canned message" about us because they were getting such a huge response, all of it negative, and all we did was publish their ingredient labels so people wouldn't purchase it without knowing what was in it.

However, we aren't the only ones that have pointed out the flaws in their advertising. O Magazine, run by Oprah Winfrey, published an article in November and pointed out some very interesting things about the Leptoprin advertisements, and make you realize just how little you can believe any manufacturer these days.

Mary In Tejas -

I really appreciate the warning. I just received the Propolene and took 2 doses that gave me a really bad headache. After reading your post, I will return it right away so they don't pull any funny business!

I knew it was too good to be true, but what can I say, they caught me at a weak moment. Now I'm on Weight Watchers and loving it!

SandyNJax