SlimVida
Complaint 149358 Details

Because I put on so much extra weight in recent years and am experiencing adverse symptoms because of this, I thought that a trial of SlimVida & Colon Flow was the answer to my problem. After all you could try it for 14 days and if it didn`t work for you return the remaining capsules with no further obligation. NOT SO !!!!!

Just after I ordered & paid for this trial on my credit card I read some of the reviews on this site and they scared me. Was it really going to be so difficult to get these people off my back if the product did not work ? It appeared that you couldn`t return unused capsules without an RMA number which had to be obtained by phone - which appeared to be an overseas number and that you had to make that return before the fourteen days had elapsed at your expense making the cost of this trial more than the initial £6.96!!!!!

I received an e mail later the same day from SlimVida as I ordered the trial asking me to click a link in order to finalise the order. I DID NOT DO THIS BUT INSTEAD RETURNED THEIR E MAIL SAYING I DIDN`T WANT THE TRIAL AS 14 DAYS WAS INSUFFICIENT TIME TO GIVE ANY PRODUCT A FAIR TRIAL AND ASKING FOR A FULL REFUND OF MY MONEY SINCE THEY WOULD NOW NOT NEED TO SEND IT OUT.

No answer was received nor did any refund appear on my credit card statement ..... but the trial order did not arrive either so I was hopeful .....until Saturday 18th August when both packages arrived in the post.

Now I was really alarmed because I had read that unwanted capsules had to be returned within fourteen days with this RMA number (without it returns are not accepted). Six days had already elapsed giving me just 8 days left by which time I had to have obtained the RMA numbers AND have dispatched the unwanted capsules for them to receive them back.

Since the trial had taken six days to get here I felt this was an impossibility and as a pensioner I knew I couldn`t afford to have my card debited with the full price of £69.95,so I contacted SlimVida by e mail ([email protected]) but this was returned saying that MY E MAIL WOULD NOT BE READ AND THAT I HAD TO PHONE THIS 00-800 TELEPHONE NUMBER (which I found out is outside the U.K.)

Then someone on this site had listed an English number - 01782 450105 and an e mail address of ([email protected]) so I e- mailed them on 19th August. By now it was seven days since I had unsuccessfully tried to cancel my order by not clicking the e mail they sent to finalise it. TIME WAS RUNNING OUT and I had read that failure to return the unused capsules on time constituted an invitation to SlimVida to debit & keep on debiting my card with large amounts every month which I could not afford.

I e mailed my credit card company and was given a telephone number for their Disputes section. I rang them on Monday 20th August and surprise,surprise THEY WERE WELL AWARE OF THIS COMPANY. The person I spoke to offered to ring them for me but she couldn`t get any reply so she said that any future attempts to debit my card would be refused.This made me feel so much better.

I had also contacted the Trading Standards Office but they just referred me to Citizens Advice Bureau.

I don`t know whether it was my e mail to [email protected] or whether it was my credit card company who managed to get an answer when they phoned again, but this morning (22nd August) I received the RMA numbers to enable me to return the trial. No mention was made of any refund and since I would have to fork out for the return postage as well I kept the fourteen day supply so at least I had something for my money. I posted the rest back by ordinary mail and obtained a proof of posting for each ( the capsules have to be returned with their containers in the padded envelopes they came in and postage is not cheap now )

The e mails quoting the RMA numbers stated that the unused capsules had to be sent back postmarked WITHIN SEVEN DAYS of the RMA numbers being issued to avoid being charged at full rate.So hopefully this will be the last I hear from this company because as far as I am concerned proof of posting puts the onus on the Post Office to deliver the items safely - especially with the recent hike in postage prices.

Hopefully my experience will help others who may find themselves in a similar position as I did.