SlimGenics

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/02/08) */
We appreciate the opportunity to address the concerns raised by Ms. H (last name abbreviated for privacy purposes). For background purposes, our records indicate that Ms. H. made an appointment to receive a complimentary consultation and...

receive information about our program on January 23, 2016. A member of our Maplewood, Minnesota location conducted Ms. H and her son's consultation and explained the program duration and costs. Ms. H. decided to enroll both herself and her son in our program the same day and signed contracts for both her and her son. The contract language was reviewed in detail, with our staff member verbally reading through the terms and conditions section. Ms. H. was asked to initial next to each of our terms and conditions acknowledging her understanding of our policies including the following statements appearing in bold print: "all product purchases are an extra cost" and "all sales are final and set-up and services are non-cancelable" and "I hereby acknowledge that the no-refund, no-exchange and no-return policy has been fully disclosed to me and that I have read and understand the Program Quotation, Service Guarantee, Terms and Conditions and Release of Responsibility and I have received a copy of this Contract".
Our staff member explained the fees due at the time of enrollment as well as additional expenses Ms. H. could expect to incur throughout the duration of her and her son's programs. Ms. H. was advised of a discounted pricing opportunity to purchase items in bulk at the start of her program.
Ms. H. returned to the Maplewood center two days later on January 25th at which time she decided to purchase products in bulk to receive a deeper discount. This was an option but was by no means mandatory. It was offered to her as a way to save money on product purchases by buying them in advance.
Ms. H. received all of the products included in her original starter pack as well as the products she purchased in bulk. She signed purchase receipts for all products taken from the center with our policy regarding "All Sales Are Final. There are no returns, exchanges or refunds" appearing prominently below her signature.
Our Maplewood team acted in accordance with our policies and provided Ms. H. with full disclosure of our policies throughout her enrollment process and again when she made the decision to make the additional purchase. Ms. H. was provided with copies of the documents and had ample time to review them again prior to returning to make additional (and optional) product purchases.
As a gesture of good will, we will be sending a refund check to Ms. H. in the amount of $809.00, which represents the full refund of her son's program and a partial refund of her program set-up fees. The product purchases are non-refundable.
Alternatively if Ms. H. would prefer not to receive the partial refund and instead take advantage of her and/or her son's programs, we encourage her to contact us so we may understand how to best meet their needs. We hope to have the opportunity to meet with Ms. H. directly to resolve this situation. Should this be the direction they wish to take, we will reinstate the period of time that has already elapsed on their programs.

Thank you for your time.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2016/02/13) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I am very sad about this!! If I new in the first meeting it was going to cost 4000 dollars I would never of dreamed of doing this! I do not feel like she explained in the first meeting the program at all! She new I was nervous about spending 1300! It was my faught I didn't read your contact better! She didn't read them to me! The second lady I told I couldn't afford it and to take the supplements off ! She just kept going a how I needed it! I am so frustrated I took the product home and didn't think about it! There is no way I will beable to do this program! So I guess all I can do is except yor 800 and try and sell the product! I really hope you explain better to your clients!

I am rejecting this response because:
The staff was not making modifications to my program once it was identified that I had food sensitivities. They barely looked at my food journal and made no suggestions or recommendations for months. The weight loss guarantee for me was for 86 pounds and I left the program weighing 10 pounds more than when I started. The staff was not helpful and when I expressed my frustration with the results and the program I was told I needed to purchase more weeks. When I refused to purchase more weeks the help stopped. There was no further education provided or modifications made. I am not wasting time going in to a center when they have shown they do not have the skills to deal with an allergy or needs like this. If they did I would have been able to keep my initial weight loss off. I feel the only acceptable solution is a refund at this point. I am ok with not recipe I g a refund for food or supplements. But the program fee should be refunded since they did not provide the program they guaranteed.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/03/04) */
We appreciate the opportunity to address the concerns raised by Ms. K (abbreviated here to protect her privacy). Ms. K. enrolled in our program on March 10th, 2015 with a goal of losing 42 pounds. She was advised during her consultation and...

when she signed her contract that her program would expire on October 27, 2015 and that her program weeks would run consecutively. We also discussed our service guarantee, which is fully disclosed and documented within the contract Ms. K signed upon enrollment. The service guarantee provides our clients with assurance that we will extend their expiration date with no additional charge if they do not reach their goal in the allotted time, with the expectation that the client will follow the program as directed, visit the center three times per week, and that they will purchase and consume certain nutritional supplements as directed.
During her program, Ms. K. purchased and earned several extra "weight loss weeks", which extended her program expiration date to February 23, 2016.
As of her last visit the week of February 22, 2016, Ms. K. had lost a total of 36.25 pounds, 6.25 pounds away from her goal weight. She was advised at that time, as was the case during several prior counseling visits, of the fact that her program was expiring and that she would not have enough time remaining on her program to have the opportunity to go through the balance and weight control phases of the program. She was not eligible for our service guarantee as she did not meet the requirements that were communicated from the outset of her program. Our staff explained that to continue on with the program and reach her goal, Ms. K. would need to purchase additional weeks. We asked that she purchase half of the weeks needed to complete her program and we would provide the additional weeks free of charge. Ms. K. refused demanding that we provide her with all of the weeks she needed for free until she completed her program.
Had Ms. K. followed the program as advised and agreed to comply with our recommendations regarding her program, she would have reached her goal weight within the time allotted.
We believe that our offer is fair. We remain ready to assist her should she wish to reengage with her program, where she left off. As her program has expired, the offer to reactivate her program will be available to her through March 31, 2016. Should she decide not to reengage with her program and purchase the 10.5 weeks (we will match the other 10.5 weeks) needed to reach her goal and complete the final phases of the program, we will assume she is satisfied with her current weight and close her file.
Thank you for your consideration. Please let us know if there is anything we can provide that would be helpful.

Thank you for the opportunity to respond. Support is a part of the SlimGenics Program. We are sorry Mr. [redacted] no longer wants to receive correspondences or calls from us. SlimGenics has complied with his request to remove both him and his fiancee from our call and email lists.Sincerely,SlimGenics

We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the complaint filed by Mr. and Mrs. E.  (last name abbreviated for privacy purposes).  The clients enrolled in our program on December 17, 2015 after receiving a complimentary consultation.  One of our most seasoned and knowledgeable team...

members conducted the clients’ consultation and reviewed the one-page program contract in detail with Mr. and Mrs. E.  After reviewing each topic of the terms and conditions section of the contract, she asked Mr. and Mrs. E. to initial next to each paragraph, acknowledging the individual policies, which they both did.  Both Mr. and Mrs. E. signed the contract and received a copy for their records. Notable sections from the contract that were specifically reviewed with Mr. and Mrs. E. and which they initialed, signed and received a copy of, include: “I hereby acknowledge that my program has been explained in its entirety, including all of the required costs of the program and conditions of the Service Guarantee”.  “I understand that all sales are final and that all set-up and services are non-cancelable.  Further, I understand that any and all supplements or other products I receive or purchase are non-refundable, non-returnable, and non-exchangeable once the supplement or product leaves the Center”. “I further understand that results may vary with individuals depending upon how well one adheres to the program”.  After enrolling on December 17th, Mr. and Mrs. E. were advised that they had the option to purchase products during their program, at their discretion, or they could take advantage of initial savings by purchasing products in bulk at the beginning of their program. They returned to the center 11 days later, on December 29th, and notified the staff that they wanted to purchase products at a discount.  They were reminded of our policy that products are non-refundable and non-exchangeable once they leave the center.  They also signed receipts at the time of purchase, which clearly disclose this policy directly below the signature panel in bold lettering.  At the time of their enrollment we asked Mr. and Mrs. E to provide information about their individual health history, including any allergies and medications we should be aware of.  Our records indicate that Mr. E. denied having any food allergies or food sensitivities at the time we reviewed his health history with him.  On January 8th, almost a month after enrolling in the program, Mr. E. advised a program advisor that he had an allergy to egg whites.  Initially he had included eggs as a food that he ate quite often prior to starting our program. Regardless of Mr. E.’s allergy or sensitivity, he could have continued to follow our program as it is primarily based on consuming regular every-day foods that are purchased at grocery stores or in restaurants.  We provide our clients with instructions regarding the types of foods they should consume and in what portions.  Clients are asked to consume our Thermo-Snack products, which are necessary to ensure clients are consuming an appropriate amount of protein.  Our supplements are optional and are offered as solutions to alleviate common concerns among those losing weight.  On January 21st during a counseling visit we noticed some off-plan foods had been consumed by Mr. E, including beef jerky, and the client informed us that he would not be removing the jerky from his diet.  We discussed the need to follow the plan as closely as possible to see the best results, but our recommendations were met with resistance.  We encountered similar resistance from Mrs. E.  During her counseling visits we noticed she was frequently deviating from the plan by eating off-plan foods and she was consuming foods such as beef five days in a row, which we advised against.  Despite the deviations from plan, both Mr. and Mrs. E. were losing weight and seeing success.     After not seeing Mr. E. in our center since February 5th, we called Mr. E and spoke with Mrs. E.  Mrs. E. advised us that her husband would not be coming in anymore but would not elaborate as to why.  We have continued to contact Mr. and Mrs. E. in an effort to connect and let them know we are still here to help them.  We invite them to contact us as soon as possible so we can create a plan to help them reach their goals.  We have been honest and forthright in all of our interactions with Mr. and Mrs. E. and we have disclosed our policies with them from the beginning.  While they may have changed their mind about losing weight, we have provided the tools, support, and products necessary to follow our program, and as such, a refund is unwarranted.