I don’t know about you, but I sure would be angry enough to sue people or companies who are using my name and influence to peddle their stuff. Well Oprah and Dr. Oz are to. Just because a celebrity makes a reference to a certain fruit or food doesn’t mean they endorse it people!
Here is a little tidbit I picked up from a great site for MLM news and changes to our fabulous industry.
From the very knowledgeable Rod Cook’s site MLM Watchdog
Winfrey and Oz have filed law suits against 40 companies (some of them MLM) selling açaí or other products, with their name endorsements on them. The lawsuit says companies are “fabricating quotes or falsely using Ms. Winfrey’s & Oz’s name about brands they never endorsed.” They don’t endorse dozens of açaí berry products claiming their seal of approval so it is lawsuit time!
Dr. Oz said on Good Morning America, “Many Americans have seen images of me, and Oprah and others supporting, it would appear, products that actually don’t work in the ways that are described,” Oz said in an exclusive interview Thursday with ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “And more importantly, when consumers trusting us try to buy these products over the Web, what they end up getting are fake products, pills that don’t really have what’s promised in them. They’re often duped into paying more than they should. If my picture is next to a product, endorsing it and supporting your purchase of it, I did not give them permission.”
If you were Oprah or Dr. Oz what would you do? Does your company or people in the company do things like that? Would you call that ethical practice? Would you consider that “good business”? I know more than most of you wouldn’t , but please keep your eye open for those that would. They are the ones that are giving our great industry such a bad name. Watch out if they do.
Just something to think about folks.
Henrietta Hakes
4 Responses to “If You Were Oprah, What Would You Do?”
First, your article is a good article providing a great service on this particle food – the Acai berry. Due to the high number of scams on the Internet, with respect to the Acai berry, there will never be enough people to spread the truth about the scams.
Now, I’m gonna nit-pick one of your statements – that being “Just because a celebrity makes a reference to a certain fruit or food doesn’t mean they endorse it people!” My specific point is regarding endorsing a fruit or food – vs. endorsing a fruit or food PRODUCT. Oprah is usually just the platform for disseminating information and doesn’t usually endorse products. Dr. Oz, however, is the ‘expert’ providing the information. Dr. Oz did have good things to say about the Acai berry ITSELF. But, I did not here him say anything about him endorsing any Acai berry PRODUCT. As a matter of fact, Dr. Perricone, according to Oprah, calls Acai the # 1 superfood. (Reference: http://www.oprah.com/article/health/nutrition/life_acai ) I’d say that’s a pretty good endorsement of a food.
The first advertisement I received about an Acai berry product was through an instant message – 2 messages, one right after another, referring me to 2 different Acai berry product websites. I looked at those sites and just did not get a good feeling about what I was seeing. So, I started to do some research (VERY important step for ANYTHING you are thinking about getting involved in on the Internet). I found websites describing the Acai berry (where it came from, how it is processed, its benefits, etc.) which were not promoting any product. Being that all of those were not from known reliable sources, I gave those sites a higher ‘truth’ value than any site I came across that was, in any way, promoting an Acai berry product (which I gave very little ‘truth’ value to until I researched that product/company specifically). BTW, the friend who sent me those IMs told me that she did not send them and had no idea they had been sent until she was told about them. But, that’s another Internet hazard to talk about in another place. With that being said…
Here are some of the usual claims about Acai berry products that should raise the red flag for you:
1> Their product is endorsed by any well known personality, especially Dr.s and celebrities “in the know.”
2> Their product provides weight-loss benefits. ~ PURE Acai berry products do not [primarily] provide weight-loss benefits.
3> A “free” trial, sample or supply.
4> Terms and Conditions/Terms of Service/Terms whatever… states that:
a> Free trial period starts at time of purchase, not at time of receipt of product.
b> Automatic charging of credit card for automatic reordering (you don’t SPECIFICALLY place the reorder, THEY do).
c> Their money back guarantee is only for the return of FULL bottle(s) (or containers).
d> You might be required to be a member of their “exclusive” club/program/group. There might be additional charges.
This is not a complete list, but these are usually the most common tactics to hoodwink the consumer. Do your research.
The worst part about [almost] all of these [alleged] scam sites is that the contact information and/or customer service is NOT reliable. For example, if you call their phone number, you could be on hold a LONG time, and may never get to talk to anybody, making the process of canceling your order (especially if you want to do it before the trial period has ended) virtually impossible.
To sum all of this up, I have found a pure Acai berry supplement that I believe in; so much so that I am using it and I am an affiliate to market their product for them. So, IMHO, there are legitimate Acai berry product(s) on the Internet, if you take the time to find out if they’re “for real.”
One request, Henrietta, if you can find a list of ALL the companies/products named in the lawsuit, I would sure be interested in seeing THAT!
The Internet is the wild, wild west of the 21st century, folks. Be safe, and be happy while cruising it.
OH, and BTW Oprah, by using the word “just” in my statement in my first post about what you do, that does not in any way negate your value or the value of your show. I am a fan and I apologize if I have minimized your value of what you do or to your audience. Keep up the great work. You are wonderful!
Thank You Mike. I will do my best to find a list of the companies that they are suing. It has to be publicized somewhere. I have a wonderful friend who loves this type of stuff to and once he gets back from Europe I plan on asking him if he has it or to direct me where I can find it. I will be more than happy to share it with you. All else fails, Google should be able to help us find the list.
I also want to thank You for taking the time to share your knowledge with my readers. Thank you VERY much!
Henrietta
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Oprah and Dr. Oz are to. Just because a celebrity makes a reference to a certain fruit or food doesn’t mean they endorse it people!
Hi Henrietta,
First, your article is a good article providing a great service on this particle food – the Acai berry. Due to the high number of scams on the Internet, with respect to the Acai berry, there will never be enough people to spread the truth about the scams.
Now, I’m gonna nit-pick one of your statements – that being “Just because a celebrity makes a reference to a certain fruit or food doesn’t mean they endorse it people!” My specific point is regarding endorsing a fruit or food – vs. endorsing a fruit or food PRODUCT. Oprah is usually just the platform for disseminating information and doesn’t usually endorse products. Dr. Oz, however, is the ‘expert’ providing the information. Dr. Oz did have good things to say about the Acai berry ITSELF. But, I did not here him say anything about him endorsing any Acai berry PRODUCT. As a matter of fact, Dr. Perricone, according to Oprah, calls Acai the # 1 superfood. (Reference: http://www.oprah.com/article/health/nutrition/life_acai ) I’d say that’s a pretty good endorsement of a food.
The first advertisement I received about an Acai berry product was through an instant message – 2 messages, one right after another, referring me to 2 different Acai berry product websites. I looked at those sites and just did not get a good feeling about what I was seeing. So, I started to do some research (VERY important step for ANYTHING you are thinking about getting involved in on the Internet). I found websites describing the Acai berry (where it came from, how it is processed, its benefits, etc.) which were not promoting any product. Being that all of those were not from known reliable sources, I gave those sites a higher ‘truth’ value than any site I came across that was, in any way, promoting an Acai berry product (which I gave very little ‘truth’ value to until I researched that product/company specifically). BTW, the friend who sent me those IMs told me that she did not send them and had no idea they had been sent until she was told about them. But, that’s another Internet hazard to talk about in another place. With that being said…
Here are some of the usual claims about Acai berry products that should raise the red flag for you:
1> Their product is endorsed by any well known personality, especially Dr.s and celebrities “in the know.”
2> Their product provides weight-loss benefits. ~ PURE Acai berry products do not [primarily] provide weight-loss benefits.
3> A “free” trial, sample or supply.
4> Terms and Conditions/Terms of Service/Terms whatever… states that:
a> Free trial period starts at time of purchase, not at time of receipt of product.
b> Automatic charging of credit card for automatic reordering (you don’t SPECIFICALLY place the reorder, THEY do).
c> Their money back guarantee is only for the return of FULL bottle(s) (or containers).
d> You might be required to be a member of their “exclusive” club/program/group. There might be additional charges.
This is not a complete list, but these are usually the most common tactics to hoodwink the consumer. Do your research.
The worst part about [almost] all of these [alleged] scam sites is that the contact information and/or customer service is NOT reliable. For example, if you call their phone number, you could be on hold a LONG time, and may never get to talk to anybody, making the process of canceling your order (especially if you want to do it before the trial period has ended) virtually impossible.
To sum all of this up, I have found a pure Acai berry supplement that I believe in; so much so that I am using it and I am an affiliate to market their product for them. So, IMHO, there are legitimate Acai berry product(s) on the Internet, if you take the time to find out if they’re “for real.”
One request, Henrietta, if you can find a list of ALL the companies/products named in the lawsuit, I would sure be interested in seeing THAT!
The Internet is the wild, wild west of the 21st century, folks. Be safe, and be happy while cruising it.
OH, and BTW Oprah, by using the word “just” in my statement in my first post about what you do, that does not in any way negate your value or the value of your show. I am a fan and I apologize if I have minimized your value of what you do or to your audience. Keep up the great work. You are wonderful!
Thank You Mike. I will do my best to find a list of the companies that they are suing. It has to be publicized somewhere. I have a wonderful friend who loves this type of stuff to and once he gets back from Europe I plan on asking him if he has it or to direct me where I can find it. I will be more than happy to share it with you. All else fails, Google should be able to help us find the list.
I also want to thank You for taking the time to share your knowledge with my readers. Thank you VERY much!
Henrietta
Awesome post. Great information Henrietta. I love it :0-)