In one of my recent posts titled “Does Acai Berry Really Help You Lose Weight” I discussed the reality of acai berry as a diet supplement. The article concluded that acai contains many properties that can assist those trying to lose weight, but that its primary benefit is not as a dietary supplement.
Many people are first introduced to acai by hearing about the acai berry diet. The acai berry diet refers to taking a type of diet pill whose primary ingredient is acai powder.
Acai can help regulate your appetite and contains Cyanidin, which has been linked to a reduction in our body’s ability to absorb fat. It also can strengthen your immune system and in turn increase your metabolism. However, none of these properties will cause an acai diet pill to “Wash away 20, 30, 40, or even 50 pounds in less than two months!” as some of products claim.
Most of these diet supplements use the same tactics for promoting their products. On each of their websites you will find a “free trial” offer where you only pay $5 shipping. However, what they do not make clear is that you will be billed again in 14 days if you do not return the bottle or cancel the subscription. Here is an example of this taken from on of the products terms of service.
By agreeing to the terms of the Agreement, Customer automatically receives 14-day trial to the Program. Customer has 14 days to try the Program and decide whether to accept the Program full-time. Prior to the expiration of the 14-day trial period, Customer may cancel its subscription by calling toll-free at XXX-XXX-XXXX or writing to XXX, XXXXXXXXXXXX. Should Customer fail to cancel its subscription, its Subscription with XXXX will become active and Customer will be billed $79.95 on the 16th day after its trial begins and every month thereafter.
There have been many complaints from customers that they are still charged the $80 each month even after they have tried to cancel. Another scary truth about these products is what they tell you they are going to do with your information:
(From the privacy policy of one of these products)
By entering a sweepstakes or promotion, registering with our Website, completing any forms on our Website, or by checking or not unchecking co-registration boxes, you grant the Company the right to use the collected information for marketing purposes including, but not limited to, sharing such information with third party advertisers (“Advertisers”), emailing, or physically mailing Company or any third party offers to your email address or postal address. We may also use such information to fulfill prizes, track compliance with the applicable sweepstakes or promotion rules, or for content improvement and feedback purposes. We may share the personal information that you supply to us and we may join together with other businesses to bring selected retail or service opportunities to our user base. These businesses may include providers of direct marketing services and applications, including lookup and reference, data enhancement, suppression and validation.
They are literally telling you they are going to sell your information to other advertisers who will most likely consistently spam you with additional offers.
These acai berry diet companies consistently participate in shady business practices, use deceptive marketing practices, and make claims about their products which they simply cannot deliver on. This is why I believe these “free trial” acai offers are the “Dark Side of Acai”.
When you purchase a high quality 100% pure organic acai product you get all the amazing benefits of acai in its all natural form. These benefits include increased energy, a strengthened immune system, looking and feeling younger and healthier, and decreasing your risk for heart disease and cancer.
With a natural acai product you can also get all these benefits for less than half the price the acai berry diet products trick you into paying.
To learn more about where to purchase acai check out my guide: Where To Buy Acai Berry