SUBMITTED: Wednesday, January 28, 2004
POSTED: Wednesday, January 28, 2004
I found this site after using a search engine to see if Warner Health Care was traded on the stock exchange.
I ordered the free sample on the Internet after seeing Avlimil advertised on the Oxygen network during the Oprah After Hours show on Jan. 23.
After reading this post I called American Express and determined that a single charge for $4.50 had been posted. The AMEX rep listened to my explanation about the way Warner presents its free sample offer, money-back guarantee & managed care program. Because all three together can be taken as a Catch-22, I told the rep that I would not authorize any additional charges to my account.
She explained that she could not remove a charge once it had been authorized and suggested that I call the company to cancel the order, and get an authorization number and name for the cancellation.
I called Avlimil's customer service number and told the rep that while I did not necessarily want to cancel the free sample and did not have a problem with the $4.50 charge, that I DID NOT want to receive any additional shipments and wanted to cancel my enrollment in the managed care program.
After explaining that there were other bulk shipment specials and that I could cancel managed care at any time, I responded to her that I did not want to receive anything but the sample shipment. She put me on hold and surprisingly,
was back on the line within a minute with a cancellation number, her first name and extension number if I wanted to order product as a result of trying the sample.
Thanks to your site, I hope I nipped this sales tactic in the bud. While I do not intend to complain further if there are no charges on my AMEX card beyond the $4.50, I think Warner and the TV, broadcast and print media that accepts its advertising should be held accountable for the problems described in these posts.
Remifemin, an OTC supplement containing black cohosh recommended for menopausal symptoms, is another product that takes 4 to 12 weeks to be optimally effective. It costs about $20 for a 30-day supply and carries the Good Housekeeping seal. I took it for 12 weeks and found it ineffective. Remifemin is marketed by Glaxo Smith Kline pharmaceuticals.
Products like Remifemin and Avlimil may be effective for some consumers, so I don't have a problem with them being on the market. Since, however, they are unregulated, consumers should most definitely be informed of any contraindications, such as high blood pressure, a common condition in menopausal women, for safety reasons. You will find such warnings on OTC diet supplements such as Dexetrim, and the FDA recently banned ephedra.
With millions of women attempting to cope without prescription HRT, the market is certainly ripe for products that relieve menopausal syptoms and/or restore libido. Companies like Warner, which I have yet to determine whether it is a division of any publicly traded pharmaceutical, would better serve present or prospective customers by NOT starting off on the wrong foot and adding insult, financial or medical, to injury.
Since I'm sure it doesn't actually cost Warner $4.50 to ship the product, and they are getting the best advertising you can get -- word of mouth -- if it DOES work, why not just leave their 30-day free sample offer at that, and forget all the managed-care, bait & switch tactics?
In the meantime, what are Viagra's Pfizer and the manufacturers of Levitra doing with their money (besides paying Mike Ditka big bucks to let us all know he's "back in the game")to help women?
If and when a product is developed that works for women, I'd like to be among the first in line to buy shares of the company's stock, and in the event Kim Catrall of "Sex and the City" isn't available, offer my services as a spokesperson.