Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals ripoff fraudulent unauthorized credit card charge of $70 Cincinnati Ohio

In response to an extensive television ad compaign, I accepted a offer in February for a free month's supply of Altovis (an alleged energy booster)for a shipping and handling fee of $4.50 (in that neighborhood).

I charged it to my Citi Card. The customer service rep taking the order said I could be placed in the automatic ordering program and I said I did not want that, if the free sample (plus the shipping and handling charge) was contingent upon that, then I did not wish to place the order.

He assured me that the free sample offer was not contingent upon signing up for automatic monthly delivery and that no further charges would be placed on my credit card for the product unless I ordered it.

Needless to say, just recently I got a 2 month supply of Altovis in the mail (unordered by me), and yesterday my credit card bill arrived showing a $70 charge.

This morning I reported the unauthorized charge to the credit card company and called the Altovis customer service department to complain, and was told they wouldn't send any more but I was liable for the $70 because I didn't instruct them not to put me in automatic delivery.

I told them I had most emphatically refused to have auto delivery and asked for an address to send the product back and was told "to keep it, we can't resell it." And that they would not give me a refund.

These people are apparently nothing more than common thieves and I hope some appropriate agency will prosecute them and end this scam. If everyone who responded to the tv ads for the free sample for shipping and handling only gets scammed the same way, these crooks are ripping off millions of dollars! and shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.

Kathryn
Taos, New Mexico
U.S.A.