Herbal Magic A total SCAM Toronto, Ontario

     Success with Herbal Magic, as with all weight loss programs, requires determination as well as a structured program to see results. We never claimed to sell ‘magic’ pills; we sell a weight loss plan that if followed will result in measurable weight loss. Our supplements are only one part of an entire plan.

·      Herbal Magic has embraced regulation in this industry. We now have Natural Product Numbers (NPNs) for about 60% of our products and will be completely compliant well in advance of the October 2010 licensing/registration deadline set out by Health Canada. All of our products are legal for sale in Canada. These regulations are new and fairly strict – Health Canada has rightfully given natural products companies time to comply – and, to our knowledge, we have moved faster than anyone else in the weight loss industry.

·      WM2000 has been an important part of our program since 1996. It, along with following our real food meal plan and personal one on one coaching has helped 1,000s of clients each year lose weight, feel better and live happier and healthier lives.   

·      We have recently introduced, Essience Metabolic Plus and Essience Energy Boost. They have been approved by Health Canada for reduced cravings, suppressed appetite and increased metabolism.  Each bottle contains an approved claim located right next to the products NPN.

·      Results are guaranteed – or your money back. Our program is designed to help you lose weight both safely and effectively. Our personal health coaches are trained to help you hit your goal weight within the timeframe that you both have decided on, which for most clients is an average of 2 lbs per week; a much accepted rate for achieving long-term weight loss. Better yet, if you don’t get results – we give you your money back. We stand behind our program 100%.

While we appreciate that CBC Marketplace wants to keep businesses accountable we feel that our business is being operated in the best interest of our clients (we’ve had 550,000 success stories in our 15 years of operation).  If anyone has any further questions of Herbal Magic I would be happy to provide information or connect them to one of our staff who would be best suited to speak on questions brought up.

Chief Marketing Officer

SVP – Customer Relationship Management

Email: drobinson@herbalmagic.com

I cant believe what I'm reading from a Marketing spin Dr at Herbal Magic. Its outrageous.

He says "we never claimed we sold magic pills". What does he think the name of his company is supposed to imply? Why is the word magic beside the word herbal? I'd love to hear the explanation to that. The truth is that this company wants you to believe that the supplements have some kind of special "magical" quality which is utter nonsense. But if the company says this is not their claim, then please explain to us stupid people who are too stupid to know what the name Herbal Magic is suppose to mean.

Second, he claims that they sell a complete weight loss program. The fact is that this company forces you to buy their expensive supplements. They are not optional. But the problem is that the supplements do not have any scientific support that they do anything for your weight loss. Why didnt the Marketing guy tell the public that the supplements are mandatory? Hmmm. Wonder why he neglected to mention that. Moreover, I'd like him to disclose to all of us, exactly how much they charge for their mandatory supplements. Either they will tell us or they'll hide it from us. Let's see if they have the honousty to publish the price. If they dont, it will make everyone wonder why they want to hide that.

Third, he says they have NPN's for 60% of their products. What that means is that 40% of their products have not been approved and yet they have been selling them, including the one's shown on the TV show. What an outrageous rebuttal he makes. Its like saying, dont worry about the 40% of the supplements not approved because the other 60% are approved. Why werent 100% approved if you were selling them? Please explain why it took hidden cameras to expose this diry little secret?

Fourth, he then makes the claim that the program is effective. I defy him to tell us exactly what percentage of people who join Herbal Magic actually end up achieving their goal weight. No doubt a company that is in the weight loss business would know exactly how many of their clients who pay all that money acheive the results they are paying for. If he refuses to publish this number, then it tells us all that they have something to hide. If the number were great, and the program truly worked, one would think they would be delighted to publish their results. Let's see if they have the corporate guts to publish the truth. My guess is that most people pay a ton of money and never reach their goal. That would be a complete rip off because people are paying for lousy results.

Fifth, he talks about the "personal health coaches". These are not personal health coaches. If you read the posts from their very own employees, they tell you the truth. They are commissioned sales people. That's it. They have no expertise in nutrition, health or dieting. They are sales people. If I'm wrong, then I'd like the company to state what their professional credentials are and if they are or are not on commission. You'll see that the personal health coaches dont have any professional credentials.

Finally, the refund he talks about is bogus. He wrote "if you dont get results, we give you your money back". This is simply not true. What he neglects to tell you, in a typically scamming way, is that you will only get your money back if you follow their program 100% and buy all their expensive supplements. If you deviate from their program one iota (and everyone on a diet has moments when they deviate), they will use that excuse to void your opportunity to get a refund. Think about it. Since I would bet that the majority of their clients never acheive their desired results, this company would be bankrupt if they gave them back their money. Clearly, their offer of a refund is disingenious and verbal slight of hand. I defy them to state clearly and unambiguously, "if you dont get the results, for any reason, we will give you your money back". When they fail to say this, then it expose this company again for trying to perpetrate a fraud on all of us.

I've challenged the company to come clean with the truth. Now lets see if they have the guts to do so. Dont be fooled by their double-talk and twisted language. If it looks like a fraud, smells like a fraud, double-talks like a fraud, its probably a fraud. Thank you CBC for exposing these shamefull practises and their effort to defend the indefensible.

 
I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns and I’d like to have a fair and open dialogue with you.
  
I have read a lot of comments and responses to the Marketplace episode, both in support and against, and one thing that stands out is that our program does work for a lot of people.
 
Other weight loss programs, even personal trainers or gyms, share our same concerns of not being able to help each and every person reach their goals. We are realistic and are always looking for ways to be the best in the industry, help our clients, and embrace regulations.
 
We did run an independent survey last April and found that 91% of our active clients were either satisfied or very satisfied with the services they received. This was based on a random sample of 1200 clients across Canada. It was a phone survey conducted by a third party, and the margin of error was +/- 5 percent.

What this indicates is that people think they are getting their money's worth.
 
I stand behind our 15 years of continued success and am proud of the healthy program and supportive staff that make up Herbal Magic.
 
Duncan Robinson
drobinson@herbalmagic.com

Mr Robinson,

Your response to my posting was an insult to me and anyone else who read your response. You stated you wanted to have a "fair and open dialogue" with me. But then, rather than answering any of my specific questions, you went on to talk about everything else in the hope that it might confuse the reader.

If you want to be open and honoust, then please just answer the few simple questions I posed to you. Why are you afraid to respond to them? Surely you should want to set the record straight.

No one cares about your survey in terms of people thinking they are getting their money's worth. People pay you to lose weight and acheive a goal. If they hit that goal, they got their money's worth. If they didnt hit that goal, they didnt get their money's worth. That's an objective fact because that is what you are in business to do. Help people acheive their goals. So what percentage of your clients hit their goal. You should be happy to post this statistic because if its a great number it supports your claim that people feel they are getting their money's worth. If you fail to publish this single most important piece of objective data, then your silence belies your claim that your program is safe and effective.

So please read my post and answer my questions. I'd bet my life savings that Herbal Magic wont have the guts to answer each and every question. That's what an open and honoust company would do. But you are sure demonstrating why Marketplace caught you with your pants down. If and when you fail to answer all the questions I posed, the entire public will be able to see your company for what it is.

I noticed that Herbal Magic's Director of Marketing, Duncan Robinson, was having a dialogue with Colleen. Colleen asked several questions of Herbal Magic and when I saw that Herbal Magic was not responding, I wrote Duncan Robinson directly and asked him why he wasnt responding.

He wrote me back and said "I didnt realize there were other questions. I will go on the site and answer them IMMEDIATELY (my emphasis). Thanks for the heads up. We are obviously trying to put this horrible experience behind us, but you are correct - I need to respond".

So, I waited and waited for Mr Robinson to respond. When no response came, I wrote him again and asked why he didnt yet respond. He then told me he didnt want to respond in a public forum.

So rather than respond to Colleen's questions and set the record straight, using his own words, and not those of the CBC, he opts to stay silent. He told me he would respond immediately, and then never responded. In my books, that means more lies from Herbal Magic. It is clear to all now that this company is a scam and not at all reputable.

Here were the questions that Colleen asked that Herbal Magic is afraid to answer. It makes one wonder why they are afraid to answer. Colleen was right in saying they would never answer. They clearly want to hide the truth from the consumer.

1. What does their name, Herbal Magic, imply?

2. Why wont they publish their prices for their supplements?

3. Why werent 100% of their supplements approved for sale?

4. What % of their clients hit their goal?

5. What are the professional credentials of their "coaches"

6. Do they give a full refund for any reason that someone doesnt hit their goal. This is what they are trying to give the impression they do, but I'd love to hear them state their refund policy in clear and unambigous words.

I'm sure all Canadians would love to know the answer to these very simple questions. Herbal Magic and all their shills who wrote in in support of the company, claimed that Marketplace did not do a fair and balanced report. So here are some simple questions that they can answer and fully control the response. There is no one editing their response. If they continue to stonewall and not respond, it is clear to all of us that this company is a pure scam. If they give a full and honoust response to all these questions, then I will offer them a full apology. Until then, I believe the owners should be criminally charged for perpetrating the fraud shown on Marketplace.