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Report: #72857

Complaint Review: LIFEKEY HEALTHCARE- BERKELEY PREMIUM NUTRACEUTICALS - CINCINNATI Ohio

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  • Reported By: CINCINNATI Ohio
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  • LIFEKEY HEALTHCARE- BERKELEY PREMIUM NUTRACEUTICALS 4181 CROSSGATE LANE CINCINNATI, Ohio U.S.A.

LIFEKEY HEALTHCARE - BERKELEY PREMIUM NUTRACEUTICALS ripoff SCAM ALERT LIFEKEY HAS ADDED BERKELEY TO THEIR LONG LIST OF ALIASES, IMPORTANT CONTACT INFO:READ THIS POST! CINCINNATI, BLUEASH, AMBERLEY VILLAGE OHIO

*Consumer Comment: To Gina At Berkley, wasn't sure whether to throw up or laugh

*Consumer Suggestion: dig deep - When this company took my $70 and wouldn't give it back - I was its worst nightmare.

*Consumer Suggestion: get creative, dig deep, take names, and vent on all of them

*UPDATE Employee: I will apoligize to anyone who feels that the company has done them wrong

*UPDATE EX-employee responds: ex employee management supervisor Working there was very stressful

*UPDATE EX-employee responds: Spending a lot of energy makes you pretty d**n crazy

*UPDATE EX-employee responds: The worst company to work for I am an ex-employee who QUIT last year after Berkeley executed one of their notorious "mass firings

*Consumer Comment: The feds have listened and Berkeley is paying the price.

*UPDATE EX-employee responds: Due to all the madness I was laid off along with 500 other employees.

*Consumer Suggestion: BOLLAND/ WARNER/ WAGNER/ LIFEKEY/ OGLIPLEX/BERKELEY/ ??? THIS MONTHS NAME NOT RELEASED YET.

*Consumer Suggestion: Go ahead Lie a little, they do.

*Consumer Comment: More education needed

*UPDATE EX-employee responds: This company does a lot of things that are questionable. But they have a very good lawyer on sight, and they are able to tread the ethical line very succesfully.

*Consumer Comment: Candice, I just don't think you understand...

*UPDATE EX-employee responds: THE DEVIL DO EXIST!

*UPDATE EX-employee responds: Just to let you know

*Consumer Comment: CANDICE-CAN YOU READ?

*Consumer Comment: FACTS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF BERKELEY NUTRACEUTICALS/aka LIFEKEY

*Consumer Comment: Ripped Off

*Consumer Comment: To Confused Candice, Only $ 70 Bucks ? My a*s.

*Consumer Comment: Confused

*UPDATE Employee: Wow! hope this information aides in the processing of any legal action

*Author of original report: CLASS ACTION against BERKELEY aka LIFEKEY

*Consumer Comment: Questions to employee T, ..not the case when i got suckered

*UPDATE Employee: It's just too easy to avoid these problems!

*Author of original report: Lifekey Healthcare-Reply to Greg Cossmans recent lies posted here

*UPDATE EX-employee responds: Just for the record, I have not been with Lifekey for over 1 year

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My wife and I were watching TV and saw an ad for Enzyte's 30 day "free" trial offer. Because of a string of endless surgeries and procedures for treating 9 herniated spinal disks I have to take almost a dozen prescription medicines daily including painkillers. The combination of my prescriptions have left me almost impotent so we thought we would give it a shot. I had tried the testosterone patch but they only made me mean spirited and aggressive and it put a strain on our marriage. When we saw the commercial, we were to the point that we were willing to try anything.

I went to the website at 4enzyte.com which I read thoroughly. The statement says that they will ship the free offer within 2 days and send the next order when they estimate that you have 5 days worth of the product left. Add about 3 days on for shipping time for a total of 10 days which would give anyone with common sense the idea that they would bill/ship in about 20 days from the day I ordered the "free" trial scam. Where they deceived me is the fact that they only waited 12 days to bill me for the $69.95 after they I ordered the free trial offer. On top of that, one of the options for cancelling(www.96shoes.com)was false.

I finally got hold of them at 866-985-9040 and did cancel and then I got a replacement Visa with new numbers on it to keep them from doing it again in 2 months. When I called them to cancel I was immediately asked by the "customer service" representative if I was calling about a refund before I had even said anything. I guess maybe everyone calls to cancel. I was told that they would send me a "refund kit" which arrived today and consisted of a pamphlet stating that they did not give refunds and the address of a place to send written refund requests for "consideration."

On the day the stole the $69.95 from me I went to the Better Business Bureau website and found that there had been hundreds of complaints about them but they had promised the BBB to straighten up and fly right. I filed a complaint with them and did an Internet search and found this website which really angered me when I saw all of the reports.

I wasn't ready to make a post yet so I went ahead and contacted the Hamilton County Ohio prosecutor and had contact with the office of the First Assistant Prosecutor for Hamilton County, Tom Longano. They said that it fell under the jurisdiction of the Attorney Generals office and gave me a telephone number to call.

I had assumed that it was a number to the Ohio AG but it was the US Attorney Generals office who I talked to for about 30 minutes. They took a report over the phone and gave me a number to call at the Cincinnati FBI's office. I talked to them for about 40 minutes. and gave them the same info which they said they could file but not follow up because my loss was so low. They gave me the number to the US Postmaster Generals office where I also filed a complaint but I ultimately ended up at the State of Ohio Attorney Generals office at WWW.AG.STATE.OH.US and filed a complaint in the vitamin category which is something that all victims should do if the option is available to nonresidents. If it is not please file a complaint with the Attorney Generals office in the state that you live in.

As I stated earlier, I live in the Cincinnati Ohio area and in fact it is about 5-7 miles from the company and about 3-4 miles from Steve Warshak's $750,000 home.

Being a local has it's privileges because I know where Steve Warshak lives and I have his home address and home phone # for those who want to contact him. STEVE WARSHAK, 5150 ROLLMAN ESTATES DRIVE, CINCINNATI OHIO, 45236-1456 (513)984-8820. HIS WORK PHONE # IS (513)794-1222/FAX(513)794-9666, EMAIL: warshak@one.net. His new puppet "Vice President", Greg Cosman's phone number is (513)791-0792 (I'm not if the name is spelled correctly but the number is the correct VP number).

Someone had posted that Lifekey was part of DPI Merchant Services which I have found to be probably not true. DPI is a service company that provides services for Lifekey but they cannot get anyone a refund. I think that we should all be diligent about this and get organized somehow and make our voices heard.

I also think that we should start sending Stevie complaints directly to his $750,000 house. By the way, that's how I found where he lived was through the property transfers. We can also give him an occasional phone call and I think that all of the phone numbers I gave had answering machines and they screen their calls. When I get Greg Cosman's home address and home phone number, which I will get, I will post an update.

The is another aspect of this matter that I have not seen addressed yet and that is that fact that they promise not to give anyone else your email address. I don't know about anyone else but right after I asked for a refund I received dozens of SPAM emails for products just like enzyte. I think that it is more than just coincidence because I had never gotten them before. If we could prove that they are selling email addresses after promising not to, that may be a violation of the new privacy laws. It's worth looking into.

Larenzo
CINCINNATI, Ohio
U.S.A.

Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Lifekey

STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about consumer confidence when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, it's paid for!

CLICK HERE to read about Credit Card Scams... find out how to get your money back. *Rip-off Report Investigation provides valuable information.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 11/23/2003 01:39 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/lifekey-healthcare-berkeley-premium-nutraceuticals/cincinnati-ohio-45216-1215/lifekey-healthcare-berkeley-premium-nutraceuticals-ripoff-scam-alert-lifekey-has-added-b-72857. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
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0Employee/Owner

#27 Consumer Comment

To Gina At Berkley, wasn't sure whether to throw up or laugh

AUTHOR: Tony - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, January 08, 2006

Gina,

I read your apology regarding people being ripped off by the slimeball you work for. I wasn't sure whether to throw up or laugh. I also thought it took an unbelievable amount of nerve for you to criticize the man who was decent enough to supply the address and phone number of the scumbag who has been ripping people off.

However since you work for him(most of your work is probably on your knees or on your back with Warshak)you are as bad as he is and I hope you get fired and thrown in jail also. To the man that supplied the number for the slimeball piece of excriment all I can say is Thank You. To the rest of the little cowards who criticized this man for giving out the number do the letters GFY man anything to you?

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#26 Consumer Suggestion

dig deep - When this company took my $70 and wouldn't give it back - I was its worst nightmare.

AUTHOR: Susan - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, June 27, 2005

I still am. Here is my advice - get creative, dig deep, take names, and vent on all of them.
I found a press release that had a 'for more information about this press release' phone number.

I called and it turned out to be a private number. 'I wasn't supposed to be able to get her number'! Really? Actually it was her husband who answered, nice guy - no clue - honey, phone call. 'How did you get this number?'

Got my money back.

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#25 Consumer Suggestion

get creative, dig deep, take names, and vent on all of them

AUTHOR: Susan - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, June 27, 2005

When this company took my $70 and wouldn't give it back - I was its worst nightmare. I still am. Here is my advice - get creative, dig deep, take names, and vent on all of them.
I found a press release that had a 'for more information about this press release' phone number.

I called and it turned out to be a private number. 'I wasn't supposed to be able to get her number'! Really? Actually it was her husband who answered, nice guy - no clue - honey, phone call. 'How did you get this number?'

Got my money back.

Dig deep

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#24 UPDATE Employee

I will apoligize to anyone who feels that the company has done them wrong

AUTHOR: Gina - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, June 25, 2005

I am currently an employee at Berkeley, I was hired in February, 2005. I work in the customer care dept. so I deal with the customer complaints, First off I will apoligize to anyone who feels that the company has done them wrong. I will also say that yes a lot of changes go on at Berkeley and some are harder to deal with then others, and yes we dont get any benefits. But in all fareness didnt we know this coming into the business? Also the company does all layoffs by performance, if a person is not performing their job and not coming in on scheduled shifts then is there really a reason to keep them employed. This is a relatively new company and the owner must go through a lot of changes before he realizes what works best for him.

And to the person that put Mr. Warshaks personal information is just wrong. Their are alot of people in this world that are not stable and to put that kind of information on the internet is just not safe. Granted I understand that you feel like he needs to pay, In all fareness though does he really deserve to be put out like that.

I will say for a fact that I know the products work, maybe not for everyone, But they do work. The products are natural supplements and they take time to build up into your system. The enzyte does not promise to make your p***s any larger, just promates a fuller and firmer erection.

To the people who feel like they were ripped off, again I apologize for that, But in all fareness you were disclosed the information. We record all calls that come into the call center and we have a dept called compliance and they listen to all calls. For legal reasons we have to read the disclosure about the auto shipping. Also the internet claerly states the auto shipping. And for someone who gives out a credit card # without knowing what they are purchasing and being enrolled into is just asking for trouble. Also we do have a returns policy, you can return product for full credit. so anyone that claims they could not get full credit is wrong.

I am not saying that some people have not got the shaft but let me explain why, we have a lot of untruthful people in this world, for example the guy that ripped berkeley off for 675.00, that is why the company can not take peoples word for it. We have customers that will take the peoduct for a year claim that it does not work ask for a full 12 money back refund, ( a service we once offered) and then turn around and get another free sample. So in all fareness to the owner of Berkeley, it is all the people that scammed us that has made it so hard for the honest people out there. Also to the guy that scammed them for 675.00, have you ever heard the saying, two wrongs dont make a right, or what you do comes back to you ten times fold?

Really what I am saying is that all this boils down to is people do not pay attention to the disclosure and get pissed because they realize that they did this to themselves.

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#23 UPDATE EX-employee responds

ex employee management supervisor Working there was very stressful

AUTHOR: Kandie - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, June 18, 2005

Well, these complaints just keep getting larger with no suprise to me. Working there was very stressful and you need to realize that sometimes you have to do what they tell you to do to feed the kids..

I apologize to all of the customers that I had to lie to over the yr that I was employeed there. It is a shame that a company just cant be respectable and maintain a good working enviroment with truthfulness and put the customer first instead of the owner taking lavish trips and spending his fraudulant money he received from so many customers..

This fella rips people off every day of his life...I hope that one day he wakes up with nothing..I mean nothing..then he might know what its like to starve because someone rips him off..No one really knows until you have been behind the doors and have sat in the seats at Berekely and his other named companies..

Every day you go in that place and feel horrible at the things you had to do to decent people that were just looking to improve their lives with products that the owner claims works...It is so deceiving but people like him as a business owner have no morals or charactor..all they see are the little green bucks floating in Hawaii..but I honestly believe that this Attorney General will stop this massive customer cheat and vacationer..wonder how he will feel when hes vacationing in his own back yard..if he has one...or jail????????..GO GO Attorney General!!!!!!!!!!

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#22 UPDATE EX-employee responds

Spending a lot of energy makes you pretty d**n crazy

AUTHOR: Johnny - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Thursday, April 14, 2005

First of all, shame on the coward who has the nerve to post someone's personal residence on a website, leaving a family in harms way. There are crazier people out there than you sir and the fact that you went through all of the trouble to find the information and then post for anyone to see, makes you pretty d**n crazy. As for the consumers.

I worked at Berkeley and I did not agree with many of their business practices, but I know for a fact each and every person was told about the Valued Customer Program, possibly in a roundabout' way, but you were told and chose either to not pay attention to the disclaimer or didn't understand what they were telling you. For the people who claimed to continuously got charged and didn't want it, why didn't you report to your credit card company, dispute the original charge and then block any future charges from that company?

Why is everyone so hung up on the idea of automatic shipment, like it is new? Columbia House, BMG, Girls Gone Wild, Proactiv, and countless other companies have been doing this and every person that thinks they didn't agree did. Read the small print, ask questions and listen to what you are signing up for.

As for ex-employees that seemed surprised about mass-firings, didn't you get the picture when you got hired and signed a waiver form that basically said you could be fired at anytime for any reason? I worked there for a couple of months and they sent people home early and had a mass-firing, so I found a new job. You didn't have to have a college, or possibly high school, degree to work there.

I can say I made more money there and worked less than I would have waiting tables or telemarketing.

I stumbled upon this site as I read about their recent trouble with the law and was blown away by how many people are complaining. Are you so worried about the money, or the fact that you are still called small fry in the locker room. Or for the ladies did you think a miracle supplement would get your beer-guzzling husband off the couch and back into the sack. The whining on this site was not the reason the feds stepped in.

It was actually based on the amount of complaints the Cincinnati Better Business Bureau received, which this site is against.

I guess what I'm trying to say is people would rather sit around and type in some complaints, rather than face the reality that their own actions caused the consequences that were suffered.

Don't get me wrong, I've been ripped off many times and sometimes the actions I took didn't cure the problem and I was left pissed off, but I didn't sit around crying about it. I got even or over it.

Kudos to the guy who actually took a stand and ordered a bunch of product and said he didn't get it and then got his money back. That is how you get back.

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#21 UPDATE EX-employee responds

The worst company to work for I am an ex-employee who QUIT last year after Berkeley executed one of their notorious "mass firings

AUTHOR: AMY - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, March 21, 2005

I am an ex-employee who QUIT last year after Berkeley executed one of their notorious "mass firings". I was rehired for a position in the Blue Ash office on Millington Rd (where I had originally hired in at before the company relocated to its Forest Park office). I went back to the company because I was still in school and needed money until I could get a REAL job.

In mid-August, the auto-ship program was discontinued, which resulted in another "mass firing". Consequently, the remaining employees received a SIGNIFICANTLY reduced "spiff" per each package sold, and were basically just sitting around for $8/hr. We were under SEVERE pressure every day by the managers to "PUSH THOSE PACKAGES!". Also, daily drawings of names were done, and if your name was picked, you were sent home for the day. They would even tell people who had just clocked in to go home rather than call them ahead of time and save them the trip.

In October, we were moved back over to the Forest Park location. In December, one month before the rebirth of auto-ship, all sales reps were trained to enter orders while on the call, thus eliminating the need for the data entry department. Before the training, orders were actually hand-written and turned in to data entry. Although the company saved money by doing this, we did NOT receive a raise for doing the job of two departments. We were told we would be able to take "33% more calls, which was LIKE a raise".

In January of 2005, the company hired a slew of people since they had launched new advertising. The new people, we were told, were selling better than some of the TOP PEOPLE, thanks to the revised training (lying!) program. I figured another "mass firing" was around the corner and quit again. I now have a job pertaining to what I went to school for and will never recommend Berkeley as a place to work.

In a nutshell, this is the worst company to work for, and the F.B.I. raid does not surprise me one bit. I guess that's what happens when you overcharge people for basic herbs and vitamins. I don't think "Bob" will be smiling now.

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#20 Consumer Comment

The feds have listened and Berkeley is paying the price.

AUTHOR: Robert - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Thursday, March 17, 2005

Just to update all of you on this situation. As of this morning (3/17/2005) the Cincinnati news outlets are all reporting that Berkeley PRemium Nutraceuticals was raided yesterday morning and all the accounts have been frozen. A spokesperson for the company claims they'll be back in business today, but with nothing to cover payroll, how many employees will show up.

Steve Warshak is a former classmate of mine from high school (Lakota Class of 1984, West Chester OH). At our 20th reunion late last summer, we all joked about having Smiling Bob show up but many of us were secretly embarrassed to be affiliated with the world's most notorious snake oil salesman.

I feel sorry for the customers who got ripped off, but I also feel sorry for the employees who are about to be out of work yet again. I know one or two that worked in the offices (not phone sales reps) who will be looking for work here soon.

But he had it coming and I hope justice is swift and severe (harsher than it was for Little Miss Martha), otherwise someone else will just come along and pick up where he left off.

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#19 UPDATE EX-employee responds

Due to all the madness I was laid off along with 500 other employees.

AUTHOR: Kathryn - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Hi, I was a Berkeley Employee from June to September 2004. Due to all the madness I was laid off along with 500 other employees. I am neutral to all of this. I can understand the consumer completely, at the same time I know the inside of the company.

The 13 products as of September 2004 were

altovis
avlimil
Rovicid
Rogisen
Enzyte
Ogoplex
Prulato
Suvaril
Numovil
Pinadol
Nuproxi
Rudofil
Dromias

This company has gone through so much crap. I can tell you that all of the employees on here are really doing this on their own, the company does not make them. I did it once too, I thought maybe it would save my job, it didn't. Berkeley has a pattern. They hire mass amounts of people, keep them for a few months while its busy, then people start to catch on and they lay them all off because everyone stops calling. Then about 4 months later they hire them all again. Its a stupid cycle. Lucky for me I am a recruiter now and whenever they do layoffs, I get employees to fill the jobs I have. This whole thing is crazy. Berekeley people apparently genuinly think that they have fixed their billing ethics. Atleast that is what they tell you during your training. And they are right, there is no vacation, no holiday pay, and best of all, no job security. Every day you go in there, everything is changed. This company has tried so many ways to make themselves a good company, believe it or not, but nothing makes enough money to support the needs of the company. Personally, I think they should stop offering the "free trial." I think they should give it to them at a discount, no strings attached. I know that the products do work, not for everyone, but they do for some people. Make it like buying a suppliment from the pharmacy. If it works, great, go back and buy more. If not, then oh well, take the loss and don't buy more. There are plenty of things that Berkeley needs to do to fix themselves. At the same time, I think the consumer just needs to pay more attention. Will everyone just stop fighting. I know that it sucks to lose $70, believe me, I am 21 and living on my own, I know. But think about the amount of work you could be doing while doing all of the arguing, you could make more than the $70 back. Take it as a learning experience. And to Berkeley, before you get stuck paying millions of dollars, just stop ripping people off. You have a product that works. Just let the product speak for itself. I know the economy sucks, but don't hire so many people. If people really want to try the product, they will wait on the line. And slowly but surely, you will get a good customer base that trusts you. Along with this new plan, you wouldn't have to charge so much. I know I am just one past employee, but I think my plan would work. Good luck all. And if you have any questions, ask them and I will be happy to answer what I can, I just want the fighting to stop.

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#18 Consumer Suggestion

BOLLAND/ WARNER/ WAGNER/ LIFEKEY/ OGLIPLEX/BERKELEY/ ??? THIS MONTHS NAME NOT RELEASED YET.

AUTHOR: DAVID - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, November 03, 2004

If you find your self ripped off by these con artists, do not give up your fight against them. I was also duped by their con-game and got suckered out of $69.95 and then surprisingly found that, out of their 8 contact phone numbers, only 1 worked. I used a checkcard to pay them with which resulted in more problems. The sudden theft of the $69.95 from my checking account caused several checks to bounce which also incurred fees for insufficient funds. First off, I filed a complaint with VISA who gave me my money back (Visa policy for disputes). I then filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the Ohio Attorney General's office. Within about 20 days or so I was contacted by the BBB whom had already had contact with the Ohio AG. They told me that Lifekey Healthcare (scammer name of the month) offered to drop any claim to my $69.95 to settle my claim. I said no way because I had incurred almost $200 in bank fees for the checks that bounced. I gave the Ohio Attorney General a list of my bank fees and was put in contact with a Ms. McMillon at Berkeley who eventually refunded all of my losses. When they sent my refund check (I had already changed Visa card to avoid future charges) the check came with miscellaneous paperwork including a list of names, including mine who had gotten refunds the same day as mine and there were hundreds of "victims" names on the list. A few weeks ago I was contacted by an agent for the US Postmaster General who took great interest in the list and set it up for me to give a deposition. That means that the Federal government has taken an interest in them. Hopefully they will shut down these scumbags.

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#17 Consumer Suggestion

Go ahead Lie a little, they do.

AUTHOR: Aaron - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, November 03, 2004

I screwed them good. After I canceled they charged my accout 3 more times since. Over $200, they stole from me. Don't bother calling them it will not help. If you want to play dirty and you have some money to play with do what I did. I went online and ordered about $675 of products. Make sure you do it online, since visa needs a vaild signature to honor any Credit Card trasaction.When I recieved the products I gave them all away, and went to my bank and said I never recieved anything and they took $675 off of your card. Since they ship regualar mail they is no way to prove you got it and you just screwed them over. I might do it again this week.

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#16 Consumer Comment

More education needed

AUTHOR: Frankie - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, November 01, 2004

After reading all of the responses to the original complaint, I am convinced of one thing. The employees from Berkeley, at least the ones who responded, should take a course in Basic English Grammar, Spelling and Composition.

One thing I did not find in any of the replies, does the product work? Will it make my Johnson bigger? Is it safe and effective, as advertised?

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#15 UPDATE EX-employee responds

This company does a lot of things that are questionable. But they have a very good lawyer on sight, and they are able to tread the ethical line very succesfully.

AUTHOR: Anonymous - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, October 29, 2004

I am a recent ex manager of Berkeley. I have a few comments to make. First of all, Greg Cosman, did leave Berkeley. But.. he is back in action. He is the husband of Steve Warshak's sister. He may go away from time to time, but he will always be some part of the company. There are two names you want to know, and nothing is ever ever said about these two individuals. Shelley Kinomon skinomon@bpn.com, and Mike Spirakis, mspirakis@bpn.com. Shelley is the head of sales, and has been with the company from day one. Mike is the recentley named new head of the company. Steve Warshak has resigned. Rumor has it he is taking his origianl crew to start a spin off of Berkeley in nearby Kentucky. I want to make this clear. This company does a lot of things that are questionable. But they have a very good lawyer on sight, and they are able to tread the ethical line very succesfully. If there is a law or rule to exploit to their advantage, better beleive they take full advantage. And yes, they pay EXTREMELEY WELL. Thats why most employeees are so passionate about defending the company. But they also eat their own so to speak. They are very aware of Ohio's "at will" employment law which basically means if they don't like an employees shirt that they happen to be wearing that day, they can basically fire you. Yes alot of very questionable things are done. But they are well advised on how to do whatever it is they so please. I am sure, actually I am positive, that they have burned and turned upside down the lives of many ex employess who had one time defended the compnay. I guess we all live and learn. But, what can consumers and ex-employess really do to stop this? From what I have seen, not much but complain on the Internet, like I am doing now.

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#14 Consumer Comment

Candice, I just don't think you understand...

AUTHOR: Jennifer - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, October 20, 2004

I was also ripped off by Berkeley. You can view my entire story under the followind post:

Berkeley Premium Pharmaceuticals - Nutraceuticals ripoff then lied to about it then insulted by their "solution" Cincinnatti Ohio *UPDATE ..sickens me to think that I spent all of that money, ONLY because they promised I could get it back! - 10/4/04 10:47:21pm Pickerington, Ohio

Larenzo lost $70 to these scam artists. I'm $420 in the hole, myself. I was promised a measley $175 back on August 13th. I've made numerous calls to Berkeley, including one this morning, and I have not received a single penny to date. Big shock.

Especially after reading many of the hundreds of posts on RipOff Report, I now know that there are hundreds of people that have lost far more than my $420! I don't know about you Candice, but I don't care to lose $5 to these jerks, much less $70 or $420!

I would love to see this company shut down, at the VERY least. In addition, I would also be interested if anyone sees / hears of any law suits (other than the current pending suit regarding Enzyte - http://www.bigclassaction.com/class_action/enzyte)against this demon of a company.

Thank you, and best of luck to each and every one of Berkeley's victims!

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#13 UPDATE EX-employee responds

THE DEVIL DO EXIST!

AUTHOR: Brandin - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, October 10, 2004

Dont get upset with candice she is just willing to to sale her soul to the devil and will lie to the customers to get paid like we were trained, what every it took.It's really sad because the people that are working there are getting rich off of lieing to people and although they may have the pot of gold now things will come to and end and they will pay trust me.Not only have they treated their customers wrong they also misused alot of their employees. Why is every one blaming Steve blam Shelley Kinmon she is the head honcho and she knows his dark secrets and she will always go were every he goes because she has always done his dirty work. She is the VP of the company or atleast one of them.I'm surprised that know one has said any thing about them running declined credit cards when they desperately need money that should of been the main reason the company should be SHUT DOWN!!!!!!!!!! and every one of them should enjoy The Big House.Just for the record their new company is call myvitanet.com/beprnu.html. Check them out I'm sure you will find something you like.

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#12 UPDATE EX-employee responds

Just to let you know

AUTHOR: Gary - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, October 01, 2004

As a former employee of Berkeley, I can tell you that:

We did not have benefits such as 401K, nor even paid vacation time.

It's highly doubtful that there was any misuse of credit card information going on.

Even if a customer care rep submitted for a refund, based on company policy, it was often reversed by those who actually process the refunds

Repeat orders, prior to the program stopping, were shipped 24 days from the original order. Why they didn't simply state this is beyond me.

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#11 Consumer Comment

CANDICE-CAN YOU READ?

AUTHOR: Ruby - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Thursday, September 30, 2004

This is for Candice, who posted the inane remark about "just losing $70.00, just get over it." My dear, if you can read, you can see for yourself, $70.00 from each disgruntled person who has posted a complaint against this company adds up!

There are many people on this website alone who lost a lot more than $70.00, because they cannot keep this company from taking their money! I was one of the lucky ones. I got my money back, but it took a lot of work.

It wasn't only the money. It was the way you were treated by CS reps when you called the company. I was treated very rudely whenever I called. This company has no feeling whatsoever for the customer.

I hope and pray that this company is stopped soon. This company makes everyone who calls feel like the customer has done something wrong. If these products worked so well, and this company was on the up and up, then why hundreds and hundreds of complaints and all the complaints are about the same thing? So, before you say, "Get over it", please do a little background check.

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#10 Consumer Comment

FACTS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF BERKELEY NUTRACEUTICALS/aka LIFEKEY

AUTHOR: JOSEPH - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, September 29, 2004

FACT: THE OHIO ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE IS INVESTIGATING BERKELEY NUTRACEUTICALS.

FACT: THE US ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE IS INVESTIGATING BERKELEY NUTRACEUTICALS FOR MISUSE OF CREDIT CARD INFORMATION.

FACT: THE US POSTMASTER GENERAL'S OFFICE IS DOING AN INDEPTH INVESTIGATION OF BERKELEY NUTRACEUTICALS FOR MAIL FRAUD AND HAS INTERVIEWED MANY OF THOSE WHO FILED COMPLAINTS AGAINST BERKELEY WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE

FACT: THE FDA IS INVESTIGATING BERKELEY NUTRACEUTICALS.

FACT: A FEDERAL JUDGE HAS GIVEN "CLASS ACTION" STATUS TO THE LAWSUITS AGAINST BERKELEY NUTRACEUTICALS WHICH NUMBER IN THE THOUSANDS.

FACT: A FEDERAL PROSECUTOR COULD BE NAMED WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS TO HANDLE THE FEDERAL INDICTMENTS AGAINST THE OWNER, THE CEO AND OTHERS AT BERKELEY NUTRACEUTICALS.

FACT: ALL SUBORDINATE EMPLOYEES AT BERKELEY NUTRACEUTICALS COULD SOON FIND THEMSELVES UNEMPLOYED WITH ALL BENEFITS SUCH AS 401K ECT... RENDERED WORTHLESS BECAUSE MUCH OF IT WAS REINVESTED IN TO THE COMPANY ITSELF, BERKELEY NUTRACEUTICALS.

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#9 Consumer Comment

Ripped Off

AUTHOR: Stephanie - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, September 29, 2004

I was also ripped off by Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals. I signed up for the "free sample cycle" of Suvaril via the internet. I too was billed for 2 more months ($70.00) before I even received the sample in the mail. When I received the letter stating that I was enrolled in the monthly program to send the product to my house I canceled.

I canceled the day I received the sample in the mail. Upon contacting the company asking for a refund and telling them that I did not sign up for this service and that they did not give me any time to try the product or to even receive the product before billing me I was hung up on! Great customer service! This is a terrible dishonest scam and Steve Warshak will not get away with this in the US. I have contacted the Better Business Bureau and have just received a letter from Dana Luther (an employee of Berkeley) stating that I knew the terms and conditions before signing up which is completely untrue.

No wonder they have had 3511 complaints with the Better Business Bureau since Sept, 01. I am contacting the TV station that ran the advertisement for them. I am also contacting Dateline as well as the attorney general in Cincinnati. I am in Hawaii with a 6 hour time difference, but I truely believe this is worth my time and the fight. This man belongs behind bars. I also contacted the fraud department of Visa which I would highly recommend.

If anyone knows how to get on the class action law suit please let me know. It would save me a lot of time.

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#8 Consumer Comment

To Confused Candice, Only $ 70 Bucks ? My a*s.

AUTHOR: Russ - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, September 10, 2004

Candice,I have a simple question in regards to your rebuttal.Just what, in your opinion, is the minimum dollar amount a person can get screwed out of before it IS considered a big deal to you personally.Obviously $70 isn't it for you.Is it$170,$270,$770,$1072,or what?Please give me an exact figure. Just curious.Oh yeah,you also seem to justifiy someone losing out on only $70 to this company by proclaiming,"people are only trying to make a living".So therefore I guess it"s okay for the consumer to get screwed out of only $70 bucks , as long as it helps someone at Berkeley pay thier bills?.Thanks for setting the record straight.We can all sleep well,knowing our $70 contributed to someone at Berkeley having having a little extra jingle in thier pockets.

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#7 Consumer Comment

Confused

AUTHOR: Candice - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, September 08, 2004

Ok, I don't really know anything about the company or anything, I just happened to stubble upon this site, but my first thought was... do you all have lives? You guys are obsessed... you got screwed out of $ 70 bucks, big deal...it's not the first or the last time it'll happen in your life, I'm sure.

You need to remember that people are trying to make a living, just like you... take this as a learning experience and move on. I'm paranoid about ordering anything off t.v. or the internet the way it is and I would never do that... there's always a possiblity that something may happen... get over it.

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#6 UPDATE Employee

Wow! hope this information aides in the processing of any legal action

AUTHOR: Jeff - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Thursday, July 01, 2004

I am not sure that putting the guy's home information on the web is the way to go. It has a sense of flare though I have to give you that.

I have some information that may help in any lawsuit that you try to file.

Lifekey (various add-ons included)
Warner Healthcare
Wagner Nutraceuticals
Bolland Nutraceuticals
Warner/Wagner Nutraceuticals

All are rolled into one company right now.
Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals
1661 Waycross Rd
Cincinnati, OH 45240

They were split and renamed to avoid legal actions and to "fool" the BBB that was sending them crates of mail each day. Then around February of this year, they merged them all again.

The products that they sell are: Avlimil, Enzyte, Rovicid, Ogoplex (old name), Mioplex (old name), Pruloto (new name), Altovis, Rogisen. They have 6 new products coming soon. The names are not made public yet, but beware of them as well.

The leadership of the company includes

Steve Warshak (Owner)
Jim Teegarden (2nd or 3rd in charge)
Mike Wagner (Controller)
Greg Cossman (Various)(Brother-in-law to owner)
Sue Cossman (Wholesale Division) (Sister to owner)
Paul Kellogg (Head Lawyer)
Bonnie Luther (Operations-HR)

You can email them at the following email addresses.
First letter of first name+last name @bpn.com

Well, I hope this information aides in the processing of any legal action.

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#5 Author of original report

CLASS ACTION against BERKELEY aka LIFEKEY

AUTHOR: Larry - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, June 25, 2004

ATTENTION: VICTIMS OF THE BERKELEY aka LIFEKEY SCAM. I have found that one or more class action lawsuits are being filed against the above listed scammers. They may have changed their name again by now which is not unusual in this type of RIPOFF.

INTERESTED PARTIES CAN GET INFORMATION BY CALLING [DELETED] AND REQUESTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE LAWSUIT AGAINST "BERKELEY PREMIUM NUTRACEUTICALS". SOME VICTIMS MAY HAVE ALSO ACRUED BANK FEES BECAUSE OF THE UNEXPECTED, UNAUTHORIZED REMOVAL OF FUNDS FROM THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS VIA A CHECKCARD AND SHOULD ALSO MENTION THOSE WHEN FILING A COMPLAINT.

GOOD LUCK AND PLEASE HAVE PATIENCE. THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL HAS ALSO TAKEN INTEREST IN THIS SCAM. PLEASE FILE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BEFORE A CRIMINAL COMPLAINT IS PROCESSED AGAINST THEM. IT WILL BE HARDER TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK IF THE DEFENDANT IS IN PRISON.

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#4 Consumer Comment

Questions to employee T, ..not the case when i got suckered

AUTHOR: Very Mad - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, March 27, 2004

In regards to your rebuttal that its a simple thing to either, order or cancel the product enzyte on the companys website or on the phone,and that the terms are all spelled out up front to the customer, please give your answer to a few simple questions of mine.

Why did the online order page back in December or January that i ordered my so called free sample from not,I repeat not, mention , that it automatically enrolled me every month in your automatic program that I did not want to enroll in even if I knew about it.Question

2.Why did the customer care numbers on the enclosed phamplets come up not in service when i tried calling them.Question

3.Why couldnt my email messages to cancel get through when i tried that.Is it all coincidence.

i can read just fine,my phone and email were working just fine as well. Im willing to give you the benefit of the doubt that you are an honest,earnest ,dedicated employee in the rewarding field of impotence,since I cant prove that your rebuttal was propaganda originating from management.

Yes,the current enzyte web site does spell out the terms okay,but that was not the case when i got suckered into this mess a few months ago.

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#3 UPDATE Employee

It's just too easy to avoid these problems!

AUTHOR: T - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, March 26, 2004

Hello, my name is T, and I am currently an employee of Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, in which I am sure plenty of Berkeley's customers has spoken with when they have called our customer care center. I, on a daily basis, speak with customers who are interested in purchasing our products, or have already purchased our products via phone or websites. Any time a customer calls in regards to our free trials, we promptly inform them of several policies that they are obligated to abide by amongst order of free trial, in which they pay $4.50 for shipping and handeling. As well, these policies are presented on the website, not in fine print, avalible for all to read.

The company Berkeley was only established to help people in many aspects of their life, yet the customer should feel some responsibilty for the items they purchase, and the things they sign up for. All the information regarding automatic shipments of our products is avalible for our customers at anytime, including 24 hour customer care, always accessible websites, and information included in our pamphlets, and brochures we send with each product. Why would anyone want to say we are a faulty company, when we provide this information in so many ways, in no form of concealing, nor confinement?

People do not realize some of the situations they find themselves involved in with this company are so easily avoidable. We give the customer exact instructions for avoiding automatic shipments or billings when they call us, go online, or read our brochures. Unfortunatly, because we have so many customers, we cannot call each one to remind them what it is they need to do-we do not automatically assume every one of our customer's does not want to continue with our product, so that is why we give the option to the customer. It's just to easy to avoid these problems.

What I suggest to any person who has a problem concerning Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, whether it means you want to no longer continue with our product, you want to send back a product, or you just want to know what it is that everyone is angry about, and how you may avoid these problems, give us a call at 1-866-834-1715, and you will find that we, in no way, shape or form, are scamming, lying, cheating, or misleading anyone. This I know, not just because I work there, but I am a person too, who does not want my money going down the drain on something I did not intend it to do!!

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#2 Author of original report

Lifekey Healthcare-Reply to Greg Cossmans recent lies posted here

AUTHOR: Larry - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, December 14, 2003

Greg Cossman, the Lifekey puppet president claims that he has not been with Lifekey for over a year. If you look at his previous posts that he made defending Lifekey, you will see that they were made less than a year before he made the claim "Just for the record, I have not been with Lifekey for over 1 year". Greg, has puppetmaster Steve Warshak been pulling your strings for so long that you can no longer think for yourself? Your previous posts were nothing but lies and fabrications so why should anyone believe what you have to say now? IMPORTANT:The Ohio Attorney Generals Office has taken a special interest in Lifekey. It is very important that all victims file a complaint with them. Their website address can be found on my original post which proceeds the Greg Cossman Rebuttal. KEEP UP THE FIGHT!

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#1 UPDATE EX-employee responds

Just for the record, I have not been with Lifekey for over 1 year

AUTHOR: Greg - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, November 24, 2003

I'm the "puppet" Greg Cossman that Larenzo refers to and just to set the record straight I have not been with Lifekey for over 1 year. The phone number given is no longer an active number.

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