Problem Solver: LA Weight Loss Store Closing

By Dianne Derby
Anchor
Published: October 8, 2008

Losing weight and keeping it off. It’s a battle many of us face each day but what do you do if the weight loss program you signed up with shut down? Good news is there’s a way to get your money back But it took contacting 7 On Your Side for one Upstate woman to learn what to do. Dianne Derby helps her out and lets you know what you can do if you have to tackle the same troubles.

Television ads for LA Weight Loss convinced Dawn McGarity to sign up with the program last November. But when the Spartanburg store closed in July she lost more than $1000 worth of pre-purchased snack bars.

“I told them what’s the use of bars without the service,“ said McGarity.

McGarity says days before the Spartanburg location closed she says employees there told her to come pick up the more than 100 boxes of La Lites bars she had paid for and stored there. Dawn didn’t want to do it.
“It says all products removed from the center are non-refundable,“ said McGarity as she read the terms of her contract. “I didn’t remove my products.“

McGarity says the company promised she’d get her money back but the check never came.

“They said that I would get a refund and it would be a certain date like 4 weeks and after 4 weeks I called they said it would be 6 weeks,“ said McGarity.

Seven On Your Side put an end to the moths of waiting within a week. LA Weight Loss Customer Service Representative Jennifer Pilley sent us an e-mail saying McGarity would be getting a refund. But what about all the other customers?

The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs says they have the legal team to help file against the company’s $1 million bond.
“Any kind of services that have not been collected or used they will be entitled to a full refund,“ said SCDCA’s Alice Brooks. “However, in order to do that they need to file a complaint with our office.“

Bad news is food products like the ones Dawn purchased aren’t covered under the bond…only services. So lucky for Dawn that she even got her money back. It’s something that may not have happened without 7 On Your Side.

The S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs says they’ve received 55 complaints about LA Weight Loss in the last 6 months. So far 4 customers have received refunds. To help get your money back contact the S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs at 800-922-1594 or click here for a link to their complaint services.