ValueVision International Inc. will offer refunds to any dissatisfied customers that purchased any of five specific health and beauty products since Feb. 1, 2000, in accordance with a consent agreement the Eden Prairie, MN, television and online marketer made with the Federal Trade Commission.
ValueVision also agreed not to make any health-related claims about any food, drug, dietary supplement, cellulite-treatment product or weight loss program unless it could back the claims with “competent and reliable scientific evidence.”
The agreement calls for ValueVision to send a letter to all purchasers of WeightPerfect Fat Loss Accelerators; Fight the Fat; NutriFirm Perfect Body Solution; NutriFirm Internal Cleanser; and NutriFirm Vitamin H Serum. The letter would offer complete refunds for up to three bottles of the products. ValueVision stopped offering the products in mid-2000.
Anthony Giombetti, a spokesperson for ValueVision said that talking points used by television hosts were provided by the product manufacturers.
“There have been no customer complaints,” said Giombetti.
Asked about the potential total of the refunds, Giombetti said that health and beauty aids make up 1% of ValueVision’s sales, and that the five products made up a small portion of that category. “The refund is not material,” said Giombetti.
He continued, “We take this issue very seriously and had stopped selling them long before this. The FTC’s job is to guard the consumers and make sure that the advertisers are compliant. When we were made aware [in mid-2000], we said ‘good enough’. Let’s discontinue selling those products.
Giombetti also said that as a result of the initial notification from the FTC in mid-2000, ValueVision implemented thorough checks on new vendors and existing vendors to be sure they are in compliance with FTC guidelines.
