Bob Christie can't get his money back after he was sent pills that aren't what they advertised, plus he was overcharged. Photo / George Novak
Bob Christie can't get his money back after he was sent pills that aren't what they advertised, plus he was overcharged. Photo / George Novak
A Tauranga man who paid nearly $400 for ketosis pills which he claims turned out to be filled with rice flour is warning others of a chargeback clause stopping him from getting a refund.
Bob Christie has been on a mission to lose weight to help combat other health problemsand has been on a keto, or low-carb, diet.
Ketosis is a metabolic state in which fat provides most of the fuel for the body. It occurs when there is limited access to glucose (blood sugar), which is the preferred fuel source for many cells in the body.
He saw an online advertisement for ketosis pills online and decided to buy them.
"I thought I'll try them. What have I got to lose, you know, because they said if you're not satisfied with them you can get your money back and I buy quite a bit of stuff online so I looked at it."
The bottles were listed for $75 each in a range of bundle options. Christie opted for the cheaper bundle of three but he was charged nearly $400.
Bob Christie says the pills have been sitting in the package he got them in for weeks. Photo / George Novak
Alarm bells started ringing after he entered his credit card information.
"It said 38a Auckland, as my address even though I had just put my address in. I put my Visa details in and pushed the button and there was no confirmation page, it was just gone.
"Then you get an email straight away saying 'thank you for your order' but they charged $390-odd for three at $75 a bottle. That's what caught my attention."
Christie replied to the email straight away explaining he had been charged the wrong amount and the address was incorrect. There was no response.
Then, a few weeks later, a courier company in Auckland contacted Christie asking if it had the correct address for him. Christie said he was yet to receive a response to the numerous emails he had sent to the keto pills company.
When the package finally arrived, he said the ingredients on the bottle listed rice flour, something Christie questioned considering he was on the low-carb diet.
"When you order something online and arrives it usually comes in the packet with an invoice with. This is just in a plastic bag with no invoice, no return address, no nothing."
Christie said he later found out Visa would not pay back the money if the goods were received.
Only if the goods were returned does Christie have a chance, but with no communication and no return address for the supplier, he doesn't hold out much hope.
"It's frustrating and embarrassing ... they could send a piece of paper and get away with it."
A spokeswoman from Christie's bank, TSB, said for a bank to assist a chargeback, Visa required documents from the customer to support the case, such as original proof of purchase, proof of the goods the customer was expecting to receive and proof of what the customer did receive.
There was also the requirement the customer has tried to resolve this directly with the merchant first, she said.
Consumer NZ head researcher Jess Wilson said there should be options when situations like the one faced by Christie arose.
"When you buy goods online with a credit or debit card, and the items aren't what you ordered or are defective, you can apply for a chargeback. You don't have to accept a scarf if you ordered a pair of boots."
Wilson said normally, the matter was disputed with the retailer first.
"However, if that's unsuccessful or the online store has disappeared, you can make a chargeback application.
"If your bank unreasonably rejects your chargeback request, we'd recommend making a complaint to the Banking Ombudsman. It can investigate, and if your complaint is upheld, require the bank to refund you."
Martin Cocker, chief executive of Netsafe. Photo / File
Netsafe chief executive Martin Cocker said consumers should always be hesitant when making purchases online.
"If you make a decision to purchase something, or to hand over your money, then you accept greater liability.
"If somebody takes money from your Visa, or they take money from you, then the bank will accept more liability because they will see that as a failing of the security."
Cocker recommended consumers talk to their banks if they feel they have been unfairly billed or fraudulent, and ensure you check online reviews of the company or product.
"There are a lot of times that people do the right thing, and they still end up being out of pocket. So there's no foolproof technique for avoiding being defrauded online.
"When you are contributing to the reviews, honestly providing your experience, does help other people and make some contribution to the wider community."
Visa and the company Christie bought the pills from have been approached for comment.
