LA Weight Loss Pushing LA Lites via LA to Your Door

Despite the fact that hundreds and maybe thousands of cheated LA Weight Loss customers can’t get the products they prepaid for before their LA Weight Loss Centers closed, it appears LA Weight Loss (or someone licensing their name) is still in business, pushing their LA Lites directly. Read more

LA Weight Loss to Refund Members $200,000

The Oregon Attorney General has issued the following press release:

The Defunct Diet Center Chain and Oregon Franchise Agree to Pay $200,000.

Attorney General John Kroger announced a settlement that will provide up to $200,000 for Oregon consumers who bought services and products from a now-defunct diet center chain.

“Misleading Oregon consumers is not acceptable,” said Attorney General Kroger.

Consumers who believe they are due refunds from LA Weight Loss should contact the Attorney General’s hot line: 877-877-9392 or fill out a refund form on the Oregon Department of Justice’s website: http://www.doj.state.or.us/releases/pdf/lawl.pdf

A 2007 lawsuit by The Oregon Department of Justice alleged that LA Weight Loss and its Oregon franchise owner made false and misleading claims about the program’s costs and fees. The state received 295 complaints about LA Weight Loss centers in Oregon.

The lawsuit named LA Weight Loss Franchise Company, a Pennsylvania-based company, and NWM, Inc., a Lake Oswego-based company.

NWM went out of business two months after DOJ filed suit.

By December 2008, all LA Weight Loss centers in Oregon had closed.

Today, DOJ filed in Marion County Circuit Court a $200,000 settlement with LA Weight Loss Franchise Company and LATO, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of LA Weight Loss Franchise Company. Under the settlement, the companies will also pay additional refunds directly to approximately 100 Oregonians for pre-paid amounts that were unused at the time their center closed in Oregon.

Earlier this year, DOJ reached a settlement with NWM.

Assistant Attorney General Eva H. Novick handled the case with assistance from Senior Assistant Attorneys General Greg Smith and Tim Nord.

Attorney General John Kroger leads the Oregon Department of Justice. The Department’s mission is to fight crime and fraud, protect the environment, improve child welfare, and defend the rights of all Oregonians.

Documents:

Stipulated Partial General Judgement

LA Weight Loss Assurance of Voluntary Compliance

LA WEIGHT LOSS: Scammed in Mooresville, NC

Another sad story of a couple scammed by LA Weight Loss.  They prepaid for 6 months and never received a thing, not their money back:

“In July of 2008, My husband and I joined La Weight Loss at the Mooresville,NC location. We joined knowing that we could not do it if we did not do it together. The next day I found out that I was pregnant. We went to the center and they told us that we had recieved a huge discount and if we ask for the refund and wanted to join again it would be 2-3 times more expensive. So we said that we would pay and do the program after the baby was born (which he was just born March 26). The told my husband to try the program without me and if it did not work (because we kept saying that one of us could not do the program without the other) then he could start again when I started. Well obviously it did not work and we were so excited to start the program May 1st just to find out that the center had closed and there is NO centers opened. The phone numbers on the websites had busy-like sounds when you call.

I never even got anything from them and never got any consultations…..I gave them my money and got NOTHING!!!! How do I get my money back. We did not have the Care card but did set up a 6 month payment plan which is already paid for. Can someone help….do i need to contact an attorney? Thank you for any suggestions. On top of needing this money bad since my husband and I are both out of work with a newborn and another child, I feel scammed.”

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LA Weight Loss to Pay Refunds to New York Members

Here’s the story posted on Fitness Business Pro:

ALBANY, NY — New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced last week that LA Weight Loss Centers Inc. reached a settlement to pay $275,000 in refunds to thousands of New York state customers who paid for but never received services after LA Weight Loss closed its doors in January 2008.

Cuomo’s office has identified more than 100 customers so far who were affected by the closures.

“As more companies fall victim to the harsh economy, they still have an obligation to abide by the law and be forthright with their patrons,” Cuomo said in a statement. “Many New Yorkers who paid for and never received services from LA Weight Loss now have some vindication.”

In January 2008, LA Weight Loss Centers closed all of its 45 centers in New York state, then filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Philadelphia. Cuomo’s office had received several complaints from customers who did not receive a refund from the company or did not have the charges removed from their credit cards for advanced payments.

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LA Weight Loss Took Our Money, Then Closed

Comments and complaints are pouring in from LA Weight Loss customers who are finding themselves without their weight loss program, without the products they paid for, and without a way to get a refund. Vicki Carter wrote: “Hi i know how you all feel as well, i joined LAWL the beginning of oct 08 and then brought a friend with the bring a friend promotion, we were never told that the business was having problems, they took our money talked me into getting a visa card to pay for my bulk bars, and then announced they were closing the office in our area down and that we’d have to go to an office an hour away. then the next week we hear they’ve gone bankrupt, we filled out our refund papers as to date have not heard a damn thing from them… i too am tryoig to understand how a company that charges so much money and had so many offices could have gone bankrupt. i’m wondering if i’ll ever see my $300 odd again, i was lucky enough to have only had like 10 box’s of bulk left and went and got them very quickly…” Have you been burned by LA Weight Loss?  Share your story below.

LA Weight Loss Emails Infuriate Member

“I live in Saint John, NB. When they told me that the center was closing they gave us all an email address to contact. When we contact the email address this is what we got in response:

” Dear Chelsey

Thank you for your note.

We are sorry that our Centre closing has caused you some inconvenience and concern.

We acknowledge receiving your request for a refund. Please note, that should you wish to continue on the L A Weight Loss program, you can do so by taking advantage of our “LA-On-the-Go” program. This program will provide you with weekly one-on-one counselling over the phone and access to our optional products. LA-On-the-Go was designed for clients who could not attend the Centres on a regular basis. Should you wish to reconsider, then kindly contact laonthego@lawlmaritimes.ca or call 902-830-7076.

We are now in the process of getting all the client files from the Centre. As the Centre is closing on Dec. 5, we anticipate receiving the files by no later than Dec. 15. Upon receipt of the files we can then look into your request and establish, what amount, if anything, is owing. In the interim, we ask you to please be patient as we do our best to attend to these issues as quickly as possible.

We thank you for your understanding while we go through this process.

Yours truly,

Customer Service”

Then when I replied again on January 5 and asked when I could expect my refund this is the response that I received:

“We take this opportunity to inform you that LAWL Maritimes Inc., the company that operated the Centre you attended, has been put into receivership by the secured creditors of the Company.

Unfortunately as a result of the receivership, the Company no longer has any capital and is unable to provide any refund. We are sorry but we are unable to process your request.

Customer Service”

NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM NOT VERY HAPPY ABOUT THIS AND I SUPPOSE NOT MANY PEOPLE ARE. HOW CAN THEY DO THIS?” WHAT DO YOU THINK? SHARE A COMMENT BELOW

 

LA WEIGHT LOSS: Owner Blames Franchisor for Closing

“A local weight loss centre has closed its doors without warning, stranding clients who are now wondering if they will ever get their money back.

LA Weight Loss, located in the Dorwin Plaza on Dougall Avenue, was closed Tuesday, informing clients in a note taped to the front door that it will not be reopening.

“Our franchisor has informed us that they are closing their business,” the note read. “That means that we are unable to buy product from our franchisor or get any of the other support … in order to operate our centres.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

“The note also wishes LA Weight Loss clients ‘all the best’ in their efforts to shed unwanted pounds…

“‘I am very upset,’ said Windsor resident Lynn Long, who joined LA Weight Loss in August, forking over $700 for a year of diet and weight-loss ‘coaching.’

“‘I figure I’m out about $400,’ Long said. ‘And I don’t think I’m going to get it back.’

“The note on the door didn’t include any phone numbers to call or information about membership refunds. Long said she has been trying to reach someone through the United States-based LA Weight Loss Centers’ customer service line, with no luck.

“‘I kept getting the message that their mailbox is full,’ Long said.

“According to a customer service representative reached late Tuesday afternoon, the Dougall Avenue centre is owned by an independent franchisor, Michael Schneer.”

Excerpt Source:  The Windsor Star

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Worth reading: LA WEIGHT LOSS

> PURE WEIGHT LOSS INFORMATION CENTER

LA WEIGHT LOSS: All Ottawa Locations Close Abruptly

“All four LA Weight Loss centres in Ottawa abruptly shut down on Monday, apparently without warning to customers or employees.

“According to media reports, local employees weren’t aware of the closures until they arrived at work this week. Customers looking for a refund were encouraged to call LA Weight Loss’s customer service line.

“However, OBJ’s call to that number was directed to a full voice mailbox. The diet program’s website still lists the Ottawa locations as active.

“The franchise, operating under the name LA Weight Loss Franchise Co., has shuttered a number of locations this past month, including all nine in Atlantic Canada and all 10 in Charlotte, N.C….”

Excerpt Source:  Ottawa Business Journal

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Worth reading: LA WEIGHT LOSS

> PURE WEIGHT LOSS INFORMATION CENTER

LA Weight Loss Charlotte Franchisee Sheds Unwanted Members, Employees

According to a story on WCNC, Charlotte, NC LA Weight Loss franchise owner Rick Rex has shed those unwanted customers and employees by abruptly closing his weight loss centers. Last Friday, all 10 Charlotte, NC area LA Weight Loss centers closed without notice.
Employees, some of whom had worked at LA Weight Loss for years, were given no notice, no severance and will be paid through the end of the week they worked.
Some LA weight Loss members have are owed thousands of dollars in products and services. The owner does not return calls, and the Better Business Bureau has been unable to track him down.

LA Weight Loss Centers Close in Charlotte, NC

LA Weight Loss Centers in Charlotte, NC closed abruptly this week, leaving some customers owed hundreds of dollars.

According to the Charlotte Observer:

Tom Bartholomy, president of the Better Business Bureau of the Southern Piedmont, said his office started receiving calls this morning about the closures. The owner of the Charlotte-area centers, which are operated as a franchise, could not immediately be reached.

This morning, a sign posted on the door of the LA Weight Loss Center on Baxter Street near uptown Charlotte read: “Due to the current economic conditions and the notice from our Franchisor that they are ceasing operations we have no choice but to close our Charlotte and surrounding area centers.”

It said the company would contact as many of its clients as possible “to deliver the products owed to you,” and left an email address, customerservice@laweightlossnc.com.

In a recent comment left here, Kelly Clark, who says she is a former employee, reports:

Update on LA Weight Loss NC Franchise The following centers will be closing effective 12/11/08.

Rock Hill, SC
Hickory, NC
Pineville, NC
Mooresville, NC
Gastonia, NC
University, NC
Uptown, NC
Huntersville, NC

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