Another scam warning.
I got this email yesterday:
i tried acnexus, it made my face worse, i cant figure out how to get my money back or contact them. have people complained to you about them before?
I had never heard of Acnexus before, so I decided to look into it.
What I found smells the like the biggest scam of the millennia to me.
After a little digging I found that Acnexus is marketed by an obscure company in Utah called Garrett Devore Labs or GD Labs.
Little more digging revealed that this is a really ‘diverse’ company. It seems they market
- Weightloss pills
- Acne products
- Wrinkle creams
- Anti-aging products
If that product range doesn’t get your alarms going then I don’t know what will.
First Better Business Bureau has an unsatisfactory rating with Garrett Devore Labs with many unanswered and unresolved complaint. The BBB report also has address and phone number (in case you need them).
http://utah.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=139&bbb=1166&firm=22213772
Second there are at least two very pissed complaints at RipOff Report.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff146848.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/245/RipOff0245808.htm
The whole operation seems a little dodgy. From what I’ve read it seems that Acnexus arrives in a plain package with no:
- Invoice
- Brochure
- Promotional material
You simply get the bottles and nothing else. The labels on the bottles also had obvious spelling errors, which now have been corrected.
The company claims Acnexus has been a big hit in Europe and is just entering the US market. Funny enough, I live in Europe and haven’t heard anything about them. And Google search reveals absolutely nothing about Acnexus in Europe.
Next the lifetime money-back guarantee might not be as solid as advertised. As this poster at acne.org forum found out.
I got it from the acnexus website. I e-mailed them about getting my money back and they said that because of rock bottom pricing, the lifetime money back guarantee is no longer in effect. So for all of you who ordered this product from their website thinking you were gonna get your money back like I did, think again!!
Here’s another post at the same forum:
My concerns were with the seller’s false claims so there seems to be something wrong with all this. For that reason, I wouldn’t trust what is in the bottle. In fact, only God knows what’s in it! I purchase allot on the net and I have never been more skeptic of a product before. Many other people on this board saw weird things with it: product shipped from Utah (not Europe), stamps on the box (major companies don’t use stamps), no invoice, no “thank you” note, spelling mistakes on bottle, incomplete instructions to use product, no ways to reach seller by phone (you can only live messages and hope to be called back), and so on. There is not even a return policy on acnexus.com “because of bargain price of 50% offered” but the product always sales at 50% (???).
If you are interested there’s a long Acnexus thread at acne.org forums.
As many posters on that thread pointed out it seems the people behind Garrett Devore Labs post fake reviews of their products on different review sites.
I can’t say for sure, but it seems to me that at least these sites are associated with GD Labs:
- http://www.pricesexposed.com/
- http://www.acnecuresrevealed.net/
- http://www.sybervision.com/reviews/reviews.php
The glowing reviews on those sites are so obviously fakes that my computer probably reeks of scam a full week after visiting those sites. So consider yourself warned before entering.
They also peddle their wares at Ebay with many angry customers complaining about them.
Based on my research it seems to be that GD Labs is behind at least these acne products:
- Bruunhause
- Asso Bar (supposedly contains gold)
- Oxycerin
- Orovo
- Acnetin
- Zyporex
- On The Spot
- Juliets 3 Step Acne Solution
- Biodermazen
- Lipovox
The websites for all those products are both dubious and alarmingly similar.
My guess is they just formulate (cook up) one product after another, invent exotic sounding name for it and put up a website to market it.
Based on everything I’ve seen I wouldn’t trust GD Labs even with a rusty old penny. If you’ve been scammed and can’t get a refund file a chargeback with your credit card company.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 5:35 pm
[…] Acnexus - smells like a scam […]
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:56 am
It’s really sad to know how scam merchants can rip off the desperate & the vulnerable without shame. If anything let this be a lesson learnt that
1) when something appears too good to be true, it usually is.
2) NEVER fall victim to yr anxiety & emotions; listen to yr instincts carfeully- they don’t exist for nothing.
3) Acne is a chronic problem not something to be rid off in just 2weeks- this may be particulary difficult to swallow for some, and to be honest I was crushed by this realization as well.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
That’s exactly what makes acne such a lucrative market for these scam artists.
When people are in pain (emotional or physical) they want to believe these promises of quick and easy fixes. They are very seductive.
For many it takes 10 or more years of this merry-go-round before they can say no to these scams.
The fact that acne is a chronic problem is not necessarily a bad thing. Sure it takes a bit more work than slaughtering bacteria, but think of it like this.
Since it’s a chronic problem you only need to deal with it once. Once you’ve corrected the problem acne never comes back. Whereas if it were caused by bacteria you would have to fight it for the rest of your life.
I can’t tell how many emails I’ve got from Clear for Life customers who say now they are happy they had acne. Because if they wouldn’t have changed their lives (because of acne) they would have ended up with cancer or other serious issues later.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:22 am
A whole new perspective…thanks Seppo. Indeed its a very humbling experience. =)
July 27th, 2008 at 6:27 am
Thanks for this- I was looking into buying either Acnexus or Zyporex and I’m glad I researched them both before buying….. thank you.
August 6th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I agree Acnexus and Bruunhause are the same company. Both websites are GoDaddy sites and the shopping carts are linked. Try ordering from Brunnhause, then open another window and order from Acnexus. Both items show up in the same shopping cart. What a bunch of rippoffs.
August 22nd, 2008 at 4:23 am
ugh, this is so depressing, i hate acne, i can honestly say that if i had amazing clear skin i WOULD be happy.
Theres is just no shortcut, if any cut at all. Thanks for the research, im glad i googled some more before getting on this scamwagon…
September 27th, 2008 at 6:08 am
Is there no hope for us acne sufferers? i spent all night researching acne products and felt “saved” when i heard of acnexus. Thank god i researched just a little bit more, otherwise i would have been a sucker for the product. Thanks a bunch.
September 27th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Nikki, yes there is hope. You just have to stop looking for quick fixes. You won’t permanently cure your acne with external treatments.
Lotions and creams are like weightloss pills for acne victims. New ones keep popping up all the time and people always fall for them; hoping that the next cream or pill would solve their problems.
As long as you look for a quick fix you’ll leave yourself open for scams. Once you realize that acne is an internal problem and that it cannot be solved with pills, creams or lotions nobody can scam you anymore.
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:38 am
[…] discover that the same beloved characters that brought us such heart warming scams as Acnetix and Acnexus are also behind the 7 Day Acne Detox miracle. Namely the colorful characters at Garrett DeVore […]
December 11th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Wow! GD Labs sucks…