anybody ever order a face cream for 5 bucks and it auto renews for $90 and it has no phone#

[MattP]

my mom saw dr Oz and saw some skin cream and thought some skin cream looked great and scam alert!!!! no phone # to cancel and trying to deal with the credit card company to cancel a auto renew is a pain Dr Oz you suck!!!

[MADem]

1. Dr. Oz repeatedly says he doesn't put his name on, or sell, anything. nt

[MADem]

6. If you have ever watched his show, he puts that disclaimer at the end.

He tells his viewers, straight up, that if anyone is trying to sell them stuff using his name, that they are being scammed.

[MADem]

12. Caveat emptor.

If someone says that "Dr. Oz tells you to buy this," based on his comment that he does not endorse ANYTHING that he delivers at the end of his show, I make the reasoned assumption that the seller is a big fat liar.

[MADem]

14. Anyone who regards the Dr. Oz show as anything more than a pop-infotainment

health program, like a specialized Ellen show, should re-adjust their priorities. He sells "health news" like TMZ sells gossip. It it what it is.

Further, if they like and trust the guy so much, and value his counsel, his viewers should also TRUST him when he says he does NOT endorse products and anyone who claims that he does is a big honking liar. He says this at the end of EVERY show--surely it should sink in, eventually.

I don't know how he can make it any clearer.

As I said, caveat emptor.

[MADem]

16. No, the OP's "mom" got taken.

Are you seriously trying to claim that the advertising cash that a network (not a celebrity, himself/herself) or a syndicator rakes in is the responsibility of the featured performer of a show?

Should we hold the cast of "The Middle" accountable for any cancers that Johnson's Baby Powder caused, because the ad aired during their show?

Come on. There comes a point in time where consumers have to educate themselves. And people who are young and middle-aged need to help those of us who are older who might lack sophistication when it comes to scam artists--but blaming a celebrity who specifically SAYS he does not endorse products, instead of blaming the person mis-appropriating the celebrity's name and fame? That's just not on.

[MADem]

21. I am familiar with his testimony, and that, if anything, should increase the

whole "caveat emptor" vibe around the guy.

There comes a point in time where consumers have to use their own judgment. This woman paid ninety bucks for a lesson in doing product research before making a purchase.

If, after Oz took crap from Congress (and if you recall, he told Congress repeatedly that he does not endorse products), and he repeats on every show that if you see his name or face on a product, you are being scammed, then consumers should start to develop a little situational awareness. How many times does a person have to be told "Don't touch that hot stove" after being burned?

Oz is not paid by "sponsors"--no "snake oil sellers" do any "sponsoring" of his show. His production company produces the show, and they, and the cable companies that carry him, as well as the OTA carriers who also carry him in syndication, sell ad slots to ad buyers, and many of these buys are "regional" and "local"--ad buyers do not -- as they did in the old days -- "own" a show or control content (Lucky Strike presents...for example). Shows haven't been "sponsored" in decades--that's an artifact of the fifties and sixties. That's why you'll see an ad for a tractor company in Nebraska in the same slot where you see an ad for an ambulance-chasing lawyer in New Hampshire. When product placement happens, it's identified (e.g. The View and their ABC-Disney parent company affiliation, or JEOPARDY! and their huge list of products in the credits at the end).


The man is an ENTERTAINER. That's why he has a little daytime show for stay-at-home or shiftworking adults with a cooing, cheering, clapping audience. His show covers "pop health" trends. It shouldn't take more than ten minutes of watching to figure that out--the way he dumbs down topics with giant, childish displays ("This is your liver" -- as he drags out a giant red sponge, e.g.) makes it entirely clear that he's not talking from a position of scholarship. People expecting scholarship should look elsewhere, not "daytime television" shows about pop topics.

[MADem]

23. We're going in circles at this point.

I maintain that he's an entertainer on his program. People can do more than one thing, you know. He still operates on patients, and he has his show, and he has his faculty appointment. Getting angry at him is an ineffectual way to avoid getting angry at oneself for not doing the homework. People will get scammed if they WANT to believe, and if they aren't paying attention.


He's not the first person to do more than one thing as part of a career, and he won't be the last. We have US legislators who also write novels and own private businesses, for example.

Caveat emptor. The money you save may be your own.

[MADem]

25. That's a different issue. Oz is an entertainer who tells his audience that

if anyone is selling something using his NAME or his FACE they are charlatans, liars and thieves.

If anyone chooses to not believe him when he comes right out and says that, five times a week, that's their problem and their issue.

Caveat emptor.

The fact that Lily or Pfizer sends your 'doc on a cruise' is entirely a different matter and convoluting the two issues is a non-starter. Does your 'doc' tell you this while prescribing medications? If not, maybe you need a better doc--one that acknowledges a relationship, or, as in the case of Oz, explicitly repudiates one.

[tonyt53]

3. The credit card company has to respect the wishes of the cardholder in these matters.

There is usually a phone number or other contact information of the vendor on the credit card statement.

[MattP]

31. The phone number on the citi charge was disconnected

[Nye Bevan]

4. I use Citi "virtual credit card numbers" for things like that.

You can generate a one-off temporary credit card number for an existing credit card. You can specify the credit limit and number of months to expiration and then use the virtual number instead of the real number for an online or phone purchase. You can then close out the virtual number at any time so it cannot be used again. Great for free trials which autorenew on a certain date (so you don't have to remember to cancel) and also scammy retailers who you don't want to give your real card number to.

[DanTex]

5. I never heard of that, but it's a great idea, for a lot of reasons.

Wonder if Chase does that. Thanks for the tip.

[Nye Bevan]

18. Chase I believe does not.

AFAIK it's only Citi ("Virtual Account Numbers&quot and Bank of America ("Shopsafe&quot . It really is a great feature.

[DanTex]

19. Yeah I just checked, they don't. Too bad.

[lindysalsagal]

7. Cancel the card, entirely.

They'll send you a new one. Trust me on this.

[Egnever]

11. This works

I do it every couple of years just so I have to take another look at the auto pays that are set up. It is far too easy to forget something being paid monthly and many have billing names that you can't make sense of.

[pinboy3niner]

10. Not again, that's for sure!

As if any "miracle" face cream is going to improve my looks. Talk about a lost cause!

[Hekate]

20. If the card is affiliated with a bank (ie Chase Visa) go to the bank in person...

....and talk it over with a manager in person. Take the card and any paperwork. Be nice. Explain the problem. Tell him/her you want auto renewal stopped immediately.

I did that, and I don't even have a checking account with Chase, just 3 Visa cards that have been bought and sold so many times they all ended up with Chase.

The young man who worked with me was very courteous. He placed calls to his corporate masters and afaik they took it from there. He worked at his computer. Not only did he make it stop, he went further and produced a refund. I was very grateful, let me tell you.

I hope you can work this out in similar fashion.

[jberryhill]

26. cancel the card

Call in a lost card.

Boom. Done.

You can cancel a card which isn't yours.

"Hi, I found this credit card and wanted to call to say that whoever had it lost it."

[Mike Nelson]

27. You must...

..cancel the card and get a new number. Oz can drag it out for a few months pay, or restart. My aunt had a problem like this... the way to do it is cancel the card. They may have a "click" from your mom agreeing to monthly charges. The scam company has your number and can do whatever they want. You must get a new card/number.

[Warpy]

28. Lots of scams like that have been around forever

You can notify your state's Attorney General's office, there is usually an ombudsman for consumer affairs. You can alert the BBB at the scammer's business location. You can write your Congressman and you can write the network and complain about that idiot Dr. Oz advertising scams.

Assholes like that prey on kids and older folks. You've really got to watch your food stamps around "introductory offers."

However, you can start to make life a lot harder for them by writing and filling out a few forms online.

[riversedge]

29. Get in touch with your Better Business Bureau in your area. Or call our state Attorney General.

They will know what scams are in focus or what to do.

[cally]

30. My credit card cancelled an auto pay when I asked them to

I just disputed the charge which put a hold on it. Might want to change credit card companies. Mine was not related to Dr. Oz

I also routinely report my cards lost and get new numbers. I don't like knowing that every business I've used it at could possibly retain my number.

[MattP]

32. I cancelled her card with her and they sent her a new one thank you

By the way the phone number on the citi charge was disconnected