Ads promising brilliant white teeth may be a bit more polished than people understand. The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be extremely wary of pervasive online ads offering the promise of a whiter, brighter smile. The BBB has received a recent onslaught of complaints from consumers who thought they were signing up for a free trial of teeth whitening products but were repeatedly billed for products and services they didn’t want, according to Niki Horace of the agency’s Western Washington office. Ubiquitous ads for teeth whiteners can be found on popular sites such as FoxNews.com, CNN.com and ABCNews.com. Horace says the ads typically link consumers to phony blogs and fake news sites that are designed to look like impartial third party endorsements of the products. The phony endorsements then direct the consumer to a main Web site that claims the product sold is “As seen on” ABC, Forbes.com, CBS News, CNN, and USA Today—and includes the logos of these news outlets. “From the complaints we’ve received, it’s obvious that many consumers are unfortunately letting their trust in respected news outlets influence their level of trust in the products being advertised on their Web sites,” said Robert W.G. Andrew, CEO of Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon, and Western Washington. “While it may be true that advertisements for the teeth whiteners were placed on major news Web sites, reporters for USA Today or CNN did not write stories about the efficacy of the specific products being sold.” The countless Web sites for various teeth whitening products claim to offer a no-risk, money back guarantee, free trial of the product. To sign up, customers must provide a credit or debit card number to cover shipping. The BBB says it has received complaints stating people are being billed before their trial ends and continue to be billed after they have told the company they want to cancel. Complainants also may find mystery charges for other companies and services that they didn’t realize they were signing up for with their “free” trial. The BBB has identified several companies that are behind the teeth whitening ads and Web sites online including: Dazzle White, White Smile, Teeth Smile and Dazzle Smile – The BBB serving Edmonton has received 450 complaints in the last 12 months from consumers in 47 states, five Canadian provinces, and the United Kingdom, about Dazzle White, White Smile, Teeth Smile and Dazzle Smile. Complainants report being billed as much as $79 for the free trial and are charged for several other services—such as a weight loss program. Ivory White – The BBB serving Denver has received 611 complaints from consumers in 46 states. Complainants say they were charged as much as $78 a month for their free trial. Other related companies include Ortho White and Bella Brite which are mounting complaints as well. All three companies have been asked to add more disclosure to their Web sites regarding the free trial offer. The BBB has not yet received a response to these requests. Advanced Wellness Research – The BBB serving West Palm Beach has received thousands of complaints from consumers regarding Advanced Wellness Research’s acai berry supplements and has begun to receive complaints from consumers about their teeth whiteners sold under the names of Max White, My Whitening, Gleaming White Smile and many others. BBB offers the following advice to consumers on purchasing teeth whitening products online:
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