How To Avoid Surprise Diet Program Fees

Sad but true, not all weight loss programs are created equal. Some weight loss services have hidden charges and they fail to clearly disclose to consumers just exactly what they are required to pay for. In cooperation with the Federal Trade Commission and The Partnership for Healthy Weight Management, some providers, like Jenny Craig, are following voluntary guidelines that are very consumer friendly. First of all, you can contact them for a free consultation.

Now, whether you choose a program they offer or another program, consumers should look for the following business practices when shopping around for the sake of protecting your wallet:
weight loss providers that have consumers make payments in the future or that collect non refundable payments in advance should make all disclosures in a single document;
disclosures should be given to all prospective clients or patients on their first visit to the center and prior to any purchase;
pay as you go programs that collect refundable payments should also include all disclosures covered by these guidelines in a single document;
posted disclosures should be located in an easy to see area where consumers are first entering the room which is staffed by customer service representatives.

Disclosures, like those from Jenny Craig, should provide information about program costs including:
(1) total program costs: including all fixed costs like administrative fees, entry fees, renewal fees, that can impact your overall cost for the entire program over the period of time that you are subscribing to;
(2) periodic costs: such as any weekly attendance fees or any mandatory food purchases and food purchases should be expressed as either an average approximate costs or as a high to low range of estimated costs per scheduled payment unit or per week;
(3) optional costs: such as any fees that will be charged for reentering the program or any fees for a number of optional maintenance programs that a customer could elect down the line;
(4) discretionary costs: such as medical tests, for example, which are quite often advisable before entering a diet restriction or weight loss program.

We always are encouraging our readers to do their due diligence by engaging in comparison shopping activities for weight loss programs. This will generally help potential users of a weight loss progrm to determine which actual program from which company is the right financial fit so that you can fit into that new size label.