{"id":644,"date":"2015-10-01T15:13:03","date_gmt":"2015-10-01T15:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ftcguardian.com\/articles\/?p=644"},"modified":"2017-03-17T06:02:07","modified_gmt":"2017-03-17T06:02:07","slug":"ftc-sues-weight-loss-company-for-online-gag-clause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ftcguardian.com\/articles\/ftc-sues-weight-loss-company-for-online-gag-clause\/","title":{"rendered":"FTC sues weight-loss company for online ‘gag clause’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FTC sues weight-loss company for online ‘gag clause'<\/h1>\n

Roca Labs is in BIG trouble. Not only\u00a0are they being charged with deceptive advertising, but the FTC is accusing them of imposing consumer gag orders!<\/p>\n

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is suing a weight loss powder company over multiple allegations of unfair and deceptive practices, including attempts to bar customers from posting negative reviews online.<\/p>\n

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The allegations<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0against Roca Labs and its affiliates were made Monday in a federal court in Florida. In addition to the so-called gag clause, the FTC also alleges the company made false and unsubstantiated claims about the effectiveness of the product.<\/p>\n

The commission also alleges the company failed to disclose that some positive reviews were made by people who received discounts. The company is also facing allegations that it violated customer privacy by disclosing some health information to banks and payment processors.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only did they make false or unsubstantiated weight-loss claims, they also attempted to intimidate their own customers from sharing truthful \u2013 and truly negative \u2013 reviews of their products,\u201d the FTC\u2019s consumer protection head, Jessica Rich said.<\/p>\n

The FTC said the company had made $20 million in sales since 2010.<\/p>\n

Versions of the weight loss company\u2019s terms of purchase in question Monday said that \u201cregardless of your personal experience with RL, you will not disparage RL and\/or any of its employees, products or services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Violating those terms allowed the company to waive any discounts and authorized it to \u201cseek all legal remedies\u201d to get the negative review retracted or removed.<\/p>\n

The FTC alleges those terms violate the commission\u2019s rules against \u201cunfair acts or practices\u201d because they were likely \u201cto cause substantial injury to consumers that is not reasonably avoidable by consumers and that is not outweighed by countervailing benefits to consumers or competition.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

via FTC sues weight-loss company for online ‘gag clause'<\/a><\/p>\n

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