Weight loss clinics close

"You're down a pound and a quarter. Yeah!!" Those words of joy are an example of what hundreds of people in Hampton Roads were looking for when they joined Weight Loss Forever.

[Melanie]

I too was scammed by weight loss forever in colonial heights va & its the same corporation in VA beach. i went in on 11/11/08 and got weighed and told 'I'll see you tomorrow" but i could not make it wed. so i went up there Thur., that's when i saw the sign on the do. i felt like crying when i seen it. i thought maybe it was a bad dream. i signed up in September and spent about $2700.00. i was fortunate to have used Care Credit, because i called them Thursday night and told them about what happened and they already knew and they are sending me a dispute form to fill out and send back so i can get some of my money back.Whatever people can do to get back at Beverly turner do it! because she is living off the misery of tons of people right now, including my own!

[Katrina]

Add me to the list of left high and dry. Although i have benefited greatly from the program. I have lost 37 lbs, I still had about 5 months to go that I had prepaid for. I saw the comment about one person using care credit. I had used them too so I will call and see what they can help me with. I would be interested in just getting the product i paid for. I think it's most important that all of us that had commited to losing don't stop. If your at all like me i tend to be an emotional eater, lets not let a couple of losers bring us down, hang in there, you are not alone in this. God bless!

[Lauren Ezzell]

My mother worked for Weight Loss Forever and not only were the clients shut out but also the employees! They found out that the clinics were closing down just as the clients did. I was surprised that wasn't mentioned in the report. My mother just lost her home and now her job. They finally heard from someone on Friday and were given their paychecks after word that channel 10 was doing this story. Also my mother told me that if you did Care Credit, you should be okay. The others that paid upfront, I'm not sure if they'll ever get their money back unless there is a lawsuit.

[WLF EMPLOYEE]

WE WERE CONTACTED BY PHONE BY THE OWNERS SO WE WOULD NOT REPORT TO WORK AND WERE TOLD WE WOULD GET OUR PAYCECK ON OUR REGULAR SCHEDULED PAYDAY. WE WERE NOTIFIED HOW TO PICK THEM UP ON FRIDAY. THE OWNERS WERE PRESENT TO MEET WITH US AND WAS ABLE TO MEET WITH 2 EMPLOYEES AND THEN ASK TO LEAVE. THE COPORATE EMPLOYEE LIMDA REMAINED THERE TO PAY ALL OF US. THE TV 10 STORY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH US GETTING OUR CHECKS! THIS SITUATION IS ALREADY SAD AND UNFORTUNATE WITOUT HAVING OTHERS ADD UNTRUTHS TO THE STORY! I SPOKE WITH THE OWNERS YESTERDAY AND WAS TOLD THEY HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY WAVY 10 HOWEVER WAS CONTACTED AND MET WITH THE VA PILOT AND GAVE ALL ANSWERS TO THEM AS THEY WERE ASKED. I ASSURE YOU THIS WAS NOT BY CHOICE IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN PREVEVTED WITHOUT AFFECTING MORE OF US. THE SITUATION IS INFORTUNATE ENOUGH WITHOUT CREATING UNTRUTHS

[Jane]

I was a client at the Glen Allen location. I signed
on in September, paid in full for a year's diet/maintenance program. My diet was going well
and I had lost several pounds. I was out of town
all of last week. When I went for weigh in on Monday, I found the place locked and obviously emptied out. I wasn't that surprised. Last month
the shelves remained totally empty of inventory for days. I questioned then if they were in financial trouble and if so how I could recoup my money should the place go under. Obviously I was given a lot of b.s. I'll be fine. However, I think it's
pretty damn crappy these people were continually taking in new customers and their money up to the very end. Bankruptcy could probably been avoided if it were not for someone's excessive greed.

[Lauren Ezzell]

In response to the anonymous employee, I have no need to spread any untruths. That's nice that you were given a heads up, however that was not the case with all of the employees. I know for a fact that my mother was not contacted and every number she called went unanswered or was out of service, and another woman showed up for work to find the clinics had been closed and stripped over night with no notice. I have no need to make these things up, and furthermore you're right, this business is looking bad enough all on it's own, however I will say what is true and clearly you don't know all of it. It took from last Saturday up until Friday for them to come forward and pay them. Clearly this business was being run into the ground, whether it was by choice or not. Way to stick up for a company who shafted their employees and clients so abruptly, even though they had to see this coming!

[Melanie]

well,i feel like the employees had no idea what was going on in till it happened but,they are sitting in the same boat as us consumer.Unfortunately, all the holidays are coming up and they don't have a job. But this happened all over the state of Virginia and thousands of people are hurting from this! i tried calling my local news channel to get some media shined on this but was told that to many businesses are going under like this and they could not pin point one business. i feel like that's not good enough for all of us!! there should be something more that can be done!

[PAM]

I am also a client at Weight Loss Forever in Yorktown. They closed down with no warning. They owe me money too. This is very frustrating and unfair.

[real employee scoop]

WLF EMPLOYEE wrote:

WE WERE CONTACTED BY PHONE BY THE OWNERS SO WE WOULD NOT REPORT TO WORK AND WERE TOLD WE WOULD GET OUR PAYCECK ON OUR REGULAR SCHEDULED PAYDAY. WE WERE NOTIFIED HOW TO PICK THEM UP ON FRIDAY. THE OWNERS WERE PRESENT TO MEET WITH US AND WAS ABLE TO MEET WITH 2 EMPLOYEES AND THEN ASK TO LEAVE. THE COPORATE EMPLOYEE LIMDA REMAINED THERE TO PAY ALL OF US. THE TV 10 STORY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH US GETTING OUR CHECKS! THIS SITUATION IS ALREADY SAD AND UNFORTUNATE WITOUT HAVING OTHERS ADD UNTRUTHS TO THE STORY! I SPOKE WITH THE OWNERS YESTERDAY AND WAS TOLD THEY HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY WAVY 10 HOWEVER WAS CONTACTED AND MET WITH THE VA PILOT AND GAVE ALL ANSWERS TO THEM AS THEY WERE ASKED. I ASSURE YOU THIS WAS NOT BY CHOICE IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN PREVEVTED WITHOUT AFFECTING MORE OF US. THE SITUATION IS INFORTUNATE ENOUGH WITHOUT CREATING UNTRUTHS

Not sure where YOU worked, but the Va Beach clinic (MS Turner's)was cleaned out after hours and neither the employees nor clients were given advanced notice. What a Coward's way out!

[real employee scoop]

Not sure where YOU worked, but the Va Beach clinic (MS Turner's)was cleaned out after hours and neither the employees nor clients were given advanced notice. What a Coward's way out!

[Melanie]

real employee scoop wrote:

Not sure where YOU worked, but the Va Beach clinic (MS Turner's)was cleaned out after hours and neither the employees nor clients were given advanced notice. What a Coward's way out!

The Colonial Height Va one closed its doors with no warning to its employees too. i spoke to one of them today that i knew that use to work at my son's school. she said she went there and saw the sign just like the rest of us! its really sad because i miss my support group badly! hopefully someone else will take over and create a similar place. but i wont ever spend that kind of money again!

[beach weight loss]

Anyone who struggles with weight loss knows this is a tragedy. As a person who has been over weight and a weight loss forever employee my heart goes out to you. Over a year ago I left weight loss forever to help others and now I am the owner of Beach Weight Loss. We are not affiliated with weight loss forever and our goal is to help others achieve their weight loss. We would like to offer free weight loss services, stabalization, and maintenance to all former weight loss forever clients to help you continue in your weight loss goals. To help through this tragedy you can contact the owner at Beach Weight Loss.

[Karen]

Its unfortunate that this happend to so many of you, customers and employees. We all have been dupped by one or more companies, whether it be car manufacturers, mortgage companies and credit card companies, due to greed. I was fortunate to join a reputable and reliable weight loss business. A few months ago I joined Beach Weight Loss and lost over 50 pounds. If it wasn't for the ladies that work there and their passion to help me loss the weight before the return of my husband from Iraq, I would be at a no loss. I would be back to being unhappy. It is saddening that there are companies out there that scam the people that put their trust in them, but that is the price we pay for faith and trust in others and just hope that karma does its magic.

[Melanie]

beach weight loss wrote:

Anyone who struggles with weight loss knows this is a tragedy. As a person who has been over weight and a weight loss forever employee my heart goes out to you. Over a year ago I left weight loss forever to help others and now I am the owner of Beach Weight Loss. We are not affiliated with weight loss forever and our goal is to help others achieve their weight loss. We would like to offer free weight loss services, stabalization, and maintenance to all former weight loss forever clients to help you continue in your weight loss goals. To help through this tragedy you can contact the owner at Beach Weight Loss.

I wish there was one closers to me, im near the Petersburg/Richmond area, any ideas?

[Cynthia]

I joined the Western Branch clinc in Cheapeake in May 2008, and I had lost 45 pounds before the clinic closed. I was happy with my results, but I did noticed lately that they were always low or either out of the products I needed. I had complainted on several times to no avail. At my last visit, I insisted on getting one of every product that was on the shelf before they ran out of them also. I am glad that I did or I would have been out of everything by now. I also called Care Credit and was told that I would be sent a dispute form. I intend to complete the form as soon as I get it because my program costed me almost $4,000. Hopefully, I will be compensated because I had just paid the balance last month because I did not like having to pay the extra monthly finance charge. When I signed up, I was told that there would be no finace charge for the first year, but oh, was I fooled? So let's all hang in there and do what we can as a group to stop these two thieves before they open up under another new name.

[PUBLIC NOTICE]

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL AFFECTED: WEIGHT LOSS FOREVER CLIENTS

It was recently discovered that Weight Loss Forever had suddenly closed their doors and ceased operations.

PHYSICIANS WEIGHT LOSS CENTERS OF AMERICA, INC. and its participating locations have agreed to accept all current and former clients of the company listed above*. PHYSICIANS WEIGHT LOSS CENTERS OF AMERICA, INC. will honor the unexpired weight loss portion of your current program and provide assistance to those clients for whom their program has expired. The Health Management Group and its affiliates have been providing obesity management for nearly 35 years.
If you are a current or former client of Weight Loss Forever you are directed to contact:

Physicians WEIGHT LOSS Centers
757.549.PWLC

*A Physician’s Exam Fee may apply

[PWLC]

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL AFFECTED WEIGHT LOSS FOREVER CLIENTS

It was recently discovered that Weight Loss Forever had suddenly closed their doors and ceased operations.

PHYSICIANS WEIGHT LOSS CENTERS OF AMERICA, INC. and its participating locations have agreed to accept all current and former clients of the company listed above*. PHYSICIANS WEIGHT LOSS CENTERS OF AMERICA, INC. will honor the unexpired weight loss portion of your current program and provide assistance to those clients for whom their program has expired. The Health Management Group and its affiliates have been providing obesity management for nearly 35 years.

If you are a current or former client of Weight Loss Forever you are directed to contact:

Physicians WEIGHT LOSS Centers
757.549.PWLC

*A Physician’s Exam Fee may apply

[Jamie]

This story is very sad for everyone involved, including the owners. Those of you who advocate doing whatever you can do to "get back" at someone should be careful. No one knows what may be going on in the lives of other people, what causes such a drastic decision. I'm sure the owners did not make this decision lightly, they did not run off to "live off" of anybody's misery. Who would set themselves up for this kind of situation by choice? It sounds like the company was in trouble for a while and I'm sure it takes quite a bit of money to keep the doors open. Everyone is a loser in this situation. If your a believer in karma you should know that by wishing "bad karma" on others you've already affected your own!

[whatever]

Jamie wrote:

This story is very sad for everyone involved, including the owners. Those of you who advocate doing whatever you can do to "get back" at someone should be careful. No one knows what may be going on in the lives of other people, what causes such a drastic decision. I'm sure the owners did not make this decision lightly, they did not run off to "live off" of anybody's misery. Who would set themselves up for this kind of situation by choice? It sounds like the company was in trouble for a while and I'm sure it takes quite a bit of money to keep the doors open. Everyone is a loser in this situation. If your a believer in karma you should know that by wishing "bad karma" on others you've already affected your own!

Well i guess they should have thought about that long before! and yes karma does come back to them probably enough and You must not be in our situation to know how we feel, and nobodys wishing death upon anyone here we are just upset!Oh, and they didnt have a problem taking my 2000.00 11/10/08 a day before they closed!! Ill be the judge of my problem!

[employee wlf]

WE GOT PAID ON OUR REGULAR PAYDAY WHATS THE PROBLEM WITH THAT!!!!!!!!!!