Realwomen.co.nz

Hi

I joined Sureslim in February and found it hard work with the 5 hours and lack of carbs, I have coeliac disease so the only carbs I was allowed was 3 corn crispbreads a day. I was feeling really tired all the time but each time I asked my consultant about having gluten free bread instead was told I wasn't allowed. I don't know how trained my consultant was as she had just done the diet herself a year or so ago and hadn't yet reached goal! I felt I had to keep going and stick to it as best I could as I had paid $990 up front.

I heard from head office a couple of weeks ago to say my Sureslim branch in Henderson had closed and I couldn't visit another branch. I thought this was very strange and unhelpful so sent an email enquiry to the Newmarket branch, there was no central address to send it to. I asked for my money back and spoke to the head office again, and they said the first they knew was when the phone had been cut off and their franchise manager was going out to investigate. The head office told me they were going to open a new branch and I should hold tight, I have not heard from them again in nearly two weeks.

I have done a disputed payment query with my credit card company in the hopes of getting my money refunded.. After searching for information on Sureslim I found your Real Women website and see from old threads going back years that this sort of thing has happened before, I wish I had investigated a bit more earlier. I would say be extremely wary of Sureslim. I would like to hear if anyone else has had any problems recently.

I am sorry you have had this experience, but not surprised. As you have now found, there have been other people like you, scorched in this way, both in Australia and now NZ as these franchises fail . Although these clinics are all part of a franchising operation, I personally think that the Head office owes better support than you have been given. If the registered rights to Sureslim in NZ is held by someone in
Newmarket, regardless of which clinic you handed your money too, there has to be some support due to you from them.
After all you can bet your sweet bibby as one of our members would say, that a good sized chunk of the $900 you had to pay upfront went to the HO in Newmarket. I would contact the Consumer Affairs people and ask them what the lay of the law is when you are caught up in this situation. What about Fair Go.. the threat of having a bit of adverse publicity on Fair Go might work in your favour too. The fact that they charge such exhorbitant fees for a plan that is doomed to failure as most of these restrictive diets are, would not be something they would want publicized before they had an opportunity to do their slick sales spiel on anyone, anyway.
They like to hook you into the idea of it before they put the nips into your wallet usually. Having the cost spread all over the screen in a TV programme is not exactly the sort of advertising that would make for ' interested ' contacts would it ? Worth a shot anyway clg.

There is a branch at New Lynn too - above the West pac bank in Great North Road. May you could sound them out as well. Some of these Franchisees have more than one Branch or it is possible that you might get some info from them regarding their 'failed competitor' in Henderson or if there is any truth that there is a new one going to be opened in HSN. They will know things that may be helpful to you seeing as they are so close and in a way competing for the same dollars from the same catchment . Anyway I wish you luck. No one likes being taken for a ride

So sorry to learn of yet another rip-off. What has the Commerce Commission told you?

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This discussion was very timely as one of my daughters phoned tonight to say that her doctor has told her to lose some weight and she was going to sign up with Sureslim and I read this out to her over the phone and she has been disuaded from joining up.
I am very sorry you have had this awful experience and hope there will be a good outcome for you. Someone has to be accountable so please don't let the matter rest.
I don't believe these sorts of diet help anyone. I have regained lost weight because I took my eye off the ball and went back to old bad habits and will always maintain that the only way to keep it off is to balance input and output.

QUOTE:
I have coeliac disease so the only carbs

I am wondering if you wouldn't be better off consulting with a dietician, perhaps you could get an appointment to see one at your hospital and perhaps they could recommend a suitable diet for you. There is a lot of information available on the internet also if you type your subject into Google search.
I used to belong to a Kilo club which promoted healthy eating, good diet suggestions, recipe swaps etc and I lost 7 stone. ( approx 44 kgs) and maintained this for many years until I had a series of strokes and ill health and don't have the ability to fight more than one battle at a time. I don't know if they are still around but calorie counting worked for me. NOW lets see if it can work again.

Thanks for your feedback, the New Lynn clinic was also owned by the same lady who owned the Henderson one and that was the first clinic I joined up, they closed back in March/April and I transferred to Henderson, so looking back she must have had financial problems a while ago. I am unable to get money back through the credit card company as it has passed the 120 day cut off so I will pursue matters with the head office and try fair go. I am doing weight watchers at home, as I have had all the information for years so will just have to stick to it for longer this time as I need to lose weight for health reasons. Take care everyone.

FYI: Palmerston North, Wellington City and Lower Hutt clinics have also close.

Rather frustrating when you sign up, pay your money and an appointment is made the following week... then you show up only to find the office is closed and gutted. Head Office claim they know nothing and can not do anything for 15 working days... Something is obviously going wrong somewhere. When I rang Wellington Clinic I was told that the Head Office might be opening again (???), but Wellington and Lower Hutt are definitely closed.

john1980 wrote:

QUOTE:
FYI: Palmerston North, Wellington City and Lower Hutt clinics have also close.

Rather frustrating when you sign up, pay your money and an appointment is made the following week... then you show up only to find the office is closed and gutted. Head Office claim they know nothing and can not do anything for 15 working days... Something is obviously going wrong somewhere. When I rang Wellington Clinic I was told that the Head Office might be opening again (???), but Wellington and Lower Hutt are definitely closed.

Gee that sucks! Has there been much media coverage?
I'm sure they were still advertising on TV a few days or so ago