Update
I believe The Coast is the first to report that nine LA Weight Losses are closing in Atlantic Canada.
I just received the following email from David Shneer, responding to my written questions (in italics):
Which centres are you planning on closing, and when? We are closing 9 Centres located in Atlantic Canada on Dec. 5. Centres remain open in most of the rest of Canada.Why are centres being closed? As a direct result of the global economic meltdown and credit crisis. Consumers are not at all focused on weight loss now. It is not deemed an essential like mortgages, electricity bills, food etc.Will clients be refunded advanced payments? We are offering clients the option to either a) continue to receive service via our LA-On-the-Go program, or b) submit their request for a refund. The LA-On-the-Go program was designed for clients who could not visit the Centres. It provides them with weekly one-on-one counselling but just over the phone instead of in the centre. They also still have the same access to optional products.Why can’t a company employee or representative talk to me on the phone? Is there something to hide? Our priority now is to deal with our client’s needs.
Original post:
I received a call this morning from a woman who says that local LA Weight Loss Centres are closing. I’ve yet to be able to verify this– people who answer the phones at the local centres says they are not authorized to speak about the situation (which leads me to believe it’s true). The best they could do is give me an email address (!) for someone named David Shneer. Shneer just emailed back, declining to talk over the phone; “Please submit your questions in writing and we will do our best to respond.” That’s a hell of a company that can’t give a reporter a straight answer over the phone.
According to the company’s web site, there are three local centres: at 7071 Bayers Road in Halifax, at Bedford Place Mall, and at Colby Village Plaza in Cole Harbour.
LA Weight loss has recently announced centre closures in Wisconsin, Montana, Oregon, Minnesota and North Carolina. The company is evidently in some sort of freefall, but I can find no article in the business press examining it.
This blog is very critical of the organization, suggesting that it’s something of a scam.
More soon.
This article appears in Nov 20-26, 2008.
Their website doesn’t mention that they are closing. I went to LA Weight Loss today, to get a refund. They gave me a letter, which tells me to write an email address “should you feel you are entitled to a refund” My husband and I joined 3 months ago, for a 1 year program. Along with the membership fee, and products I paid for in advance, I am owed about $1500. I sent the company an email making the request. I called the number listed (which says I should call only if I want to remain on the “at home” version of the plan) but their voicemail box is full. I don’t know if I’ll get anything back,but it doesn’t look good. Do you know of another way to reach the company?
Here’s the response to the email I sent asking for a refund. Thank you for your note.We are sorry that our Centre closing has caused you some inconvenience and concern. We acknowledge receiving your request for a refund. We are now in the process of getting all the client files from the Centre. As the Centre is closing on Dec. 5, we anticipate receiving the files by no later than Dec. 15. Upon receipt of the files we can then look into your request and establish, what amount, if anything, is owing. In the interim, we ask you to please be patient as we do our best to attend to these issues as quickly as possible.We thank you for your understanding while we go through this process.Yours truly, Customer Service