Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Readers Respond (August 1, 2007): How To File A Complaint?
From Anonymous (July 30, 2007)
If I were to file a complaint against Juice Plus in Oregon, which would be the best agency? Oregon Department of Justice? Department of Agriculture?
Reply from The JPRB Team
The answer depends on the specific details of your complaint. Were you the victim of false or misleading advertising? Did you have an issue with sales practices (e.g., high pressure tactics, misrepresentation of the product or the terms of purchase)? Was there a billing or collection issue? Does your complaint involve a physician who is selling the product? Do you have concerns about tax-exempt charities associated with Juice Plus?
For many issues, a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission[1] and the Oregon Attorney General’s Office[2][3] would be appropriate. These would be the best places to complain regarding prohibited disease treatment claims, misleading product labeling, and many other improper business practices. Complaints with the Better Business Bureau[4] for general issues regarding business conduct, and/or the BBB’s National Advertising Division[5] regarding misleading advertising might also be warranted.
If your Juice Plus issue involves a licensed physician or if you merely wish to raise awareness by sounding an alarm among the medical community, consider writing to the American Medical Association[6] and to the Oregon Medical Association[7]
If your complaint involves charitable activities associated with Juice Plus, such as the Juice Plus Children’s Research Foundation (see [8] under JPCRF) or the Center for the Advancement of Cancer Education (see [9] under Susan Silberstein/CACE), consider filing a charity-specific complaint with the Oregon Attorney General’s Office[10].
References
If I were to file a complaint against Juice Plus in Oregon, which would be the best agency? Oregon Department of Justice? Department of Agriculture?
Reply from The JPRB Team
The answer depends on the specific details of your complaint. Were you the victim of false or misleading advertising? Did you have an issue with sales practices (e.g., high pressure tactics, misrepresentation of the product or the terms of purchase)? Was there a billing or collection issue? Does your complaint involve a physician who is selling the product? Do you have concerns about tax-exempt charities associated with Juice Plus?
For many issues, a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission[1] and the Oregon Attorney General’s Office[2][3] would be appropriate. These would be the best places to complain regarding prohibited disease treatment claims, misleading product labeling, and many other improper business practices. Complaints with the Better Business Bureau[4] for general issues regarding business conduct, and/or the BBB’s National Advertising Division[5] regarding misleading advertising might also be warranted.
If your Juice Plus issue involves a licensed physician or if you merely wish to raise awareness by sounding an alarm among the medical community, consider writing to the American Medical Association[6] and to the Oregon Medical Association[7]
If your complaint involves charitable activities associated with Juice Plus, such as the Juice Plus Children’s Research Foundation (see [8] under JPCRF) or the Center for the Advancement of Cancer Education (see [9] under Susan Silberstein/CACE), consider filing a charity-specific complaint with the Oregon Attorney General’s Office[10].
References
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Consumer Complaint Form. https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01
- Department of Justice, Oregon State: Contact Information. http://www.doj.state.or.us/contact.shtml
- Department of Justice, Oregon State: Consumer Hotline E-mail. consumer.hotline@doj.state.or.us
- Better Business Bureau (BBB): Complaint Instructions. http://www.thebbb.org/commoncomplaint.html
- National Advertising Division (NAD). http://www.nadreview.org/AboutNAD.asp
- American Medicial Association (AMA): How do I file a complaint against a physician? http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/5105.html#file_complaint
- Oregon Medicial Association (OMA). http://www.theoma.org
- Juice Plus Research Blog: Rotten Tomato Awards - Juice Plus Children's Research Foundation. http://juiceplusresearch.blogspot.com/2006_07_29_archive.html
- Juice Plus Research Blog: Juice Plus and Cancer: A Warning for Patients and Consumers - Susan Silberstein and the Center for Advancement in Cancer Education (CACE). http://juiceplusresearch.blogspot.com/2007_03_11_archive.html
- Department of Justice, Oregon State: File a Complaint About a Charity or Solicitation. http://www.doj.state.or.us/charigroup/complaint.shtml
