Complaints flood in to distributor as diet pills face probe

Trading Planet Ltd, believed to be based in Spain, is being investigated by trading standards officers from across the UK as well as officials abroad.

Lothian investigators became involved as the firm has hired an independent West Lothian-based shipping business to send out its orders.

Angry customers have complained after signing up to a "1 trial" of "Life Cleanse" and "Acai Berry" products.

But the terms and conditions contains clauses which allows it to send more batches at a cost of up to 79 plus 3.95 postage if the buyer fails to cancel the agreement within 15 days.

Bosses from Phytoscience, a pharmaceuticals distributor in Linlithgow, said they had received dozens of complaints as their warehouses were given as a return address.

The firm said it was aware of the trading standards investigation, and was co-operating, but would not break the contract with Trading Planets unless it was "proved to be operating illegally".

Complaints have come from customers in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Spain, France, Italy, Germany and the UK.

Chris Swainson, director of Phytoscience, which has been operating for ten years, said: "Trading Planet is one of about 12 customers we have. We don't handle any money, we have a contract with them where we receive orders, put them in envelopes and ship them out.

"We've given trading standards all the contract details and we're working with them. "If they come across anything that's a scam we'll drop them like a hot potato.

"But as long as they're legal, we'll work with them and uphold the contract."

Mr Swainson said the firm had received a "sea of complaints" since around May after being hired by Trading Planet at the start of the year.

He added: "We receive around five or six complaints a day and follow each of them up.

"Some people seem to have ordered by clicking on adverts on Google or Twitter and not checked the terms and conditions rather than using the company's website.

"I've also had rude letters to my house as people have obviously traced me through our company website. But we're just the shipping company."

Phytoscience said that Trading Planet was dealing with "millions" or so orders and it frequently sent out 30,000 packages from Linlithgow on a typical Monday morning.

Derrick Phillips, director of Bristol-based Ordered Management, runs a company which helps other firms set up their businesses.

Mr Phillips said he was contacted by Trading Planet to help establish its operations, including registering the firm with Companies House at his office address, and had since been inundated with complaints.

He said: "We've had a lot of trouble over this.

"We didn't know the full details of who we were dealing with and we've now felt the full force of returns by customers sending their products to us.

"They told us they were involved in financial transactions as a consultancy."

West Lothian Council's trading standards urged internet shoppers to make themselves familiar with all of the terms and conditions before agreeing to buy.

Ed Machin, principal trading standards officer, said: "Consumers should take the time and trouble to read the terms of the contract they are about to enter into. Just because the terms are on-screen doesn't mean you should simply skim over them or ignore them completely."

Trading Planet was contacted for comment but did not reply.