Beachbody On Demand

An amazing new way to lose weight and it’s free, promises a Beachbody radio ad and offer on the company website. Beachbody On Demand is an online streaming service that provides workout videos on demand to customer via their computers or smart devices.  Customers pay a monthly subscription fee for access to the content.

The company advertises that all you have to do is sign up for a free 30-day trial and you can cancel anytime. Sounds great, of course, until you read the terms of use.  Ah, those pesky details.

While it says you can cancel any time,  that time better be three days before the next billing cycle, or you will be charged for the full $38.87 ($2.99 week) quarterly charge.

According to information in the company’s terms, once you sign up:

• The company will charge your payment card when the free trial period ends.
• You will not receive a notification that your free trial has ended.
• You have to cancel three days prior to the next scheduled payment date.
• If you do not cancel three days prior to the next scheduled payment date, your subscription. will continue, and your cancellation will take place for the following shipping period.

As we looked further into this offer, we found another troublesome offer. On the check out screen, customers are asked to select a shipping option, even though there is nothing to ship because the fitness videos and  all streamed “anytime, anywhere on any device.” The first two options are free; however the “rush shipping” option will run you $9.95.  Our question is what ultimately arrives in the mail, since this is an online subscription?

Products that promise you can lose weight quickly are tempting, but consumers should be careful about opening their wallets too quickly, or they too, might feel a little thinner afterwards. For more on weight loss, click here.