Avonlea and Pristine
Anti-Aging Creams

Avonlea Anti Aging Cream and Pristine Wrinkle Serum Review – Another Scam?

The Truth Behind this Combo Offer

Avonlea and Pristine Scam
Shhhh Don’t Tell Covergirl

I literally just posted a review yesterday on Bellalabs and LaCreme Combo – Ellen Degeneres and Dr. Oz Wrinkle Cream Scam and saw an ad this morning for the Avonlea Anti Aging Cream and Pristine Wrinkle Cream Serum Combo, and I could immediately spot that this was another wrinkle cream scam.

The only difference between these ads is instead of plastering fake news reports with Ellen Degeneres’ face, these ads use pictures of Katie Couric with the same misleading slogans such as “Katie’s Backstage Skin Care Secret – Her Anti-Aging Trick Finally Exposed” and “Shhhh Don’t Tell Covergirl.” They also use the same women in their before and after pics quoting the Dr. Oz show.

The ads use the same exact story line that goes something like this: “One night Kristen made an accidental discovery that would revolutionize the whole skin care industry, she combined them and it removed 90% of her wrinkles.” They suggest that by combining these two creams it will bring miraculous and overnight results.

These misleading ads quickly lead you to a combo skin care offer for short-term free trial (14 days) of Avonlea Anti Aging Cream and Pristine Wrinkle Serum which is very difficult, if not impossible, to cancel if you don’t like the product.

Pristine Wrinkle Serum is now also being offered under the name Pristine Derma Care.

Does Katie Couric Really Use Avonlea Anti Aging Cream and Pristine Wrinkle Serum?

Avonlea and Pristine
“Dr. Oz Calls It – The Miracle Anti-Aging Breakthrough – Because It Works!”

Highly doubtful, but they sure do a good job of creating deceptive ads to make you think that she does! If you haven’t seen the pictures, I’ll give you a sample here with some of the quotes they’re using.

Katie does in fact have a contract with Cover Girl, but she is definitely not promoting this wrinkle cream combo in real life – it’s just a ploy using deceptive marketing tactics to keep you on the page.

And as far as Dr. Oz, he may have talked about certain anti-aging ingredients in a general sense, but he does not promote these two products and I couldn’t find anything on his website to support that he does.

Let’s Take a Closer Look at Avonlea and Pristine

Avonlea Anti Aging Cream – The first thing I noticed on Avonlea’s website was that it looks exactly the same as the Bellalab and LeCreme websites and make the same claims:

84% Decrease in Fine Lines and Wrinkles, 95% Increase in Collagen Production, and a 73% Decrease in Appearance of Dark Circles.

They do not provide a list of ingredients, they only reference their “advanced formula.” I don’t know about you, but I’d like to know what I’m putting on my face that I’m paying $100’s of dollars for.

Avoiding full disclosure is a good way to hide a cheap, ineffective ingredients list. We like to see companies who use clinical trials and back those up with links.

The second thing I noticed were all the typos: “9 out of 10 dermatologists recommend anti aging produts.” And here’s another: “In a recent study covering the affects of key skin care incregients….”

Now I don’t normally make it my business to point out everyone’s typo’s, however, it’s a trend amongst these wrinkle creams scams (and many scams for that matter), so I thought it was worth pointing out.

Many of these companies set up shop in Panama, Venezuela and other countries without extradition laws and they run their scams, setting them up quickly and haphazardly, until the negative publicity (reviews such as this one) become apparent and then they switch the packaging, the name of the product and another cycle begins.

Pristine Wrinkle Serum – Pristine’s website also has lofty anti-aging claims such as they have “found the fountain of youth in a bottle.” They also have a few intriguing before and after pics with a disclaimer in fine print at the bottom that reads:

“The results described in the customer testimonials and depicted in the simulated imagery are not typical.” Sort of deflates the purpose don’t you think? This is why I recommend products which have undergone actual clinical trials.

Pristine does briefly mention that its anti-aging ingredients include peptides which help eliminate wrinkles, promote collagen production and plump and firm the skin, which it very well may do, but they don’t tell you which peptides, and is the high price worth it?

Pristine Wrinkle Serum also now has offers under the name of “Pristine Derma Care” with a companion product being offered called “Vitalita Derma.” They’ve probably changed their name due to people catching on about the scams.

The Downside to Short Term Free Trials

Both Avonlea Anti Aging Cream and Pristine Wrinkle Serum are only offered as a free trial, meaning you can’t just buy the products outright.

For Avonlea, you will pay $4.95 for shipping and be given 14 days to try the product. After the 14 day free trial period is up, you will be charged $98.73 for the initial order, and $98.73 every 30 days thereafter and be auto-shipped another bottle.

For Pristine it’s the same, only you will be charged $3.99 for shipping and $89.71 per month every 30 days.

So if you order both of these free trials today, in two weeks you’ll be charged a total of $188.44, and another $188.44 each month thereafter until eternity until you can get through to these companies to cancel.

And trust me, you will not get through on the phone to 9 out of 10 of these companies. Oftentimes they provide an “844” area code number, which doesn’t even exist.

Recommendation and Conclusion

The Avonlea Anti Aging Cream and Pristine Wrinkle Serum are certainly not “Hollywood’s Best Kept Secret,” however they may be Hollywood’s biggest wrinkle cream scam!

These companies use deceptive marketing campaigns to sell you not one, but two free trials using Katie Couric as their fake poster girl.

I’m 99.9% certain that the same company that is running the Avonlea and Pristine ads is the same company running the Bellalabs and LaCreme ads as they are mirror images of one another, only with different products and different pictures.

Furthermore, the trial period is too short, they don’t provide the ingredients, and their claims are lofty. I highly recommend you save your hard earned money and avoid getting suckered.

We recommend Kollagen Intensiv if you’re looking for an effective anti-aging cream. It’s not sold as a trial and comes with a 90 day money back guarantee.

Have you used Avonlea or Pristine? Leave your questions or comments below!

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Rachel Vrabel

Rachel is Chief Editor of Women’s Blog Talk and writes reviews across the spectrum of anti-aging, health and beauty. She has an English degree from USF and worked in finance for 15 years before establishing this website in 2011. She loves having a place she can share her inspiration for health and beauty and continue to help others! She lives in South Florida with her husband and her hobbies include beach volleyball, HIIT training and combing the beach for sea glass and shells.

60 Comments

  • Kathy

    Do not fall for the free trial, once they get their hands on your credit card info, they will rob you blind. You will never get your money back. These people should be sued. They say that it was in their agreement when you click the order button, but I didn’t see anything about them stealing almost $300.00 out of my account if I don’t call in before 14 days. The 14.00 trial came in a plain brown box without any paperwork or information at all. Not even a contact number. And even when I called customer service and complained, all they offered was a 50% refund. I specifically asked if they were going to try and charge my card for any other charges and they said no. When I looked my credit card statement to make sure I received the refund, I seen another charge. I called them back but the customer service is super sketchy and refuses to help you in any way. Do not order from these people and if you already did, cancel your credit card so they can’t continue to steal from you

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Kathy, thanks for your comment. Which cream did you order? There are so many of them, I like to try and keep a list of these. Thanks!
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

  • Helia

    Thank you so much for this article! Women: Please don’t ever buy “Free trial” products — they all get you in the end. I must have been drunk when I ordered the above mentioned trial product combo (now named DERMALAY and VITALITA DERMA) with same results (might as well put butter on your face) same charges to my debit card ($188.44 total) and same difficulty reaching anyone at the company (the 800 number on the bank statement puts you on hold until a sweet voice says ‘good-bye’ and disconnects you) Finally reached someone somewhere in the world (definitely not the US) per the shipping info I had saved and it too an hour of back-and-forth to get a 40% refund. Isn’t there anything we can do to put these people out of business?

  • deb

    same thing happen to me they took 177.77 from my account called bank first and they will do a reversal on it but had to call company to see if they would refund after talking to manger he would only return 50.00

  • Julie

    I also ordered the trial of Versilla & Avonlea, knew nothing of the charges to come a week or so later of $90 each! But it gets worse! I tried the products on my skin for about 2 weeks, and one night as I was putting the cream on, it burned my skin!!!! Then I noticed that my skin was slightly RED and DRY – pretty much the opposite of what they claim! This cream had actually given me burns similar to a sunburn! After some days of FLAKING SKIN, and some recovery time, my skin is back to normal. I had already called them when I noticed the two $90 charges on my credit card, and they agreed to refund about half. That was before the burns! After the burns, I called and requested a full refund, since I could not even use any more of the product! They refused totally! They did not even apologize that their product had BURNED my skin!!! I’m considering consulting a lawyer to shut them down!!

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Wow Julie, that’s horrible! These products they sell on these short term free trials are all crap in my opinion. They use cheap ingredients and they don’t even publish their ingredients on their sales pages so you really don’t know what you’re getting until you have it in your hands. It sounds like you had an allergic reaction – do you generally have sensitive skin? Good luck and let me know if you need a recommendation for a good cream. Kollagen Intensiv is wonderfully soothing, made with sensitive skin in mind, and plumps collagen production – it’s my #2 top cream. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for your comment.
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

    • Lynda Kresal

      I also got sucked in, didn’t read the terms and conditions and when my skin turned out like yours, burned, flaking. tender, dry and totally unlike the results they advertised. I was furious, not to mention I thought I was smarter than that. I’m almost 73 and I didn’t just fall off the last turnip truck! So I first cancelled my credit card and then I started searching for a place on Dr. Oz’s website where he advertised Avonlea and Versilla cream. Well, it’s now called Revival and the advertisement is the same. I wonder if this will result in a lawsuit the same way his endorsement for Green Coffeebean Extract did that was supposed to make you lose weight without dieting. What a big sham!!! Thank you for your comments. I finally got the number to cancel with and it is:1-888-211-5854. When I finally got it cancelled the sales lady first offered me 35% off future orders. Then when I said “No, definitely not!”, she offered me 50% off! I asked her what didn’t she understand, it didn’t do anything it was advertised to do and it burned my skin and infected my eyes. Finally, I got a cancellation number for each product. Thank you again for your comments. Never again will I put my faith and trust in Dr. Oz.

      • Rachel Vrabel
        Rachel Vrabel

        Lynda,
        Thanks so much for your comment. Believe it or not, Dr. Oz DOES NOT recommend ANY of these creams. All of these companies use fake quotes and flat out lie and say these are recommended by Dr. Oz when in fact they are not. Dr. Oz is the MOST plagiarized person on the internet. It’s shameful. And you’re exactly right, when you search for one free trial, oftentimes the ad you click will automatically take you to a new ad, which is NOT the one you were trying to get to. It’s the old bait and switch tactic. I’m glad you were able to cancel. Are you still in the market for a good cream? I’ll be happy to recommend something for you if you’d like. That’s terrible it burned your skin and infected your eyes! I find warm to hot compresses with a washcloth works well to clear the eyes of infection.
        Rachel
        WomensBlogTalk

  • Siggie

    I also had the same experience as the above customers. I’ve learned my lesson with “free trials” as other people had already warned me. I’ve ordered “free trails” many times and can never use the products as fast as they send out the monthly supplies so I always end up cancelling out of the whole deal. I got suckered into the Avonlea/Versilla trail and did finally locate in minute print where they stated their cancelation policy. I must say that I couldn’t tell whether the two products were good or bad. What’s bothering me now is one of their advertisements that I just read that I hadn’t seen before which is full of grammatical errors. Surely, the person who wrote the “promo” does not have command of the English language. What a red flag for me. I’m totally done with them for that one very reason. Very suspicious!! I feel sorta stupid now for being taken in as easily as I was. My God, I have an advanced college degree!

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Siggie, Don’t feel bad; most people don’t realize there’s such a shady side to some of the wrinkle cream trials being offered online. The grammatical errors are such a red flag for me. Now I just chuck when I see things like “reduce your winkles overnight.” 😉 What gets me ever worse is how they all misquote Dr. Oz….so many people really believe in him and follow him and don’t understand that he is the THE most plagiarized person on the internet.
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

      • sigrid gudheim

        Thanks for responding. Dr. Oz must hate the situation. I don’t know how all of this is legal. Maybe one of these days I’ll have the opportunity to ask him how he handles these misrepresentations since his daughter is my daughter’s roommate in college.

        • Rachel Vrabel
          Rachel Vrabel

          Hi Sigrid. Have you ever noticed at the end of each show Dr. Oz says a short little speech about how he doesn’t endorse any diet pills so in other words don’t believe all those weight loss ads with my name on them. I am surprised he doesn’t say the same thing about wrinkle creams. But yea, that’s pretty neat they are roommates! Get some intel! 🙂
          Rachel
          WomensBlogTalk

  • Mary

    they charged me for “samples” of the anti aging cream and serum, it was supposed to be a shipping fee of only $4.95. A week later they called my card $90 for a product that I didn’t even receive yet. I didn’t even sign up to get anymore products in the future. THIS “COMPANY” needs to be SHUT DOWN asap. I will be calling them in the morning to get my money back

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Sorry Mary, this is how these free trials suck people in, as they only think they have to pay $4.95 for a “trial amount.” Just be sure and get through to them and cancel before the 14 day trial period is up, whether or not you’ve received the cream. You may have to send it back once you receive it for a full refund, and they may still charge you a “restocking” fee. Good luck and let me know how they respond.
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

  • Heather

    I HAVE A IDEA BEFORE YOU SIGN UP AND BUY THINGS ONLINE TRY READING BEFORE YOU JUST PUT IN YOUR CC INFORMATION…… ITS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE ***** NOTHING IS FREE**** NOT EVEN AIR….. IF YOUR TIRES ARE LOW, BE READY TO PAY 0.75 CENTS TO FILL YOUR TIRES WITH ***AIR***

  • Liz

    I just want you to know how to shut these guys down. I called my credit card company. The gave me full credit for my “trial”–for which I got charged full fare, and for the unsolicited second batch, and they blocked my account for ever being charged for anything sent by them again. I also returned the packages unopened, although I think I had no obligation to do that–and I felt sorry for the next person bound to receive the products. Ah, vanity. Thy name is stoooopid!
    All best,
    Liz

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Liz,
      Glad you got your refund, sometimes the credit card companies aren’t so accommodating. Sometimes they need proof that you’ve gotten through to the company and cancelled before they’ll refund anything, but that’s not always the case. Stick with your credit card company, as they are a good one! Let me know if I can help recommend something for your skin if you’re still in the market for a good cream! 🙂
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

  • Ron

    Hi Rachel!

    This will be an out-of-the-ordinary comment because, first of all, I’m a male. My free trial Pristine Anti-aging Serum and Eye cream arrived today. Christmas Eve. I thought, “What a nice Christmas present”.

    Secondly, the Pristine Anti-aging Serum bottle was empty!! (The eye cream was full). I tilted the bottle slightly not knowing how watery or creamy it might be. I kept tilting the bottle until it was finally upside down and … nothing! I then pounded the bottle into my palm over and over and a tiny bit of “glop” came out.

    I’m horrified to learn that I will be charged monthly for a “free trial”. If I return it, they would have every right to believe that I emptied the bottle, kept it, and returned it as being empty when I received it.

    So, Merry Christmas to me. I can only hope to work this and have a happy conclusion.

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Ron that’s horrible! I hope you can call them tomorrow, cancel your trial and get a full refund! That’s the first I’ve heard of anyone receiving an empty bottle ever. No quality control there! I hope you have a Merry Christmas despite this. My husband likes using Kollagen Intensiv since it doesn’t smell like flowers 🙂
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

  • Zenaida

    Dear Rachel,

    LINKEDIN and other Buyers Beware – AVONLEA/ VERSILLA EYE CREAMS ARE A SCAM!!!!

    A short survey came on when I was on LinkedIn asking how many hours I used LinkenIn, and a couple other such questions, so thinking it was a LinkenIn Survey, I answered the survey. The survey was pre-empted by another short survey offering me a FREE gift. All of the gifts offered were for FREE with only a $4.95 shipping charge. I went ahead and selected one, Avonlea Creme. However, the order did not go through (or so I thought), so they offered the Versilla Creme offer (not that I needed any but I selected it, as it was only to have cost $3.95 S&H…).

    Anyway, since I happened across your blog, I decided to EMAIL them immediately along with my bank to tell them that I did NOT want any further product OR automatic billing off my credit card. I also went ahead and CALLED Versilla Customer Service, as I saw they were one and the same company, to also inform them verbally of my decision.

    Needless to say, the Versilla (Avonlea) Customer Service lady said there was NO email from me to them… 9 days after (This is even though my bank responded to me when they got the very SAME email!), and she refused to accept that I did not want any further product and kept offering me a 35% discount, instead!! Of which I told her “NO, I do not want a 35% discount. I don’t want anything from them unless SHE was going to pay for it!”

    The crux of the matter is, while the Avonlea order had showed that it did NOT go through, hence the reason I agreed to the Versilla Creme, the Versilla (Avonlea) Customer Care lady said it DID go through, and it does NOT matter if I did NOT get an Order Confirmation or not, I have to pay for it!

    Well, while their DECEPTIVE MARKETING got me to fill out the short survey (since I was of the view it was a LinkedIn Short Survey.), they obviously do NOT know who they are messing with!!! For they will NOT get another penny beyond the agree $3.95 S&H that I paid, as I have voided my credit card!

    So this is a WARNING FOR UNSUSPECTING LINKEDIN and other persons, DO NOT fill out the ‘short’ survey stating that you will get a free gift to do so…!! It might end up costing you hundreds$$$ if you are not careful!!

    Below is the email, [email protected], I wrote to, of which after NINE (9) days, they were still telling me they had NOT received my email…! A deliberate SCAM, so if I had not called them, I would have been of the view that they received it…! Along with their telephone number:

    Customer Service Hours of Operation:

    Phone Support:
    Monday-Friday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm EST
    Phone: 888-211-2370

    Email Support:
    Please Allow 24 Hours For Reply.
    [email protected]

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Zenaida, wow thank you so much for the thorough report on this Linkedin scam – this is the first I’ve heard of this! So so far in addition to the normal deceptive ads flying all over the internet, people need to be aware of “surveys” from Linkedin, Walgreens, Krogers, Amazon. I’m sure those aren’t the only big chains that are a part of this, but those are the ones that I’m aware of as of right now based on customer comments. Be cautious everyone, anytime you’re offered a “free” trial product, I can guarantee it’s 100% NOT free. It’s only free for the short term trial period and then you’re billed. Thanks for the heads up Zanaida!
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

  • Jeff

    So glad I ran into your site. I was answering a survey prompted to me by my grocer Kroger. The survey was pre-empted by another short survey offering me a gift valued at $50 or more. All of the gifts were offered for free less a $4.95 shipping charge. I became suspicious and started researching which led me to your site. I will NOT be ordering the free trial. Thank you very much for your site warning me and others like me. Wishing you the best – Jeff

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Hi Jeff, thanks for your comment, I appreciate the feedback! I am hearing more and more about free trials for wrinkle creams being offered through grocery and other retail stores! This is obviously a new “scam” popping up. I’ve heard Walgreens has it, and now Kroger’s. I wonder how many more stores are pushing these offers. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is!
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

  • Kay

    i was also a victim of the Avonlea and Versilla scam. Had no idea of the real cost or that I had somehow signed up for auto ship and huge costs. I canceled my card and informed my cc company that I had not ordered anything costing $98. But the scammers sent the cc company the “terms” section that I didn’t see when ordering the free trials so the cc company put the charges back on my account. I was able to cancel the auto shipments by calling the number listed on the charge on my cc billing. 1 888-532-7989 gets you through to a call center for ‘skin care’. This was a costly lesson but at least I was able to cancel any further charges. Thanks for your information. It was so helpful to me.

    • Shari Craddock

      If you send the product back they will refund the $98. charge. they will give you a number to put on the mailer box. I did that and they refunded it Shari

      • Rachel Vrabel
        Rachel Vrabel

        Thanks Shari, I’m glad you got your money back! Did you cancel within the 14 day free trial period or was it after?
        Rachel
        WomensBlogTalk

  • Tess

    Hi, I can’t even find where on the site they inform you of the 98.75 dollar charge and I certainly don’t see where they tell you that you will continuously be charged every month. This is definitely a SCAM.

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Hi Tess, it’s on the screen after you enter your name, address, phone, and email. Once you hit enter on that first screen, then another screen comes up where you enter your credit card info. It’s on this page at the VERY bottom but you have to unnaturally scroll WAY down to see it. It’s very deceptive. This is the only place you’ll ever see it… It’s not on their “sales page” website with the product information.
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

  • Katheryn

    I hope I still haven’t been taken for a ride, but I just found a phone number attached to the debit line on my checking account. I called and got through immediately and got a very helpful woman (who was also very pleasant). The phone number was 888-506-6531. She told me to call them back once I have mailed the products back and have a tracking number, at which point, they will reverse the bank charges. Fingers crossed!

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Good! Keep a close eye on them to make sure they do what they promised. Thanks for sharing the phone number.
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

      • Katheryn

        The woman I spoke with on the phone about my trial orders was extremely polite and very helpful. She told me that once I returned the products and received a tracking number from the post office to just call them with the number and they would refund my money without waiting until they received the products. I did this and they refunded my money the following day. Once I was able to make contact (again, the only working number I found was attached to the debit on my on-line check register), they were extremely helpful.

  • Katheryn

    I, too, was suckered in by these products – Avonlea and Versilla eye cream. Not only did I just hit my 14th day and they hit my bank account, I ended up with 2 Avonlea bottles because they didn’t send an e-mail notice when I did the first “free trial” so I thought it didn’t go through and so, like an idiot, I went through the whole process again! Now, I’m down nearly $300! I cannot get through to cancel these products – is the only answer to cancel my debit card and accept the fact that I’ll never see the $300 again? This makes me very angry!

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Hi Katheryn, I can imagine your frustration! I get comments such as yours on a daily basis. It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to cancel these trials because you can never reach them by phone or they publish a flat out bad phone number. If you haven’t gotten through yet, I would contact your credit card company immediately to advise them NOT to allow any further charges by these two companies. Sometimes you will need to request they cancel the card altogether and send you a new card to get out of the cycle (some banks won’t cancel until you’ve gotten through on the phone to the companies to cancel which can be a catch 22). Let me know if you are still in the market for a good wrinkle cream so I can recommend something for you. Kollagen Intensiv is a hot right now since it’s 25% off through December 31st (the coupon code is in my review). This is one of my top 3 creams and one of my favorites!
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

  • Mary

    Rachel, I don’t know who you are but you’re defending real peoples commons and concerns about your scams. It is nothing new, for years many companies like yours come up with some stupid name and use the Scam artist Dr. Oz to promote their products.

    Someone needs to do something about that Dr. Oz, he is not doing this for free he gets lots of money from this company. He is just a money hunger garbage. Every week he comes up with something new.

    So I feel sad for those who respond. Nothing is free. It’s not my mission in life to point out people’s flaws” Your mission is to scam as many people as you can before running away to another country.

    Rachael what comes around goes around. You will get yours one way or another.

    Bitch

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Mary, are you confused? Did you read my review on Avonlea? I’m warning people NOT to buy Avonlea because Dr. Oz does NOT really recommend it, these ads use his name to sell their products and pretend that he’s endorsing the product, when he’s really not. What gave you the impression that I’m “trying to scam people and run away to another country.” That is exactly what all of these wrinkle cream scam companies do, that’s not what I do. I hope you can go back and re-read my review for clarification. And I encourage you to read Beware of Free Trials of Anti-Aging Products Online.
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

  • Shari Craddock

    I was charged $98. on my visa but luckily my visa co. did not let the charge go through as they know about this scam. I called to cancel one day too late and they are making me send the bottle back How silly and annoying when I thought the $4.95 was the price of the trial cream which is full of chemicals How can I avoid doing this? I do not want to spend any more time or $. ugh shari

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Shari, even though it’s an inconvenience, I would send the bottle back so they have no future grounds to charge you. What kind of chemicals did you find in the ingredients? It’s typical of these scammy companies not to provide their full ingredients list on the web. I won’t buy anything until I am able to see the ingredients. Thank you so much for your comment.
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

      • Shari Craddock

        THANK YOU SO MUCH. I will send all of the trial ” free samples” back . I appreciate your blog. One company called Unified Limited in U.K.and U.S. said I needed to send back the free sample before the 30 days to avoid my visa card being charged . Now what is that about? They have 95 wrinkle creams on their website . Avoid them thank you Shari

        • Rachel Vrabel
          Rachel Vrabel

          Shari, thanks for the information. All 95 are probably all structured the same, short-term free trials and I would avoid them all. Let me know if I can help recommend something for you. All three of my top wrinkle creams have at minimum 90 day money back guarantee and the other is 120 days.
          Rachel
          WomensBlogTalk

      • Shari Craddock

        The company that wanted the free trial back before the 30 days is called Unified-Labs. Strange to say it is a free trial. We have to spend time and postage to send back a free trial. These offers were all sourced from an ad called Get it Free on facebook Never again ! Thanks Shari.

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Syliva, thanks for your comment, I think maybe you weren’t done typing? 🙂 Be sure and cancel within 14 days from the date you order if you don’t like it. I don’t recommend Avonlea.
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

  • Kathryn

    I think Rachel Vrabel is a saint and I sincerely appreciate her web site, as well as her information about the typo’s. Before I purchase anything I investigate it. As for anything on Face Book; most of it if not all is a scam and a way for the scammers to get information on you…don’t like it or share it. Thank you Rachel Vrabel

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Thanks Kathryn, that means a lot to me! I try to keep it real here. 🙂 Have a wonderful evening and I hope you’ll use my site in the future to search for product reviews.
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

  • Patti McReynolds

    Hi, I too was suckered by these products only mine was Versilla eye creme and Avonlea. I did reach someone from the number on my credit card and received numbers for both products to return for credit, What’s scary is that I looked to try and find the fine writing at the bottom but I never could find anything that implied I would be charged after 15 days so after talking to them this morning I’m going to return the unused portion and I’m supposed to receive full credit. If I don’t and I receive my proof that they received it back I will contact my credit card company. Evidently these prices are for the products I already received will try to remember to let you know if I get my credit.. Did they do anything different to my skin? NO

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Hi Patti, I’ve been seeing ads for Versilla eye cream but haven’t had a chance to write about it. Normally where you see the fine print is right after you put in all of your personal information, name, address, phone, email. Sometimes it’s just a couple of sentences in really small print that you would have to actually scroll down to see. They don’t make it very obvious. And you’re right, they bill you on the 14th or 15th day as soon as the “free trial” is over for the full price of the product they send to you so there’s nothing free about it. Good luck and be persistent with them to cancel, and thanks so much for taking the time to comment.
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

  • Stephanie

    If it sounds too good to be true it usually is-NO GOOD! I did look into this product – connecting through FACEBOOK. All I could find was ‘Free Trial Offer’ except for shipping …SOOO I looked for something such as your blog to see could I find the cost (that I figured would be an automatic – ongoing – difficult-to-impossible to stop charge) and THERE YOU WERE! Thank you so much for looking out for and reporting to …us!!! THIS time I did NOT fall for it!!
    AGAIN -THANK YOU!!!

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Stephanie, thank you! I’m glad that you found my article before buying. I can’t tell you how many articles I have pending to write on these short term free trial scams. I hope I can warn people just like you and save them from many headaches. I don’t approve of ANY short term free trial products. They are misleading and people don’t realize what they’re getting into when they sign up. A 14 day trial is not enough time to try a product to see if you like it. Have a wonderful day and thanks so much for your comment, you made my day! 🙂
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

  • Ann

    Rachel, I appreciate you looking out for us ladies but I wouldn’t stoop to criticizing writing unless that is what you do for a living. I have worked for over 30 years in advertising with large companies that had offices in large metropolitan areas. One was even on the New York Stock Exchange. They all had typo’s. It is the nature of the business. Counting typos is not why I emailed you. You should make sure yours is perfect before criticizing other’s. I thought that part of the article was unnecessary and made yours seem a little petty and childish.
    “Stick with the facts ma’am, just the facts!”

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Ann, unfortunately typos are a trend amongst these wrinkle cream scams, and that’s why I included it as “part of the facts.” It’s not my mission in life to point out people’s flaws, or to find typos in a Red Herring Prospectus from a Wall Street company, but when I see typos over and over in these types of scams, you can be certain I will make light of it, especially if it will help someone spot a scam. Typos can in fact sometimes be a LEADING INDICATOR of a scam. Haven’t you ever received one of those wire fraud email scams originating from Nigeria or some other country where the typos are glaring? One of the main characteristics of those emails is typos and language syntax errors. Many of these wrinkle cream companies set up shop in countries where there are no extradition laws, so once their scams become revealed to the public, they change the names of the products and the packaging and do a sloppy job of setting up a new sales pages which often brings typos. Petty and childish? I think you misunderstood my point completely.
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

    • Katheryn

      I understand why it’s important to point out the typos, as well as poor grammar, etc. I didn’t notice these errors until last night when I was attempting to find a phone number to call and cancel my order(s), and the more errors I found, the more nervous I got. This is shoddy work and shows that they are not a quality company to deal with. I wish I had seen the errors before I placed my order…I would not have ordered anything!

      • Rachel Vrabel
        Rachel Vrabel

        Katheryn, it’s true that grammar can be indicative of a scam. I’ve been blasted before here for “stooping so low to point out other people’s grammatical errors” but when you research these creams for a living, it’s something that I’ve found to be true in many cases. It’s most likely because these scams are run out of South American countries where English is not their first language. I’m glad you’re catching it early. Some people don’t realize until after they’ve been charged a few months and they don’t pay attention to their credit card statements.
        Rachel
        WomensBlogTalk

  • velma Hutchinson-daniel

    I am one of those who was suckered into this scam. I was billed $98.73 and $ 94.53 for the serum and eye cream respectively. I tried calling them and the number gets disconnected each time.

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Velma, go to your bank and cancel your card right away, or they will continue to bill you. I can’t find ANY contact information for Avonlea or Pristine anywhere – these type of scam companies base themselves in other countries like Panama and Venezuela where there is no extradition treaty, so they know they won’t be held accountable. They rotate these scams and start up new companies all the time and put new labels on the same products calling them different things once people start catching on. It’s no joke. You probably won’t be able to ever get through on the phone. I’m sorry this happened to you, it’s not your fault there are scam artists out there. The latest one I’ve found is Nuvalift and Puravol, I wrote a review on it. Unfortunately there are many more and I try to catch them as soon as I find them so I can warn people.
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk.com

  • Rachel Vrabel
    Rachel Vrabel

    Ann, thanks for catching that, I found it..with over 1,000 pages on my blog I’m bound to have a couple 🙂 I would definitely be skeptical and scrutinize packaged products selling for $100’s of dollars when there are several typos within their one sales page. You won’t find typo’s like that on a credible manufacturer’s product.
    Rachel
    WomensBlogTalk

  • Nelda Gonzalez

    Oh Dear, I was sucked in by an ad that popped up when I was on facebook last night. What I read mentioned Avonlea and another product that I can’t remember, but I was only able to order the Avonlea before I got bumped out and have spent all day trying to find the ad again so I could get the 2nd product. Not going to waste my time but now have to watch for that scary auto ship and auto charge, huh?

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Nelda, oh no! The second product was probably the Pristine Serum – that’s the combo offer. Keep in mind they only give you 14 days from the DAY you order to cancel the free trial and you may not even receive it for 10 days or so. I would mark it on your calendar to cancel no later than 9/28 which would be 14th day. If you don’t you’ll be billed for the original order on 9/28 for $98.73 and then every 30 days thereafter. They may even send you a three months supply at a time and that would be around $300 with shipping in one shot. I would cancel asap if I were you. If you’re looking for an effective anti-aging moisturizer, check out my review on Kollagen Intensiv to compare. It’s a collagen booster and also lightens hyper-pigmentation, I’ve used it with great results and it’s NOT sold as a free trial. They also have a 90 day money back guarantee. It’s much easier to sleep at night when you deal with good companies 🙂 Let me know how this turns out, and thank you for your comment!
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

  • Sammy

    OMG thank you for this article! I’ve seen these ads popping up in weird places. I clicked on an Oprah skin care ad and saw the Avonlea & Pristine fake article with Katie Couric’s pics. I’m glad you are shedding some light on these scam companies. Can you recommend a moisturizer that’s given you good results? I have combination skin and I’m starting to get some wrinkles.

    • Rachel Vrabel
      Rachel Vrabel

      Hi Sammy! Thanks for your comment. I also have combination skin and I encourage you to read my personal review on Kollagen Intensiv. It’s a wrinkle fighting, collagen plumping anti aging moisturizer that also reduces hyper-pigmentation and is very calming to the skin. I’ve used it with great results for a long time period and it’s not sold as a free trial! You can also check out Revitol to compare to see which one you might prefer.
      Rachel
      WomensBlogTalk

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