Action 13 gets woman weight loss refund

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Losing weight can be hard, but one woman says it is not as tough as getting a refund from a weight loss company. The woman returned unwanted meals just days after signing a contract but getting her money back took some help.

Staying in shape can be hard work, but getting a refund should not. So when a Clear Lake woman tried to get money back from Medifast and she says it took months, Action 13 got involved.

Nancy Holland knows it can be hard to lose weight.

"The older you get, your body changes and this time it wasn't working on my own," she said.

So for help, Holland turned to Medifast, the weight loss meal replacement program, and says she was happy with what she was told.

Holland said, "In three or four days of starting to eat their food, you will lose weight."

Holland says she paid $1,400 up front for her meal regimen and left the store with her initial box of 20 meals and supplies. Holland says the first meal, scrambled eggs, was great, but then the trouble started.

Holland said, "It boiled over and this was in less time than it was supposed to take to cook. I noticed it boiling over and I had to clean up the mess and I thought if I have to sit here and babysit it, I can't work while it's cooking."

Just two days into the program, Holland decided the meals were not for her, so she returned the products.

"I brought all the food back and the mixers and at that point I thought I was out of it," she said.

Holland says she was told to expect a refund in six weeks, but says the time passed without one.

She said, "I kept checking on the internet every couple of weeks, every month and I kept not seeing it and I kept calling their office. I was saying, what is the status of my refund? And they said it was processing."

Holland says she waited four months without seeing any money back.

"So at that point I called the news," she said.

We called Medifast late last week and spoke to a local store manager who told us the refund would be processed soon and within days of our call, Holland got some welcome news.

"By Monday afternoon the credit was on my statement on the internet," Holland said.

We spoke with Medifast officials several times and while we didn't get a formal statement from Medifast, company officials say it does appear that the company tried to make a couple of opportunities to get that refund to Holland. She says those refund efforts were unsuccessful until Action 13 called and now the money is back in her account.

Holland did receive a partial refund. While she paid $1,400 initially to start her regimen, but she was returned $960 because Medifast says some of the items and products were non-refundable.

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