LA Weight Loss Center in Anderson closes
Lillian Latham, 71, loves to cook for her family.
"I'm a mama, and I'm a grandmama," Ms. Latham said. "I love to cook. I always have."
But after all that cooking, she decided to lose some weight. Ms. Latham said she financed nearly $600 for counseling at LA Weight Loss Center in Anderson and lost roughly 10 pounds.
"I felt some better," she said.
She was ready to lose more, but the office suddenly closed. Driving 30 miles to the LA Weight Loss center in Greenville, she said, is not possible for her, and she does not want the counseling by phone the company has offered.
"I did not pay them to have phone conversations," she said. "It was supposed to be a one-to-one."
Ms. Latham's daughter said she asked LA Weight Loss to send her mother a refund, to no avail.
Better Business Bureau officials said LA Weight Loss had not responded to its inquiries about complaints it received from three other customers.
Representatives of the company told WSPA News Channel 7 that responses have been made to the complaints, and Ms. Latham's dilemma has been resolved.
"Lillian Latham is eligible for a partial reimbursement, according to her contractual agreement," according to statement from the company. "However, we plan on reimbursing her for the full amount that she paid on the program. A check has been processed through the mail to her."
When Ms. Latham heard that news, she was delighted.
"Oh really, that's wonderful, oh that's great!" she said.
She hopes to find another program in Anderson to help her lose weight, she said.
LA Weight Loss representatives said the company have many satisfied customers who have lost weight, including a Greenville woman who told WSPA that she lost 61 pounds over 5 months and has kept the weight off for a year.
LA Weight Loss says its Anderson customers have been notified that they can transfer to its Greenville office or receive counseling by phone. For customers who do not choose those options, the ownership of LA Weight Loss in Anderson changed in October, and customers who signed contracts before Oct. 3 can file a complaint with the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs to receive a prorated refund through the company's bond, according to the Better Business Bureau.
Consumer Affairs officials said Anderson customers who signed contracts after Oct. 3 are entitled to request a refund from the current company owners.
Other LA Weight Loss and Pure Weight Loss Centers are closing across the country. The company that owns them, Pure Weight Loss, filed for bankruptcy this month.
An LA Weight Loss Franchise Company representative, however, said LA Weight Loss Centers in South Carolina are independently owned franchises and are staying open.
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