Unfortunately, it sounds like Amazon gets away with allowing this to happen by the way they say the sellers ‘misused Amazon’s system’…They don’t seem to be aware that Amazon is allowing the practice to flourish.
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I buy Nature’s Bounty when it is cheaper than other alternatives. I find no risk to making that decision based on price.
The brand carries with it a good reputation so these buyers getting a refund are receiving a gift from the FTC, and will probably be surprised by it.
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It does carry a good reputation, but if memory serves, NB specifically tagged the ‘variations’ on these listings because they were underperforming on their own, hence the FTC decision regarding deception via review shenanigan.
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I doubt any explanation as to their motivation given the source of the complaint.
I doubt that the badges made a significant difference is sales.
“Live by the foma that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy.
Kurt Vonnegut
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I worked for Nature’s Bounty for 20 years. Knowing who was working there at the time this happened, I would be shocked if it wasn’t done out of stupidity, rather than intention.
The culture there was to do the right thing, particularly because the in house legal team would bounce you for the smallest liability mistake.
That was back when Scott Rudolph controlled things though. Private equity at the time (now owned by Nestle), didn’t give two ■■■■■ about anything but money.
And now Scott Rudolph has a new empire he started after getting bounced out of his own company called Piping Rock (the street he lives on in Old Brookville NY, next to J-Lo).
They are kicking ■■■ in every channel. Carlyle and Horbach (among others), are brands he has on Amazon. The Carlyle selling account is one of the top seller accounts on the marketplace at the moment.
Scott was pissed getting knocked out by The Carlyle Group (private equity) so in spite, and in eating NB’s lunch on Amazon, he called his Amazon supplement Brand “Carlyle Nutritionals”. Sandra Horbach (managing director at The Carlyle Group), was the one who let him go. So why not create a brand called “Horbach” on Amazon and make a killing with it… 
Wicked sense of humor and wicked, cunning industry expert. Learned a lot from the 6 months I spent with him, almost daily, back in the early 2000’s.
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If only they could do something about the non-US sellers doing fraud reviews. NB actually didn’t need them I am surprised they would do this intentionally as they are a very well-known brand.
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The FTC’s action against Bountiful was the agency’s first time challenging “review hijacking,” a deceptive practice in which a marketer steals the reviews of another product to boost sales.
I did miss it, that ‘first time action’ was published in March. Have there been other refunds or actions since?
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The FTC needs to hold AMAZON responsible, but astonishingly they are not.
I’ve pointed this out to the FTC in a complaint citing some highly-rated, yet dangerous, ‘health’ products currently being sold on Amazon…
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