Hello Everyone,

This is about GNC CUSTOMER SERVICE and ethics.

I purchased some diet pills and a multivitamin from GNC. The clerk advised me that I could save some money by purchasing a GNC GOLD CARD.
As I was interested in saving some money, I said 'ok'. 'How much will I save?'
He grabbed his handy-dandy calculator and reamed off a bunch of numbers, and as the new grand total was lower than the prior grand total, I agreed.

As you may have guessed, I should have shopped around before going in to GNC, Garbage N Candy that is.
I got the EXACT same diet pills (which really work, btw), and a superior multivitamin from Walmart, both for less than half the price I paid at GNC.

When I tried to get my money back from GNC, they said yes you can return the products, but you'll get the price you paid minus 20%, and OUR BEAUTIFUL GNC GOLD CARD CANNOT BE RETURNED.

I spoke to the manager who told me the same thing, quoting the dreaded 'store policy'. Said she, 'You should have read the back of your card' before getting it.

I called the 800 # for Garbage N Candy, and they said they were powerless as this particular store is a FRANCHISE. If it were not a FRANCHISE, they could POSSIBLY have done something.

Just wanted to pass this info along.

Here's to boycotting General Nutrition Centers.
Their customer service S-U-C-K-S!!!!!!
Come to think of it, have you ever seen a GNC packed with people?
NO.....People go where the deals and friendly smiling faces are.

Places where we can get better deals for the exact same items or similar items are numerous:
Walmart, CVS, Walgreen's, Long's, KMart, the Internet!

I think it was the fact you bought the item and returned it because you found it cheaper somewhere else.

Just because you found it cheaper somewhere else doesn't mean they should refund you the full price of the product that you already used, which they wouldn't be able to resell anyways so they are still taking a hit even if they did refund you the full price - 20%.

Of course they aren't going to refund you the membership card, it is a membership! Most memberships you can't get refunds for anyways.

Sounds like you didn't make a wise consumer decision and you are looking to blame someone else.

1) No fitness / nutritional place is ever jam packed with people.
2) GNC is expensive. I no longer shop there because I can get my Whey and Multi and fiber from Vitamin Shopp which sells for cheap.
3) It's your fault for not looking around before you buy something. Don't go crying just because you acted like a fool. I told my local GNC shop that I did some comparison and found the items cheaper else where. They told me they really wish I'd shop there, and they have a price match with Vitamin Shopp. So if I ever get tired of driving to the Shopp, I can go there and get the item at the same price. Not bad customer service if you ask me.
4) Good luck with your diet pills. Come back when you regain the weight and we'll help you get started on a real fitness track.

Yeah I kind of agree with these guys. Although I do think GNC is full of hokey junk products (diet pills, case in point) and they are way over priced. I wonder how they are still in business.

yea I personally think gnc is garbage, I use puresupplements.com which is cheaper than any other place ive found.

Gnc actually went bankrupt..

Well, I guess dumb ass like me are buying from GNC. I have been buying GNC Mega men for 3-4 years now and i always thought they are good product and easy for me to get. Now i know the harsh reality so i would want to stop buying the GNC products. I am working overseas now and go back to the states once every year, and each time around 1 week.

I would like to know what should i get this year when i do go back, where to get the supplements and what's their price range. thanks.

Good discussion guys.

GNC is an ok company. The power of internet though has made prices much less then they carry. If you like Multi Men then keep taking it.

GNC are disgusting thieving scum bags in Central America. They employ teenage dirtbag kids with no knowledge of health at all. If your not careful you may be told to take 3 tabs of melatonin instead of creatine post work out...etc.

Their products are naff, just look snazzy in the packaging and their prices are extortionate. Far more than in USA.

Not a fan of GNC myself. Their products are way overpriced, for sure, and many (not all) of their staff have limited knowledge of training and nutrition. You'll either get the skinny little kid working there that just got fired from his job at Burger King and wouldn't know the difference between an amino acid and his elbow, or you'll get the giant steroid fed meat head that'll have you buying everything in the store because "it worked for me".

And regardless of whether it was a franchise or not, or whether there was a 'store policy' in place, GNC could definitely have done something to help the customer in this instance. Maybe a store credit for the difference in price? How about a $10.00(or whatever) gift card, and an explanation that going forward they would match their competitors pricing?

GNC fails to understand what many store front locations fail to understand. In today's market, it is ALL about customer retention. You NEED the repeat customer, and need that cutomer to be telling his/her friends that they should shop there too. Not doing the exact opposite, which happened here because GNC has no clue about customer service. They are relying on the premise that hopefully there will always be enough new customers to replace the ones that have smartened up and gone elsewehere.

I second that.

The one time I went into GNC was pretty much all I needed to figure out I should go somewhere else from then forward. I was just messing around in the mall and thought I'd go in and check it out. I thought the store was okay, but it just wasn't great. The guy behind the counter wasn't very interested in having a customer. Yep, I was the only one. Surprised? He seemed a little more interested in being alone and reading a magazine.

The products I looked at were also overpriced a bit. This negative could be overlooked if the store was a good enough experience however. What do I mean? Well, take Target as an example. Why shop at Target when there’s a Wal-Mart around the corner? Target is certainly more expensive, but people still shop there for the experience. Targets are normally clean with nice employees and short checkout lines as opposed to Wal-Mart’s somewhat dirty environment with employees who couldn’t quite get the aforementioned job at Burger King. And, I’ve actually stood in line at Wal-Mart for 20+ minutes on multiple occasions within the last six months (yes, I timed it).

That being said, GNC would seemingly be in a great position. They don’t have a Wal-Mart like competitor nearby that can undercut all there prices (although Wal-Mart is probably right down the street). But, they are selling pretty specialized products. I don’t have a clue what the numbers are, but not very many people shop for the products that GNC sells. Everyone shops at Wal-Mart. For that reason GNC has to be even better. They have to be exceptional. A person has to be willing to pay 20-30% more just for the experience. I don’t know if they can ever pull that off.

All that is a pretty big problem and it doesn’t even mention the problem they have with the growth of the internet.

Another note: I’ve noticed that places that do the membership card for discounts are normally overpriced to start with and the discount brings them closer to competitive prices. The amount you or I pay for the membership is just straight profit for them.