Airborne Gets Sued, Offers Refunds
Tons of drinks, loss of memory, and a roommate walking home 3 miles from the bar. That sums up last nights events out in Tempe. So this morning, I reach for my Airborne tablets which I have so often used as a “hangover cure” when I see on TV that they have been sued. For what? I had to investigate this on the internet.
Sure enough, the makers of Airborne have been sued for selling products that do not actually work. In 2006, ABC reported that “There was no clinic, no scientists and no doctors. The man who ran things said he had lots of clinical trial experience. He added that he had a degree from Indiana University, but the school says he never graduated.” Well that sure sounds like a great company.
Even the story behind the product is fake. We are told that the product was created by a school teacher that was tired of getting sick all the time. This is far from the truth. It does have a nice little ring to it though and probably helped the product sell so well. Basically they just created a multivitamin tablet, gave it a nice name and story behind it, and threw it into a nice looking package with cartoons and pictures of germs on it. Genius
So Airborne does not actually help avoid colds, but it does not hurt your health either. Some still argue that the placebo effect of taking the supplement is still worth the cost of the tablets. I will agree with this because whenever I take it I usually feel a tad bit better. However, this might stop happening now that I know the entire thing is a scam.
The company is offering refunds for any Airborne Products you have purchased. There is no limit to the amount you can claim if you have receipts for all of the purchases. If you do not have a receipt, you can still file a claim for up to 6 products by visiting the website here. I filled in my information this morning and am wondering how long it will take to receive a refund.
Most likely, a long time…
Published on March 8th, 2008. And don't forget to check out my book, Life After the Cubicle.
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WOW!
That’s pretty crazy.
Crazy because they are totally lying about their product, but even MORE crazy that they are actually getting sued for it.
Isn’t that what marketing is? Making up good stories to sell a product? I mean, the stories should have SOME truth to them, and follow ethical guidelines, but I bet there are TONS more products out there that do a whole lot worse and get away with it.
Besides, aren’t all anti-sick, immune boosting, hangover cures just vitamins of some sort?
Strange story to be sure.
Cheers,
Kacey
Wow! That’s nuts, and I must be the last person on earth to hear it. Doesn’t TOTALLY surprise me, but that is so crazy.
I found the Airborne effervescent tablets at the drug store about a month ago – never saw them before. I started using them in the morning before going to work, because people are constantly getting sick there and I needed something better than the regular vitamin I was taking.
And now? I feel great when I use these tablets. I don’t know if it is a placebo affect, but they do give me the boost I need for the day.
No other vitamins that I have ever taken work like these tablets. It’s too bad the company did not properly test the tablets before making false claims, because it really is a good product compared to other vitamins I have used over the past 10 years. Maybe their new owners can shape things up and reignite the product.