ZUG.com, the world’s #1 site for pranks and practical jokes, recently orchestrated an all-new, original prank on several so-called “colon cleansing scam” companies.
Boston, MA, November 16, 2009 — ZUG.com, the world’s #1 site for pranks and practical jokes, recently orchestrated an all-new, original prank on several so-called “colon cleansing scam” companies. Frustrated by the “free trials” offered by many not so natural colon cleansing companies, which end up charging consumers a $79.95 monthly “subscription plan,” ZUG gave the natural colon cleansers a taste of their own supplements—by mailing them a bag of dog feces.
“We felt this was a fitting prank for these guys,” said Sir John Hargrave, editor-in-chief of the award-winning humor site. “If you’re going to scam consumers with poop pills, then you deserve a little poop in return.”
The prank began when ZUG.com learned about the volume of complaints being generated by consumers signing up for “free trials” from colon cleansing companies, then being hit with a monthly “subscription plan” of $79.95 or more. Since ZUG is known for its pranks on scammers and spammers, the site’s research team sprang into action, ordering colon cleansing supplements from vendors that had generated the most online complaints.
Then the team tried to “cancel” their free trials, which they found difficult. “They immediately try to strike a deal with you,” said ZUG consumer researcher Tracy Edmunds. “They’ll offer you 50% or more off the product—which shows you how much the product actually costs. Sometimes they’ll give you multiple offers on the same call, anything to avoid losing the sale.”
ZUG.com found that about one-third of colon cleansing companies did not properly honor the request to cancel the “free trial”—despite confirming the cancellation request, they attempted to charge a monthly fee anyway. “It was those colon cleansing companies we set out to prank,” says Hargrave.
The team collected a large sampling of dog feces from a local animal park, then packaged them securely and mailed them via FedEx (which allows the transport of fecal matter, provided it is properly labeled). The team ordered “signature confirmation,” which reported exactly who signed for the package, and when.
From there, it was a simple matter of calling the colon cleansing company on the phone and directly confronting the person who received the package. In the hilarious prank phone call posted on the ZUG.com site, the colon cleansing company argues indignantly about receiving the package.
For those consumers who have been scammed by colon cleansing companies, it’s not their money back—but it is a laugh at the companies’ expense. And that’s the next best thing.
For the full story, please visit: http://www.zug.com/pranks/colon-cleansing/
ABOUT ZUG.COM
ZUG.com is the world’s longest-running humor site, serving up pranks, stunts, and real-life experiments since 1995. ZUG.com works with clients to provide funny viral marketing stunts that attract attention and drive sales. Visit http://www.zug.com.
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ZUG.com
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