22 replies to this topic

[michanne1]

Well, I had quite the upsetting visit to my JCC last week. Apparently I am not buying enough food. I didn't realize there is a "minimum" I had to buy each week.

Just to give some background, I am in Canada, and signed up for a "Ultimate Success Program" 3-year membership last June. I have been on the program 7 months, and have lost 44 pounds. I go faithfully every week to my centre for my weigh-in.

At first I ate all the food, as it tasted good and I could follow the program easily. About three months ago, I started to get a bit sick of the food. Not that it doesn't taste good, just that I am eating the same thing day in and day out. Maybe if you only have 10-20 pounds to lose, it is do-able to eat the same thing all the time. But my goal is to lose 100 pounds. So after about 4 months of the same thing all the time, I started to get sick of the food. I've tried changing it up, bought the recipe book from JC that shows you how to alternate the recipes and change things up, and have come on here many times to find alternative recipes. But I just found that I could stomach less and less of the same foods. For example, the broccoli potato makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. Anyway, since then I started going with roughly half of my own food (against my JCC's assertions that I would not lose if I didn't eat their food). My purchases at JC have gone down to about half of what they were in the first few months, obviously. This has been do-able for me, and I have continued to lose. I am so excited that I am almost at halfway, and was super determined to get there, until I had my weigh-in last week.

My JCC was very aggressive and threatening. She told me that I am not ordering enough food to be considered "on the JC program" anymore. She said I should be eating roughly $125-150 worth of food each week, and she went back through my purchases since last November (when I started to struggle), and showed me I have been consistently purchasing around half of what I used to. She said the management will go through and check, and for people who are not "on program", they will get "spoken to". She said one of these days I am going to come in and it will be the “manager” who talks to me, instead of her. And I said, "So, what will they do? Kick me off of JC? I am still losing weight", and the JCC said, "They can make it so you are only coming in for monthly consultations and not weekly anymore, and that you would just be on the maintenance program” (essentially I am taking up an ever-so-important spot of someone who would be purchasing more of the program).

She said my contract is not going to be valid or held up on their end because in it, it says I have to be eating their food to be considered "on the program" (I checked when I got home and it does say that, but it does not specify a minimum amount that has to be purchased each week). Part of the "deal" I signed was that when I reached my goal and maintained it for a year, I would get half of my initial fee back (I paid $450 for the program so I would get $225 back), but according to my JCC they would not have to honour that because I am not buying their food, so technically I am not ‘following the program’. I said, "But I AM buying the food, I buy it every week", and she said, "But you are not buying enough to be on program, you should be spending more like $125 to $150 every week". I said, "But I am eating the food and doing the best I can, it is not the program or JC that I have a problem with, it is simply that I am getting sick of the food. So what do you do for people who get sick of the food? There must be other people like me" and she said, "Well the JC program IS the food, so you just have to suck it up and eat the food, if you want to be considered 'on program'". I said, "But I thought I paid for 3 years of weigh-ins, whether I am buying the food or not", and that's when she went back to not buying enough to where they could claim I have not been following their program as planned. I said another problem is they keep taking away foods I like and not introducing new ones, like the cinnamon buns are gone again and also the cheesy enchiladas. I am down to only a few foods that I can still stomach to eat over and over again. She said that is their program, and that is the food available, and if I don't like it, then Jenny is not for me.

Wow. I wish I had known all this before I signed a 3-year "deal".

I was extremely disappointed. I found her to be very aggressive. Nobody ever told me initially that there is a weekly minimum you need to buy. Nobody told me about the "loopholes" in the contract - although in reading it now I can see the loopholes and wonder if they ever would give me half my money back, as claimed! I see that JC is about money, they don't really care about me because if they did, they would work with me to make it work, even if that meant buying about half their food and learning to eat my own food half the time. I could work with hat. She said they no longer do a half-way time where they teach you to eat your own food, you don't get to do that until maintenance. The way she was talking to me, I felt like it was some kind of pyramid program where she was pressuring me to buy and threatening me because I am not spending enough, that my contract will not be honoured and essentially I could be kicked out of JC (or removed from the weekly consultations I thought I already paid for). I can see how they really only care about the bottom line, the "almighty dollar", and not me.

So what do I do now? After I left there, I was so upset that I do not feel like ever going back. So they can keep my money then. I though Jenny was about the food, yes, but also about the "support". But that was not very supportive, in fact I felt like crying she was so aggressive. I am not paying for that. And if they are going to cut my weigh-ins to monthly anyway, that sort of removes the motivation and accountability that has been working for me so far. I told her that, and she said that the program is not about the weigh-ins and counselling, but it is a FOOD program. She said she is not a psychologist, and is not there to be giving me that kind of support, but it is about the food.

I do not feel like giving them a single cent more of my money, they have already hosed me for over $450 for the initial start-up fees and hundreds and hundreds of dollars of food over the last few months. I would have thought - to them - even if I spent $75 a week it is better than my not coming at all, than not being a customer at all, isn't it? I still have potentially another year of food to get to goal and then maintain for another year after that, so they are looking at some money from me anyway, even if it is not the full $125-150 a week.

Has this type of thing happened to anyone else? I did see the thread about contracts re: The Reward Program being stopped, and some of the loopholes there – and I will NEVER EVER sign up for any "contracts" again. I am kicking myself because I should have known better. I could have just done a year plan or something, and even though it might have cost more, when I started to get sick of the food I could have just stopped with no penalty. Now I likely won't ever see my $250 again (I was very determined to get to goal and get that money back!), but after my weigh-in, I almost don’t care. They can keep it.

I don't really understand that though, as I will never EVER give them another cent. And I will tell everyone I know not to go to Jenny either, because it really is about the bottom line. Why would I think differently? It is, after all, a huge corporation and it is all about money. I see that now. I just don't understand their thinking because they may have got me for the three-year monetary amount, but they will lose me forever and anyone else I can get to also, so that sort of defeats their purpose, doesn't it? Why treat people that way? That's not customer service!

I am not sure now what I am going to do. I am still too upset to even think about it. I have another weigh-in scheduled for next week, and I am supposed to “show up having eaten all my food for the week”! I feel like a small child being disciplined! So I am not sure if I ever want to go back.

Has this happened to anyone else?

[vfish]

I think you might want to call the corporate office and find out. When I signed up my JCC told me that she had a client that she helped lower her weekly cost by choosing less expensive items. I've also seen threads on this forum where people have stopped buying breakfasts and snacks to save money, but I don't know where there stood in their weight loss goals (if they were ad the mid point then they can start making their own food. check with Jenny corporate.

Good Luck!

[dijarm]

I would talk to corporate. There is no minimum, I would also want to use a different JCC. If she had complained to me I would have askde her is she wants to make commission on $125 purchase or commission on $0 purchase. A bird int the hand......

[I Called Jenny]

First, congrats on your significants loss! Well done!!! Keep it up!

As for the food, I was on a different program - the Rewards Program, in fact - so as far as I"m concerned JC doesn't necessarily stick to their "agreements" either. Yes, on paper, they have; but in reality, they haven't. But having said that, I still TOTALLY believe in JC.

But there's nothing "magic" about their food and once you hit halfway you would be expected to starting doing MOMOs, so you're only doing them a bit earlier AND you're succeeding by continuing to lose weight, so I suspect that you have misinformed (I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt and that's she's not just being mercenery about losing some of her commission) JCC.

So talk to your center's director and if you don't get the satisfaction you desired, call the corporate headquarters.

There are waaaaay too many of us who have had to cut back on our JC purchases but still were entitled to all the benefits of the program WE ALL PAID FOR.

Don't give up on the program for one bad conversation with a single JCC. You're doing too well on the plan to give up now.

BTW, here's two more links that you might not have seen regarding new recipes and ways of transforming the JC meals into something else.

http://community.jen...1377#entry31377

http://nothankstocak...like-crazy.html

Hang in there! We're all behind you. You can get the satisfaction you deserve and continue to do an awesome job at losing the weight.

[happineff]

I am OUTRAGED for you!!! That's so terrible that a JCC, the person who is supposed to support you, would be threatening and manipulating like that! My experience with Jenny (in two locations in different states) have been nothing but positive and I frequently try to keep my purchases below $100 and have NEVER felt pressured to buy more. What happened to you is just wrong. It breaks my heart to hear about JC clients who have lousy JCCs!

As horrible as your experience was, I hope this means you won't quit! Fight for what you paid for by speaking to your center director. Chances are they want to keep your business, and maybe they are not even aware of your particular JCCs threatening tactics. It might be that a new consultant is all you need (lots of us have just needed to "try on" different JCCs until we found one that "fit"). However, if the whole center is corrupt, certainly contact Corporate ASAP! You've worked too hard and come too far to be bested by some greedy, money-grubbing bully!

Congrats on losing 44 lbs! You've done a great job and it sounds like you've already learned some valuable lessons regarding meals-on-your-own. Keep up the fantastic work!

[crzygrl_35]

i currently work at a jenny in the U.S. and i am very sorry to hear this happened to you. definitely congrats on your weight loss so far, though! i would definitely organize your thoughts and speak first with your centre's director and then call corporate. ask your centre director to pair you up with a different consultant. as far as doing meals on your own at your half way mark, i have a hard time believing that they've said you can't do that! (not saying i don't believe you, i'm saying i can't believe that consultant said they don't do that as that's one of our biggest celebrations is teaching you to do 2 full days on your own at 1/2 way! if i'm not mistaken, it outlines that on the website under "how it works"). perhaps by sticking to a structured menu on 5 days of the week and doing your own foods under jenny guidelines on the other 2 days, you can control your budget (this should get you between $85-100-ish each week, but that's on U.S. costs), allow you to do some of your own meals, and still help you to lose weight more consistently. good luck on your goals, i wish you the best!

[michanne1]

First off, I want to thank everyone for your replies and support. This community is absolutely amazing. I was feeling pretty down about the whole thing – as beluga babe so aptly described, you get motivated and your heart is really into it, and then you find out something like this and the whole illusion is shattered. I was feeling frustrated and sad (still am), because this I not a case where I am not willing to keep going or have been slacking off! This is simply my not being able to follow the program às-is`, being fully willing to continue with my weekly weigh-ins and buy the food (even if it is only half of it). I am absolutely flabbergasted that the company won`t support me in continuing to reach my weight-loss goals, and is actually threatening that I would lose the `Deal (being half my money back) that I signed up for.

I just got off the phone with 1-800-JennyCares. It turns out that my local centre (and all the centres here, apparently) are `franchises`. I had no idea there was any difference. But apparently a company can buy the Jenny name and program, but is free to change it and runt heir programs as they see fit. So telling me they `no longer do`the halfway meals on your own (and yes, indeed that is what my JCC told me, she said they have not being doing that halfway-thing for a long time now. I said but on the chat boards everyone talks about starting to do meals on their own at halfway, and there is a book you are supposed to get, and she said then they are doing it differently than we do it here because they do not do that and have not done that for a long time. You follow the Jenny program right until the end, until goal, full program, and then you go to maintenance and THAT`s where you start to learn to eat foods on your own). The call I had with Jenny Cares just confirmed that she has never heard of that and tried to call my centre for clarification but could not get in touch with the program director. She said they do actually say that if you are not following the full program (meaning the $125-150 per month) then they do (even at the regular non-franchised centres) go to monthly maintenance. I said, well that doesn`t support me in my goals and the need for weekly accountability, but that`s fine, if that`s how they work with me – but will I still get half my money back as promised because my JCC said I would not. She said now THAT is not something she has ever heard of and said she doesn`t think they can do that. So that`s why she was calling to check in with my centre. I guess my centre told her I should call and talk directly to the program director myself and they can explain it to me, and so I guess that`s my next step.

I had NO IDEA about any of this, that there was even such a thing as franchises being able to use the Jenny name but essentially do their own program and have their own `requirements`(despite what it says in my `service agreement`). I am absolutely disheartened by all of this.

I did ask if it was an option for me to do the at-home program, and if I did switch if they follow the actual Jenny program and she said yes they do. So they would do the halfway mark and meals-on-my-own and all that. But she did say they would also switch me to monthly consults if I am not buying the `full` program. I said since I am sick of the food, that might be the only way I can finish this out and reach my goal. She said it is unusual in my case because typically when people start to eat on their own they stop losing weight, and she said in my case I am continuing to have success (I just lost 2.5 pounds at my last weigh-in, which was why I was so surprised this all came out of nowhere!).

I guess my centre (or that particular `franchise``) is definitely about the bottom-line and making money, and my JCC is not happy that I am not bringing her full commission in. That`s fine, if that is the attitude, and they are not about teaching me to do things on my own, then maybe I should switch to the at home program. At least then I know Jenny`s program would be followed. And I don`t feel like giving my centre any more of my money when I now see that they are not about jenny at all, but about $$$$.

I will give them a call and see what they say and then update this post.

Thanks again for all of your support – if you guys hadn`t got me all riled up and fired up to stand up for myself, I likely wouldn`t have made the call and just given up altogether.

I have to say too that the Jenny Cares lady was absolutely lovely and very supportive and said they should be working with me to help me finish out the program, especially because I am almost to halfway. However, she also admitted that because they are a franchise, corporate has little control over this and really cannot step in, I will have to deal with my centre directly. My only options are to either work with my centre (and it sounds like I'll have to go to monthly consults and "maintenance") or to switch to the at home program. It will totally depend on the talk I have with my centre director....should be interesting.

And absolutely NO MORE contracts, and likely no more Jenny either, after all this. I just think the while contract thing (especially as I read what is going on witht he "rewards" memebrs) is shady and underhanded, and now I see there are other loopholes and problems. If osmeone has to lose a few pounds, sign up for the 6-week deal first and see if the program is for you. DO NOT sign a contract. I guess they can change it at will, and don't even have to follow the jenny program (if you are at a franchise!). At this point I Just want to finish out what I can, the best I can, get to goal, and get the heck off the jenny program - no more contracts!!!

[michanne1]

Wow. I just got off the phone with the program director and she said this was a big enough issue to escalate it to the centre director. So I just finished talking with the centre director. I got a very different understanding of things than I did after my Friday weigh-in.

She said the difference is my attitude, that if people are not willing to work the program or lose weight then she could see the JCC saying things needed to change. But she said for me it is different, that I am willing to continue and am just struggling with the food. She asked what I would like to see happen, and I said first to change JCCs! Then, to keep going as I have been, the weekly weigh-ins have been very good for me, and to continue with the food even if it means only buying half of it. I asked about the exchanges, if someone could work with me to learn that system so that for the meals I am struggling with (particularly suppers) that I could learn to do more of that on my own, despite what my JCC said. She suggested that I come in to see her directly, that she will work with me to make the program work. It was a VERY different attitude than what I got last week.

The only thing she did say is that when it comes time for my reward, she could partially defend what the JCC told me, because the head office "could" potentially look at it and say I did not follow program (although there is no minimum weekly amount that you have to spend noted anywhere in my agreement, so I don't know how they could "define" whether or not someone is following program. Based on what? I certainly have the comittment and motivation, and am losing weight. Simply based on a dollar amount? She said that is something the "main office" would have to decide at the time I reach goal and maintain for a year - and I will be fully prepared to fght that if they refuse my reward, when the time comes). So I am not 100% confident that my agreement is going to be honoured (that I would get half my money back) as apparently they could claim I did not follow the Jenny program.

I guess if you look at the jenny program as "food" then no, I wouldn't be following it 100%. But is the jenny program not also about the consultations and support, and teaching the exchange system, and helping you to learn how to do this on your own? That eventually you transition off jenny food and learn to eat with portion control and proper nutrients and so on? If so, then I am following it, have been, and would continue to be until goal. I pointed out to her that I have alreday paid $450 up front, and thought I was paying for consultations and support too. So we shall see.

I have cancelled my consults with my previous JCC and have agreed to see the centre director now, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we can make this work and I can keep going to goal (although I have to say my weigh-in this week is NOT going to be great because I did not deal with all of this frustration all that well and turned to food - yikes). So now I have to face that scale and then get back on track. However, I am hopeful that she seems to have a different take on the program and how it is supposed to work - she apologized and said that is not how it is supposed to be. I told her I was so upset that I was not going to come back and she said that is not what they want, that they appreciate any business even if it is not the "full" program. I hope that is true.

So we shall see how this Friday goes....and ultimately whether or not my "agreement" will be honoured by JC. I am defintiely suspicious, based on what has happened to others with the reward program - who knows, they might decide to change my program too. I wish I could somehow see into the future to know if they are goign to ultimately honour that or not - if they are, great, but if not, then I would not give them any more business starting now (because I am looking at purchasing food from them every week and would rather not give them anymore money, if that is how I am going to be treated, in the end).

Come on, jenny, treat your customers as they deserve to be treated, honour your agreements. I will keep my fingers crossed. And in all of this I have learned a very valuable lesson - no more contracts! No more fine print! I just won't do it. Even if it might be more expesnive in the end, I'd atcually rather pay a higher monthly fee (or whatever the situation may be) and prevent myself from being tricked into a sales pitch and money grab just to be disappointed in the end.

Thanks again, everyone, for all of your help. Every word you all wrote to me was read in great detail, and your encouragement was very helpful - very much appreciated. And I am so sorry that others of you are experiencing similar frustration with contracts, it iseems so unfair. And one other person who posted was having a similar situation to me and being told you are not purchasing enough even though you paid all that money up front for your consultations - it sounds like they have to honour at least a monhtly consultation, and even still honour your reward upon reaching goal if you do it and maintain for a year - I would encourage you (as others did for me) to call the corproate number and then your centre, as apparently that is not what they are supposed to be syaing to you. I hope it works out for you too.

[I Called Jenny]

A few months back when this whole "rewards issue" hit the boards and we all started to discuss it, as a rewards customer (and a loyal one att the who paid her renewal fees annually even though I didn't still visit my JC center but I wanted to keep it as insurance which I eventually needed), I happened to be in my center one days when some of the "corporate bigwigs" were visiting.

Well that put my antenna up and I INSISTED on speaking to them. Well, after a long discussion with the center director (who knew I wouldn't back down) one of the corporate bigwigs came out to talk with me.

I gave him the rundown on the feelings about the Rewards program and the backlash and, yes, they do monitor the boards (in fact on that particular discussion JC corporate even jumped in at one point to try to calm us down).

Anyway, long story short - one of the things we talked about was that Nestles bought out JC a couple of years ago (5? 7?) and they realized that there were too many things that were consistent. The corporate-owned offices were MOSTLY doing one thing and the franchises, which were supposed to be following the same programs as the corporate-owned ones weren't.

So they were changing things (they were waiting until a number of the franchise licenses were coming due) so that ALL of the offices - corporate-owned or franchise - could ONLY follow the corporate rules.

That's why there are totally new programs in effect. Some (like the lifetime members) would continue to get the benefits they were contractually obligated to receive. And those of us with "service agreements" (like the Rewards customers) were going to see some changes. But the bottom line was that if the franchises wanted their contracts to be renewed they HAD TO abide by all of the corporate rules or they would lose the franchise rights (and these things cost hundreds of thousands of dollars from what I was told) so they would be forced to abide by the contracts.

So even though your office is a franchise, they would HAVE TO (I think it was within a year) follow ALL of the corporate programs. So, yes, if you hold up your end of the contract, then your office (franchise or not) will HAVE to give you whatever money you are owed for reaching goal and maintaining.

Yes, there are lots of things corporations are changing so they can report to their investors or risk losing their financial backing (meaning people would sell and/or not buy their stock) but they're not stupid. Nestles has been around forever and they're also not stupid so they WILL abide by their contractual obligations.

Bottom line, don't give up on JC.

I'm not always thrilled by their decisions but in the long run, I believe the company has integrity and one of the best and easiest programs out there (and I've been on them ALL).

So while I might not always be happy with all of their decisions, in the end, if I totally left JC and stopped following the things I've learned that helped me not only to lose the weight but maintain it, I will always totally support the principles behind JC because if I didn't, the person who would suffer the most would be me.

Just my two cents.

[Blessed4Life2]

I Called Jenny, on 16 January 2012 - 05:46 PM, said:

A few months back when this whole "rewards issue" hit the boards and we all started to discuss it, as a rewards customer (and a loyal one att the who paid her renewal fees annually even though I didn't still visit my JC center but I wanted to keep it as insurance which I eventually needed), I happened to be in my center one days when some of the "corporate bigwigs" were visiting.

Well that put my antenna up and I INSISTED on speaking to them. Well, after a long discussion with the center director (who knew I wouldn't back down) one of the corporate bigwigs came out to talk with me.

I gave him the rundown on the feelings about the Rewards program and the backlash and, yes, they do monitor the boards (in fact on that particular discussion JC corporate even jumped in at one point to try to calm us down).

Anyway, long story short - one of the things we talked about was that Nestles bought out JC a couple of years ago (5? 7?) and they realized that there were too many things that were consistent. The corporate-owned offices were MOSTLY doing one thing and the franchises, which were supposed to be following the same programs as the corporate-owned ones weren't.

So they were changing things (they were waiting until a number of the franchise licenses were coming due) so that ALL of the offices - corporate-owned or franchise - could ONLY follow the corporate rules.

That's why there are totally new programs in effect. Some (like the lifetime members) would continue to get the benefits they were contractually obligated to receive. And those of us with "service agreements" (like the Rewards customers) were going to see some changes. But the bottom line was that if the franchises wanted their contracts to be renewed they HAD TO abide by all of the corporate rules or they would lose the franchise rights (and these things cost hundreds of thousands of dollars from what I was told) so they would be forced to abide by the contracts.

So even though your office is a franchise, they would HAVE TO (I think it was within a year) follow ALL of the corporate programs. So, yes, if you hold up your end of the contract, then your office (franchise or not) will HAVE to give you whatever money you are owed for reaching goal and maintaining.

Yes, there are lots of things corporations are changing so they can report to their investors or risk losing their financial backing (meaning people would sell and/or not buy their stock) but they're not stupid. Nestles has been around forever and they're also not stupid so they WILL abide by their contractual obligations.

Bottom line, don't give up on JC.

I'm not always thrilled by their decisions but in the long run, I believe the company has integrity and one of the best and easiest programs out there (and I've been on them ALL).

So while I might not always be happy with all of their decisions, in the end, if I totally left JC and stopped following the things I've learned that helped me not only to lose the weight but maintain it, I will always totally support the principles behind JC because if I didn't, the person who would suffer the most would be me.

Just my two cents.

Phyllis, this isnt the same incident you told us about back in Nov. is it?

[michanne1]

Phyllis,

Thank you so much for your replies. I appreciate your comments, as I always do. I am a frequent forum "lurker" but very infrequent poster (I usually only post when something moves me as strongly as this has). But I have read your posts for a long time (the whole 7 months I have been on this program) and have been in awe of how much support you give to the community members. If Jenny isn't paying you to be a support on these boards - they should be! I have often found more support (and program information) here from people like you than I have from my JCC or my centre. And I was secretly hoping you would respond to my post as I was curious to hear your thoughts. So thank you so much for all you do, the time you spend on these boards and the support you provide to the community. It is VERY much appreciated.

As far as your comments about the need for consistency between franchises and the jenny program, I think that is a good thing that jenny recognizes that need. However, based on my experience it is clear they have a lot of work to do. There are - still - significant differences between the program and how franchises are being run, as I just experienced. And for the 1-800 Jennycares lady to admit, just yesterday, that there is little they can do to enforce what my centre is doing, was very interesting considering what you just wrote. It is difficult for me to believe that jenny would have little power in enforcing that a franchise is following the program, as if they are not, then (as you said) the license should not be renewed and they should not be allowed to call themselves "jenny" any longer. I hope that, as you said, they continue to "clean up" some of those issues.

Inconsistencies seem to be a big problem for jenny, among centres vs. franchises, and even among what JCCs do and say within the program, regardless of whether or not they are working in a franchise, which is evident in just reading these boards. For example, I posted this same thread on the "general" forum, and “Reelwaves” just posted yesterday that she is a vegetarian and the JCC has agreed to work with her (as they should) and she spends $25-$40 per week.

Reelwaves, on 16 January 2012 - 05:01 PM, said:

They would be very, very upset at me, then. I am vegetarian and with the limited selection, my JCC new that I would be buying limited food and put me on a plan where I can create my own meals. I spend between $25 and $45 a week on JC food because I like the breakfasts and snacks. The rest I do on my own. They are very supportive of me.

Perhaps you should call her on her threat and ask to speak to the manager. Let the manager know the situation with being tired of the food and how your JCC treated you. Let the manager know how important the weekly sessions are to you and that you would like a different counselor.

If that doesn't work, call the corporate office and speak to someone there. I would hope that would make a difference. Let us know how it goes.

That is a significant difference form what I was told, that I had to be spending $125-150 or I'd be kicked off the weekly consults. Other people have their weekly budgets altered because money is an issue for them. And yet "A Joke" posted on the general thread that she is having the very same issue as me, that she cannot afford the food anymore due to budget and they are telling her she is no longer eligible for weekly consults:

A joke, on 16 January 2012 - 10:56 AM, said:

I am having pretty much the same problem today. I recently moved and currently unemployed, unable to purchase Jenny food. So, I have been doing all the meals on my own following their rules about calories, veggies, starches etc. I have consistanly lost since I started. I went to weigh in today and they told me they could no longer counsel me because I am not purchasing their food. Are you kidding me? I paid almost $400 for a years worth of consultations. They are obviously not interested in their clients success and health. They are interested in making a buck. I am thoroughly disgusted with them. They have told me I will not get any of my money back. Said that they are not nutritionists so they can't help me. I could have sworn the counseling was for moral support. My counselor asked me the week prior about exercise. I told her I wanted to try 3x week at 30-45 minutes on the treadmill, completely doable for me in my eyes. She suggested I just start with 20 minutes. Are you kidding me? Its like they want to delay your weightloss as much as possible. I have since decided, Jenny is a fraud. I plan to take it to the better business bureau. I also plan to continue doing what Im doing and continue to consistantly lose more weight. All without the "Jenny food"...What a joke and a disappointment!!

I believe (and according to the program guidebook, materials, and this website, the program IS about more than just "food", so I find it hard to believe that any Jenny location is getting away with that. Similarly the 1-800 Jennycares lady told me that even with the "at home" program, if you are not "following program" they will also remove you from weekly consults and go to monthly maintenance. But she said this is not just based on a monetary amount, but the client's commitment ("following program") and how much weight he/she is losing. Yet in my and "A Joke’s” experience, they are basing it completely on weekly spending. It does not seem fair.

To assert that this is a "food" program only is ridiculous. If it is "only" about the food, then the website and program materials (including the guidebook they hand you when you first sign up) as well as their sales pitch in selling you "the program" needs to change to say "This is just about the food, and if you do not buy a weekly minimum you will get booted off the program". If it was just about the food, then why wouldn't we all just go to the grocery store and spend HALF the amount on bland, pre-packaged food. The program is designed to be just as much about weekly consults and one-on-one support (look at how much they tout that as opposed to their competition, WW, where it is supposedly "impersonal" and just a mass meeting, whereas jenny is supposed to be tailored to your needs). And yet if you do not spend a certain amount you are threatened for these consultations and the accountability of a weekly weigh-in to stop, simply because you are not buying enough food? Then why charge a separate amount for the program, which CLEARLY in my "service agreement" says (a number of times) it is above and beyond the cost of the program, "food and supplements are extra". So the $450 I paid should be just for the consultations and weekly weigh-ins alone, and the food (whatever amount you buy) is beyond that, and should not affect whatsoever whether or not you are able to continue to attend weekly consults. It is REALLY unfortunate that this has been used as a threat to stop people from attending the program, from what they PAID FOR, ASIDE from the food, as it was in my case and for "A Joke".

I agree with you that jenny will have a hard time, if (when!) I get to goal and maintenance, if they tried to assert that I do not get my "reward" of half my money back after all, because I was not "technically" following the program since I was not spending enough money. The "program" as it is described on this website, as many posters on this forum have experienced (for example, considering someone "on program" who is a vegetarian and only spends $25-40 a month and yet saying I am not “on program” when I spend more than that every week) would make a hard case for jenny to claim I was not "following program", especially if I continue with my weekly consults and continue to lose weight. There is also no clear indication of any kind of "weekly minimum" in my service agreement either. So you better believe I will fight it if they do not honour what they are supposed to. Not to mention the (further) negative PR this would cause.

It is really a shame that my JCC would have got away with that (and that "A Joke" has experienced the same thing) and that we had to fight and go to this extreme (calling corporate, calling the centre director) to get jenny to honour what they said I signed up for in the first place. It scares me to think of other people who are experiencing this (or experiencing their own JCC's warped version of the ""program" which may be significantly different from what jenny intended it to be). Jenny needs to do more work in ensuring their centres - whether franchise or not - are more consistent, and that the program is delivered and honoured the way it is supposed to be).

I went online and bought a "jenny" program manual from 1996, when jenny was a much different program, was not all about "the food" (before Nestle bought into it), and it was very much like WW, teaching you to eat properly, and touting the weekly support in one-on-one consults. I believe the REAL Jenny really cared about people and losing weight, and teaching them to maintain and live a healthy lifestyle for life. It is REALLY unfortunate that it has become so much about the "food". If this is the case, then why not just go back to WW (which is where I came from) as there was never any pressure to buy products or food (certainly not to the point where you would be threatened to be kicked off the program) and you never stood to lose as much money as I do as jenny is significantly more expensive. I also found he "support" and "teaching" to be much greater than with jenny, where mostly what is focused on now is buying the food, buy more food, food, food, food. That’s really all it is, a weigh-in and menu-order. So why not just go to the grocery store and buy your own pre-packaged meals at half the cost.

Phyllis, I did read the threads about the rewards program (including the link to your chat with the head honcho) and I have to say, hats off to you. I think you are amazing and the fact that you insisted on talking to the head people and telling them exactly what you think is what more of us need to do in order to be heard. I am SO GLAD I came on here to post and that you all encouraged me to bring my situation forward too, as it "sounds" like it is going to be rectified (although we shall see how my visit goes this week and whether I am "encouraged" to buy more food, and in the end whether or not my agreement is honoured). I think you’re right, at the core, that Jenny is MEANT to be a great program, the foundation is there, I just wish Jenny would do more to enforce that this program is being carried out PROPERLY and according to guidelines at ALL centres (whether franchised or not, they should not be allowed to use jenny's name if they are not following the program, including teaching meals on your own at halfway, teaching you exchanges and learning to eat “Real” food as opposed to saying you do not get to eat ANY real food until you get to maintenance, and NOT enforcing the food so much, and honouring the weekly consults that are supposed to be a significant part of this program and what partly sets it aside from its competition). I hope they plan to do so in the future. This experience has taught me what jenny “should” be and I feel prepared to continue to fight so that is honoured.

[HopefulVickie]

As a Rewards Program Member, why am I not surprised? A lot irritates me about all of this, but mostly it bothers me that they will hold to the letter of the contract when it's to their advantage but use loopholes to get out of promises on their end. Good luck. I have no faith you'll get what you deserve.

It's a business.

Sorry to be a downer, but that's my experience with them.

[I Called Jenny]

Blessed4Life2, on 16 January 2012 - 07:34 PM, said:

Phyllis, this isnt the same incident you told us about back in Nov. is it?

Yup - same incident but I think it was considerably earlier than November. I thought it was over the summer but I'm not sure.

I just thought that some of the folks might not have heard about my meeting with the JC execs.

[I Called Jenny]

Michanne, I'm so sorry that you're still having problems with your center but what is REALLY bugging me now is that on the JennyCares hotline, they are SUPPORTING the fact that you have to buy a certain amount of food and/or "sticking to the plan" in order to get the consultations. That means that the corporate who big-wig was sitting two feet from me LIED TO MY FACE!!!! And that is something I REALLY ticked-off about.

It would have been INFINITELY better if he just told me the truth (which I would have shared) rather than a lie which I stupidly believed and spread on these forums and that makes me REALLY angry because I helped them spread a lie.

My only thought is that we need to write directly to the corporate offices - and believe me I'm going to do that - because being lied to is NOT something that I can tolerate on something that is as important as the goals that JC eschews.

As for writing on the forums, no, I'm not paid (I wish - LOL). Rather it's my way of keeping myself on track and if my posts help someone else, all the better.

Since I don't see my consultant anymore (my choice), the forums are my way of staying "accountable."

I'm just really, REALLY sad at this change of events and attitudes.

[HopefulVickie]

I was told that I had to spend at least $50 in food to get a consultation. My Center is a Corporate Center.

[I Called Jenny]

I'm just curious. Has anyone who is still going to the Center (Centres) and was told that they had to be an $X amount each week (apparently it varies depending on the Center/Centre and/or JCC) asked what the $400+- we paid was for if not the consultations?

[crzygrl_35]

from personal experience, one of the biggest reasons we start to discontinue weekly client consultations is because when they start to do food on their own, they are no longer following jenny guidelines. typically, clients are no longer bringing in menus and are not keeping track of the specific jenny exchanges set for their calorie level. at this point we can no longer guarantee your health, your healthy rate of loss (anything greater than 1% of your current body weight lost each week is unhealthy, although i know we all want it to come of quickly), or that your getting in all of your nutrients, vitamins, and calories. from this standpoint, we're not nutritionists. we can't be held legally responsible if something happens because a client is doing their own thing apart from the jenny guidelines and we're still providing counsel. from my experience, if a client keeps track of their jenny exchanges and brings in their completed menu of what they ate the previous week, then consultants are typically more willing to work with the client and they are still considered to be "following the program."

i understand the frustration that you're experiencing with your program, and i still think you're in the right to fight for your rewards, and i'm not replying to this to further frustrate you, but i hope this provides some insight from a consultant's perspective (and i'm from a franchise centre).

[I Called Jenny]

crzygrl_35, on 24 January 2012 - 08:37 AM, said:

from personal experience, one of the biggest reasons we start to discontinue weekly client consultations is because when they start to do food on their own, they are no longer following jenny guidelines. typically, clients are no longer bringing in menus and are not keeping track of the specific jenny exchanges set for their calorie level. at this point we can no longer guarantee your health, your healthy rate of loss (anything greater than 1% of your current body weight lost each week is unhealthy, although i know we all want it to come of quickly), or that your getting in all of your nutrients, vitamins, and calories. from this standpoint, we're not nutritionists. we can't be held legally responsible if something happens because a client is doing their own thing apart from the jenny guidelines and we're still providing counsel. from my experience, if a client keeps track of their jenny exchanges and brings in their completed menu of what they ate the previous week, then consultants are typically more willing to work with the client and they are still considered to be "following the program."

i understand the frustration that you're experiencing with your program, and i still think you're in the right to fight for your rewards, and i'm not replying to this to further frustrate you, but i hope this provides some insight from a consultant's perspective (and i'm from a franchise centre).

OK, if I'm reading this correctly, basically it's not necessarily the specific lack of JC food that is the MOST important reason that a JCC might choose (or be told by their boss) to end the counseling but rather because the client doesn't bring in a list of what they ate? So even if they were eating SOME off-JC foods (whether doing total MOMOs or DOMOs with "real" food or other "diet" foods (WW, Lean Cuisine, etc.) because they're halfway or simply due to budget constraints and gave you the nutrition info on a menu-type form, they would still be considered "on plan" and would be entitled to their consultation, Is that correct? Seriously, this is the first time I heard of this and I'm sure others haven't heard this so this would be a VERY IMPORTANT bit of info that would be helpful to so many folks. So if you can clarify that, that would be VERY helpful.

Thanks for coming into this conversation and giving your expert JCC input.

[crzygrl_35]

it would need to be logged on a jenny 1/2 way or maintenance menu and following the correct exchanges outlined by the correct guidelines for your calorie level. for example, on a 1200 calorie menu, a client would need to take in 5 starch servings, 3+ non-starchy veggie servings, 2 fruit servings, 6 meat/meat substitute servings, 2 milk servings, and 3 fat servings. these are the current guidelines outlined for someone who is doing 1/2 way or having to use some non-jenny foods for budget constraints, but who is still in the weightloss phase. if the client is not following these guidelines, we can't provide nutritional counsel or continue weekly consultations because we can no longer guarantee the healthy guidelines i mentioned earlier. i do want to emphasize that i am from a franchise centre, and it sounds like there's already been a huge discussion between franchise-to-franchise and franchise-to-corporate differences. however, if the client is using all of their own foods and no jenny foods at all and is still in the weightloss phase, then truly, the program is not designed to work that way because jenny is, overall, a food program.

[I Called Jenny]

Thanks for the insights!