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Vital Basics - Focus Factor

Vital Basics • Cancellation Problems • Pricing Disputes • Endorsements • What To Do -- News • "Factor" Promoters to Pay $1 Million

Vital Basics is a Maine company that sells a line of multivitamins, Omega 3 fish oil pills and other commodities that you could buy for a few dollars per bottle at the corner drugstore. We suspect that would be quite a bit less than you would spend with Vital Basics. (It claims that its fish oils are "fully traceable" with a "fully documented" "manufacturing process" resulting in a pharmaceutical grade oil with "fewer impurities" than other oils.)

We have more than 100 complaints about Vital Basics and Focus Factor in our database (as of March 2005). Most of them concern the supposed free trial and disputed charges.

The Federal Trade Commission obtained a $1 million settlement from the firm in 2004. Prosecutors charged them with making unsubstantiated claims for their products.

The FTC charged Vital Basics, Inc. of Portland, Maine, and its principals, Robert Graham and Michael Shane, with not having adequate substantiation to back up claims they made about the efficacy of Focus Factor, which supposedly helps memory, and the safety of V-Factor Natural Pack, which supposedly enhances sexual performance. They were ordered not to engage in similar acts in the future and to pay $1 million.

Our advice? If you're having trouble concentrating or feel your sex life is inadequate, consult your physician. Don't start swallowing gobs of dietary supplements or supposed secret formulas. This is especially important if you are taking prescription medication for a chronic condition, since many "natural" substances can cause dangerous side effects when mixed with prescription meds.