Briefly in the news

Deepa Bharath

SANTA ANA -- A Costa Mesa firm agreed Tuesday to reimburse customers

of theirs who were forced to pay for health products they believed were

free, officials said.

Tabak’s Health Products will pay $60,000 to compensate those customers

who tried the company’s products offered for a free trial period only to

have to pay later on.

According to the Orange County district attorney, Tabak’s Health

Products at 3198 Airport Loop Drive was offering products through

advertisements for a “free trial offer” with “no obligation or risk.”

However, the advertisement required the customer to either pay for the

product after trying it or pay postage to return the unused or empty

bottle. Officials said many consumers complained about the billings

because they thought the products were free.

The district attorney’s consumer protection unit, the Costa Mesa

Police Department and the California’s Department of Health Services

investigated the complaint. Superior Court Judge John Wooley approved the

terms of the settlement late Tuesday, officials said.