Energy bands prompt fines and warning
Greek pharmacists have been asked to clear all advertising material for energy bracelets from their stores after the General Secretariat for Consumers fined five companies that sell the bands 350,000 euros after they failed to come up with any scientific documentation proving that the bracelets could improve people?s balance and power.
It is not known how many Greeks bought the bracelets, which sold for as much as 20 euros each, and were recently fashionable. The bracelet manufacturers claimed that so-called holographic technology helped the wearer harness the powers of his or her natural energy field. Companies supplying these bracelets in other countries faced law suits and were forced to retract these claims as early as 2010.
The president of consumer watchdog KEPKA, Nikos Tsemberlidis, said Greek consumers had to show greater awareness so as not to be taken in by such scams, which have included machines to infuse water with ozone, devices to limit electricity use and washing machine balls that negate the need for detergent to be used. ?Unfortunately, Greek consumers are not mature enough yet,? he said.
