This Influencer Scammed A Bunch Of People With Her Fake “Nutrition Plan”

Being a health and fitness influencer with a big following on Instagram has become about a lot more than just posting photos of healthy food and shooting video footage of your workouts. Today, it’s not uncommon for many health influencers to go the extra mile and make money off of their social media fame. They often do this not just through ads and sponsored posts, but also by creating their own fitness and nutrition plans that they then sell to their followers and fans (think about the big names like Katrina and Karena from Tone It Up and Kayla Itsines of Bikini Body Guide fame).

The idea is that if you buy this plan and follow it, you can have a lifestyle more like the influencer. They’re super successful because they’re usually relatively inexpensive and easy to follow — plus, they come with that Instagram community feel that many appreciate. But right now, one influencer is being accused of scamming a bunch of people with her “nutrition plan,” and wow, the drama is going down. Not only has she not delivered on what she promised buyers, but she’s even asking them to take an extra step before reimbursing them… and it’s getting pretty crazy out there.

Earlier this week, Insider reported that influencer Brittany Dawn Davis is being accused of scamming fans with her nutritional programs and personal coaching.

Davis has a dedicated following on Instagram, with more than 557,000 followers. She regularly posts about her own fitness journey, with photos and stories of her meals and her workout inspiration photos. She also includes long captions that get super personal.

Davis has turned her fame into a lucrative business selling e-books, workout programs, and online coaching sessions that Insider says cost up to $300. But a private Facebook group with more than 2,500 members says that Davis doesn’t actually deliver products that were paid for, and they’re calling her a “scammer” and a “liar.”

One follower told Insider that she had purchased a dieting e-book and a workout program from Davis in January 2018, but two months later, she still hadn’t received it, even after she messaged Davis multiple times about it. She said when it did arrive, it wasn’t “individualized” like it was supposed to be. The follower added, “Brittany repeatedly deleted and blocked clients who would call this to her attention.”

Other fans had similar experiences and reported complaints to the Better Business Bureau in early 2018. The complaints said that they didn’t get what they ordered, that Davis did not follow up with weekly emails like promised, and that the items never came with no response from Davis. Someone even made a YouTube video about it, which starts at about the 3:24 mark.

[fm_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX4Pbxn7e_E"]

On top of all of this, someone created a Change.org petition to stop Davis, saying, “Brittany falsely promotes women empowerment on her social media platforms, while continually scamming and lying to her followers, clients, and fans.”

Although Davis didn’t seem to respond to the comments on her Instagram, she did put up a video on her YouTube page after the backlash got really bad this past week.

In the video, she says that she got “launched into a business that took off so fast,” and that she “didn’t know how to mentally handle it.” She says, “I did what I knew to do to the best of my ability.”

[fm_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A78PnebqzAM"]

Fans aren’t happy with the apology, saying she should have been upfront from the beginning if that’s what happened. They also noted she was making money off the apology video with her affiliate links in the comments.

Fans have also said that Davis is responding to emails asking for refunds — but she’s asking those people to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before she issues the refund.

This would basically mean they get their money back, but they can’t speak about the issue publicly after that. Customer Paige Larson told Insider that she agreed to sign the NDA, but since then hasn’t gotten her money back or received the form.

Some customers have only received refunds after disputing the case with PayPal. Many say Davis either doesn’t issue refunds, or she doesn’t issue full refunds.

Davis is now losing sponsors over the backlash.

Insider says two companies, nutrition food company Tropeaka and clothing brand TimelessLabel, have dropped her.  TimelessLabel said, “Do not give her your hard earned money or the time of day.”

Please let this Brittany Dawn stuff be a warning to be a good consumer. This is such a greedy industry.

Vet who you hire/support and STOP SUPPORTING PEOPLE WHO AREN'T QUALIFIED.

You all go after her but follow 20 year olds that sell plans without qualifications. Do better.

— Shelby Lynn Graves (@Graves_Fit) February 9, 2019

Davis is also claiming she’s getting death threats from angry fans.

Still, fans aren’t feeling sorry for her. Many feel she doesn’t care about the scandal.

A lot of customers and social media users are happy to see the case is finally getting so much attention.

And some fans and followers are just disappointed that Davis isn’t the person she seemed to be on Instagram.

People are also furious that Davis is still selling her e-books and programs, posting normally on Instagram and Twitter, and generally acting like not much is happening.

This Brittany Dawn Fitness fraud keeps getting worse and worse. This girl should a case study on how not to do business. Business School - Class: How Not to do Business 101 Brittney Dawn Edition

— Mary Beth Wylie (@MaryBethWylie) February 11, 2019

Hopefully everyone gets their money back — and Davis stops selling her guides on Instagram if she can’t deliver them. Let’s be better here, people!