Important points to consider before signing up with Noom.com

GraceCourt

MalMonroe said:

Noom IS registered in the UK as 'Noom Health UK' and is on the Companies House website - incorporated as from June 2021.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13453588

I'm aware of Noom Health UK Limited (the word "Limited" is part of the company name and must be included as such, unless the company can claim exemption under Section 60, Companies Act 2006) and it was indeed incorporated in the UK by Noom Inc., with an initial issue of 1,000 shares of £1 each.  But here's the problem: "incorporation" is, by its very nature, the creation of a new legal person, and whether or not the filing is accurate, Noom Inc. of the USA is not listed as a "person with significant control" ("PWSC") of Noom Health UK Limited.

So, even though the sole director - Brian Wright - is a US resident, and "president" (= chief executive) of Noom Inc. in the USA, there's no legal association whatsoever between the two, so you can serve legal process on the UK company, or on Brian Wright personally, at the UK registered office, but you will need to provide evidence that Noom Health UK Limited is legally responsible in respect of whatever you are taking legal proceedings for, and I'm not aware of any data protection issues for which Noom Health UK Limited is responsible - had Noom Inc. been listed as a PWSC, it would be a lot easier, but it isn't.

Even worse, Noom Health UK Limited isn't even registered with the Information Commissioner's Office as a data controller, and the UK registered office is just a big firm of London solicitors - Taylor Wessing - so as Noom doesn't seem to have any UK-based employees or premises, to be frank any legal action against it is almost certainly doomed.

Compare that with the ongoing claim that I was referring to above, where the UK group company is registered as a data controller, does have UK premises and a huge number of UK employees, as well as having the US-based parent company listed as a PWSC, and you're on much firmer ground.  That's why I was awaiting the result of the County Court hearing, which has been adjourned because not enough Court time had been allocated - there being an important point of law involved (the UK company has a barrister and two solicitors fighting for the claim to be struck out!).

bargainbetty

It is also worth noting that the programme itself is little more than a calorie controlled restrictive diet plan (in my uneducated but legally protected opinion) with a few pop quizzes thrown in to support their claims that it addresses the psychological reasons for over-eating/unhealthy choices. 

I lasted a week before requesting and receiving a full refund because it ignored any medical reasoning and continued to suggest a diet restricted to the levels usually seen by those awaiting bariatric surgery. 

Back to Slimming World, I guess. 

GraceCourt

GraceCourt said:

I'm aware of Noom Health UK Limited...

By way of an update, Noom Health UK Limited is still not registered with the Information Commissioner as a Data Controller but it's still just a shell company - probably to facilitate the TV advertisements.  All of the advice to UK residents not to respond to any of Noom's UK TV advertisements, and never to provide Noom Inc. with any personal data, still holds good.  Interestingly, the domain noom.co.uk is taken but there's no web site behind it, and it doesn't - primarily for legal reasons* - divert to the noom.com site.

* Because, if it did, the site would have to comply with Part 6 of The Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business (Names and Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2015, made under Section 82 of the Companies Act 2006, and it can't, because if there's a UK legal entity trading through it, a disgruntled UK customer or data subject could serve legal process on it at its UK registered office.

Murphybear

After a lightbulb moment I decided to shed my excess weight once and for all.  I had a look at Noom but wasn’t impressed.  After a chat with my GP and my diabetes nurse I went on a low carb diet.  It was fairly easy to follow (unless you are addicted to decent bread ) and I lost over 5 stone and went from a size 22 to a size 14.  Best of all my diabetes was officially in remission.

Possibly a bit off topic (sorry for that) but thought it might help people struggling with weight loss