No pills work is a bit harsh. That said, far too many people turn to them long before they have the basic foundation of diet and exercise in place and that's just silly.
Even of the select few pills that might "work," they're only adding minor benefits. Say a pill, just pulling a number out of my butt, helps in some way by 3%. Well diet might contribute as much as 50% and exercise 35%, etc.
The hyped up marketing is what tugs on people's heart strings who happen to be desperate to find the easy solution so they "bite."
Don't be a sucker is the name of the game, most of the time.