Kevin Trudeau now offering 'debt cures'
Posted
Feb 19 2008, 11:38 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
This post comes from Mark Huffman of partner blog ConsumerAffairs.com.
Master marketer and infomercial maven Kevin Trudeau has a new book out, but he hasn't strayed far from his successful diet and health book formula, which critics say panders to consumer paranoia.
His new book, coincidentally introduced during the current credit crisis, is "Debt Cures They Don't Want You To Know About."
Consumers who called an 800 number to order a copy are reporting experiences similar to those relayed to ConsumerAffairs.com by people who called to order "Natural Cures They Don't Want You To Know About." They're finding it very hard to buy just the book.
"I only wanted to order the book, but the young lady kept telling me about a trial for 30 days, and I kept telling her 'the book only, please,'" Cynthia, of Mexia, Texas, told ConsumerAffairs.com.
Cynthia said that in frustration, she told the operator to cancel the order. But, she said, the operator told her the book would be coming anyway, and would be in her mailbox in three to five weeks. Cynthia said she is concerned about what else might show up on her charge card.
The book is currently available only from Trudeau, either by calling a toll-free number or going to a Web site. The book, if purchased from Trudeau, costs $29.95 plus nearly $12 shipping and handling.
"Debt Cures They Don't Want You To Know About" will be available from Amazon.com for only $17 -- but not until May. And if you're considering purchasing it, it might be wise to read a few reviews first and to consider Trudeau's previous record.
In September 2004, Trudeau agreed to pay $2 million to settle charges that he falsely claimed that a coral calcium product can cure cancer and other serious diseases and that a purported analgesic called Biotape can permanently cure or relieve severe pain. In September 2007, the Federal Trade Commission sued Trudeau again, charging him with violating the 2004 court order.
In October 2007, the FTC sued marketers of Kevin Trudeau's book "The Weight Loss Cure They Don't Want You To Know About," charging they made claims that were false and unsubstantiated.
Don't just rely on the so-called reviews you'll find online. Some sound like shills for the book. They offer up some criticism of Trudeau and his business practices, but in the end conclude, grudgingly, that the book is actually pretty good, and therefore worth the price.
To be fair to Trudeau, many of the "mainstream" reviews of his book say the information he provides is just fine, if a little outdated in some areas. However, as Chuck Jaffe of the respected financial Web site MarketWatch concludes in his review, almost all of it is available for free, online and from other sources.
The real problem with the book, Jaffe concludes, is the gantlet consumers must pass through when they place their orders.
"If you call for the book, you will be offered a whole lot of other goods and services, and you'll be expected to subscribe to the monthly Debt Cures newsletter for $9.95 per month," Jaffe writes. "By the time you get off the phone, if you fall for the wide range of sales pitches, you'll be about $250 deeper in debt and will add to that debt every succeeding month."
Other articles of interest at ConsumerAffairs.com:
"Record gas prices by spring?"
"Plastic war hits the toy industry"
"Don't ignore 'morning-after' e-mail"
