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Kevin Trudeau Now Offering 'Debt Cures'

Consumers find it hard to avoid buying more than just the book

By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.com

February 13, 2008

His new book, coincidentally introduced at the height of the current credit crises, is "Debt Cures They Don't Want You To Know About."

Consumers who call an 800 number to order a copy are reporting very similar experiences as when they 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 thirty days, and I kept telling her the book only, please," Cynthia, of Mexia, Texas told ConsumerAffairs.com.

Cynthia said in frustration, she told the operator to just cancel the order. But she says the operator told her the book is coming anyway, and will be in her mailbox in three to five weeks. Cynthia is concerned about what else might show up on her charge card.

The book is currently only available 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 2008. And if you're even 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 FTC 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. Many are 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fair to Trudeau, many of the "mainstream" reviews of his book say the information he provides is just fine, if a little outdated in some areas.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 Website Marketwatch.com 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 gauntlet consumers like Cynthia 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," Jaffee 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."

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