If you google "alcoholism" you will find The Alcoholism Foundation as I did in Sept. 2007. The website is overcrowded and appears to be full of valuable information but it is really full of contradictory information. It looks simple enough... Just fill out a form about your drinking habits and they will send you recommendations for vitamins and amino acids for a $99.00 fee.
I thought I would give it a try, to see if it would decrease my drinking which I felt was getting unhealthy. I had a severe adverse reaction to these supplements I was taking one day and discontinued everything. The symptoms lasted 3 weeks. I attempted to cancel the program and that is when the threatening e-mails started coming.
There is an actual statement on their website (they have changed alot of material on the site now) which states "cancelling is a strong symptom of alcohol caused brain damage. Once you demonstrate we cannot count on you, you must pay our costs for curing you up front". There is another statement I found once I really started to investigate these people. It says...
"To compell you to stick with our program and be cured, if you suggest cancelling without keeping your contractual committments, which allows us to cure you, or are cured or being cured for any reason, you authorize us now to immediately charge your credit card then for your remaining membership obligations".
This is followed by a demand for immediate payment of anywhere from $9000.00 UP!
Forgive me but when I paid the $99.00 did I give DR Doug (no last name given on the website) permission to involuntarily admit me to the Hotel California?
You can come in but cannot ever get out!
In addition to demanding money from me they also wanted me to give them access to my medical records, do lab tests including sending them locks of my hair and notorized notes from my Dr. Proving that I was still drinking so that they could have their panel of so called experts determine if I was "cured" or not in order for them to consider a refund.
They threatened legal action against me in Florida where I would have to travel at my expense because they said I signed a contract.
Paypal will not refund the money to me because Dr. Doug has told them I am an alcoholic and he is a DR. And Dr's do not give refunds. This is how this arrogant (attorney not Dr.) uses humiliation and ambarassment on top of stealing your money.
And lets not forget his partner in crime... Pam (no last name on the website) who sends you the advise on which supplements to take. She threatened me by asking if I would be willing to take a lie detector test!!!
Does this smell rotten to you yet? Please do what I have done. Write to the FTC, the FDA, the Florida Attorney Generals office (make sure you fill out an affidavit from the AG"s office so this can go to court.
The economic crimes division is investigating. There are lots of consumer protection agencies. Let the word out. This son of a B% attorney is taking advantage of people who may be impaired and are looking for help.
Now that the victim from Tennessee has identified Dr. Doug as Doug Krotzer the attorney, the Florida Bar Association should be notified that this guy is posing as a Dr. And ripping people off.
I wonder if the so called credible references he says he has (notice how carefully he words the fact that he does not have any credible references) know that this is a scam.
E Bay and Paypal are not references to an Alcohism CURE.
And anybody who knows about key words and SEO can get their site ranked.
That has NO bearing on credibility. Google and Yahoo don't investigate credibility before they post ratings!
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