Jacksonville-Based Company Charging For Phony Alcoholism Cure Stopped By Florida Attorney General And The Federal Trade Commission

Posted by John Lavitt on July 24, 2012 · Leave a Comment 

A phony alcoholism cure offered by a Jacksonville-based company has been taken off the market. The company owners have been penalized through a united effort by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Federal Trade Commission. On July18, they announced a court order against The Alcoholism Cure Corporation. If you can believe such insanity, the company also went by the names Guilt Free Drinking and Enjoy a Few.

The Alcoholism Cure Corporation Stopped In Its Tracks

Robert Douglas Krotzer, the company’s owner, must pay more than $730,000 to consumers negatively affected by the company. The order also bans the defendants from selling or marketing any treatment or cure for drug addiction, alcoholism or any health-related issue. The company stole money from their clients and threatened extortionary measures if they stopped using their products.

Taking advantage of desperation, the con men of The Alcoholism Cure Corporation lied to and extorted innocent victims

The clinical staff at ONE80CENTER fully supports such legal action taken against charlatans and con men that are trying to take advantage of people suffering from the disease of alcoholism. There is very little as terrible as trying to weasel money and resources out of someone when they are suffering from such an affliction. In fact, it is downright disgusting, and such actions show the integrity of both the FTC and the Florida Attorney General.

“The fact that this company deceived consumers and threatened to reveal their personal information is abhorrent,” Bondi said. “I am grateful to the FTC for their partnership in stopping this company from exploiting consumers and providing refunds for those harmed by this company’s actions.” The company allegedly prescribed concoctions of dietary supplements and claimed that the supplements could cure alcoholism. Krotzer charged consumers approximately $350 for the services and supplements.

Fake Doctors, Threats And Actual Extortion Of The Vulnerable

The company allegedly said that its team of doctors would come up with low-cost, customized and permanent alcohol cures. At the business, employees referred to Krotzer as Dr. Doug. Neither Krotzer nor any of the company’s employees were doctors. Krotzer allegedly said that the program had the best technology that could end alcohol abuse permanently and that the supplements were proven scientifically to cure alcoholism. The court ruled that the statements were unsupported and false claims.

What is even worse than the lack of medical credentials is that Krotzer claimed that the consumers could cancel at any time. But when a customer attempted to cancel, Krotzer allegedly threatened to publicly reveal the alcoholism of the consumers. Rather than offering treatment, it was a criminal-oriented con that expanded into extortion. The defendants went on to charge consumers’ accounts between $9,000 and $20,000 for fees without authorization. In some instances, Krotzer allegedly disclosed the consumers’ alcoholism to debt collectors, companies and a Florida small claims court.

Under the terms of the court order, the defendants are prohibited from using certain trade names, taking further collection actions against consumers and billing consumers without authorization. In addition, the defendants cannot misrepresent the terms or cost of any offers they make. They also cannot claim that the company is a charity or misstate the professional qualifications of any employee.

There Is No Alcoholism Cure But There Is A Path To Recovery

ONE80CENTER hopes that such measures will stop innocent people suffering from alcoholism and addiction from being further abused in a time of need. What is truly needed to stop such charlatans and con men is a national effort towards education and prevention that fully illustrates the need for treatment. When dangerous claims of being able to cure alcoholism and addiction are falsely being made by bottom-feeding criminals like Krotzer all the way up to high-end entitled rehabs like Passages, something needs to be done to educate the American public on the actual science of the disease.