Has Suze Orman lost her cred?

Suze Orman, a wealthy TV celebrity who offers tough love personal-finance advice, has taken her share of shots in the past. "Bad advice from Suze Orman" and "I don't hate Suze; I just disagree" are headlines that have appeared here at MSN Money.

But that's nothing compared with the war of words between Orman and a bunch of personal-finance bloggers on Twitter regarding the merits of her new prepaid debit card, The Approved Card. Orman even referred to popular PF blogger Philip "PT" Taylor as an "idiot." Seems like she needs a thicker skin. 

First, a bit more about that prepaid card: It's not the best one on the market, but it's far from the worst. Yes, it has fees (you can find the full list here) but they're not as onerous as some other prepaid cards. It also gives you free unlimited access to your TransUnion credit reports and credit scores for a year, although keep in mind that the score is not a FICO score -- the score you should care about -- and you can get those things free from Credit Karma without signing up for a prepaid card. 

In a post on his blog, PT criticized the fees and also the claim that the card is an "easier, smarter way to be debt free." He wrote: "As opposed to what? Cash? It's certainly not easier or smarter than a no-fee bank debit card."

He also disputed Orman's claim that her card may someday help people improve their credit scores -- an effort by Orman that has drawn praise from other PF writers. PT wrote:

The credit project is dead on arrival. Your activity on this card will be anonymously reported to one of the credit bureaus (TransUnion), in hopes that they will one day consider it for inclusion in your credit report. This will never happen. Debit or prepaid spending has absolutely nothing to do with credit and your ability to be viewed as credit-worthy.

Things got ugly on Twitter after that.

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Briana Myricks of 20 and Engaged tweeted:

I'm so disappointed @SuzeOrmanShow. Suze Orman's Pre-Paid Debit Card - The Approved Card http://t.co/6UfI5lXb​ via @ptmoney

Orman responded:

 @20andengaged Too bad you choose to believe an idiot over me- you just keep following others and see where it gets you –

Free From Broke jumped in:

@20andengaged @SuzeOrmanShow @ptmoney Suze, why resort to words like "Idiot?" Why not promote what you think are benefits of yr card?

PT added:

@freefrombroke @20andengaged @suzeormanshow Wow. I'm speechless. Thanks, Briana and Glen.

At that point, "Twitter went wild!" Myricks wrote on her blog. "PF bloggers came to the rescue and voiced their opinions, infuriated with someone we thought was a genuine person. Boy, were we wrong!"

The next day, Ron Lieber of The New York Times also left some choice remarks.

Hi @suzeormanshow Insulting me & others makes u seem small. Odd, given the big deal ur product is. As I said in the NYT, I hope you succeed.

Orman said:

@ronlieber Ron- I would never insult YOU- you are a great reporter and I admire the piece that you did- it was honest and thorough! Sorry

He replied:

@SuzeOrmanShow Ur apology=inaccurate. Never insult? "Ron Lieber, I wud take good look in mirror b/c something isnt quite right w you sir."

Oh, yes, that's what she said. Then the apologies came, to Lieber and others.

For anyone I called an idiot I too am sorry. I should have known better. That never should have happened so again I admit that I was wrong"

She added, "@MJTM @PTmoney Even you PT-- I am sorry I admit that i was wrong." You can see the entire exchange here.

Not a good day. Meanwhile, Orman is getting bashed on other fronts.

Writing about celebrity-endorsed prepaid cards, Tim Chen wrote at Forbes, "In their eagerness to capitalize on a trendy and morally dubious market, Suze Orman and Lil Wayne will only deepen the financial woes of the unbanked."

Others are uncomfortable that someone who dispenses personal-finance advice for a living -- "Approved!" "Denied" -- has ventured into the prepaid card market. Felix Salmon wrote at Reuters:

Of course, there are questions associated with this product, too. Ron Lieber is worried about Orman's journalistic integrity, on the grounds that she has a weekly show on CNBC: "if I tried to introduce my own card," he writes, "the ethics editor would laugh me out of the New York Times building". I'm not particularly bothered by this, although I am a little bit uncomfortable about her longstanding move into financial products more generally, which long predates the Approved Card. For instance, Suze Orman's FICO® Kit Platinum will cost you $49.95 -- a much worse deal than the Approved Card.

What's your take? Has Orman let you down? Is she a personal-finance expert in your book, or just another TV celebrity?

More on MSN Money:

• Sizing up Suze Orman's new prepaid card
• Keep away from the Kardashian Kard
• Prepaid vs. secured credit cards
• Estimate your credit score for free
• Can prepaid cards help your credit score?
• Find a better credit card