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Report: #1276408

Complaint Review: Gregg Braden - Internet

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  • Reported By: Fs1234 — Alabama USA
  • Author Confirmed What's this?
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  • Gregg Braden Internet USA

Gregg Braden Public Speaker New York Times Author Threatening whistleblowers with jail via lawyers/ SLAPP like lawsuit / Impropriety and Unethical Behaviour Internet

*Author of original report: Power Places Tours / Gregg Braden billed for GBP 1 Million (US$1.5million) in consultation fees and damages - Free Spirit Supreme Victor in Power Places Tours Dispute

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Gregg Braden is a New York Times Author and a world famous figure.

He gets a Rip Off Report for being part of an unethical travel company scheme run by Power Places Tours Inc that had his fans cheated out of money or subjected to SLAPP like lawsuits. Power Places Tours In have a 20-30 year track record of unethical behaviour, cheating people out of deposits, SLAPP like lawsuits, employees speaking out and similar.

There is much evidence of that including larger rip offs (US $60,000) and that is listed here so there is no need to repeat it:-

http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Power-Places-Tours-/Boulder-Colorado-80301/Power-Places-Tours-Power-Places-Tours-Ethics-Scandal-with-Gregg-Braden-Deposit-Payments-1214312

 

as well as attached in screenshots. His press office denied there was a scandal in 2013, but the above report link clearly shows otherwise.

Gregg Braden has also endorsed Power Places Tours

as per their website

 

Here's What Leading Transformational Teachers Say about Power Places

 
"Power Places® Tours your willingness to create new adventures and your commitment to take such good care of us we consider among the great blessings in our lives. You have made it possible for us to open up some of the world's most sacred sites to the eyes and hearts of many of those who trust us to guide them there. I consider your support staff the finest in the industry"
 
Gregg Braden
 
 
The very same support staff say this:-
 

 I worked for Power Places Tours for a very short time and although the owner made me sign a contract that declared I was an "Independent Contractor," she treated me and everyone else like employees, controlling a great deal of how we did our work, right down to what emails we wrote. Commission for selling a $5000 trip was about $15 dollars. It was ridiculous! She left her key employees frustrated, overworked, angry and in ill health. The turn over was terrible and I finally left in disgust over the way she treated both her contractors and her customers.

Profit was always the bottom line, and the fine print of her tour conditions allowed her to take people's money in very questionable ways. What travel company in there right mind would charge a person for tour package, have you pay in full, and then three months later, after it's too late for a refund, tell a traveler they now owe $500 more dollars due to the "rise in costs." Zilch! I had such high hopes for working there, hoping it would be a rewarding experience in helping others go on a spiritual "journey of a lifetime" but so many were very displeased with the service. To be fair, many were happy too. But the energy was so bad working there, I had to leave in a hurry.  Source  Google Review by Tammy Smith

.............................

 Name

Tim Sanchez

Email
removed for privacy

Comment
It's amazing how this company is still in business. I worked for Power Places Tours back in the early 90's. Holly James, Richard Rodgers and myself were always bullied by the owners, Toby and Terri Weiss. Very unethical practices going on back then. It was a nightmare working for these people. With the concept for which they market their tours one would think that they would operate their business with faithfulness and loyalty to their customers. I learned the hard way as an employee and I thank my higher power that I was only there for 1 year. If I didn't know better and I do now, I am certain that I was working for the Devil himself.   Submitted via my website contact form

 .................................

Richard Rodgers wrote this. Richard Rodgers was the person that sold me a tour package, made false claims, tried to suppress by speech and ignored serious concerns during 2012 in the run up to the tour.

 From: Richard Rodgers removed for privacy
Date: Sun, Oct 14, 2012 at 7:05 AM
Subject: Re: Power Places Tours Ongoing
To: Jeannette Maw 

Thanks for sending me this update. I checked your site again only yesterday to see if there was any news. 

As shocking as this turn of events is, I cannot say that I am surprised. In fact, I will admit to doing some work for them, so I am in a strange position. I must say that the details of this incident, and the handling thereof give me pause and cause me to reconsider my limited association with PPT.
 
 I have travelled with them four times, and have seen some behind the scenes scenarios that make me question the integrity of working for them at all in any context. I am not currently in a position to slip you any gory details, but let's just say that some aspects of "New Age" business are just as questionable as mainstream, if not heavier on the snake oil. 
 
Sorry to hear about how this all turned out, and I tip my hat to your example of honesty and tenacity. If I can see any good coming from giving you more details, I will let you know. I am not in a position to be taken to court and fined these days, but at least I can choose who I associate with. I'm on your side....
 

In addition and most importantly, Mr Gregg Braden appears to have secured a court injunction against me making disclosures because I will not be quiet given the seriousness of the documented concerns.

I have been threatened with jail by Gregg Braden (via a lawyer who appears to represent him).

As per that lawyer:-

You are forbidden from publishing to any third party or in the public domain any statement about Mr and Mrs Weiss, Power Places Tours Inc, or its employees, servants, agents and subcontractors. 

For the avoidance of doubt, that includes Mr Braden

 

The injunctions (described at paragraphs 1 to 3, and 5 to 7 above) are made under a ‘penal notice’.  That means that if you disobey the orders you may be held to be in contempt of court and may be imprisoned or fined or you may be found to be guilty of a criminal offence for which you may be imprisoned or fined or both.

 

(Penal notice means prison)

 

Attached are also screenshots of the prison order for further evidence.

As yet, Gregg Braden has not commented in response to an email sent in April 2015 as below:-

Here is a copy of an email that Free Spirit sent to Gregg Braden on 4.4.2015 asking to talk / for comment. No response has ever been received, although Gregg Braden has the opportunity here to make a rebuttal and present his perspective/response to the allegations made.

 
 
 
 
04/04/2015
 
 
To: redacted for privacy
 
 
 
 
Dear Mr Gregg Braden,
 
I am curious if you would be interested in having a telephone call with me about Power Places Tours and if so let us set something up where I call you at a pre-arranged time.
 
As you are no doubt aware (of which I have proof) - for many years you have been endorsing, promoting and supporting a tour company run on criminal values.
 
I - and many others - paid good money to come and participate in the tours that involved you. At the same time many of us were ripped off in ethically questionable ways and some were threatened with unfortunate circumstances to remain silent. At least 8 people were ripped off via the Yucatan 2012 Tour and others were forced to withdraw after being intimidated/bullied. There is also the matter of Jeanette Maw who also paid to see you and got ripped off and suffered losses as a result. Another person claimed you harassed her and others came forward to say that you had been seen behaving in an inebriated manner.
 
I have a lot of people (myself included) that want some explanation - given that you are a world famous celebrity. 
 
With Jeanette, when a judge ordered a refund, Power Places Tour showed contempt of court and refused to pay. I also have much testimony from many employees (five people all confirm unethical behaviour and rip-offs) who confirm a lot of what I have said and thus implies that you have known for many years that Power Places Tours rip people off - yet you continued to promote the programs to large numbers of people - some of which were ripped off.
 
You see - the matter is of basic ethics (lying, cheating, stealing, bullying, etc). I am curious what you have to say about it. 
 
We are almost at a major crossroads.  Either Power Places Tours or yourself is going to sue me and thus the PR disaster will only get worse (for you as well) because I would naturally continue to speak about it if I am sued - or perhaps you are ready to honor integrity and choose a different path.

Free Spirit

 

 

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 12/27/2015 03:35 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/gregg-braden/internet/gregg-braden-public-speaker-new-york-times-author-threatening-whistleblowers-with-jail-1276408. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
1Author
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#1 Author of original report

Power Places Tours / Gregg Braden billed for GBP 1 Million (US$1.5million) in consultation fees and damages - Free Spirit Supreme Victor in Power Places Tours Dispute

AUTHOR: - ()

POSTED: Friday, April 22, 2016

I as the author of the report can state that Power Places Tours (and Gregg Braden) have abandoned the lawsuit after threatening me with prison as evidenced in this report -

http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Power-Places-Tours-/Boulder-Colorado-80301/Power-Places-Tours-Power-Places-Tours-Ethics-Scandal-with-Gregg-Braden-Deposit-Payments-1214312

in December 2015. The moral justifications for my actions - namely that of making permanent disclosures to prevent abuse or people being harmed (caused losses) at the sacred site  served as a watertight defence - as everything I have posted here is true and thus my actions were morally justified.

I will not write an essay on the moral justifications for my actions and the detailed background here, but these two posts elsewhere cover the background to the dispute:-

http://spiritualmaster-freespirit.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/power-places-tours-and-gregg-braden-billed-US1.5million-in-spiritual-consultation-fees.html

and

http://keystospiritualascension.com/mission-statement/

 

The truth is that Power Places Tours had many opportunities over the years to improve ethics and integrity in their business dealings, The report shows I was not the only one, and the sheer amount of screenshots, employee testimony and accounts of other people having lost money speaks for itself. It is also true that companies that rip people off, sooner or later, go out of business and become insolvent, especially when they are world famous - for ethical mistakes are magnified.

 

When the same company then threatens those who talk with ruin, imprisonment, losses, or being portrayed as people of bad integrity for standing up for themselves - then of course they are responsible for their own problems.

 

I was asked to clarify what the details of the million damages were for as there has been some public misunderstanding in that some were led to believe I asked for silence money.

It is not silence money, but damages done to the work of an Emissary of Source, for my losses in energy and time, for losses in income, for distress causes (1 year of dealing with a SLAPP suit), damages for being bullied and threatened with prison (at Christmas) and an element for loss of exposure (which will be used to gift parts of my work to humanity).

For clarity, a screenshot is attached of the damages bill so there is no misunderstanding.

I have rubbed out the email address and banking details to comply with ROR rules.

I understand they will now pay it without further dispute to say sorry for their mistakes and thus there can be a closure to the dispute.

I will then be free to do my work without interference and the money will be used for the spiritual benefit of humanity at what are challenging times for the human race - in ways I deem appropriate.

 

Statement of Truth

It should be known to the public that everything here is the truth (with the exception below).

I am of high ethical purity and do not lie. Everything here posted was - and is true - shared in public interest, to assist others in those who were cheated as well as to defend myself properly in the matter.

The only exception was when I was bullied into retracting statements earlier in the suit.

I was threatened with detriment, crippling financial loss, being labelled as a man of bad integrity (via SEO companies employed by Power Places Tours) and various other degrading situations (including prison) if I did not say I lied to Rip Off Report. The earlier posts in the report itself backs up those claims in detail.

I was threatened with prison if I did not comply with Rip Off Report arbitration and say the reports were false.

 

Now I am the Victor, and also because I now know better,and have proper self respect I would never lie - even if forced to lie.

Thus all of the allegations raised are true and based on facts - as well as my own experience, and that of talking to others who also suffered loss at the hands of Power Places Tours.

 

I must thank those who had the courage to come forward and produce evidence and to share their situations. It all helped.

I have also thanked Ed Magedson personally for the Rip Off Report service, for  it is a beneficial service to humanity and for consumers all lover the world to defend SLAPP suits and to expose those who abuse, bully, cheat and lie - to harm others or cause them losses.

It is also a solid and robust platform for people to tell the truth.

 

Free Spirit

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