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
"
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
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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
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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.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
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
#2Author of original report
Fri, 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