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  • Report:  #496556

Complaint Review: Topher Morrison - Tampa 411 Florida

Reported By:
Graham - Manchester, Other, United Kingdom
Submitted:
Updated:

Topher Morrison
300 E.Madison Street, Suite 411 Tampa 411, 33602 Florida, United States of America
Phone:
8132584372
Web:
N/A
Categories:
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?

My daughter of 18 paid $5396.40 for Topher Morrison's NLP Advanced Practitioner course due to start on 26.10.09. Her contract clearly stated that, if she cancelled at least 14 days prior to the course start date, she would receive her money back but would have to forfeit her 25% deposit.



On 30th August she needed to cancel her place due to her being very unwell. She should therefore have received back 75% of $5396.40 which equals $4047.30.



It took from 30th August until 17th September for them to say they have refunded her only $2963.20. What's more, this is all they are saing they are prepared to refund her. My daughter has therefore been conned out of $1084.10.



The reason they have given is that she now has to pay 25% of a sum that would normally apply to other people - because my daughter negotiated her own course fee.



Topher Morrison Inc leave us with no option but to pursue them through the courts which we are now preparing to do.



I would therefore strongly advise that nobody parts with their cash to this organisation unless they prepared to potentially lose money in the event of having to cancel their place on a seminar. They obviously are not prepared to honour their cancellation clause in their contracts.



5 Updates & Rebuttals

Graham

Manchester,
Other,
United Kingdom
Re Tim's comments of 3.11.09

#2Author of original report

Mon, November 09, 2009

I refer to the comments made by Tim, obviously such a loyal follower of Topher Morrison, that he cannot possibly consider that he can do any wrong. Before this incident ocurred, I actually recommended Topher Morrison to many of my friends. Through my recommendations, Topher gained more people at his UK seminars. I would not dispute that he is a very good trainer. The fact is, though, he has completely ruined his reputation by his treatment of my daughter. I don't know how you would feel, Tim, if your daughter (if you have one) was conned out of over a $1000. Would you just turn a blind eye to it? As for your comment about cancelling the course two months ahead of the course. Well. firstly, she could have contractually cancelled the course for no reason at all - just that she did not fancy going on it. However, when she was in the amount of joint pain that she was in - and persistently - she actually felt that it was honourable to give Topher as much notice as possible about the cancellation - this was to help Topher plan ahead - rather than waiting just 14 days beforehand. She cetainly made the correct decision as her joint problems have continued. She was in real agony last week and is now under a rheumatoid specialist. I sincerely hope, Tim, that you do not have to suffer this sort of pain. So, yes - it is irrelevant in one way what her reason was. However, you might think that if Topher was going to choose to not properly honour his contract, he might have done so with a person not suffering to this extent. We have, since my last post, arranged for a solicitor acting on our behalf to speak to Topher in an effort to prevent court proceedings. This failed because Topher refused to speak to him about the matter. It is Topher who does not have a leg to stand on, Tim, as the contract is exceptionally clear - not just in my opinion but in my solicitor's opinion too. It is hardly credible for you to comment on the contract when you have not seen it. Your last paragraph is simply laughable. I guess that Topher is your God. I hope that one day you don't suffer his other side!


Tim

Alresford,
Other,
United Kingdom
Is the complainant's story really full and correct?

#3Consumer Comment

Tue, November 03, 2009

Graham,


Your posting has very little credibility, and it looks to me like you just want to make trouble, when there may well be little if any case to answer by Topher.

Firstly, your daughter is 18.  She is an adult, and perfectly able (even if ill), to handle this issue in her name.  The fact she had not suggests to me that she is not as 'offended' as you are, and I wonder what your own hidden agenda is.  Maybe she understands deep down that she has been treated properly.

Secondly, your original report is laced (presumably deliberately) with emotional factors (young person, ill etc.).  These are all irrelevant when determining what the correct outcome is.

Thirdly, frankly, it holds very little credibility for someone to cancel a course 2 months in advance on the grounds of illness.  Even for a moderate to serious illness, that's plenty of time to recover.  And even if not fully recovered by the time of the course, what better place to be when ill than on the warm Florida coast, on a MasterPrac course which can change your life and help you deal with the illness.  Quite apart also from the likelihood of meeting relevant and helpful people on the course.  

So from my perspective it looks like you're twisting the illness into emotional grounds for cancellation and/or better refund, when there probably isn't a case.  Which makes me suspicious about the accuracy of the rest of your story (e.g. on dates & responses), and on your interpretation of the contract.

Also, having been a very satisfied customer of Topher on 8 courses & events and having spent far more with Topher than the amounts you're querying, I can personally attest to how fair and understanding Topher is when dealing with issues like this.  If he has chosen to apply the conditions of the contract, then neither you nor your daughter has a leg to stand on.

Leaving aside the emotional factors and how your complaint looks to a 3rd party, your case boils down to a different interpretation of what the 25% refers to.  Frankly that does not seem to be a legitimate reason to file a report claiming a rip-off, when it's just a contract dispute.  And presumably you can or should be open to the possibility that you are wrong in your interpretation.  

Based on what the other poster (Mark?) has said about the extremely generous and positive treatment your daughter has received at the hands of this alleged infamous villain Topher, although the past is the past, most people would suggest that your complaint is (a) very ungracious and un-appreciative of the EXCELLENT treatment your daughter has received, (b) at best flakey and debatable, and certainly not deserving of any suggestion of rip-off.

Particularly the last sentence of your complaint (they won't honour the cancellation clause) is inappropriate because that's exactly what they have done!  Doh!  The fact they have done it in a way which is different to how you understood it doesn't mean you are right, and it doesn't mean it is a rip-off.

Your use of language like "conned" is without substance, possibly even knowingly.  And on that basis, yes, it would like you are the one in the wrong, very possibly knowingly committing defamation.

Perhaps you should let it go.  For the sake of $1084, maybe this is the best investment your daughter (or you) can have made in a lesson about how YOU choose to handle dispute in your life.  Perhaps this will serve you well for the rest of your lives.  Question : are you or your daughter being 'at cause' in all of this?  Or do you just want to rant at someone, regardless of the appropriateness and substance of the complaint?

I would suggest you withdraw this, and apologise to Topher, thanking him for all the help he has given your daughter previously.



T Smith

Buranda,
Australia
Take another look

#4Consumer Comment

Tue, November 03, 2009

As someone who has spent a great deal of money with Dr Topher Morrison, and who walked away with my life transformed I have often looked back at how things were for me before I met him and can only feel gratitude.  My husband and I have done all of Topher's courses and compared to the changes he assisted us to make in our lives, the money seems inadequate. 

There has never been a moment where we were unaware of the costs and penalties for cancelling (I did my practitioner course with Influenza A virus and nearly ended up in hospital) and I would do it again and again - Topher gave my husband and I the information we needed in a way we could use it, to save our marriage, our financial future and for my husband whose depression was debilitating, his life.

Topher has always dealt with us in a professional and totally honorable manner.  His ethics have always been above reproach and his sense of morality something to live up to.  Topher is a good man, with a huge heart for those in need and a gift for sharing transformative information. 

We cannot recommend him highly enough, as a trainer, a speaker and a wonderful human being.


Graham

Manchester,
Other,
United Kingdom
Response to Mark's comments

#5Author of original report

Tue, October 13, 2009

I have read the comments posted by Mark and would point out firstly that S S did not post the report on Topher Morrison. I, as her father, posted this because I want to make people aware of what has happened to my daughter. I did not post the comments I did before taking legal advice on what is actually a very clear contract. I repeat - the contract on one side states the fee for the course. On the back it confirms that the client would lose 25% of the course fee if they cancel within the agreed period. SS did cancel the agreement in this period of time. She is so unwell that she cannot get to sleep some nights because of severe joint pain, not that the reason for the cancellation is relevant - but it just makes the whole thing more upsetting and stressful. Therefore she had to forfeit 25% of her fee. NOT 45%!!! Yes, S S was given a free course which we were very grateful for. However, this does not provide a license to keep hold of over $1000 of her money at a future time! We gave the Company the opportunity to properly honour their side of the contract. They have refused to do this. This website was set up for this type of situation. It is very sad that the only way it seems for us to recover the money that is contractually payable to S S is to issue legal proceedings against Topher Morrison Inc.


Mark

Larnaca,
Other,
Cyprus
I am shocked and appalled at this post!

#6General Comment

Wed, October 07, 2009

Hi there.

I have attended Topher Morrison Inc seminars, and I used to promote Topher Morrison Inc. NLP seminars in the UK.

I have known Topher personally since 2005.

As a seminar promoter, I know better than most what goes on behind the scenes, and I have now heard both sides of this story - from S.S. and from Topher.

I am absolutely appalled and shocked that S.S. would post this complaint.

Firstly, every seminar company MUST have strong Terms & Conditions to protect itself from abuse. e.g. 'If you cancel your attendance, you are costing us money as we could have sold this seat to someone else, and you are costing us money in administration costs'.

Seminar companies get ripped off by their customers for hundreds of millions of dollars each year, in unpaid fees, unpaid installments, chargebacks, etc.

In 2006 alone, Topher Morrison and myself were conned out of $160,000 from our own clients, in unpaid fees on installment plans.

Secondly, Topher Morrison Inc IS refunding the money here, based on their Terms & Conditions, signed and agreed by S.S!!

Topher Morrison Inc is refunding $3,000 as per their Terms & Conditions, and the issue here is that S.S. claims she should be refunded $4,047.

So for the sake of $1,084 S.S is willing to destroy the good name and reputation that Topher has built up across three continents over 20 years. Incredible!

All the more incredible, when you consider that in 2005, when S.S. was only 15 years old, Topher Morrison decided to offer her to attend his $3,200 NLP Practitioner 7-day course for FREE, because he was so impressed with the maturity and drive of this young girl. (this was an event that cost $30,000 to run)

I find this lack of gratitude on S.S's part galling! I can't believe somebody would be so callous as to do this. I am offended and disgusted by this behaviour.

By my count, S.S. still owes TOPHER.

As a seminar company owner and a speaker, I am shocked, appalled, and disgusted by what I read in this report.

I think S.S. should be ashamed of herself for this behaviour, and I think Topher should counter-sue on grounds of defamation.

 

 

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