The company behind motivational speaker Tony Robbins’ events in Australia still owes tens of thousands of dollars in refunds to disgruntled customers for shows canceled four years ago.
Success Resources Australia, the booking operator for speakers such as Virgin founder Richard Branson and Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki, owes about $300,000 to dozens of Robbins’ fans.
The company has promised on several occasions that it will refund the money for tickets to the self-help guru’s shows that were canceled during the Covid-19 pandemic – but it has since gone quiet.
Frustrated ticket holders have tried every avenue to get their money back, but their pleas have repeatedly fallen on deaf ears – with some claiming they will only be offered refunds if they agree to sign non-disclosure agreements.
Daily Mail Australia spoke to three fans of Robbins who were still owed almost $10,000 each.
The company behind motivational speaker Tony Robbins’ events in Australia still owes tens of thousands in refunds to disgruntled customers for a show canceled four years ago (Picture: Tony Robbins)
A former fan of Robbins’ (pictured) said he was “disappointed” the self-help guru had not done more to force Success Resources to pay people back
Jarrod Jones, 52, who is based in Brisbane, bought tickets for himself and his then-fiancée to Robbins’ Date With Destiny event on the Gold Coast in 2020 for $9,900.
It was canceled during the pandemic, but he has yet to see a single cent of his money.
‘It seems so black and white. How can a company fail to provide a service but then refuse to give a refund?’ Jones told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It’s a pretty good business model if there’s no legal retribution.’
Mr. Jones, who works in IT consulting and has a performance coaching business, took Success Resources to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on three separate occasions, but the company failed to appear at any of the hearings.
He is now prepared to take them to the Supreme Court.
Jones said it was ‘incredibly disappointing’ that Robbins had not done more to help his fans receive refunds.
Success Resources still proudly features Robbins front and center on its website (pictured)
Lisa Warwick (pictured) from the Gold Coast has yet to receive a refund for the $9,995 she spent on a 2020 Date With Destiny event that never happened
“It just seems so unfair that there are certain high-wealth individuals who seem to be untouchable and have a different law that they rely on compared to everyone else,” he said.
“You can guarantee that if you or I did this we would be hauled over the coals very quickly and forced to pay it back or liquidate your house and whatever.”
Meanwhile, Lisa Warwick, 62, from the Gold Coast has yet to receive a refund for the $9,995 she spent on a 2020 Date With Destiny event that never happened.
‘Success Resources were never easy to deal with but when I wrote to them asking for a refund the correspondence just stopped. But they still trade and take money. They are still solvent,’ said Mrs Warwick.
Ms Warwick, who runs a nursery business and invests in property, has spent a total of $64,000 with Success Resources over the years.
“The return on all of this has been remarkable, so I don’t regret spending the money, but I would like my $9,995 back, thank you very much,” she added.
It is understood Robbins has no plans to return to Australia in the near future
Mark Vaughan (pictured right at a Tony Robbins event) said he owes nearly $11,000 from Success Resources and urged them to ‘practice what they preach’
Single dad Mark Vaughan, 44, recently moved to Townsville in Far North Queensland with his 12-year-old daughter.
He is owed $10,996 for two Robbins events in 2020.
“If it was a few thousand, I’d say, you know, like there’s still people, I’d be passionate about it, but $10,996 is a lot of money for anybody, especially a single dad,” he said.
Sir. Vaughan credits Robbins with turning his life around, but believes he hasn’t done enough to help his fans, who have been left out of pocket.
‘I am disappointed. I think he could do more, he said.
Succes Resources still proudly displays Robbins front and center on its website.
It is understood Robbins has completely cut ties with the company and is hugely frustrated by the delay in getting the refunds approved.
The bestselling author has previously demanded that Success Resources return the money.
However, his team failed to respond to repeated requests for comment on where he currently stands in the case.
It is understood he has no plans to return to Australia in the near future.
Adam Glezer running Consumer Champion and representing many of those still owed money, said: ‘The whole Success Resources saga has had a huge emotional, physical and financial impact on a large number of my clients who still owe close to $300,000.’
‘At this time there is no indication from Success Resources that they plan to repay the money.
Robbins appears on stage during one of his shows. They are rarely filmed or photographed, and he asks audience members to sign disclaimers before entering, promising not to film
“From a moral point of view, there is no justification for Success Resources not refunding their customers’ hard earned money. The reality is that they paid for a service and that service was not delivered.”
Sir. Glezer said he did not believe the fault lay with Robbins, who had “gone above and beyond to ensure that as many as possible people have been paid”.
“Without him, none of my clients would have been paid so far. This is 100 percent on success resources, Mr. Glezer added.
A spokesman for Success Resources said it had offered all ticket holders ‘the opportunity to attend both in-person and virtual events for purchases made before Covid’.
“As you can appreciate, Covid caused huge challenges for everyone and the live events industry in particular,” the spokesman added.
‘We are delighted that live events have returned and extremely grateful for our customers’ patience and support.’
The company said any customers still owed a refund could write to them.