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 company for speakers like Virgin founder Richard Branson and Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki, owes dozens of Robbins fans about $300.
The company has promised several times that it will refund money for tickets to the self-help guru’s shows that were canceled during the Covid-19 pandemic – but has since remained silent.
Frustrated cardholders have tried every possible avenue to get their money back, but their pleas have repeatedly fallen on deaf ears. Some claim that they will only receive refunds if they agree to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Daily Mail Australia spoke to three of Robbins’ fans who were each still owed almost $10,000.
The company behind motivational speaker Tony Robbins’ events in Australia still owes tens of thousands of refunds to unhappy customers for a show that was canceled four years ago (Photo: Tony Robbins)
A former fan of Robbins (pictured) said he was ‘disappointed’ that the self-help guru hadn’t done more to force Success Resources to pay people back
Jarrod Jones, 52, who lives 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 hasn’t seen a cent of his money.
‘It seems so black and white. How can a company not provide a service and then refuse to provide a refund?’ Mr Jones told Daily Mail Australia.
“It’s a pretty good business model if there’s no legal retaliation.”
Mr Jones, who works in IT consultancy and runs a performance coaching business, has taken Success Resources to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal three times, but the company failed to show up at any of the hearings.
He is now prepared to take them to the Supreme Court.
Mr Jones said it was ‘incredibly disappointing’ that Robbins had not done more to help his fans get their money back.
Success Resources still proudly features Robbins on its website (photo)
Lisa Warwick (pictured) from the Gold Coast is yet to receive a refund for the $9,995 she spent on a 2020 Date With Destiny event that never happened
“It seems so unfair that there are certain individuals of high wealth who seem untouchable and have a different law to which they are beholden than everyone else,” he said.
“You could guarantee that if you or I did this, we would be pulled over very quickly and forced to pay it back or foreclose on your house or 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 took place.
‘Success Resources have never been 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,” Ms Warwick said.
Ms Warwick, who runs a plant nursery and invests in property, has spent a total of $64,000 with Success Resources over the years.
“The return on all of this was remarkable, so I don’t regret spending the money, but I do want 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 is owed almost $11,000 by Success Resources and called on them to ‘practice what they preach’
Single father Mark Vaughan, 44, recently moved to Townsville, Far North Queensland, with his 12-year-old daughter.
He owes $10,996 for two Robbins events in 2020.
“If it was a couple thousand, I’d say, you know, like there’s still people I would burn over it, but $10,996 is a lot of money for anyone, especially a single dad,” he said.
Mr Vaughan credits Robbins for turning his life around, but believes he has not done enough to help his fans who have run out of money.
‘I’m disappointed. “I think he could do more,” he said.
Success Resources still proudly features Robbins on its website.
It is clear that Robbins has completely severed ties with the company and is extremely frustrated by the delay in approving the refunds.
The bestselling author has in the past demanded that Success Resources refund the money.
However, his team did not respond to repeated requests for comment on his current position on the matter.
It is understood he has no plans to return to Australia in the near future.
Adam Gleger, running Consumer champion and represents many of those still owed money, said: ‘The entire Success Resources saga has had a huge emotional, physical and financial impact on a large number of my clients who are still owed almost $300,000.’
‘At this time there is no indication from Success Resources that they intend to refund the money.
Robbins is on stage during one of his shows. They are rarely recorded or photographed and he asks the audience to sign a disclaimer before entering and promising they will not film
“From a moral perspective, there is no justification for Success Resources not to refund their customers’ hard-earned money. The reality is they paid for a service, and that service was not delivered.”
Mr Glezen said he did not believe the fault lay with Robbins, who had “done his utmost to ensure that as many people as possible were paid”.
‘Without him, none of my clients would have been paid to date. This is 100 percent based on Success Resources,” Mr. Glezen added.
A spokesperson for Success Resources said they had offered all ticket holders ‘the opportunity to attend both in-person and virtual events for purchases made pre-Covid’.
“As you understand, Covid has created significant challenges for everyone and especially for the live events industry,” the spokesperson added.
“We are thrilled that live events have returned and are extremely grateful for the patience and support of our customers.”
The company said any customers still owed refunds could write to them.