Long before the fatal sweat lodge tragedy in Sedona, Arizona, people were complaining about James Arthur Ray’s business practices.
Research finds there have been no fewer than seven complaints against Ray filed with the Better Business Bureau, all from people who unsuccessfully sought refunds for retreats or seminars with Ray. That’s according to BBB President and Chief Executive Sheryl Bilbrey.
One woman who complained, Donna Fleming, 60, filed a small-claims lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court, but lost her case.
Fleming is a Topanga, California resident and business owner.
She says she paid $6,000 to attend James Ray seminars.
During one of those in 2008 at Paradise Point Resort & Spa in San Diego, Fleming told the BBB that about 175 people were told by Ray to put on thrift-shop clothing and mess up their hair to appear homeless.
A bus then dropped them off in downtown San Diego with no money, IDs or phones.
Fleming said she didn’t feel safe in the rough neighborhood they wandered in for about four hours.
“We were told not to associate with one another,” Fleming told a San Diego newspaper. “We were told that we’re warriors, surviving out there and living by our wits.”
She said she felt duped by Ray because the session wasn’t teaching her anything about how to achieve wealth.
And the BBB apparently isn’t impressed with the way Ray runs his business…
A check of the Bureau’s website reveals the company gets only a “C” rating (“A+” being the best, “F” being the worst)
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NICE JOB!
Thanks Cassandra. You’re doing some great pieces on the sweat lodge. Very informative.
The sweat lodge tragedy has caused a media pigpile that has spilled over onto the law of attrcation itself.
I was probably just lucky I found a CD for $27 with interviews by people from the secret and others about the law of attraction. As opposed to a lot of the fluff, these guys all made the exact same 5 points and not at all sugar coated. 1. You must focus on and feel your vision strongly everyday 2. You must take action(s) to move towards your goal, not just put a sticky note on your fridge and go sit on your sofa. 3. You will need to find and disable limiting belifes/negative thinking that will interfere with points 1 and 2. 4. Along with point 3 you will also need to make sure you are not doing things to defeat yourself. For example haven’t we all seen a person who complains they have no money as they eat out several times per week, spend $70 on cigarettes, $10 on videos and $10 on lottery ? 5. To successfully apply all the above you will need to stick with it and persevere. There is NO instant overnight success. Jack canfield was turned down by over 200 (two hundred) publishers before going on to worldwide multiple best seller success with the chicken soup for the soul franchise. Imagine if he’d quit at 100. I’ve read many summaries of the traits-habits-practices of successful people and they all mirror the above. So, my point was that if the law of attraction as defined above is a hoax, then the world is full of successful businessmen who have been hoaxed and are making a lot of money.
I learned all I could from a CD which cost under $100 and contained several extensive interviews covering every aspect of loa. It has made a profound impact on my life.
Aside from this terrible tragedy which should never have been attempted or happened, there seem to be many, many people who are determined the loa is a hoax, and all around them people are happily applying it and succeeding. The difference is you can’t just watch the secret movie, put a picture on your fridge, and sit on the couch waiting for your new car.
That is NOT what these guys teach when allowed to finish their entire rap. The secret movie was just a series of snippets and MOST of what these guys had to say ended up on the cutting room floor.
When allowed time to finish, on the CD I bought, they lay out an easy to follow version of the law of attraction (but complete). Instead of some wishy-washy feel good new age stuff, it’s common sense actions that any self-made millionaire would grin at (having already DONE that).
Time and again articles about the common habits and beliefs of successful businessmen boil down to the same thing that these people teach about the law of attraction.
So if the loa is a fraud, there appear to be many very successful people being duped, using it and making a lot of money in business.
By the way as a correction, the last I looked on the BBB website James Ray International had an “F” rating not a “C” rating.