True Stories: A Brush with Scientology (Part Four)

If you want to learn about True Stories, it’s tag and what it represents, then please see my previous post.

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What you are about to read is a True Story, and everything has been kept intact with what my memory holds.

Other articles in this series:
True Stories: A Brush with Scientology (Part One)
True Stories: A Brush with Scientology (Part Two)
True Stories: A Brush with Scientology (Part Three)

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April 1999

I had every intention of entering the shop on Deansgate, demanding a refund for the stack of books as well as another one for this dangerous detox course I had stupidly paid upfront for.

‘I figured getting the £800 quid back would be a bonus’

After the facts had sunk in I was angrier with myself for being taken in again.

Less than ten years before I had joined that other scam, Amway and its legalised pyramid selling under the guise of multi-level marketing.

On that occasion I had mutated into a salesman complete with suit, managed to become an outcast to my friends, and found myself clapping raucously with an audience of strangers at a conference hall while listening to some bloke whittle on about how he no longer needed an alarm clock to arise for work.


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...'I had lost money trying to sell the 'plan' and Amways' overpriced products in 1991'...

Never again I muttered to myself. There is no get rich schemes or anyone who has ever demonstrated ‘Clear’ with any conviction.

Hubbard held a demonstration in Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium where he presented a young woman called Sonya Bianchi to a large audience including many reporters and photographers as “the world's first Clear”.

In the demonstration that followed, she failed to remember a single formula in physics (the subject in which she was majoring) or the colour of Hubbard's tie when his back was turned.

Not caring anymore I rambunctiously entered the shop startling Dreamer into attention, the book titled, 'Mastering the Stand-Up and Walk to Radiator Techniques' dropping immediately from his hands in surprise.

I want to return these books for a refund, and I won’t be attending the London course’, I demanded angrily.

’was facing Scientologists with anger a good idea? The answer is a resounding yes’

Dreamers’ stance changed immediately.

You can’t get a refund for the books as they are considered used, he said tartly and with an air of supreme confidence.

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As for the course, I can’t say right now.’, he continued in that same annoying tone that I felt was provoking as well as demeaning.

...'He knew what was going on all too well, this must-have happened many times before'...

No problem’, I said almost snarling, ‘I will make a claim to the credit card company’, and with that I hurled the pile of books directly at Dreamer who ducked, the books tumbling into a misshaped pile somewhere behind the counter before turning and striding out of the shop.

Dreamer hysterically screamed after me, 'YOU WON'T GET A REFUND, I'LL MAKE SURE OF THAT AND WE HAVE INFORMA..', the voice trailed off as the door slammed closed.

I knew what his claim about 'information' was regarding.

Fortunately, it was quite useless information unless I was to be blackmailed for not helping the bloke with the blood gushing out of his ears all those years ago, or taking Class A substances several years before.


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...'I was glad to rid myself of Dianetics, though I do regret not taking better aim before chucking it at him'...

They had nothing on me and I knew it. Had I told them some other personal memories then things could have turned out very differently.

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Epilogue

  • After calling the credit card company, some weeks later an agreement was made that I was able to claim 90% of the fees back for the ‘death detox’ course. This was all done without me speaking to any of Scientologists.
  • Unlike @steddyman who was pestered by the Manchester Scientology branch, I was not contacted by telephone and hassled even once.
  • Junk mail from ‘the church’ continued to intermittently be mailed through my door for several years before they gave me up as a waste of time. I found it gratifying that being a religion does not exempt them from paying postage costs.
  • The audits I received (and probably recorded) were not damning enough to blackmail me into returning to the church. I had guessed right.
  • To successfully escape the Church of Scientology with the smallest amount of hassle, I would recommend throwing all your useless Scientology books at the bloke behind the counter as hard as you can. It’s a small price to pay for that ‘clean break’.

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It worked for me; I got away and lived to tell the tale.

According to Jeffrey Augustine, author of the blog The Scientology Money Project, the church has a book value of $1.75 billion, and about $1.5 billion of that is invested in real estate. He also estimates that the annual revenue collected by the church is about $200 million - 5 Apr 2018

The above information is quite recent (2018) and yet the Scientology membership is shrinking. They still claim to be a religious organisation and thus are exempt from paying taxes.


All images are cited and are free to use, or in the public domain.

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