Would you like to make millions?

Have you ever heard of a MLM travel company?  You know the ones where they say you can travel for free, take paycations, get paid to travel, get industry perks, and become a travel agent. Ain't a gonna happen.  These network marketing companies are nothing more than bloodsucking leeches upon society, much like most MLMS.  They do not really promote the sale of travel, they concentrate on recruiting new idiots into the organization to make even more money and stay afloat.

Let's take the biggest, but certainly not the best, YTB.  The promote everything mentioned above except even more.  Earn hundreds of thousands of dollars by being a travel agent.  Right.  How do you get people to visit your site?  Fliers?  Postcards?  Banners?  Balloons?  You can't advertise because that costs money.  So here sits this $500 website you just purchased and no one is visiting it.  No money is generated, but they don't mind that.  You see, they will collect another $50 each and every month to let you keep that website operating.  Do you need training?  How about brochures?  Do you want to attend a YTB seminar?  How about having a YTB portfolio?  You have to pay extra for all of those things.  Do you need some support?  No toll free number.  But let's get back to money.  Will you earn any money from these MLMS?  Maybe, but only if you recruit some poor sap into doing the same thing you did.  And then recruit another and another until you've built up a downline.  Sounds fantastic, doesn't it?  But where does travel enter into the picture?  Right!  You get it now.  You buy a website that is pretty close to the Big 3, Travelocity, Orbitz, or Expedia.  You know they told you that you would be a travel agent, didn't they?  Well, sort of.  You see, now you'll be a referring travel agent.  What the hell is that?  It's where you don't have to know the difference between a fare and a fair.  You cannot talk to suppliers or deal with them and you're also not really supposed to sell that travel directly because after all, you don't know anything about travel.  Don't let that stop you though because you paid to be a travel agent and dammit, a travel agent you are.  

Have you ever seen a red flag being raised right before your own eyes?  Most in YTB do each day but continue to believe everything they hear.  Whether in print or word of mouth, if it came from YTB, it must be true.  Here are a few common things that should prevent you from considering YTB as as an honest and reliable company.  They lost their IATAN.  Is that like losing my cherry?  No, it's worse.  IATAN stands for International Airlines Travel Agent Network and is the top creditial for a legitimate travel agency.  YTB appealed this ban and was denied.  In the industry, this is bad.  Compare it to having your bank removed from the FDIC.  What else you wonder?  Several large suppliers have denied them access to their inventory and banned them from selling their products.  Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and it's subsidiaries was the trendsetter for this with others followed.  If more suppliers took this moral stand, these card mill, promise the world, and unethical business MLMS would be gone in a New York minute.  There are a lot of other examples of things gone wrong with YTB, but there are much better blogs and articles explaining it all.

Is it just YTB?  Unfortunately, no.  There are a lot of these travel MLMS popping up each day, but no other travel MLM has been proven to be as bad as deal as YTB.  That's probably due to the fact that the others don't report their earnings and losses.

Why does this concern me so much, you ask?  It's simple.  You have someone out there that is not trained, has no idea of how to handle a problem which happens all too often in this business because of changes, delays, cancellations, etc.  That leaves the consumer to fend for themselves when they paid for a service.  It cheapens the take on the real travel agent and agencies.  I worked very hard for a good reputation of providing an honorable service, honest recommendations, and client satisfaction.  When anyone can label themselves a travel agent and pretend to be one, I suffer if they screw up.

Who do I hold responsible for this? First the founders and then the recruiters trying to take advantage of people. These recruiters know what they're promising isn't going to come true for the majority. Have you seen those men on TV late at night that have the 30 minute infomercials selling everything from car wax to real estate investing programs? Do they all look like they just emerged from a swim in the cargo hold of a supertanker? Oily! They are fast talking, lying, ferrets selling you some cheap junk merchandise or a questionable program that isn't going to work either.

The following is from the Better Business Bureau:

Does an ID Card Make You a Travel Agent?

It certainly sounds tempting. You’ve been invited to a seminar or social gathering that promises you a free vacation for listening to a presentation on discount travel services. The enticement is that you can become a “travel agent,” with “credentials” that will permit you to travel at free or reduced fares. Is that true? Can the right ID card convince airlines, hotels and other travel services to give you a discount?
The Better Business Bureau and the American Society of Travel Agents warn consumers not to be misled by travel card “mills” and other questionable discount travel service operations. The travel industry has become more vigilant in clamping down on those using card mill credentials. Furthermore, promises of “industry insider” travel discounts do not always materialize. Some of the advertised prices are widely available to all travelers and there are hotels and airlines that will not honor the card when presented for a discount or upgrade.

True travel agents sell travel to the general public, a fact conveniently ignored by card mill operators and other discount travel services. Many discount travel businesses promise “huge earnings” but neglect to mention that in order to make money, you must recruit other people to become “travel agents.”

The BBB offers tips to consumers interested in discount travel services:

Do not be fooled by promises of glamour and wealth, with little or no effort.
Be skeptical of offers that require you to purchase an identification card and claim that, by doing so, you will be a “travel agent” in good standing who is “official,” “certified,” “accredited,” or “endorsed” by the travel industry.
If the business promises huge earnings, ask what you will be paid for. Will you actually be selling travel to the general public? Or are you being asked to recruit others into the business?
Before buying a “travel agent” card, comparison shop for several trips using traditional travel agencies, online travel sites and other information sources. Will the additional cost of the card be offset by savings on travel services of comparable value?
Ask if the hotel, airline or other travel provider you want to use will accept the card as the basis for a discount.
Obtain all promises in writing, and check with the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org for a report before you agree to anything.

glb ctc