Thread: What would encourage you to book your travel through MLM ?

What would encourage you to book your travel through MLM ?

People often accuse "naysayers" of focusing on the negatives when it comes to Multi Level Marketing.

Here's a chance for people to post counter arguments.

You're off on holidays,

what would make an MLM company, such as "Your Travel Biz" the agency through whom you book ????

Nothing would ever make me book any type of travel reservation through any MLM. First of all, the members of these travel MLMs are NOT travel agents in any way shape or form. They have no education, no experience and no training to perform the duties that a real Travel Agent performs. A true agent operates from an agency as their host. This host has a business license, a bond, accreditation from a travel industry organization such as the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) or the International Airlines Travel Agency Network (IATAN) and ASTA (The American Society of Travel Agents) or Cruise Lines International Association(CLIA). The agents at the host can also earn their own credentials and do.

YTB for instance had their IATA staus pulled from them for being a card mill and violating their agreement with IATAN. There are also 7 states that require an agency to have a seller of travel license. Other states have various requirements as well. Travel agents themselves may earn other certs such as Certified Travel Consultants (CTC), Certified Travel Associates (CTA) or destination specialists by taking courses offered by the Travel Institute. Do MLMs care about any of this? Not really. They violate the laws all the time.

Travel is a complicated business. It takes years to learn properly with training, education, experience and supervision. Business travel is especially difficult. A true travel agent is there for you 24/7 should issues arise and they often do. Would an MLMer be there or even the MLM itself? Hardly. Would they even have any idea of how to solve your problems. Nope. Real Travel Agents have more tools available to them as well, that an MLM simply does not have.

A real Travel Agent is a professional. Real Travel agents take FAM trips for example on various cruise lines and to various resorts to check them out and familiarize themselves with that travel vendor in order to be able to provide the best customer service for their clients and meet their actual needs. They know their business. They keep profiles on their clients in detail. A real Travel Agent is experienced and has the knowledge of hundreds of different details about your destination and the trip there, from currency to weather to customs, insurance, specific seating on a plane, rental cars, hotel details, to a myriad of issues and details. No MLMer would have a clue as to any of this. Real Agents attend trade shows and lectures/traning given by vendors to learn the latest and greatest with that vendor. MLMers No. And if they do show up in tiny numbers all they do is make the rounds of the exhibit booths looking for freebies. Ask any agent about this or any vendor. There are some on this forum. We have a long term very successful and well respected TA here and a long term very competent and experienced Travel Supplier rep here in fact and another TA and owner of his own agency.

It's an insult to a true professional for MLMs to tout to their members that are can be and are Travel Agents when this simply is not the case at all.

It has been proven and shown that no trips or packages offered by MLMs (and they are very limited- as many entities will not let MLMs book them) are less expensive than can be found by a true travel professional and in 95% of the scenarios, the trips are more expensive through an MLM.

Real Travel Agents have long standing relationships with the vendors that they book travel with and are familiar naturally with all the details and the terminology used in the industry. What MLMer can say this? Real Agents will know about the details for instance of all cancellation penalties and restrictions and explain them to you. Do you think some person in any MLM would have a clue to this or even bother? A real Agent will stay abreast of the most current and timely promotions. An MLMer, not so much. A real Agent will enhance your trip with value-added benefits and amenities. An MLMer....again nada. A real Agent can suggest and book excursions trips for you, depending on your interests and needs as well and procure the tickets if needed for them. They work also with a variety of Tour Operators. MLMer? Whats an excursion?

I saw on his blog, a long standing self proclaimed travel expert from member of YTB refer to a berth in relation to a cruise ship, as a "birth". This is true. lol Throw out a few Airport codes to a travel MLMer and they won't have a clue what you are even talking about. As them what DOT is. Ask them anything. They will not know the answer. I doubt they would know what even a PAX is. It's pathetic but true.

Again what will happen to you if there are issues during your trip? An professional Agent will be available to help you and get the issues resovled quickly and to your complete satisfaction. They are your advocate and you as their client matter to them. An MLMer? You are on your own.

International travel can be very complicated and tricky. Do you want to trust a nobody off the street to book this travel for you? Hardly. Business travel even more so and more demanding and the plans and schedules of business travelers often change at the last minute while they are on their trips. What MLMer would be available to assist them? None.

Travel MLMs are not called card mills for nothing. Anyone off the street with no education, experience or training is suddenly deemed a "travel agent" by their MLM. How ridiculous is this? They can call them anything they want to but it's a lie. They are NOT Travel Agents in the real world, at all. The issue with Travel MLMs is that the profit margin in travel is not large enough to support a MLM business model. Therefore, you HAVE to recruit in order to make money. Other MLMs promote products. Travel MLMs promote travel websites - that's not a product. That's a marketing tool. And it's bull crap.

There is not one SUCCESSFUL travel MLM out there. All of them have issues. Even the ones who "claim" success have added additional products to their company so the reps can earn money. Many of them feature horrid clothing and cheap, I mean cheap and tacky no name brand travel accessories that no one in their right mind would ever purchase.

MLMs also rip their members off by not paying the the same commission that an actual Travel Agent earns. The MLM keeps the difference, yet they still charge you for your web site and anything else they can come up with. Many travel vendors simply refuse to let any MLM book travel with them. This really limits your options for travel when you are the consumer.

In short, I can give you a hundred reasons and examples why you should use a professional Travel Agent and not one reason to ever use a travel MLM. Would you want to trust your family cruise, your honeymoon, your anniversary trip to the resort of your dreams or your first trip to Europe to an MLMer?

ALA has said it all. Travel, especially foreign travel, is a highly complex industry and takes years of training and experience to do well.

The answer to your original post is this

If I can find a travel agent, MLM or not, with all the relevant licences and permissions, with years experience in the travel business and all the contacts that professionals have, a good track record, and competitive pricing, I'll consider spending my family's hard earned money on a vacation through them. Having said that, I, personally, have yet to meet one genuine travel professional selling MLM travel.

I want to know that when we arrive at the airport, there is no overbooking etc and we can board the plane. When we arrive, we want to find the hotel with our reservations and all the extra service advertised, provided. Now that's hard enough to achieve using a real travel professional at times, but with an MLM?........

For normal flights, we have direct booking on the internet and dont even need an intermediary.

The terrifying thought is that any one of us, myself included with a propensity to lose travel documents and forgetting to check details of travel arrangements coupled with a total inability to read even a train timetable properly, could sign up and start to sell travel through an MLM tomorrow.

I would have to want to travel somewhere but if I suddenly had the urge to go somewhere on vacation, that company would have to:

1) Accept a payment option other than debit or credit card.
2) Be able to book the hotel, car rental and airfare all at once.
3) Have everything completely prepaid in advance so no payments required at the hotel or car rental booth.
4) Be able to print the ticket, receipts, itinerary, all important paperwork from the home computer and be able to email said information to others.
5) Be able to receive email updates on more than one email address about delays or unexpected travel issues.

Originally Posted by alasycia

The terrifying thought is that any one of us, myself included with a propensity to lose travel documents and forgetting to check details of travel arrangements coupled with a total inability to read even a train timetable properly, could sign up and start to sell travel through an MLM tomorrow.

This is what scares the professionals...