But I thought…
I’ve been amazed; surprised actually over the amount of traffic I’ve been getting over both the Liberty Travel layoffs and Cruise Value Center shutting down without notice. For weeks I’ve seen both these searches add up to what are now top search terms for traffic to this site. The buzz on the internet from various boards and forums has been surprising to say the least.
The Cruise Value Center abrupt closing has more clients searching for answers which shouldn’t be a shock, since there were only some 65 employees affected in this closure. The majority of people who are in panic mode right now are the thousands of clients who have booked cruises through CVC who are wondering if they’ve just been scammed.
Unfortunately, for those who recently booked a cruise with Cruise Value Center they may not have a boarding documents coming to them. A report I found said that CVC never paid $2 million to $3 million in cruise fares to the cruise lines. That’s a hefty amount of money to be…well, sunk.
Liberty Travel on the other hand is more concerned with “their own” and I can’t even begin to count the number of people who feel they’ve been wronged in this whole ordeal.
Which begs the question, what do you do when your company cuts your pay or lays you off? You file a lawsuit of course! Yep, looks like Liberty Travel has gotten themselves in more hot water. This isn’t the first time Liberty has faced charges of unfair labor standards. They’ve already settled for $2.76 million, with $413,571 awarded to 245 travel agents from Liberty Travel offices across Pennsylvania. Another Class Action suit filed on behalf of 564 Liberty Travel agents, who will receive $42,500 each as compensation for their efforts.
Now I’ve been told that the traditional arena doesn’t have these kinds of problems. Suits because you feel you’ve been ripped off or scammed don’t happen to “legitimate agencies”. (Liberty is a Top 10 Agency according to Travel Weekly by the way.) Nope, lawsuits of this nature are strictly reserved for the likes of Travel MLM’s. The Traditional arena would NEVER have someone call them a scam, or even worse, actually file a lawsuit against them.
It doesn’t take much for anyone in this country to go out and file a lawsuit. While I realize all the focus and attention for some is how the Network Marketing industry leaves people high and dry. For the “average Joe”, they want something more stable, more secure. I have to wonder how the people caught up in the following list now feel about how “secure” their jobs were.
I’d try to call them to find out and report on it, but the problem is…I just don’t know where to start.
- CitiGroup 53,000
- Whirlpool 5,000
- Pepsi 3,300
- Xerox 3,000
- HP 25,000
- Goldman Sachs 3,260
- Chrysler 1,825
- Merck 7,200
- Sun Microsystems 6,000
- Yahoo 1,500
- Ebay 1,600
- Lehman Bros. Thousands
- Bear Sterns Thousands
- Enterprise 200
- American Express 7,000
- Circuit City Thousands Bankrupt
- DHL Express 9,500 Bankrupt
- Delta Airlines Thousands
- General Motors Thousands
- Ford Motor Co 2,260
- Starbucks 13,000
- Motorola 5,600
- Fidelity 1,300
- Mattel 11%
- Atlantis 800
- Morgan Stanley 19%
- B T Group 10,000 (Britain’s largest phone company)
- YUM Brands: (Pizza Hut, Taco Bell) Hundreds
- Las Vegas Sands Casino 11,000
I’ve got to ask, does it look to you like this myth of getting a good education and finding a job to go work for look all that secure to you?
For some, this might be the first time that they’ve been cut back or laid off. They’re the lucky ones. I’ve been involved with two companies in my career that have either been shut down or gone bankrupt in the past. I’ve also seen dozens of my co-workers laid off due to downsizing or cutbacks.
And some have the gall to tell me that Network Marketing is flawed. Doomed to collapse. I’m sorry, but going back to work for someone else who can hand me a pink slip whenever they feel they need to just doesn’t feel all that secure to me. My future and my income shouldn’t be determined by someone else.
I’ll be very happy to take that responsibility on thank you.
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Tags: Cruise Value Center, Layoffs, Liberty Travel
November 24th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Doug–a flaw in your logic. Just assume for a minute that YTB does go under/file bankruptcy/disappear. How can you reason that your earnings will continue. You say you will never work for someone that holds the strings to your purse, yet this is what every employer and yes YTB as well does.
If they close, no one gets paid!
November 24th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
If I were to “assume” that would mean that I would to take for granted or speculate without proof. Why should I “assume” then?
“Logic” however, is based on principles governing correct or reliable inferences.
The two don’t mix.
November 24th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
“Doug–a flaw in your logic. Just assume for a minute that YTB does go under/file bankruptcy/disappear. How can you reason that your earnings will continue. You say you will never work for someone that holds the strings to your purse, yet this is what every employer and yes YTB as well does”
One of the scenarios that the critics love to get responses on is the scenario of the “what if YTB fails”. They are so vehemently obessed with YTB that they, themselves, cannot and will not answer the antithesis of that question. Actually I don’t think they can fathom that possiblity. They are pretty much resolute to the idea that YTB is going to fail. But I ask what if YTB is not what you think it is? What if YTB does become the largest seller of travel? Will you still be consumed by YTB’s or will you capitulate and find something else to be mad about?
I also believe that you were right Doug when you once stated that the critics were in essence “the blind leading the blind”. The type of thinking that successful people adopt and the type of thinking of mediocre people is a different as night and day. I may not currently be the success story in YTB that I want to be, but I definitely will never be that person listening to the likes of our critics. They don’t have what I want. And in my experience, the successful in YTB that I look up to have more integrity in their little toe than any of our critics have in their whole body.
I have answered the question about what I would do if YTB failed for the critics before. I simply said I would move on. But I wonder how they would react to the antithesis? What if they don’t?
November 24th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Firemedic–
You said:
I may not currently be the success story in YTB that I want to be, but I definitely will never be that person listening to the likes of our critics.
Does this mean that you are done on my blog?
November 24th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Frankly I can relate John.
You’ve commented three times here today.
One can always hope, but one is also completely powerless over what someone else thinks or does.
November 24th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
“Does this mean that you are done on my blog?”
I don’t go to your blog, John, because you have anything to offer me. I go there, just like anyone else that disagrees with you, to give a differing opinion and set your spin straight.
And I noticed you avoided the question about what you will if (when) YTB succeeds?
November 25th, 2008 at 7:38 am
As you and Doug did when asked what will happen if and when YTB fails.
YTB has a very good chance of success, but not in this current incarnation. This has been said by TW and many others. As a matter of fact, we were having this discussion a year ago, when Doug’s blog made a different turn and decided to attack the person and not the position. But YTB is too ego-centric to make any changes now. They have already sent giant “F-You” cards to IATAN, Royal Caribbean, Qantas, Perrillo, ASTA, the California Attorney General, the Illinois Attorney General, the BBB, and the travel industry in general (if you were present at the TW virtual trade show last month).
November 25th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
“If” YTB fails John, I have enough confidence in my own abilities and talents to create something new. That’s something that YTB has taught me over the years, and that’s a benefit nobody, not even you, can ever take away.
This talk of YTB failing is nothing but speculation that I’ve heard for years. You learn to tune it out after a while when you realize that the people pushing this nonsense have absolutely no clue what their talking about. YTB being to “ego-centric” is a PERFECT example. First Class, 70% commissions, separate REP and RTA presentations, client profiles, selling off non-core assets can be ignored, but denial of these changes doesn’t make your comment the least bit true or factual.
It’s just another opinion by an overzealous critic. Nothing more.
I’m sorry you feel this is “personal” John. It’s not. I could recommend a couple of changes for you if this perception continues.
1. Check to make sure you have your facts straight.
2. Refrain from so much posting, as it will decrease the chances of sticking your foot in your mouth.
3. Get a spine or toughen up that skin of yours.
I’ve been called every name in the book and yet I don’t feel the need to comment or defend any of it. Everything in this world is neutral, and nothing has meaning except for the meaning YOU give it. The people that attack and condemn me are free to form their opinions. To take ownership of any of the claims would not only be foolish, but contradict what I already know to be true about my own life and experience.
And lastly, we don’t tolerate or approve “F-You” comments here. I know its standard operating procedure for you and the gang. I’ve even taken a page out of that book, and find it’s effects less than satisfying and was actually disappointed in it’s ability to get a point across.
You’re smarter and more professional than that John. I recommend you use both when you visit and post here before the ability is taken away.
November 25th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Doug, my facts are fine, but thanks for asking.
My foot has been in my mouth a few times, but certainly I will defer to your experience and expertise on that.
My spine and skin is plenty tough. Remember, I was not the one that decided to disallow comments because it hurt my feelings. And I am not the one that moderates them to suit his own agenda.
I trust the above adheres to your definition of “smart” and “professional” I am not sure what I could do if I could not make a comment here. Unfortunately Blogger does not allow me to ban certain users or even track the IP addresses without a court order; but WP does. So you are one up on me. But even if you deem me not “smart” or “professional” enough to comment here, you still will be able to comment at my blog. I guess it just depends which moniker you want to use or if you want to go with Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous, or Anonymous.
November 25th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
LOL! I’m glad you believe John.
Thanks for sharing.