Here’s Mud In Your Eye
Remember the rumor late last year that a MAJOR supplier was going to send notice to a MAJOR MLM/Card Mill that they will be parting ways January 1?.
While a name was not mentioned, you certainly know the drill.
Who could it be?
Is the cookie starting to crumble?
Are suppliers beginning to see the light?
The same unsubstantiated and bogus claims and speculation that’s simply thrown out there to cast doubt. You would think a former journalist would know how to confirm information with a “reputable source“, but that’s not important when you need to squash a company and a business model you don’t agree with.
Turns out the rumor of a major supplier cutting someone in this industry off was true. But it wasn’t YTB.
Sorry.
If there’s any rumor or bad news going around the Travel Industry, YTB seems to always pop up as the one who it’s got to be about. If someone hears about downsizing, it’s got to be YTB, not Liberty Travel. If a company is rumored to disappear in the middle of the night without warning, it’s got to be YTB, not Cruise Value Center. If someones not paying their Agents, it’s got to be YTB, not Joystar.
While all three of these agencies have lawsuits pending in court, who is everyone is talking about?
YTB.
I guess it’s true that dogs don’t bark at parked cars.
Most recently the hope was that if a supplier is going to cut anyone off, it had to be YTB. o supplier was named a few days ago after a dot was left missing, (Omitted from a list along with dozens of other suppliers we do business with) which conveniently justified pinning the supplier where they wanted, on YTB. Even after myself and others questioned the validity, the rumor persisted, until it was finally squashed by the supplier themselves.
Now there’s a novel idea, instead of guessing, ask the source. Who knew?
News confirming the supplier/agent rumor came late afternoon first by phone, and then confirmed by a trade publication that Carnival has cut off Joystar in this absolutely hideous and embarrassing chain of events.
Because Bill Alverson has a ties to a failed MLM back in the 1990’s, you can bet your bottom dollar that this will somehow give MLM a black eye. For the record, I never considered Joystar an MLM, it’s just not the same structure, and I don’t know if anyone would be able to accept that it management that runs a company into the ground, (think Enron here) not a model.
For the record, Carnival is not terminating Joystar because it’s a “card mill”, Carnival is doing what right for the Agents who booked their clients with the cruise line. Joystar has not and is not paying it’s agents their commissions owed them. Those who were with Joystar and now with another host can move future bookings, if they have not been paid in full, to the other host “upon written authorization of the traveler”.
I’m still attempting to put together a legal liability due to an involuntary bankruptcy petition that was filed on January 2nd. From what I understand the liability in this “involuntary bankruptcy” could land on Carnival if they continued to accept bookings from Joystar. If true, (and I’m still attempting to verify at the time of this writing) we could see other suppliers follow Carnivals lead terminating Joystar from future bookings. “Involuntary Bankruptcy” is not all that common and I’m sure there are links out there, but I don’t have the patience to understand “legal talk” right now.
Just don’t be surprised if you see more suppliers make this move.
Because I’ve written about Liberty, Cruise Value Center, and now Joystar issues in our industry, I’ve received both e-mails and phone calls from former Liberty Travel employees, Cruise Value Center clients, and now Joystar Agents who simply don’t know what to do. Clients with Cruise Value Center are the easiest to direct, as long as they have a booking number, but Liberty Travel and Joystar appear to be in a real quandary right now. What’s frustrating for me is that very few seem to care. These Agents, especially Joystar, have had income suddenly cut off.
Agents with Joystar have been without commissions since September and are struggling right now to come up with the money to fight for what’s owed them. If you’d like to help or if you are one of the Joystar agents that are owed commissions, you can find information here.
Maybe it’s time to start looking at and taking care of some of your own?
Author’s Edit: It appears that Norwegian Cruise Line has also ceased doing business with Joystar as just reported in TravelPulse. Effective immediately, “The company will no longer accept new reservations from Joystar or any of its affiliated agents,” an NCL spokesperson said. “NCL will continue to service existing Joystar reservations booked prior to Jan. 5, 2009.”
In another developing story, Wheel of Fortune has also gotten into the mix after a sister company of Joystar, VacationCompare.com, failed to provide the prizes to Promotion Consideration, who arranges prizes for game shows like Wheel of Fortune.
PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.
PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!
|
|
Doug & Ronda Bauknight AKA: TravelPro Travel Agent / Networker Phone: 678.458.5812 |
Learn How To Become A Travel Agent |
Book Your Travel & Vacations With  |
Do You ZamZuu? |
| TSO #588629 |
Tags: Carnival, Cruise Value Center, Joystar, Liberty Travel, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Travel Agent Commission, Travel Agent Issues
January 8th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Doug, there IS a major supplier that is conspicously absent from YTB sites and has all of a sudden stopped doing training. Care to explain that?
January 8th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Doug & Ronda;
Thank you so much for posting this and helping us with this fight. It’s time the entire industry wake up to the troubles going on in the industry. (Although I was unaware of the issues with Liberty and Cruise Value Center.)
With the economic conditions the way they are, it’s rough enough out there. What Bill has done only pours salt into a very deep wound. It makes me sick.
I wanted to also mention that even with all of us combined, we DO NOT have the funds to go after money owed us. While we are going after all legal fees in our petition, we still need money up front to go after these commissions.
I applaud Carnival for doing what they did, and hope more suppliers follow suit.
I was surprised, but very pleased to see that you are posting about this and helping to spread the word about our plight.
January 8th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Veronica;
Did you ever consider that the source of your information could be slightly inaccurate and incomplete?
I neglected to post this, and maybe I should have, but even John realizes that he might have jumped the gun here.
YTB is currently running a promotion with Avalon Waterways, a division of Globus Family of Brands. This information is found in last weeks Travel Compass and in my weekly newsletter.
In addition, I still have access to Globus’s Group Policy, Globus’s River Cruise Group Policy, Globus Sale Kits, and Globus Faith Based Sales Kits in my back office.
With the hundreds of vendors YTB does business with, I’m sure a weekly training call with Globus will come around again, given time.
When it does, maybe I could see if I can get everyone, not just RTA’s on the call?
Joystar Agent;
Please pardon the above commenter. There are many who don’t like to have mud in their eye. ;-P
As I said, I have gotten plenty of e-mails and phone calls concerning the issues going on in our industry. It concerns me, and with this blog having such high visibility, I see it as a way that I can help. What has happened with all these companies has hurt many many people.
Please know that it is my firm belief that the truth and what is right will always prevail. It may not come today, tomorrow, or even next week, but it will come.
January 15th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Doug;
Did you see the Globus Training scheduled for January 22nd & 28th in the Travel Compass?
Would consider the speculation about them terminating YTB officially over?
January 15th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Yes, I did.
…and yes, I would say that this whole idea about ANY supplier terminating YTB at this point is pure bunk.
Thanks Dale.