I’ve worked in several different industries throughout my adult life. I spent the vast majority of that time in the radio industry from the early 80′s to the mid 90′s. I also spent time in the Golf industry, and later in the Security and Home Automation industry before I found YTB. I quickly realized that each industry has it’s share of bickering and finger pointing. Every industry has it’s share of people who do nothing but start rumors either to discredit or get a leg up on the competition.

If you combine all the years I spent in the other industries, it doesn’t hold a candle to what I’ve seen in the Travel Industry in the 4 years I’ve been involved with YTB. The backstabbing, the ranting and raving, and the accusations that are thrown around in this industry is like nothing I’ve ever experienced.

I have to hand it to the Traditional Travel Agents, they are an extremely passionate group. Please don’t take that as any form of admiration however. Any type of admiration turns very sour when the passion is as misguided and so dysfunctional that you see grown adults belittle and scorn each other in public forums. Because all they do is bicker the industry is left fragmented and unorganized. Travel MLM’s have come and gone for over a decade now. The industry has been outraged over the MLM model and Card Mills, but because nobody can agree with one another, Travel MLM’s are not only still around, they’ve gained considerable traction in the industry.

I was looking over the data I have on how people find this blog earlier in the week. Several search terms popped out at me for consideration for an article. Before I had an opportunity to research the story, a “Google Alert” came last night that put all the pieces together in one very well written article in Travel Agent Central.

In the article Peter Stilphen, an industry advocate, seems to be convinced that OSSN (Outside Sales Support Network) now caters to the MLM industry and has said so publicly in an open letter. OSSN of course denies the allegation and is going to great lengths to shut Mr. Stilphen up. OSSN has even gotten legal counsel involved to contact Mr. Stilphen numerous times to confirm the allegations with documentation and facts. Typical of most critics however, Stilphen has ignored the request for verification. What this has boiled down to is nothing more than an “Am not” – “Are too” type of argument that once again is being played out in the open for everyone to see.

Why am I not appalled over this type of conduct? Because I’m sorry to say it’s more the norm than it is the exception. Once again, instead of promoting solutions, benefits, or guidelines that have been a real sore in this industry for well over a decade now, we have more bickering and finger pointing.

Once again…we have to ask…”How’s that working for you so far?”

I’ve read numerous times that Travel MLM’s give professionals a black eye. When you look at something like this, you have to wonder why some don’t look in the mirror and realize that professionals are doing a fine job of punching themselves and providing plenty of back eyes of thier own.

I’m not a member of OSSN, but I have gotten updates and e-mails from this organization for years. They’ve been beneficial to me in as much as to provide information about industry trade shows and supplier training that educate and enable me to be more productive in the travel industry. While there have been many offers to join the organization, thier policies prohibit anyone involved in MLM’s from joining. While they do offer a “TRUE” credential, I can’t justify switching to anther host simply to carry a “TRUE” card. For someone like myself, CLIA offers the best training and accreditation now that they’ve upgraded and enhanced thier program. As we’ve learned however, even an organization like CLIA isn’t immune to the fighting and bickering going on between “professionals”.

The last time I wrote about Peter Stilphen was well over a year and a half ago when Royal Caribbean decided to pull the plug on YTB. At the time Peter was on the Board of Directors of an association called PATH. With Peter’s urging, PATH convinced Royal Caribbean that they needed to terminate it’s relationships with Travel MLM’s and Card Mills. To this day, we’ve only been able to verify two agencies that have ever been terminated by RCL while over a dozen other Travel MLM’s are still in good standing and booking with the cruise line. One of the agencies terminated being Joystar and the other being YTB.

Worked out well, don’t you think?

Although Peter has been a very outspoken critic of both Joystar and YTB over the years, I really don’t pay much attention to him personally. He’s simply lumped into the mix of outspoken critics who buys into the social “meme” I wrote about on Wednesday. He is however, one of the longest tenured critics surrounding Travel MLM’s that I know of. He and Bill Alverson (CEO of the now bankrupt Joystar) started the rumblings over a decade ago when Bill started the first Travel MLM called TravelMax. (Also long gone.)

Back in March I picked up another open letter to the industry from Paul Henderson of ProTravel Network, who has also grown tired of finger pointing and the bickering in the industry which adds further proof that the industry has no clue how to resolve the issue of industry credentials. Because the industry hasn’t been able to come up with guidelines, anyone associated in the industry is fair game when it comes to pointing fingers. Peters most recent crusade to eliminate “cards” has him yelling at OSSN now, an association that’s promoted by PATH by the way.

I honestly can’t tell you if the industry is ever going to get along with each other. I find it a real shame that an industry which evokes so many good memories and emotions for it’s clients in the form of vacations and exotic locations, has such a difficult time finding it’s “happy place” when it comes to communicating and getting along with each other. I’ve never seen such enormous ego’s, and so many experts in all my life. For me, it’s another reason why I stick with YTB.

You would think that some of these old dogs would wake up and learn some new tricks after so much time spent doing what they do with no answers or resolutions in sight. Unfortunaly that’s not my call or within my control. Because of the suppliers and clients I spend most of my time with, the professionals end up being a nessasary evil in the industry that I simply endure while learning, growing, and making my own way in the travel industry.

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Do You ZamZuu?

This stinks on several levels. I had planned on writing about my Pittsburgh Steelers who have safely touched down in Tampa for this weekends Super Bowl and with “Media Day” scheduled, I wanted to write about some of the lesser known “characters” with the team. I have no idea if Jeff Reed will show up on NFL Network or ESPN or not, but if you do a little research, you’ll find a fun guy, who also likes to play practical jokes.

I still have most of the week to write about MY Pittsburgh Steelers, but for today, I have an update on the Travel Industry, more specifically Joystar which I wrote about a couple weeks ago. I’d also like to clarify some things that I’ve read out there on the internet to help separate fact from fiction. It astounds me that people either don’t know how to read, or don’t know how to research.

First, InterContenential Hotel Group (IHG) has won their suit in U.S. District Court against Joystar and a judgment has been ordered for $179,000. In a report filed by Travel Weekly, who by the way got it right, states that it was one of Joystars Agents, not Bill Alverson or Joystar themselves who committed the offense. (The Agent was a former IHG employee who hacked the IHG system.) You may be asking why Joystar is even involved if that’s the case. Well, Joystar became more or less an accessory when they failed to return $115,000 of the $163,000 that was claimed improperly. If Joystar would have done the right thing and returned all he commissions, they more than likely would have gotten a slap on the wrist, and charges would have landed solely on the Agent. (The commissions were charged to go to the Agent and his wife.)

In another case Joystar sought more time to prepare its response to an involuntary bankruptcy suit filed by a group of agents. Joystar owes individual Agents thousands of dollars in unpaid commissions. 85 agents have submitted sworn statements about money they are owed. Thus the word “involuntary” in front of the word bankruptcy. You might think that all bankruptcy should be considered involuntary, and many I’ve seen comment on this apparently don’t know the difference. True involuntary bankruptcy occurs when an individual or organization is made bankrupt at the request of their creditors, in this case the Agents who have filed the petition. In the case of Chapter 7 involuntary bankruptcy the debtor will be required to liquidate their assets in order to pay off their creditor.

In other words, the agents themselves are forcing Joystar into bankruptcy, and when assets are sold, they are the ones who get paid. If you didn’t catch the last paragraph in Travel Weekly’s report on IHG, if the petition is won, and judement is made forcing JoyStar to file bankruptcy, both the Agents and IHG become “judgment creditors”.

And finally, three major cruise lines — Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland American Line and Princess Cruise Lines discussed how to handle pending commissions and bookings still on the books. In filings with the court, the cruise lines had said that they needed the stay lifted so clients can make final payments on cruises so that they can take those cruises. The cruise lines’ court filings said that they also want to be able to transfer current bookings to individual Joystar agents themselves, withhold payment of commissions to Joystar and to pay commissions to agents once their clients have made final payments on their cruises or once the passengers have sailed. In court, lawyers also discussed putting those commissions withheld from Joystar into an escrow account for a short period of time, as well as logistics for transferring bookings from Joystar to the booking agents.

A long term solution should be address concerning this mess on February 10th.

Bill Alverson was present, and asked for a 20-day extension to prepare its response to an involuntary bankruptcy filing. Judge Raymond Ray, the presiding judge, gave them a three-day extension, and the next hearing in the case is set for Thursday.

At this point, it remains up in the air if I’ll report on this Thursday or Friday. it’s not that I don’t care about what happens here, but I do have more important things on my mind at the present time. ;-P

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Do You ZamZuu?

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.

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Do You ZamZuu?

I happen to be out of town, (without internet access!) but enjoying the Holiday with family none the less. I decided to schedule something for today before news became old news next week. First and foremost however, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and although at the time of this writing, presents are still wrapped under the tree, by the time this is posted and you are reading, I’ll be enjoying gifts my kids had made for me, and of course finding what Santa brought.

That being said, don’t think for a second that there isn’t something to talk about over this extended Holiday weekend.

Are you kidding me? This Industry?

While the jury may be out if some made Santa’s “Naughty” or “Nice” list, after what I’ve been reading the last several months, it’s time to bring this “Naughty” Agency to the forefront after a year long hiatus.

Back in October 2007 this blog gained considerable notoriety after tackling the issue head on concerning Royal Caribbean who terminated its relationship with no more than four Agencies. Two of those agencies came to light very quickly and the industry outrage on the internet concerning “Card Mills” came to a head.

Although it’s been documented that Royal Caribbean did in fact terminate four Agencies, Lisa Bauer, VP of Sales with Royal Caribbean at the time, skirted the direct questions asked by Travel Weekly concerning just who these Agencies were. To this day, there has been nothing to verify, although there has been plenty of speculation, any more than two Agencies. That being of course YTB and the other being Joystar.

Other than YTB, I can’t think of another Agency that has been the target of more controversy than Joystar. If you look at the founders history, you’ll get a better understanding to just why, and I did document his exploits with the first Travel MLM (TravelMax) back in the mid 1990’s. It looks as if both Bill Alverson’s and Joystar’s issues have not subsided, but in fact increased a year later.

While you found nothing concerning any new issues on this blog, there has been plenty to write about concerning Joystar a year after being terminated by Royal Caribbean. In addition, no less than three headline news stories broke back in October of 2008 concerning the Host Agency. One, October 9^th, reported that Joystar failed to pay commissions owed to its independent contractors along with laying off 14% of its staff. Later in the month, on October 23^rd, it was reported the CLIA revoked Joystar’s Membership for not renewing its Seller Of Travel License with California. (Although it appears that SOT’s have been made current as well as its association with CLIA.) The very next day, October 24^th, it was reported that InterContinental Hotels Group filed a federal lawsuit against Joystar for claiming more than $163,000 in improper commissions.

And some think YTB has problems?

Actually, that’s what a small group would like you to believe as they obsess over anything they can drum up to cast fear and doubt because they’re convinced the YTB “model” is flawed…doomed to collapse. (Yet the “model” started to take shape over a century ago, and still standing tall.) Part of drumming up anything these poor folks can think of is this notion that after more than a year of inactivity, suppliers will again take up the cause of these Agents and Associations and start terminating relationships with Agencies critics simply don’t agree with moving into 2009.

One of the favorite ploys of critics is not implicating YTB directly, but word posts and threads in a way that gives them an out if egg is then thrown back in their face. Naughty for sure after reading comments, as there appears to be no question just who they hope the Agency is. Just one of the dozens of posts I sent to Santa this year for the “Naughty List”. As they wait to see if the rumor is true with gleeful anticipation, Santa more than likely coaled the entire lot of them for lack of good cheer.

I never like this type of speculation and rumor. It’s far too easy for hearsay like this to come back and bite you when documentation squashes the rumor you’re attempting to spread. Especially when you find out that the rumor started in an attempt to point the finger at one host, was initially about an entirely different host.

It appears the glass slipper that some are attempting to slip on YTB belongs to Joystar.

Agents are using the Joystar community board to voice their complaints. One posting dated Dec. 17 claimed Carnival Cruise Lines was prepared to cease doing business with Joystar if the agency did not make good to agents. When queried about the posting, Carnival declined to comment.

To be fair, there is nothing to substantiate ANY rumor that Carnival or any other supplier for that matter will be terminating anyone. Instead, I would look at the last year and ask just how many suppliers terminated its relationship with any Agency in 2008.

Of course that answer is Zip…Zilch…Nada…not one.

Yet there are some who still want to hang onto this small glimmer of hope that suppliers might come around. If the rumor is true about Carnival terminating its relationship with Joystar, can you blame them? (That would be “No”.) It’s been documented that Carnival believes these Agents, no matter what host they’re associated with are the life blood of their sales force.

But how much would you want to wager, that if Carnival does terminate Joystar because its failed to pay the commissions owed its Agents, the speculation will be that YTB is next in line? It’s what some will do I’m sure in order to restore this whole fiasco about suppliers “getting it” to surface yet one more time. I know that sounds irrational, but you have to understand the anger and resentment that creates such illogical thinking. Just accept that this is another small thread critics reach for in their attempt to pin someone else’s misfortune to YTB.

With the news out Tuesday about Joystar being down to just 5 employees and the thousands of dollars in commissions owed its Agents, I have to wonder if Peter Stilphen, (a pompous and overzealous Joystar critic who’s been plastering both Bill Alverson and Joystar for years) will be having a Merry Christmas this year?

I don’t know if there will be anyone really posting about this over the Holiday’s or into next week for that matter. I guess I’ll have to check and update you when I get back first of next week.

In the meantime, I’d like to enjoy my time with family and finalize some goals I have moving into 2009 while I have some time away from the internet and all it’s trappings.

It will be interesting to see what 2009 will bring, and while there are some who claim to know what’s going to happen, take some time to do what a couple of my favorite mentors have taught me over the years.

“Don’t believe a word you hear, unless you can verify it on your own to be true.”

Which I suppose is one of the reasons why people like this blog so much. Instead of spreading rumors and hearsay about what they’ve heard about or read about somewhere else, without a single shred of documentation to back it up, they come here for documentation and truth.

That’s why I’m on Santa’s “Nice List”.

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Do You ZamZuu?

First of all, I’ve got to tell you…I LOVE the internet. I love the way information flows on this puppy. Technology has made it available for anyone to access just about any information and documentation they could possibly desire in this day and age. (Thus the term “Information Superhighway”?) Based on information we all have access too, we could acquire PhD’s in just about any field of study we choose. It’s all there, you just have to find it.

I read a book last year from Author T. Harv Ecker, “Secrets of The Millionaire Mind” and I also listen to a syndicated talk show host here in Atlanta named Neal Boortz. I’m a firm believer that if you want to be successful, you listen to people who are more successful than you are and do what they do. Both of these successful individuals have told me this:

“Don’t believe a word I say, unless you can verify it to be true on your own.”

If you’re like me, your scratching your head after reading the “In The Hot Seat” Interview with Lisa Bauer, Senior V.P. of Sales with Royal Caribbean International stating that “The Letter” terminating “Card Mills” was ONLY sent to THREE Travel Agencies. In addition, she never names the three agencies.

Secondly, we find another report with Joystar responding to RCCL dropping them, a bona fide Host Agency, hardly the “MLM” or “Card Mill” everyone is talking about in all the doom and gloom circling around the internet concerning the death of Travel MLM’s.

No, something just isn’t right about how all this is unfolding. Logically, it doesn’t make sense to me. If you’re trying to cut the legs out of these “Card Mills” by only using one cruise line, three Agencies, and one of them isn’t even a “Card Mill”, that’s hardly the “Shock and Awe” I would expect. Again, something I read about in “Secrets of The Millionaire Mind” was that we need to take “massive action”, not some hodge-podge trickle like this.

What was most disconcerting to me was the way Royal Caribbean handled the situation with Bill Alverson, chairman and CEO of Travelstar, Joystar’s parent company. In the article it states:

“It took about three minutes for us to learn that RCI had absolutely zero intention to listen to our side of the story or to ask questions we could answer to clear up the matter,” Alverson said. “When Mr. Fishkin [President] asked what led Royal Caribbean to this decision, we were told they did not have any particular concern they could identify, that we have never done anything to harm their brands, or hurt them financially, but they were terminating the relationship anyway….When we asked for clarification, we were told by [Lisa Bauer] that she has decided to ‘broaden the definition of what a card mill is’ and considers Joystar and ourEnterprise members to be one….”

When this “Card Mill” fiasco first broke on October 10th, with news that the ARTA applauds RCI’s policy to remove sales relationships from MLMs and Card Mills, I boldly stated that YTB’s relationship had been strengthened the week before with news that the home office would handle all the Group Bookings for RCI. In the report listed above Bill Alverson also stated:

“I tipped my hat to Royal Caribbean management as I read their email announcing they were sending termination letters to travel industry “card-mills,’” he wrote. “After all, it was about time suppliers took a stand on behalf of real travel agents.”

Like YTB, their relationship had also appeared to be strengthened based on a PowerPoint Presentation given by Royal Caribbean’s management to Bill Alverson less than 60 days prior.

So, why the sudden change in heart by Royal Caribbean by not one but now two Agencies who are producing a combined $23 Million in revenue for Royal Caribbean? (Documented sources and reports of $13 Million by YTB, and $10 Million by Joystar.)

About the only concrete information I could gather as to why RCI would terminate Joystar was based on their Enterprise program. Knowing what the Enterprise business model with Joystar employs, I will tell you that it does allow for Sub Agents. Kind of like a mini-Host within a Host Agency in which the Parent Host allows someone to create a Sub-Host for others to help sell travel within this Mini-host. Sub Agents make the majority of the Travel Commissions while the Sub-Host takes a cut. (For those of us in YTB, it’s very similar to a Power Team Leader making a 10% override on all Travel Commission produced within your own Power Team.) The Enterprise business model however, only goes one level deep to the Sub-Agent, unlike “Multi-Level” in Network Marketing.

While Affiliations and Organizations are protesting the use of “recruiting”, some actually make it a requirement as a member of their Organization that they have a minimum number of these “Independent Contractors” in order to even be considered to be a Host Agency. An Organization called The Professional Association of Travel Hosts (PATH) for example require a minimum of 25 Independent Contractors in order to even join their particular organization.

No, I’m sorry, but there has GOT to be something MORE going on here and enquiring minds like mine want to know! (Thanks for letting me steal that comment by the way!)

I needed a couple more pieces to this puzzle in order to complete the picture that was forming in my head, and at this point, probably like yours, it’s was very clouded and murky and there were more questions than answers. I told you I knew just enough to be dangerous about Joystar. There was something else about this company I was missing. So I did some more digging.

Apparently, at one time Bill Alverson was the CEO of a Travel MLM called TravelMax in the mid-1990′s which is now defunct and from what I understand one of the first MLM’s in the Travel Industry to operate. While researching, I also found that there certainly isn’t any love lost between our “Star Villain” in this story and Bill Alverson. There is a considerable animosity between these two. While reading Bill’s Blog to the field, I found this post, which I agree, reflects A FEW of these “Professionals” out there who are crying about all the business being taken away by “Card Mills”. (However this entry is clearly directed at one particular person, our “Star Villian”.)

ALL RIGHT ALREADY! I’ll cut the “Star Villain” charade and let you know who I’m talking about here. It’s someone I’ve mention here a couple days ago; Peter Stilphen, who much has been written about from the CEO Bill Alverson, and he even created his own web site dedicated to Peter. So yes, there’s no love lost. (Sorry Mr. Alverson, it IS out there.)

But how does this connect with Royal Caribbean?

I might be the ONLY YTB RTA that’s registered with CruisingPower.com, (according to Lisa Bauer), but I didto find this answer. Along with “The Letter” there is an FAQ section, (also found via Google without access to RCI.) which for those of us who are caught up in this fiasco NEED TO READ so you know what’s going on. In the FAQ it mentions that Royal Caribbean has joined the same organization mentioned above called PATH, The Professional Association of Travel Hosts. access Royal Caribbean’s “Agent Only Area”,

I have been reading about this organization from various publications, Blogs, and message boards with some good, and not so good reviews. In particular, and most recently (8/27/07) while reading Bill Alverson’s Blog he states at the very bottom of his post directed specifically at PATH:

“Stay tuned for information on ill-conceived trade associations and the Antitrust violations including price fixing, unfair competition, restraint of trade and other potential criminal charges all association members may face because of the potential criminal activities of a few very bad eggs.”

To be completely honest, I know nothing about all these claims, and I’m simply not going there. (Right now) But it did pose the question, “Just who is this group called PATH?” So I start digging around on their web site.

Imagine my surprise when I take a look at just who is not only on The Board Of Directors but standing President?!

None other than Peter Stilphen.

I don’t know about you, and I’m no lawyer, but doesn’t this whole “Royal Mess” start looking like “Royal Scandal” and the start of unfair competition and restraint of trade to you?

Before you come to this conclusion however, take some advice from a couple of mentors of mine:

“Don’t believe a word I say, unless you can verify it on your own!”

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Do You ZamZuu?

Like it or not, I have to give equal time to another one of our villains in this thickening plot I’m now going to title “One Royal Mess”. What I just uncovered NEEDS to be addressed, and I’m quickly finding that this whole ordeal is not about “FAMS”, “MLM’s”, or “Card Mills” it’s looking more like “personal vendettas” from a select few of our “Retail Travel Professionals”.

Overnight, I received one e-mail and one PM (Personal Message) from someone I know on the message board forums. Little did I know how the two were related, but BOTH led me to dig a little deeper. Since I had documentation and a verifiable source of the first story I started to write about about the Travel Weekly article, an “In The Hot Seat” Interview with Lisa Bauer, Senior V.P. of Sales with Royal Caribbean International. What was so interesting about this interview for me was that “The Letter” terminating “Card Mills” was only sent to three Agencies.

Yeah…THREE! So we know that one letter was sent to YTB for sure…but who got the other two?

Please select you’re choice from the list of Travel MLM’s/Direct Sales companies listed below.

Now, one of them is on this list, but since all I’ve been hearing so far is “rumors” on the boards, (doesn’t anybody know how to link to documented sources on these forums anymore?) and I’ve also heard from pretty reliable sources who this company is, so I’m 99.9% sure. But since nothing has been publish by the company themselves, or in any trade magazine as yet, they shall remain nameless here. (Just in case my “sources” are incorrect and I have to eat more crow.)

The second company was named late yesterday as well, and based on their own agents voicing objections to getting “The Letter” it was simply a matter of time. What I found interesting was an e-mail forwarded to me from one of my team members from our “Star Villain” in this thickening plot concerning news that a Host Agency named JoyStar had been sent “The Letter” concerning termination with Royal Caribbean. Now, if you’ve been in the Travel MLM industry for a while like I have and don’t recognize Joystar as an MLM, you are correct, they ARE NOT a Network Marketing company or Card Mill, but a traditional Host Agency.

Wait a second, am I trying to tell you that Joystar, a traditional Host Agency and not MLM are one of the three sent packing by Royal Caribbean for being a “Card Mill”?

Yes…Yes I am. Joystar is neither an MLM or Card Mill. Period.

Joystar maintains membership and business relationships with American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), International Airlines Travel Agent Network’s (IATAN), Outside Sales Support Network (OSSN), National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents (NACTA), and they use both Amadeus and Sabre Travel Network as their global distribution system (GDS). (Something MLM’s simply don’t use, not in the “traditional” sense anyway.) Based on the report below, their agents are also producing at least $2000 per Agent in revenue for RCI. (Not the $40-$50 Per Agent VP Lisa Bauer told Travel Weekly a “Card Mill” does.) Nor do they have any Representatives who recruit others into JoyStar in which to earn addtional commissions. To call them an “MLM” or “Card Mill” is an absolute joke.

Then why in the WORLD did Royal Caribbean just terminate their contract?

Well, I was certainly asking the same question, especially after reading just HOW and WHY they were terminated both from the e-mail forwarded by our “star villain” and the news article I found from Modern Agent voicing almost word for word what the e-mail stated which was forwarded to me. If your calculating the revenue Royal Caribbean is terminating so far, that’s $23 Million between two Agencies. ($13 Million in revenue with YTB and $10 Million in revenue with Joystar.)

As much as I’m dieing to fill you in on this new development…I need you guys to read both of these articles before I move forward. I want you pay particular attention to Royal Caribbean’s “positioning” on these terminations, and how Bill Alverson, chairman and CEO of Travelstar, Joystar’s parent company tried to correct this “mistake” (and it is a mistake) along with his experience and thoughts on this.

Here are the two articles.

In the Hot Seat with Lisa Bauer – Senior V.P. of Sales with Royal Caribbean International

Joystar Responds to RCCL Decision to Drop Agency

Have fun and feel free to comment on what YOU think is going on.

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