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Former Member
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Posts: 6 Events: hidden
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If anyone needs to book travel of any kind, my website searches the top 200 travel sites (Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, Hotwire, AA Vacations, etc...) simultaneously to give you the best price! The address is: www.nameremoved.worldventures.com The site will continue to search for better prices for about 2 minutes, so make sure you give it time to search all 200 other sites before exiting out. This will save you lots of time and best of all, MONEY!! This is a FREE service! |
Jason K
Carrollton, TX
Posts: 671 Events: 203
Event Reviews: 1
Articles: 17 Videos: 64
Images: 10 Comments: 6
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Just some advice for everyone to do some research because considering any purchase or opportunity.
World Ventures is a scam. Always do your google research. It is a recruitment MLM. Picture attending a seminar with fancy cars parked up front and a real smooth talker telling you how rich you are going to be. And being very very pushy. That's what this is.
I need to put something on YAP forums so ppl don't post mlm. The failure of a recruitment MLM is something like 99%. That means 99% of ppl will lose money at this venture. Including this person here.
Let this be a warning to all. Before you commit money to something always ask for facts. Here are some things I found while googling World Ventures:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=world+ventures
http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=6750
http://masterdebater.fortunecity.com/Rants/World%20Ventures%20Analysis.htm
And here are some websites on multi-level marketing:
http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/
http://www.mlmwatch.org/01General/10lies.html
http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/COMPARE12MLMs-vsSellingvsNPSvsVegas-2p-6-06.pdf
And here is a response to an email I got from someone selling World Ventures:
"By the way, the negative feedback that people judge our company on is few and far between when compared to the positive we get with 34,000 reps and $18 million in sales in 15 months. Those numbers speak for themselves...."
From which I pointed out from her (unverified) numbers that the average rep generates only $423 per year in sales whereas the cost to join (as per the website link above) is $479.40 per year not including the one time $250 charge.
And note this is considered a scam because it resembles a pyramid scheme. 99% of people lose money whereas the 1% on the top of the pyramid are the ones who make the money. These are the ppl who started it.
And everyone is familiar with spyware and such. Who here thinks this powersearch toolbar is a good thing to install on your pc and a valuable tool? lol.
Jason Koskimaki
YAP Club President |
Former Member
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Posts: 6 Events: hidden
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Jason, How would you have felt, if when you approached me in a bar and asked me to join YAP club, that I'd said in front of everyone there "It's a big scam, you just want to make money off all of us by charging us at each of these events." You would have immediately tried to tell me that I didn't have all the facts. That is also the case here. We both know what happens when we ASSUME things. While I understand you have the right to your opinion, I'm very insulted that you would bash the business I'm in without at least talking to me first and getting the facts straight. There are many perks to this that you obviously know nothing about, which I might add are FREE. You don't have to be an associate to use this website. The negative links you've posted are to blogs that our competition posted 1-2 years ago. I personally have many friends that are in World Ventures with me, and also attend YAP club functions as well, and we've all had great experiences with this company. We take trips together about 3-4 times a year, and they are always first class, and cost us less than half of what we would have paid by booking them through Expedia or some other travel search engine. Just because you're not interested in doing something does not mean that someone else might not be. I do this part-time, as do my friends. We probably spend 3-4 hours a week on it, and yet we save approximately $500/person on each trip we take. Thats not including all the discounts and perks we get for being travel agents. I guess I must be stupid, because I don't see any negatives here, unless you never do any type of traveling. I really wish you would sit down with me sometime and watch the 30-minute presentation, and tell me what I'm missing. Also, I challenge you to find better prices on travel, and if you can, please let me know about it. The prices that YAP club charges per person for the trips you sponser are MUCH higher than I could book them for. (Maybe you are making money on these trips, and that is why you are SOOOO against other travel agents.) In any case, I thought this was an open forum for people to network or have discussions, not be crucified for having a different opinion than yours. I thought we were all friends here, and I also thought people were allowed to make their own decisions. Maybe I'm wrong. Stacey |
Mike K
Allen, TX
Posts: 371 Events: 226
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MLM's are a scam. don't fall for the just watch my 30 minute video trick. once you are involved in it you can't make any money back until you scam a lot more of your friends. don't fall for it Jason.
YAP is a great site. Yap makes nothing on most events. And membership is free. that you would even suggest a comparison is ridiculous.
DO NOT FALL FOR THE TRAVEL MLMs |
Former Member
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Posts: 6 Events: hidden
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I signed up for the club to take wholesale vacations. I made my money back on the first Royal Carribean cruise I took (which I paid $59 for). NONE OF MY FRIENDS OR ANYONE ELSE I KNEW HAD SIGNED UP UNDER ME. How is that a scam. Now, I can take cheap vacations every month if I want to. Just because you want to pay retail for vacations, doesn't mean everyone else does. I know there are still people out there that shop at Tom Thumb instead of Costco, and that is THEIR CHOICE. What you and Jason don't seem to understand is that you don't have to sign up anyone, if you don't want to. You can still use the website for FREE! Do you think there are people out there that use Mary Kay cosmetics, but don't sell Mary Kay??? Yes, there are. It works the same way. This isn't rocket science guys. Its just a way to take wholesale vacations, just like Sam's Club is a way to buy wholesale food. (and yes you pay a fee to join Sam's and Costco.) I guess those are big MLM scams too. |
Mike K
Allen, TX
Posts: 371 Events: 226
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If you don't need to sign people up to make your money back, Why are you trying so hard to sign people up?
Jason is just trying to protect his web site members from this scam that you fell into and you are now trying to get out of by signing other people up. that's how MLMs work. Sam's club and Costco are not MLMs. they are legitimate wholesalers
Are you trying to convince us that the legitimate wholesale price of a Royal Carribean cruise is $59?
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Former Member
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Posts: 6 Events: hidden
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This is ridiculous. I don't NEED to sign anyone up to "make my money back". I made my money back on the first trip I took. What part of that are you confused about?? The only reason I posted on here was it was a "Travel Forum" and I thought people who were traveling already might enjoy a way to do it for wholesale prices. And yes, it is exactly like Sam's and Costco. How is it any different, since you are such an expert on it? Why are you and Jason so personally offended by someone trying to save you money on vacations? While I'm sure everyone appreciates Jason's "protection" from paying wholesale prices for the trips he organizes, I thought by giving him a way to offer better deals he would appreciate it, not accuse me of trying to screw him and other members over somehow. When my friends saw me taking trips for the discounted prices I was paying, they ASKED ME how to sign up. So yes, I've had some friends sign up. Thats because everyone I know likes to travel, and we've found a way to do it super cheap. None of us have lost ANY money. Quite the opposite. We've saved hundreds of dollars each. Since there are 30,000 people in this group, the company books out entire decks of the cruises. That is how they are able to sell them to the members for $59/person. AGAIN, if you don't travel, this isn't a good deal for you, but if you do, then this is a great deal. Bottom line. At the very least, get the facts straight before making blanket judgements that "it must be a scam." Since when did YAP club become a cult, where its members can only believe and do what the leader believes and does? Talk about take the fun out of things. |
Mike K
Allen, TX
Posts: 371 Events: 226
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Sam's and Costco do not charge $350 + $39.95 per month for their memberships. they only charge $30 a year.
Your presentation said that in 2006 the company signed up 30,000 reps and the company revenue was $15 million for 2006 at the rate of $350 + $39.95 per month or $350 + $19.95 per month it looks like your company made all its revenue from people who signed up to be reps. and these reps did not sell anything. Do the math.
You did not just post this on the travel forum to help people out
you posted it on 3 forums including a jobs forum to get people to sign up to be reps and rip them off
You should be ashamed of yourself |
Former Member
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Posts: 6 Events: hidden
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O.k., Let's do the math, so maybe you will understand. I'll try to go slow. Cost to join: $350 (one time charge) Monthly dues: $40 (if you want to sell, otherwise its just $20/mo.) 1st trip: 5 nt. Carnival cruise: $69 (I saved $347) 2nd trip: 5 nts. Waikiki: $382 (I saved $793) 3rd trip: 3 nts. Cabo San Lucas: $299 (I saved $221) Total Out of pocket in dues: ($830) Total money Saved on trips: $1361 So far.... I'm ahead $531 just in the last 6 months. That's without signing up anyone. Next year and for the rest of my life, I just pay the $40/month. I know I will personally take at least one vacation a year (and most likely 3-4), so the money I save on that ONE trip will cover my monthly dues. AGAIN, thats without signing up anyone. When I find a good deal on anything, I tell my friends about it, whether its a pair of shoes or a vacation. If this cuts into your and Jason's profit from Tiki Travel, then I apologize, but everyone I know that has joined this group loves it, and we have a blast on the trips we take. Why would I be ashamed of telling other people how to do the same? If anyone should be ashamed of themselves, it should be you for being so close-minded on an "open forum", and trying to prevent other people that enjoy traveling from benefitting from this organization. Just because its not for you, doesn't mean its not a great deal for someone else. Who cares if the company makes a profit. Can you name a company that doesn't? As long as it saves me tons of money on my vacations, so be it. What have I lost? In the meantime I've gained lots of friends to travel with. We all win. Get over it. |
Mike K
Allen, TX
Posts: 371 Events: 226
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I am so glad that you are good at math.
Lets do some math: you said that the dues for joining the scam is $40 per month. that would be $480 per year plus $350 on your first year. So you pay either $480 or $830 per year.
the company claims that they have 30,000 other travel agents like you. they also claim that their sales were 15 million last year
30,000 * 480 = 14.4 million.
this is not even accounting for the first time people that pay an extra $350
If they collect 14.4 million from people to be their travel agents and their total sales are 15 million. where are their vacation sales
if Sam's or Costco were charging 14.4 million for membership and then selling less than .6 million in merchandise they would also be MLM scams. but their numbers are a little different.
I don't have to pay $830 dollars per year to a scammer to get discounts of published fares. any web site will do that for free. How do you know that you saved $221 on your trip to Cabo. are you comparing it to published fares. Web sites and travel companies always discount trip when they don't sell out. most people don't pay published fares. and they don't have to pay $830 to a scammer to tell them where the good deals are. they just do a web search on yahoo or expedia and you can find good deals for free.
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Former Member
Not Selected
Posts: 6 Events: hidden
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The only scammers on YAP club are you and Jason. The bottom line is the two of you don't want anyone to know that you and your buddies take your vacations for free from Tiki Travel, by charging all of your other unsuspecting "friends" full price. The two of you should be ashamed of yourselves, and I will make sure to let everyone I know about your SCAM, including all the friends I have that are in this group. Enjoy it while it lasts, eventually people will figure you out. Word travels fast in small circles. |
John S
Houston, TX
Posts: 6 Events: 29
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That was a fabulous read! Thanks Jason and Mike for giving me the initiative to look this up myself. I'm half surprised she isn't selling me a miracle gas pill... |
Jason K
Carrollton, TX
Posts: 671 Events: 203
Event Reviews: 1
Articles: 17 Videos: 64
Images: 10 Comments: 6
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I usually delete these posts immediately but thought I'd reply instead (there were three separate postings originally and I deleted 2 of them). Hope nobody reads too much into it. The person here deleted their own account.
The website advertised in this initial post is what is known as affiliate marketing spam. There are so many reasons why this site is bad for a consumer and the owner it's not even funny.
What was not mentioned here is that these deals quoted are familiarity trips. It's not a price for a normal booking. It's a travel agent discount made at select destinations to entice you to book a lot of future trips with them. Which you can do research on this company's familiarity trips and find a range of opinions on ppl who think it is ok, unethical and fraud. So this company is promoting and charging for you to be a travel agent not as a business opportunity but so you can take advantage of the travel system. There are several companies that do this and several more that have gone out of business. I don't know all the legal issues with this but if you read up on it many ppl all speculate when or if this company is going to lose their travel license or go out of business (the owners had a similar company that went out of business). Which means your initial money goes down the drain. If you have a company with tons of travel agents taking fam trips but not selling any travel eventually something is going to give. If you want to be a travel agent part time consider other avenues and go with a reputable company that is a real travel company (and not an mlm company that is selling travel). I have not done my research but there are probably places that will pay you to sell travel for them rather than you paying them for the "opportunity". Anyways, if you do your research on this company you'll find a bunch of stuff on lawsuits, unethical behavior, very bad things about the company owners and a bunch of other stuff. Much more so than you would get from any other company. So do your research first. I did mine and thought this was a scam. Maybe you will have a different opinion. We have nothing against legit travel groups. But we are against mlm companies such as this one. I have had to warn ppl about promoting mlms in the past, and I've had members complain about ppl pitching several different mlm opportunities to them on occasion. If we find that a posting here is disreputable and has a lot of negativity (no matter what it is) we will delete it or post a warning about it. Remember the Internet is your friend. Research everything before committing money. And if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Jason ps: Also, there are several companies that do the same thing as this one and you can find all kinds of negative stuff about each one of them. Here are some links:
http://mail.scam.com/showthread.php?p=193414. http://p197.ezboard.com/A-very-well-written-piece-on-MLMs-/ftwcrossroadsdiscussionforumfrm36.showMessage?topicID=12.topic
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index.php?qid=20070514084543AA1Qf00 http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=4909&page=1&pp=40 http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=6544 http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?p=314479#post314479 http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?p=45999 http://www.monster.scam.com/showthread.php?s=86344a6f880153b91486a605fb2d3245&t=4403&page=1&pp=40 Website on these "card mills" which WV is
http://www.astanet.com/education/cardmill.asp This post indicates WV recruiting was shutdown in California 1/1/2007. It also points out the ppl who started WV also started a company GTT previously.
http://www.scam.com/showpost.php?p=340006&postcount=186 And here are posts claiming proof the prior company GTT/PRT (and distributors) were committing fraud in that they did not have a valid travel IATAN card. What this means is if you were part of this previous travel company (same type deal as WV) you would have been booking trips illegally.
http://www.scam.com/showpost.php?p=75362&postcount=1632
http://www.scam.com/showpost.php?p=45736&postcount=514 Someone's WV testimonial:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=50255117&MyToken=c6354256-508f-4761-a85c-cb435d8eb39fML
Someone's comment on how this website link above is considered spam:
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?catid=63&threadid=312271&start=140
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