Travel Agent MLM

If she is making money, it isn’t from selling holidays, she is being paid commission by scamming convincing other people to join as her downline. They will be the ones losing money.

Her bills will be paid by an actual job, benefits or a partner who earns actual money, not from the MLM

Like all MLMs, a total scam.

I have an old work colleague in some Italian skincare/make-up MLM that genuinely no one here would ever have heard of. There's multiple posts daily, often close-up gurning selfies showing "how happy I am!" and "doesn't my skin look amazing?" Babe, you're 40, and like every other 40yo, you look 40. It's so cringe.

It doesn’t. MLMs never do for 95%of people. If she’s constantly posting on SM about it, it’s because she isn’t getting any customers. Someone or something else is paying her bills.

Not saying your niece is doing this but I know some people who ran up debt to provide the "evidence" of how well they were doing with their MLM

I bought a holiday through a friend who set herself up as an independent travel agent. I think the company was Inteletravel or something like it.

She has done everything from weight loss coffees to smell-a-like perfumes. Shes a disabled, single mother to 4 so perfect candidate for these MLM companies to get their teeth into. The holiday was great, I received the ATOL certificate before we went and all seemed above board. I probably paid more than what I would have if I booked it myself but she did all the leg work and research for me. Its tricky because I do want to support her, but I hate those MLMs and how they prey on the vulnerable.

It could be the company that they are reselling for are abta members, or they are just bullshitting

Would you want to report them to abta

A friend did it for a while, but more so that she could use the discounts for her own family holidays - the fees paid were a drop in the ocean but they are a family who do regular expensive holidays.

Wow, I was not expecting that. You can search for them in the abta website see if it's true.

oh I didn’t know this an influencer I follow is now an independent travel agent that’s a shame… probs should unfollow her now

I have always been utterly mesmerised by this, and what I mean is, how on earth people get sucked in! I'm friends of friends with an 'independent travel agent' who is always going on about how many people she has trained and joining her team, all these training calls she does, she goes on exotic holidays for 4-5 weeks, homeschools her child. The actual dream! I mean, I think she's a complete exception, rather than the rule. She says she's managed to retire her and her husband - I would really love to know if this is true. but I dread to ask?!

Also, these digital marketing courses that I'm constantly being bombarded by on social media. 'Buy my course and find your way to financial freedom'. Yawn! I've seen so many accounts, where they regurgitate the SAME content and messages on a daily basis, so you can tell it's an MLM of sorts. But what are these courses?!? Is it just a course telling people what and how to post with the same information? I'm so intrigued by the con of it all, that I look at the comments on posts and they're ALL the same sorts of accounts commenting with the same thing: "I found my way to freedom and now earning £25,000 a month while bringing my kids to school - living the dream" or something to that effect. Absolutely no questions or queries, let alone negative comments. I just don't get what it is. Total con, anyway!

I forgot to say that when her husband chatted with me about it once, he said that after 2 years of pushing the skincare (aloe vera or beeswax, something like that), her net profit was..... £80. £80 for 2 years work. £80 for 2 years of hassling her friends.

A school mum from when my kids were in primary did this - it was her most recent MLM. She's been a skincare specialist (x2 different companies), a content-marketing specialist, her own boss and then, a superstar travel agent. I think she has delusions of being Miss Rabbit from Peppa Pig.

You could never accept a coffee date invitation from her because you knew that you were going to have to deal with a hard sell of something or other. Whether that was to buy something or to join her 'team' and 'be your own boss' or whatever the heck it is. Utterly ludicrous.

The booking.com image is chopped on there. You can't see if it's a like for like comparison for a non-refundable room on the same date. The more expensive booking.com picture could be for a different date, a better room or a higher rate as it can be cancelled/refunded. That's how you're trained to fake it.

It’s so half-arsed, isn’t it? The low-effort AI text. ‘But here’s the thing …’ (eta: I mean in the screenshot, but it didn’t quote)

Totally like a snakeskin sales person. Some z list celebs promote these MLM schemes on their social media, I believe the cash 💰 is made in recruiting rather than booking bona fide holidays.

Think the commission on booked holidays is only paid after the holiday has been taken as well. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!

Anyone prefixing their job title on social media with the word 'independent' has usually been sucked into an mlm...I have seen several on Facebook and just cringe for them.

DH was a travel agent before he retired due to ill health and even then people would go into the store, get all the details and then go home and book online.

I did look into this as a friend started doing it during covid. I lost my job and was out of work at the time.

It is MLM and you are encouraged to recruit other people and "fake it until you make it". You're encouraged to post FOMO stuff about how much training you're getting and how much money you are making to reel others in to become travel agents too.

When you post the adverts trying to sell holidays, you compare prices to booking.com etc. However, you pick something like a sea view room with a balcony and breakfast on booking.com and compare it to your booking of the crappy room that overlooks the car park with no breakfast and say "oooh look, I can get this hotel £x cheaper than booking.com". That didn't sit right with me at all and I'd feel too uncomfortable selling poor deals like that to people.

No one uses travel agents any more do they?? Such a weird thing to form an MLM around.

Not going to get into an argument but there is evidence .

That’s what she tells you.