As the MLM crowd will crow about 80 million Americans booking travel in the Internet, another authority seems to have spoken.
I wonder if there is a correlation between the growth of the online MLM website renters and the decline of satisfaction with purchasing travel online? Ya think?
Wonder why the MLM crowd would jump on a bandwagon that is in a two year downslide? Maybe it is NOT about travel after all. From Travel Trade:
Consumer satisfaction with major online travel players has dipped to an all-time low while satisfaction with the e-commerce sector overall has risen, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
I just want to make sure I read this right: overall, satisfaction with online purchasing has risen, EXCEPT in online travel? Right?
ReplyDeleteNot being a smart-ass, just trying to see why they said online travel and then e-commerce. Also not an idiot, for whichever 'Anon' was going to say it :)
Overall consumers are pleased with their online experiences and it is growing. Overall they are becoming less please with online travel experiences and it is declining.
ReplyDeleteExpedia, Obitz, Travelocity, and Priceline is overall?
ReplyDeleteGood old John -- only telling part of the story. He accidentally left out the part that explains YTB's increasing travel sales:
ReplyDelete"According to Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee Results and author of the ACSI 2007 executive summary, "online travel is an industry in flux" and the four main online travel sites face a great deal of competition from supplier sites, smaller online travel sites and travel search engines.
The myriad of online travel sites are competing "for a piece of the increasingly lucrative online travel pie." However, "the pie itself isn't getting any bigger," he added.
The "big three," as he calls Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity, no longer hold a competitive edge over other sites, and in fact, there is little differentiation between them. Freed also attributed the decline in satisfaction to the fact that big online agencies often "bear the brunt of consumers' ire, instead of, or in addition to, the airlines, hotels or car rental companies" when there is a problem with schedules or service."
People are booking online themselves anyway -- YTB offers and alternative to the 'big three'.
Notice that four specific online travel companies were tracked - Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and Priceline - and the decline in satisfaction refers to those companies only. I guess John didn't read the article.
ReplyDeletePsst..John...Evelyn Wood is calling.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteGood old John -- only telling part of the story. He accidentally left out the part that explains YTB's increasing travel sales......
There is absolutly no mention of YTB anywhere in this article. Seems as if anonymous is the one in need of the Weekly Reader or Evelyn Wood (though how Evelyn Wood, which is all about speed reading comes into this, I don't understand).
LMNOP, I think they're defining the "e-commerce" as sites such as Amazon.com, newegg.com, target.com, etc., things that aren't travel related. I know, weird.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteNotice that four specific online travel companies were tracked - Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and Priceline - and the decline in satisfaction refers to those companies only.
To add....yes, these specific sites were tracked, as well as a catagory called "all others". Overall, the numbers are down. Priceline up 1, all others up 3, for a total rise of 4. Expedia fell 3 points, Orbitz 2, and Travelocity 1, for a total of 6. 6-4=2. That's down for all a total of 2 points. I guess anonymous didn't read the article.
Johhn225:
ReplyDeleteI saw what you saw -- that "All Others" rose 3 points -- which is exactly the point. John F. in his anti-YTB fervor is trying to illustrate that it doesn't make sense to get into the online travel business because customer satisfaction is declining. In his frustration and blind desperation, he didn't see (or chose not to see) that the only companies tracked to measure this decline were the four named. If he were careful in his reading, he would note that "All Others" rose, and that YTB is included in that broad category. As satisfaction declines with the 'big three', YTB's sales go up. The decline is for the second year in a row. YTB's RTAs doubled each of the last two years. How about that!
Actually, this Travel Trade article will be a good marketing tool for YTB. Thanks John! I'm going to email the article to my upline director, and maybe he'll use it at our next presentation.
(Evelyn Wood touts improved comprehension and retention along with the speed reading.)
John225: Many articles are linked, posted or referenced by John F. that do not mention YTB, but if they are here, the implication, however weak, is to disparage YTB. He's crazy that way.
ReplyDelete"The myriad of online travel sites are competing "for a piece of the increasingly lucrative online travel pie." However, "the pie itself isn't getting any bigger," he added."
ReplyDeleteI would think that would give any RTA something to think about. Without an increase in the size of the "pie" there is a limit to the amount of growth.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteJohhn225:
I saw what you saw -- that "All Others" rose 3 points -- which is exactly the point.
And "all others" is characterized as, and I quote, "hotel sites, airlines and travel search engines". Nowhere is YTB or any other travel MLM mentioned. Nor is YTB a hotel site, airline site, or a travel search engine. It is, however, a "booking" site. I don't see booking sites being mentioned as part of "all others".
Anonymous said...
John225: Many articles are linked, posted or referenced by John F. that do not mention YTB, but if they are here, the implication, however weak, is to disparage YTB. He's crazy that way.
No, he isn't. This blog is about ALL travel MLM's. It is the YTB people that continually bring YTB into the picture. YTB also gets brought into the picture by it's own proclimation of being the largest, wanting to be the largest travel supplier, and by being the loudest. The squeakiest wheel gets the oil.
And since it is passed my bed time, I bid you all a good nights rest, that is, if you're capable of it.
John225 is correct this blog is indeed about ALL MLM companies.
ReplyDeleteIf the YTBs want to be excluded, stop commenting, run your business right and strive for legitimacy (Kim would appreciate it).
Why the focus on YTB--well as JOhn225 also said, they are publicly traded and I can find out information that I cannot on some others, they are issuing press releases weekly about how great they are, their Reps and RTAs will say anything and everything to further the agenda of Coach.
If TraverUs or GTI or World Ventures were like that, I welcome them to the blog and will take them to task as well. So if you know people in there, invite them over!
But when I post something I discover or ask an opinion and the Reps and RTAs just go on name calling binges and misdirection---sort of makes me dig a little deeper!
Cause you to dig deeper? Ya Right.
ReplyDeleteYou are the scammer John F.
Take that to task.
No comment about the whole story you seemed to leave out of your article.
Scammer.
RobertsResorts.Net
EAB--I can dig deep--trust me and with 140K RTAs and 305K Reps running around spouting crap like you---it is a bottomless pit.
ReplyDeleteLet me ask you something, how big is your downline? How many of them are RTAs? How many of them are making ANY money? Now who is the scammer?
I don't think theat dissatisfaction is rising because of Travel MLMs. I think dissatisfaction is on the uptick in on-line trael for other reasons - and they track with the increased return to B&M Agents (see other various articles posted by TW, etc.)
ReplyDeleteWhen I purchase something on-ine (get "thing") something arrives. I have a tangible return from that anonymous on-line purchase. But when a client purchases travel (other that last minute air tickets), s/he receives nothing tangible for quite some time, perhaps months and in the case of some of my clientele, even a year. I think that because of that, consumers will often feel uneasy about the purchase and any little thing that might happen realted to that purchase becomes a BIG THING! I find that I spend a lot of time/energy paiting a picture for the client of what s/he is receiving in return for their purchase - they have something to look forward to and someone to ask questions of. They don't get that on-line.
CTA in MD
That's the point. John only tells half the story... the half that makes YTB look bad. take this topic for instance... it's not about yTB. it's about Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, etc. The MAJOR players. Yet, John has decided upon himself to make it about something it's not... YTB.
ReplyDeletewhile John keeps digging and clawing and scratching and scraping for half truths and total jibberish that he can try to use against YTB... I'm sitting here LAUGHING!!!
Crock of chit I say . . .
ReplyDeleteTom
"it's not about yTB. it's about Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, etc. The MAJOR players."
ReplyDeleteIsn't it YTB who say that they aren't competing with the TTA? That they are competing with the Travelocity and Expedia audience?
In other words, you are putting yourself in the same arena as the MAJOR players - thus a perfectly valid comparison is made.
Wrong!
ReplyDeleteIf you read the article, you would havs seen this line:
Only four online travel companies are tracked: Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and Priceline
This means that this is what the researcers are basing their information on. Do you see YTB in there? I sure don't.
Read the article befire you go spewing off at the mouth.
They don't see me in there either. Yay me.
ReplyDeleteLOL!!!!!
ReplyDelete