Well, I think this "travel sales" message speaks for itself. The whole tone of the message in so tongue in cheek. We sell you a "job" (wink wink). You can travel and deduct everything (wink wink). Come on, together we can pull one over on "the man" (wink wink). Meanwhile. the only man that is involved is Coach and he is pulling one over of hundreds of thousands!
Hey John,
So We have shown you the amazing compensation plan and the booking engine you will have at your fingertips. We have also told you about your "job" so experiencing all of the travel products you can sell.
AS AN RTA THAT'S YOUR JOB!
Well, maybe that doesn't sound like a job, but that's what Travel Agents have been doing in our industry for decades in order to help clients know what to expect and help them feel comfortable about THEIR vacation.
And because you are going to Sandals, Disney, Alaska or Europe on "business" that qualifies all your vacations, err, "business trips" as a tax deduction with the IRS!
John, that's not all the deductions you can possibly claim with the IRS. Wouldn't your Booking Engine be hosted on the Internet? Wouldn't you need phone service to talk with your prospects and clients? Wouldn't you need a portion of your home for some type of office to work in?
DO WE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION NOW?
Sometimes, it's not about the money you can make, it's about all the money you can save simply by changing what you are currently spending your money of from pleasure or necessity, to a legitimate business.
Don't believe it, check with your Certified CPA and ask them how owning a Home Based Business can potentially save you THOUSANDS per year on your taxes. The longer you delay, the less likely of a chance you have of making a decision to start your business and you will stay in the same tax bracket and financial position you are in right now.
Just call me and if I am on the phone, leave me a message and I will call you back. Okay John?
I look forward to speaking with you.
All the best,
XXXXXX & XXXXXX XXXX
XXX-XXX-XXXX
Good Grief…NOT AGAIN!
ReplyDeleteTo the readers who have found this post…
Please take the advice of the RTA who is listed here, and check with an actual CPA concerning tax deductions.
The comments listed here are from individuals (including myself) who are not knowledgeable enough to provide ANY type of tax advice or help.
PLEASE – PLEASE – PLEASE check with a CPA who actually knows something about tax codes and laws.
These TTA’s and Anti-Zealot crowd will do and say ANYTHING to SCARE you and are NOT QUALIFIED to offer you tax advice!!
No “wink wink”, just the honest to God’s TRUTH!
Good Grief…ONCE AGAIN!
ReplyDeleteTo the readers who have found this post…
Please take the advice of the TTAs who post here, and check with an actual Travel Agent concerning your travel.
The comments listed here are from individuals (including an RTA Who Knows, Mix, Ole, etc)) who are not knowledgeable enough to provide ANY type of travel advice or help.
PLEASE – PLEASE – PLEASE check with a Travel Agent who actually knows something about Travel codes and idiosyncrasies.
These MLMers and Anti-TTA crowd will do and say ANYTHING to RECRUIT AND SELL you and are NOT QUALIFIED to offer you travel advice!!
No “wink wink”, just the honest to God’s TRUTH!
WOW--it's funny how if you swap out the term TAX and replace it with TRAVEL how the message is essentially the same. The MLMers encourage people to seek a professional out of one side of their mouth, and then out of the other they thrive and encourage you to seek out the hobbyist.
They seem concerned with consulting a professional to protect their liability (and I still say falsely) when it comes to their OWN recruiting, yet have no qualms about asking the consumer to invest their hard earned vacation money with a decidedly non-professional!
Which way is it fellas?
Deflect, deflect, deflect.
ReplyDeleteTell that to Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia, and Priceline.
Not exactly the same ball of wax that’s in your ears John.
Some $44.5 BILLION was spent on travel last year by these four “self service” agencies. No government regulations, no advice, no TTA’s needed at all.
Your services are NOT as important as you would like them to be based on money spent with “self service” agencies that are all listed in the Top 10 with Travel Weekly.
A big reason why YTB jumped up the list between 2006 and 2007, 83% growth in TRAVEL SALES.
You’re dieing bread, and nobody really needs the service or the attitude.
Just ask Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia, and Priceline.
Well it looks like the sales are not keeping up with the trend. Your sales may have jumped up 83% but the number of RTAs jumped almost 120%.
ReplyDeleteSo are they selling more? or less?
That was me above. Oh and John---you are not allowed to deflect. That is the job of the Coach Disciples!
ReplyDeleteHmm 44 billion just from them 4. The top 2 alone sold that and they are (shocked look)..travel agencies. What about the others on the list, did we add them up, they are travel agencies too. How much did they sell? Dying breed. Keep drinking your kool-aid and believing the crap that coach feeds his cattle. Again, you know NOTHING about the industry.
ReplyDeleteLisa -
ReplyDeleteWho had the largest growth of anyone?
Expedia.
Check down a little further in the list. A number of TTA's LOST ground between 2006 and 2007.
It's amazing how the subject always comes back to "You us need TTA's!"
ReplyDeleteThe topic of the post is if this RTA is "Encouraging Tax Fraud". Not travel fraud, not service fraud, not sales fraud.
Please explain how this RTA is encouraging TAX fraud?
It is the subject today...is it not?
Well for one I woudl say this passage:
ReplyDeleteAnd because you are going to Sandals, Disney, Alaska or Europe on "business" that qualifies all your vacations, err, "business trips" as a tax deduction with the IRS!
The quote marks are from the Rep, not me. So they travel on "business" (and we all know the meaning of quotes. In person they are doing the quote thing in the air. But to be clear he says "all your vacations" and then says "err "business trips" are tax deductible.
Well here's a newsflash--vacations are NOT deductible. If you are doing business a part of them may be, if it is all business, they all are, but this guy is telling you that all of your family vacations are now deductible.
Why don't we just send all this info to the IRS and see what they have to say??
ReplyDeleteJust look at craigslist the work at home sites such as WAHM and any of the free sites where RTA's are actively recruiting. It's all about the tax deductions and free travel. Nothing else. It's all over and it's out there.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't we just send all this info to the IRS and see what they have to say??
ReplyDeleteHEY...there's a NOVEL idea!?
Why don't we let THEM handle this!
Three cheers for Anon!
Hip Hip Horray!
Hip Hip Horray!
Hip Hip Horray!
Smartest guy in the bunch!
Lisa...it's not a good as you think...
ReplyDeleteCarlson cuts 200 jobs
June 25, 2008
By Nadine Godwin
Carlson will lay off about 200 employees, mostly in the Minneapolis area, in response to a slowdown in its businesses. The company has about 4,000 staff in Minnesota.
Sam Macalus, Carlson public relations director, said most of the layoffs will be in the company’s hotel and marketing businesses and in corporate operations. Some staffers departed at the beginning of this week but others will depart later in the year, depending on the position, he said.
Travel management firm Carlson Wagonlit Travel and the Carlson restaurant businesses were not affected but all businesses are reviewing their costs and staffing levels, and there could be future adjustments, Macalus said.
All layoffs are in the U.S. The company counts about 160,000 employees worldwide, but that includes those working for franchisees.
200 of 160K or even 200 of 4000 is pretty miniscule. YTB was losing in excess of 50 a day last time I heard and the recruiting was barely keeping pace.
ReplyDeleteWe will see soon enough how the 2Q numbers loo wont we
"Sam Macalus, Carlson public relations director, said most of the layoffs will be in the company’s hotel and marketing businesses and in corporate operations. Some staffers departed at the beginning of this week but others will depart later in the year, depending on the position, he said."
ReplyDeletePlease note - they are not laying off Agents - they laying off support positions - those that do not generate income.
Who it sht idiot that states above the Expedia, et. al. do not have any "government regulations" imposed upon them? Are you kidding.
I might remind you that Expedia BOUGHT Classic Custom Vacations some years ago. Why was that? Their top Execs realized that they themselves were using TAs not their own web site to plan their vacations. Why was that? Because when you are spending big money, you want to work with a human being and you want "high touch" service. To this day, you can not book a Classic Vacation on-line - and everything that Classic books can be done on Expedia. Hmmm..... why is that?
TAs will never disappear - unless we suffer an actual depression (rather than recession) there will still be people who WANT to work with TAs. During the recession, it is those who do not have much roo in their personal budgets for discretionary spending who will stop traveling - they will do "staycations" rather than vacations. Those people are the bulk of those who book on line.
YTBs stock has been dropping very slowly but very steadily since June 30th - not the "pump & dump" it was last time. It's a few cents every day. This is an actual trend now - RTAs are dropping out, while recruitment is still going on, it is not at high enough levels to maintain the pyramid payment structure .... you are going to have problems.
Yet I sit here at Brick & Mortar that has it's own booking engine on-line for those clients who wish to use it, and we just had the best May and best June that the Agency has had in 15 years. How DO you explain that?
CTA in MD
"they laying off support positions"
ReplyDeleteBut support is you big thing?!
Why are they dropping support?
Is it not needed? Is it not important? Is it because nobody cares about support?
Interesting...
I've come to realize that no matter what us as true agents say about the industry, it doesn't matter, because Coach says otherwise. If he says it, it must be true. TA's are a dying breed (not per the power list), EVERYONE uses the internet (again not per the numbers), YTB is going to be the top agency in the world (not going to happen in their current form), Everything is tax deductible (not per the IRS), We are not a card mill (not per IATAN, RCCL, Perillo etc). We sold a billion dollars in travel (again not per the numbers). Whats wrong with this picture? I'm not going to argue this, I'm not mud slinging, they are simple observations. Why would you want to work for a company that the whole industry see's as a scam? I certainly would not want my client to google my company and find this.
ReplyDeleteTravel Lisa,
ReplyDeleteYou are such a true agent. I am a false agent that will always make more money than you. So I guess that makes me a true money maker. You are now thinking that you make more money than me. You are wrong.
The true money maker and false agent
I would agree that the tone of the comment from the REP/RTA in John's initial post does imply that you could ALWAYS write off vacations. There are times when you wouldn't be able to. HOwever, the REP/RTA also makes a point to check with a CPA or tax advisor in the process.
ReplyDeleteThe tax deductions are potentially enormous in ANY home based business.
The phone, internet, cell phone, absolutely,
Mileage at 58 cents!!! you bet.
Vacations...well that seems to be the sticking point. But, I have gone on several vacations, taken tours of the property with management while there and then brought home brochures and added them or deleted them from my recommend file. IT was about 60 minutes of work total but I feel comfortable writing off the whole trip as per the advice of 2 CPAs.
Keep in mind, there have been several times since those vacations that I have suggested destinations based on places I have been myself. When those customers come back it proves that that expense enhanced my business in an "ordinary and necessary" way.
Anyone want to take bets on how long before the stock drops below $1?
ReplyDeleteHmmm..I remember when the "pump and dump" happened alot of you YTBers claimed I didn't know what I was talking about. You claimed that it would continue to climb and at 4 bucks a stock, that was the market showing what they thought YTB worth. Funny, since then the stock has been declining pretty much every day. So is this what the market sees YTB as? I guess it isn't the stock markets "darling" as claimed by one of the pumpers.
Keep feeding the hog at the top, and keep losing millions of dollars.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"they laying off support positions"
But support is you big thing?!
Why are they dropping support?
Is it not needed? Is it not important? Is it because nobody cares about support?
Interesting...
More interesting is that you are too ignorant of actual business to know what "support" meand - secretaries, bookkeepers, perhaps sales account reps, etc...
When they need someone to fill the plane up wiht fuel it is a suport person. Coach or Scott CAN do that. But when they need someone to fly the plane that is a mission cirtical person.
ReplyDeleteAll up in arms in how I took something completely out of context.
ReplyDeleteI thought that might get a rise out of someone. You TTA’s are masters at taking what’s said and twisting it. Take the title of this post.
We encourage people to check with a CPA and yet the title twists it that we are Encouraging Tax Fraud.
Not a chance, but yet here it is for all of us to post about something conjured up by John Frenaye and the TTA’s.
All’s fair in love and war…
Clearly, there is no love lost here…just throwing back a little of what been thrown our way.
No ignorance needed. Just part of "the game" you play.
PS – Just wait…John will be here soon…and I can quote:
ReplyDelete“I never said it was tax fraud. I asked for everyone to decide.”
Another little trick to keep his nose clean, but we know EXACTLY why it was worded the way it was.
All part of the game, and that's all it is, a game.
(And you think we're ignorant!)
Think again....
"We encourage people to check with a CPA and yet the title twists it that we are Encouraging Tax Fraud."
ReplyDeleteYou can not read at all nor do you comprehend what you read. The reference was to recruiting. It is all over the internet, craigslist what not how to travel for free and get a tax deduction. Your reps are CLAIMING all over the place deductions in the recruiting that just aren't there. This is a sham.
As to the comment about seeing a tax professional. Sure you post THAT tidbit here but MOST of your REPS don't mention that at all. They use the tax deductions freely, unethically in trying to recruit. Just as they do the free travel spiel and travel like an insider.
This from craigslist:
"travel for pennies on the dollar, write off all your vacations"
Guess what? This is a YTB person!
And, you wonder why we are annoyed?
Oh come on, the way its worded is slimey. So they tell you contact your own CPA for verification, to save their ass is why. All we've seen is people touting blatent bad tax information over and over, but consult your own CPA.
ReplyDeleteI would say a majority of the people you recruit, don't have much in the way of funds, so who are they going to hire? You are selling them false information, same as you did with the "travel benefits". So now that you can't pimp IATAN or discounts, your going to grey area the tax benefits. What's next?
As for the false agent above. Glad you openly admit your not an agent and all about the scam. Do I care if you make more then me..no. I sleep well at night knowing I do not scam my friends, familys or clients. Thanks
Anonymously Mixed Up said....(And you think we're ignorant!)
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think you're ignorant. I KNOW YOU'RE IGNORANT. Can you imagine how many prisons are going to be overflowing with these tax evaders? Since they're already broke, they can't pay the IRS fines so they'll end up in the Big House. These dips aren't going to consult a CPA. Most don't even know what a CPA is.
YTB and BULLSHIT: The Perfect Mix!
Telling people to check with a CPA is "Another little trick to keep his nose clean, but we know EXACTLY why it was worded the way it was." Your comments work for both sides of the arguement.
ReplyDeleteEver post by these RTAs justifying themselves and what they do just makes them look worse and worse. I seriously doubt any YTber is making ANY real money selling travel. Your published numbers do no support that. Talk to coach and see if he can change those figures to support your arguments.
ReplyDeleteSo which one of you is responsible for the 212m sales? congratulations!
Somebodys CPAs need a refresher course or 2 on home based deductions. But would expect someone who wants more than they deserve to find a tax g w he same mindset. CPAs are no different than any other profession - some are more honest than others. Kind of like RTAs and TAs huh?
ReplyDeleteWell YTB does have a partnership with a firm called (Ironically enough) Your Tax Buddy! Get it..YTB
ReplyDelete"I would say a majority of the people you recruit, don't have much in the way of funds, so who are they going to hire? You are selling them false information, same as you did with the "travel benefits". So now that you can't pimp IATAN or discounts, your going to grey area the tax benefits. What's next?"
ReplyDeleteActually, I would say that the majority of the people they recruit MIGHT use H&R Block (if they happen to have a mortgage - a ridiculous one, I'm sure), but most likely they all file 1040EZs and have never even met a CPA let alone used one!
Since YTB recruits those on welfare, the down trodden and trailer park crowd you can bet they don't know what a CPA is nor do they use one. And, let's not forget the from Jail to Yale crowd.
ReplyDeleteCPA's cost way more than H&R Block. Since YTB tries to do things the easy and cheap way they don't use CPA's.
CPA--I signed up for that at the convention. They have a class on it. Certified Planning Agent!
ReplyDeleteYes, I would take sound advise from a company called YOUR TAX BUDDY. Seriously? I'm sure they are RTA's as well. I certainly hope the IRS sees this page, and others like it, its an eye opener really.
ReplyDeleteSo you can't recruit them on making money, can't recruit them on the travel perks, so now you have to recruit on false advertising tax breaks. Here's a new add for you.
SIT YOUR BUTT, DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, CONTINUE TO BE LAZY AND MILK THE SYSTEM , MAKE MONEY WHILE YOU SLEEP. WRITE OFF YOUR HOUSE, KIDS, PETS, PHONES, COMPUTERS, TVS, CABLE, JUNIORS TRIP TO CAMP AND ALL YOUR GAS MILEAGE BRINGING BUCK TO SUMMER SCHOOL, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS HAND OUT A CARD TO ANY SCHMOE ON THE STREET.!!! COME JOIN THE 130K OF US WHO MAKE NO MONEY, KEEP PAYING COACH, AND WRITE OFF ALL THESE THINGS UNETHICALLY..THANKS AND GOD BLESS!