What is a Card Mill?

In attempt to better clarify the position of card mills, I've copied the following from an OSSN article. As some of you know, RCCL corporation recently dropped their relationship with some host/travel agencies.

What is a “card-mill” agency and what problems do they create?

From the perspective of Royal Caribbean International®, Celebrity Cruises® and Azamara CruisesSM, the “card-mills” segment of the home based channel continues to cause significant disruption in those brands trade distribution system by:
• Effectively offering a general consumer the ability to receive benefits specifically designed for “real travel
agents";
• Aggressively promoting and recruiting new consumers to the travel agency distribution system whose main objective is not to become “real” travel agents but instead, to receive travel agent benefits such as reduced rate travel

The significant problems associated with this growing segment of the agency distribution system are numerous and include the following:

• They can lead to negative consumer experiences with these untrained agents, undermining the integrity and business reputations of accredited and certified travel agents
• They can devalue the knowledge, experience and expertise that legitimate, professional travel agents provide their clients every day
• They can substantially increase the costs of our operations by causing us to provide costly and valuable benefits to a set of persons or entities for which those benefits were not intended
• They can create an environment in which the traditional and full set of services we expect a travel agency to provide to consumers are, in fact, not provided, despite the payment of a full commission in connection with the booking
• They can mislead normal consumers with unrealistic expectations of "travel-agency-only benefits” when, in fact, they are not travel agents

My problem is how RCCL identified Joystar as a card mill. I have been with Joystar for a while and found them to be anything but. I have my Specialist certification from, RCCL, Celebrity, Princess, Holland, NCL and Hotel Excellance from Marriott. I have just sent in my certification for ACC. Joystar has been a huge help in educating etc. I still do not understand how RCCL could have done what they did.

To be honest I completely agree with your entire statement. I believe the problem stems from the Joystar "enterprise" program whereby someone can be their own host agency using joystar technology. Nothing inherently wrong with that but I think some of these agents started allowing very, very less experienced agents in and RCCL doesn't believe Joystar to be as productive as it is

Another problem that bit Joystar in the butt is that ticker they use to have on their website saying how many agents are joining by the day/week (can't remember)...RCCL was basically saying if Joystar agents are productive, what's up with the numbers????; they should be making more money for us/from us...

thats my five and four cents

BNT your right about that it is Five and Four cents worth of lies... for someone who knows very little about an industry yet has all the comments.

Joystar as well as 15 others are considered to be card mills because of their business model not being that of a traditional Brick and Mortar Travel Company. RCCL though they now regret their royal mistake, because they realize they not only hurt companies they believed to be card mills but they hurt the MLM industry big time. In fact several other MLM companies who have nothing to do with Travel have taken a stand against RCCL.

John Mac, dont worry it will all be over soon, I understand that enoug people have come together in the Travel Industry and RCCL will be forced to review their actions.

Arlen, where do you "get" your information??? Have you even looked at the Joystar site? Joystar is NOT an mlm in model nor has/had it been....if anything, John should be more afraid of your comments then he could ever be of mine....so let's review because I see you just like to swoop in with little to no real information...

Joystar offers four programs

1. AgentAdvantage - Mentor program/commission split
2. AgentAdvantageXP - 2 years exp/commission split
3. Pro100 - Experienced plus $5,000 gross yr/no commission split
4. Enterprise - For those who want to have their own "host" agency model

Now, the first three programs are fine...no problems with those....as I told John above, I believe the issue from RCCL is with the Enterprise program...

First, in their description, the first sentence sounds fine (IMO) but the second is just a bit "interesting"...."Build and manage a multi-million dollar business working with an unlimited amount of your agents and affiliates." - In and of itself, that statement may be interesting but it could mean nothing alone...however, couple that with the ticker on the homepage that says how many agents are joining each week and at least "I" can see where RCCL could have had an issue with them.... For instance, I remember when that ticker use to something like anywhere from 100 + to 300 agents a "week"...obviously RCCL is looking at the "week" part and combine that with the above description and I believe that's what started to guide their decision into doing what they did...I don't believe they should have cut Joystar but that was their board's decision

Joystar has an MLM structure so what the heck are you talking about, I have two friends still in Joystar.

But I can understand how this might confuse you a bit. Because you know nothing about NWM or MLM.

Wake up: 4. Enterprise - For those who want to have their own "host" agency model and take a good look, then go and re read the plan. The reason why RCCL took out Joystar with the rest is because of what RCCL believes, they have this belief on any company they deem necessary. They felt it was protecting them and with the threats they received from you Brick/Mortars who signed the petition against them.

I am sure Joystar has nothing to worry about, because I understand their plan is very well in place and protected. It is actually Companies like Joystar who see the vision of companies like YTB and that is why they want a piece of that pie also the MLM pie that is, this is why they have designed a structure for business in that arena.

So loosen your weave lady and dont get it twisted get it stright!

BNT so now your speaking for RCCL again, so tell us why they ended up removing the woman to made the decision to cut all these companies??? since you know so much about RCCL... Please you dont really know much at all, you are a good researcher on the net that is all, I am seriously even doubting you actually sell travel or have customers at this point.

Arlenie in Old Bridge, New Jersey said: BNT so now your speaking for RCCL again, so tell us why they ended up removing the woman to made the decision to cut all these companies??? since you know so much about RCCL... Please you dont really know much at all, you are a good researcher on the net that is all, I am seriously even doubting you actually sell travel or have customers at this point.

and all of this because what???? I don't support the mlm model.....well guess what, I have friends at joystar as well and they "don't" classify themsleves as mlm

posted on 8/27/2007 7:41:01 AM
contributed by Bill Alverson (don't worry arln, he's only the ceo)

Why is he obsessed with us and why does he write lies about our company? How can he call us a card mill when we've never issued a card? Why does he say we are an MLM when we are not nor ever have been?

Doesn't he care that by doing this he is attempting to hurt all of us (travel agents)?

I get these questions every now and then with a link to his pathetic blog. I don't think much of the comments because I know the truth and because, well, I'm busy.

So what BNT my friends do consider themselves in a Networking Company and they are in Joystar too. Big deal still means nothing, the model they have set up causes them to look no different.

They offer the option to sell Travel Stores just like YTB, you really gotta do better research girl cause now your starting to slip on me!

So i guess what they doing trumps what the ceo himself says he's trying to accomplish so they are the reason RCCL made the decision it made...

people can get their own IATA card it is not a big deal

www.hometravelagency.com/tips3.html.

read it for yourself.

Car mills aren't very nice!

Best regards,
David
www.travellinesexpress.com
www.travellinesexpress.com