YTB still sales FLASE DREAMS to CONSUMERS

Here's more YTB Travel News; It has been brought to my attention that YTB has once again made headlines this time in Louisville, Ky in an article written by Charla Young for Wave- TV in Louisville, Ky

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about an online travel company recruiting people to work from home. The company promises big money, but many people have complained that those promises were empty.

Theresa Simons was searching the Internet recently, looking for a way to make money when she happened upon a website that caught her eye.

"This is what I came up with," Theresa said. "It was a very great way for me to come up with money. It was a piece of cake. And I could do it sitting at home, at my own desk."

The company Theresa found is called Your Travel Biz International Inc. Its website boasts of lucrative income opportunities by becoming an online travel booking consultant. And the company says you can earn up to $100,000 in bonuses.

"I influenced some of my closest friends and some of my closest family members," Theresa said. "And they got scammed, too."

But Theresa and others claim the company left them with wallets as empty as the promises by requiring substantial sums of money upfront (which should always be a red flag).

"I knew I had to put a small amount of money in," Teresa explained. "I was expecting that - but not as much as they wiped me out of."

Theresa claims she lost at least $500, and has nothing to show for it.

Charlie Mattingly with the Better Business Bureau says his agency gave an "F" rating to Your Travel Biz International.

"Anytime you sign up with a business where you realize your success is going to depend largely on recruiting others to work under you, you ought to think very carefully about it. Because we see lots of those things that don't work out to be what people think they are."

Over the past three years, Louisville's BBB chapter has received 112 complaints about Your Travel Biz International, and has released the following statement about the company:

"The earnings claims are exaggerated, and the testimonials are invalid as evidence of the truth of the company's advertising."

Mattingly says he understand why people sometimes fall victim to misleading claims.

"A lot of people are looking for work now and they see this as an opportunity," Mattingly said. "But it unfortunately often turns out to be a hollow hope and a false opportunity."

We contacted Your Travel Biz International and spoke with President and Chief Operating Officer Andrew Cauthen, who had this to say about the BBB's statement:

"The information the BBB is reporting is inaccurate. We answer each and every complaint within a 24 hour period. We always refund money no questions asked."

We checked again with the Better Business Bureau and was told that Your Travel Biz International has made settlement offers to 114 customers, and that 88 people accepted the offers. We're told 41 of those offers involved some monetary refunds.

YTB is also saying there are currently no open cases with the BBB. When we asked about Theresa's case, we were told that YTB contacted her with an offer, but Theresa says the offer was unacceptable.

For more information contact:

Daryl D. Alex
Regional Executive
TraVerus Travel TeleVerus
1-800-781-3254

More YTB Complaints from The BBB

YTB Travel News:(Press Release) More YTB Travel Complaints


A Fallbrook, Calif., woman complained to the BBB that after a day-long seminar, she purchased a Web site from YTB Travel for $499 in order to become an online travel agent. She said she thought this would be a good way to make money from home and obtain travel discounts for personal travel. She said that she needed to book $1,200 a month through her Web site in order to be eligible for personal discounts, but everyone that she told about her site said that they “did some research and found that they could book travel more cheaply elsewhere.” She also said that “IATA(International Air Transport Association Network) rescinded their affiliation with YTB Travel and that was the main way for us to obtain travel discounts.” The BBB assisted her in obtaining a refund.

When contacted by the BBB, a representative of the IATAN confirmed that their relationship with YTB Travel was severed due to “failure to maintain standards of accreditation.” In an official statement IATAN indicated that YTB Travel was terminated for “violating the standards which provide that ‘IATA numeric codes shall not be lent, subcontracted, or hired to a third party.’" Furthermore, IATAN “found that the Referring Travel Agents recruited by YTB Travel -- and to whom YTB Travel gave credentials which contained the IATA numeric code -- were "third parties" over whom YTB Travel had no control.” YTB Travel disputed IATANS actions, but upon review the actions were upheld.

For the first quarter of 2008, only 12.5% of YTB Travel’s net revenue was derived from online travel sale commissions, while almost 80% came from the recruitment of people joining its online travel business. Based on the number of RTAs listed in these filings, the average amount made by each RTA through the sale of travel through their Web site for the first quarter was $27.75; on pace for a yearly income of $111, according to filings with the Security and Exchange Commission.

J. Kim Sorensen is the president of YTB Travel, J. Scott Tomer is the CEO and J. Lloyd Tomer is the chairman of the board, according to the company’s Web site.

If you are like me and are tried of the many YTB Travel Complaints that have and are being leeved on YTB Travel then maybe it's time you take a look at Traverus Travel Network and TeleVerus Cell Phones

For more information contact:

Daryl D. Alex
Regional Executive
Traverus Travel and TeleVeus Cell Phones
1.800.781.3254
1.877.774.3431
225.590.7700

Illinois launches probe into YTB Travel

YTB Travel News(press release): More YTB Travel News as members of YTB Travel International the
Wood River based travel company, gathered in St. Louis for The YTB Travel Annual Convention, the unthinkable event was announced on
the heels of a eariler report this week that California Attorney
General called YTB Travel "A gigantic Pyramid Scheme" and just a day later The Illinios Attorney General's Office announced it also has launched a probe into YTB Travel International.And the local chapter of the Better Business Bureau(BBB) issued a report detailing complaints it has heard of misleading offers made by YTB Travel International sales reps.And just as before YTB Travel International has denied any wrongdoing. However,The Illinois Attorney General and Better Business Bureau(
BBB) probes are the latest signs of deeper problems of the fast-growing company, which sells cruises, flights and online travel agencies websites in which people can earn commissions selling cruises and flights for a start up cost of $450 up front and a monthly fee of $50.

Nevertheless, by the end of March, YTB Travel has made claims to have sold 139,000 of these agencies and had claimed that YTB Travel
has more than 340,000 sales reps, who pay nothing But, are earning commissions for each agent they sign up.


Natalie Bauer, a spokesperson for The Illinios Attorney General Lisa Madigan would not say exactly when the Illinios probe started,did state the probe had indeed been opened for a while now and are in the process of conversing with The California Attorney General's Office in hopes to gather information of their findings. Her office has received 70 complaints about YTB Travel since 2002.

For More Information Contact:

Daryl D. Alex
Regional Executive
Traverus Trave and TeleVerus Cell Phones
1.877.744.3431
225.590.7700
Traverus Travel Update and TeleVerus Cell Phones