Back in May, a class action lawsuit was filed against multi-level marketing company WorldVentures. This is the travel MLM that encourages distributors to share photos of themselves holding signs saying “You Should Be Here.” It is marketed as a direct sales travel club, yet the “start a business” part of their website doesn’t even mention what you will be selling or doing. The World Ventures compensation plan mentions making money from selling products and from recruiting others, yet the entire document speaks only to the money that is made from enrolling new distributors (called enrolling new product customers). Making money from selling something seems to be wholly disregarded.
It’s not surprising then, that the lawsuit filed against WorldVentures by Melody Yiru accuses the company of being an endless chain recruitment scheme that is prohibited under California law. The lawsuit says, among other things:
- WorldVentures rewards recruiting over sales of travel packages
- The company is nothing more than a site that compiles travel package plans from other sites, with prices in excess of popular travel websites like Expedia and Travelocity
- 99.7% of World Ventures distributors have average gross revenues (before business expenses) of $140 and average net losses of over $1,000 per year
- The company has been banned from doing business in Norway because it’s an illegal pyramid scheme
- Money is paid out based on the recruitment of people and the purchasing of memberships, not on the sale of travel
- World Ventures is compared to YTB, another travel MLM that what shut down after being deemed a pyramid scheme
- The company’s income disclosure statement is misleading and confusing, attempting to make people believe more people make money than actually do
- If you combine all the “representative” levels on the income disclosure statement and include all the people who made zero commissions, the calculated average commission is $140, rather than the larger figures shown on the statement
The case was originally filed in California state court, but was then transferred to federal court in California. It was then transferred to federal court in Texas. This will be an interesting one to follow!
I was in World Ventures in which I had paid almost $600 to join for the business and travel part of the business and was charge $29 a mo for the travel site and $99 a mo for the business site for over a year by World Ventures if you did not recruit a least 4 people a month which became very costly and I loss a lot of money being in the company. Also every time I wanted to use time what little money that was in my travel account to take a trip when I wanted to I could not for the dates was always black out where you could not travel on those days. It is truly a pyramid scheme and I feel like I was scam being in this business. I would like to be a part of the law suit that I am just now hearing about.
Hi Brenda….I am a little confused on the charges you are saying you paid. I just actually signed up with company as a “representative” and “member” and ONLY paid $520, then each month, will cost me $120($20 to be a rep and $99 for membership)…Business side does not even offer a $99/monthly cost. They say you get 4(same membership you have) pay no more. If you don’t get 4, not sure why its the company fault…i’m a little lost. I have not paid for my membership for over 6 months now because my fees are waived based on the effort I put in sharing with others. What you described above does not fall in “pyramid scheme” guidelines. But interesting article…good entertainment. With the “transferring” of case along, indicates Melody Yiru is reaching and has no case. Have a great New Years all
Jasmine – The transferring of the case has nothing to do with whether or not they have no case. It is all about jurisdiction and where the case should be heard.
I fully agree with Jasmine. WV is indeed a pyramid scheme. they scheme poor people out of their money. they are cruel I would like to be part of that lawsuit as well. I have been asking them for a refund to no avail. I was told I don’t need to pay a monthly fee as I was only interested on the business side. to my surprise I was alerted by the bank that world ventures tried to withdraw an amount of R860…from my account. World Ventures Its a pyramid scheme of note and may god deal with them harshly
To be part of the lawsuit, you would have to contact the attorneys. I have nothing to do with the lawsuit. I am only reporting on it.
World ventures is a predatory MLM company that rely on monthly ‘memebership fee’s’.
You will never make a satisfactory or livable income by selling their products.
You are there to recruit others into the pyramid.
The training teaches members to pray on close relationships and use non-transparent and manipulative tactics to make sales.
World Ventures or World Vultures? I hope this class action suit makes a difference and shuts down this horrid company.
wow!! How would i start? it all started when two friends invited me to a presentation as i walked in, i met friendly and so many happy people. Then the presentation started and videos of people having fun and going to differe places. So after the presentation was over i signed up, and then it all began: i started meeting with friends sharing it with them, some were interested but never signed up and some were not. Here i was paying a monthly fee and the few trips i tried to go, were sold out by the time i tried to purchase them. After four months or so i got tired and decided to sign out which was an all isssue, i lost friendships and they made it seen like i was crazy and didnt know what i was crazy and didnt know what i was doing. Its a scam . i like helping people and my cousin is the party animal. We went to two different presentations and i asked her what was hers about she said it was videos of people going from parties to parties in different parts of the world while mine was about different charities you can do when you travel. They try to get you. Its a scam please dont sign on
I am paying $100/ month for platinum membership and I can use only 300 points=$300 until my full year membership anniversary [two more months] . With each Dream Vacantion I can use only a fraction of my points and I have to book for two people in order to get the showing [advertising] price ,otherwise is lot more expensive [double the money] resulting in a very expensive trip,lot more expensive than the same trip bought with different travel websites. IT IS A BIG SCHEME!!!
You people are something else. It is a SCAM. Just like all the other “GET RICH FAST” pyramids out there. It is so frigin sad that people get caught up in this madness, because they want to get rich… “FAST!”
I loathe this company. I just logged into my account showing I had 835 points. I logged back in later the same night and my balance showed 635 points!!! Where the hell did 200 of my points go? They just vanished into thin air? I can’t cancel my membership quick enough!
does anyone know how to be a part of this lawsuit?
WOW…I have been a member of WV for 9 years! I love the people, the culture, and the trips!!
First, we get paid on the sale of a membership! Not for recruiting people…that’s where it would be illegal! If you don’t want to pay the monthly fee, simply make 4 sales…not a month!
When I buy something, I use it! If you can’t figure it out…there are people to help you! I always sit with my friends to help them understand what tgey just purchased. If I can get them to use their points immediately, the company gives them more back (for FREE) so they can book another trip!!
It’s not WVs fault if you don’t use your membership!
All of you complaining about world ventures and that it’s scam clearly shows how much you know about the business and business in general. World ventures is work just like any other job. It’s a business like any other business. My testimony in world ventures is that I’ve been paid over 500 when I made my 6 personal sales and also continue to get paid weekly and monthly. So wake up folks, it’s not a pyramid scheme, it’s network marketing so learn the industry and stop complaining because your not getting results. Work in your small minded selves and then maybe the business will work for you
Sonja – “Sale of a membership” is RECRUITING.
Ive – MLM is not a business. It’s a recruiting pyramid scheme. Your “6 personal sales” is exactly the recruiting scheme that we’re talking about.
Hi I was invited by a work colleague to a presentation tonight and like Yudith21 said everyone was happy and smiling like they were on drugs or something and then the presentation started and asking for money and straight away I knew it was pyramid scheme and said that to the person who invited me and asked her who else she had recruited and she said mainly her family and I thought omg these poor people are really being scammed out of their hard working money by the rich as people at the top of the pyramid also I noted the majority of the people in the room were low income ethnic people that work very hard for their money very sad. I wondered how many of them really go on these amazing holidays.
I was looking to write a review for these rip off artists!!! but found this read!!! yay. I want to be apart of this suit. I can’t get a follow up from anyone regarding a refund. Total Bait and Switch.
Jason Green
I’ve been in WV for a quite a while now and I’m not surprised by what I’m seeing. When people don’t put in the work to get the results then it’s a “scheme”. Sell of memberships get you paid not the sell of representative packages. We don’t tell anybody they have to refer or recruit people. If a person chooses to go That route that’s their prerogative! THE BUSINESS IS OPTIONAL!! You CAN have ONLY a membership to utilize the travel benefits! Every trip allows you to apply a certain amount of points as well. If you book a trip and find the same one cheaper somewhere else it’s YOUR job to screenshot it and send it back so you Can Be refunded. It’s not that WV Doesn’t work it’s simply that most of you didn’t work! Don’t place blame. Take responsibility!
Nice try, Daraje. World Ventures is a recruiting scheme that attempts to look legitimate with a “travel business” that offers no benefit to customers. There’s no real business,they simply offer trips that will cost you much more than if you booked a trip through a legitimate travel site.
Any info on how to get into the class action?
You’d have to contact the attorneys who filed the lawsuit.
I understand that members of WV are bitter. Only a tiny amount of pyramid victims ever admit they got sucked into a scam, most get defensive. Of course it’s hard to admit you’ve been scammed.
That being said, please stop screaming how people call WV a pyramid scheme for no reason. If the courts accepted the lawsuit it’s because it has validity in it. Like with most large MLMs this case will probably take a long time but justice will be served in the end.
It’s simple, not every people fit on that kind of business. It’s optional to join. You don’t need to share with friends or family if you don’t want to. I’ve joined and I hope to travel around the world holding that “YOU SHOULD BE HERE” flag; Life is short to complaining, I prefer to pay my monthly fees and have that lifestyle experience.
All of the defenders of this place are total liars. Lol, I was approached by a colleague from work about this place, yes they do tell you the more ppl you recruit, the more money you make. Basically, it’s like a timeshare scheme, but they want you to pay monthly fees for hotels you may or may not use, so it’s wasted money. But hey, if you have money to blow, this is the scheme for you! It’s not about ‘putting in work’ most ppl can see right through this and are not going to pay for something they might not even use. All of the comments saying you need to put in work, are most likely the top ppl in the company getting paid off of the underlings.
The top 1% in any MLM CANNOT PROFIT without commensurate losses in the bottom 99%. This can be shown mathematically by modeling the investment and payouts per level in a spreadsheet. Income statements from the MLMs themselves include “gross” not “net” revenue. When costs are taken out, no MLM exceeds 1% profitability…they simply can’t.
The best analogy I’ve seen to date is the Toothpick MLM company. Let’s say you purchase the 10 box starter kit of 100ct boxes of toothpicks for $1000. You convince others to do the same, such that each “level” will take a portion of the proceeds from each down-line sale. If this MLM supports 10 levels, each level will make $10 (on average) for each 100ct box sold in the down-line. Not bad! But you quickly see the appeal is not about toothpicks at all, which can be bought at market price for a fraction of the price offered by this fictional MLM. Nobody buys MLM stuff from strangers for this very reason. Purchases outside the MLM are mostly sympathy purchases to “help a friend”, via a very limited network of warm leads.
But once the MLMer has exhausted these warm leads, they learn the hard way that they can’t make any money selling retail directly, as anyone other than closest friends and family have no reason to buy from them out of sympathy. So this is when the rep gets coached to build their down-line, and where the MLM crosses the line into end-less chain recruiting, which is illegal. However, it is very difficult to enforce because the MLM company does not track sales outside the MLM…they neither know nor care if a rep ever sells their inventory. The MLM supplier already made their money on the sale to the rep (who, it turns out, is actually their true target customer). The overwhelming majority of folks buying the “toothpicks” are the MLM reps themselves (with a few sympathy purchases thrown in) hoping to sell the “dream” to their down-line. This means the overwhelming majority of the money that flows up the pyramid comes from rep purchases, not sales outside the MLM.
A quick mathematical modeling of this shows that 99% MUST lose money in ALL MLMs due to the nature of the model. No matter how big or small the down-line, the top 1% cannot profit without comparable losses from the bottom 99%. Big or small, the ratio of winners to losers never changes. Unlike a traditional company, where every employee can bring home a positive “net” salary, the MLM model CANNOT BE PROFITABLE for more than 1% of the reps, ever. The bigger the down-line, the greater the losses needed to produce profit for the top 1%.
Once this is understood by the MLMer, the choice to stay in the MLM transitions from a question of viability to a question of ethics.
Can someone explain to me how WV is different from amway/avon/forever living/ etc?
When I saw this information(WV) I thought it’s on the same WhatsApp group because you get paid by selling lifestyle to people same as those companies if you don’t sell or buy their products then you don’t make any money out of them.
All I need is just an explanation of the difference…
The word “cult” comes to mind when I hear WV! My husband and I are going through a divorce now because they have truly brainwashed him into believing he can make millions and promising our daughter trips she will never go on. We are middle class people that barely get by and when my husband would back off meetings, the lead would give a call to lure him back afraid he would cancel. The stuff they spew at the meetings are like religious freaks with us not seeing the “true vision”. Can I get in on this suit?
Frustrated
WV is bad, simply put. My sister and I were sucked into this scheme over a year ago. It was presented to us like a travel savings account that at the end of 1 year you could use all your “points” (monthly fee of 49.99 x 12 = 600ish) to take vacations. Sounds great. BUT no, you can only use a small portion of your “saved” points towards “discounted” travel through your monthly SUBSCRIPTION !!…. Yes people, it’s like a gym “membership” or monthly subscription to an app. Whether or not you play the game you pay for it and get nothing later. IT IS PRESENTED WRONG !!! I’m calling my lawyer today to find out how to contact the lawsuit, I’ll let y’all know as soon as I can. Oh and btw, Amy C your ” 200 points” went away because if you don’t use your accumulated points within a year of receiving them, they’re forfeited. So yes, the initial $200 you spent on signing up for your memebership is gone because you were not informed correctly.
Nonzuzo, the products are different but the model is the same. You need to understand that with all MLMs, the product is irrelevant, and rep is the target customer. The profits of the top 1% come almost entirely from the losses of the bottom 99%. No matter how big or small the down-line, the ratio of winners to losers remains the same. In some industries this is called “market cannibalism”, where a company inadvertently creates market conditions to compete with itself. This it to be avoided at all costs. Meanwhile, MLMs overtly and explicitly *encourage* their reps to hire folks to compete directly with them. Unlike franchises, there is no territorial protection for the MLM rep, so there is no way for reps to be successful, even if they never build a down-line, since every other rep will quickly push the MLM to market saturation. If this were a true franchise, the last thing you would want are reps competing with you for limited market share!
As with any MLM, you can create a simple spreadsheet to help you forecast how many people you must pitch to every day, on average, to achieve minimum wage after a year of selling product directly. That number is in the hundreds, by the way. Per day. Mostly because after you exhaust your warm leads, less than 1% of the strangers you approach will be willing to buy from you. Let that sink in. You need to pitch to hundreds of people every single day if you hope to build and maintain a customer base capable of earning you minimum wage in one year.
Once this reality sets in that selling retail from your home can never come close to netting you even minimum wage, your up-line will convince you that the only way to overcome this limitation is to sign up reps below you (who also will never be able to be profitable). You will quickly find that this is even harder than selling the product. You can then extend your spreadsheet to show how big your down-line needs to be to get you to minimum wage. Since rep churn is so high with MLM, your down-line forecast needs to include the continuous replacements of down-line reps that will most certainly leave (50+% per year). Why such high churn? Because folks can’t lose money forever. Once they wise up they quit to stop the bleeding. Remember, less than 1 in 100 of the people you approach will join your down-line. Keep that in mind when forecasting how many folks you must pitch to every day to build *and maintain* your down-line.
The top of the up-line actual depends on this built-in rep-churn, since these overpriced MLM products can’t sell outside the network, so signing up new reps is really the only way to sell the product…which is done by attaching the “dream.” Remember, the rep is the true customer of the MLM, and is always the primary source of up-line revenue. So the name of the game becomes “recruit, recruit, recruit”. Looking at the two spreadsheets you created above, you can quickly see why 99+% of reps can never recoup their costs, no matter the size of the down-line. It is mathematically impossible for this to be otherwise.
Sadly the reps at the bottom have the hardest time coming to terms with this reality. Sustained losses (or worse, financial ruin) become a strong motivator to leave the MLM. Meanwhile, the handful of folks at the top are very well aware of exactly how this whole scam works. That’s why they add insult to injury by holding sales seminars or sell motivational sales kits to the reps, which the reps must pay for. This is easy cash and a significant source of revenue for the folks at the very top. It also serves to build “hope” of future success meant to keep the unsuspecting rep operating at a loss for as long as possible.
Any “good” that comes from MLM is overshadowed by the overwhelming “bad” that must come with it. This whole thing should be outlawed.
How different is World Ventures from your local gym membership? To join a gym membership, an initial sign-on fee is required and then a monthly membership fee is also payable. In return, you get to enjoy (use) the gym’s facility and equipment.
If your local gym offered you the opportunity to refer 4 people and have your monthly membership fee waived, and you could, won’t you? Even better still, if your local gym offered you the chance to refer as many people as you can and be paid commission and bonuses on their initial sign-up fee and monthly membership fee, what would be your take on it?
What prevent the people you refer to the gym from also cutting in on this offer if they so desire?
I just signed up to World Ventures less than two weeks now. I haven’t been able to make any membership sale yet. However, I know I’m going to do well in this business.
How is World Ventures different from a gym membership?
That’s easy! A gym membership gives you something of value in return. You get to come to the gym and use the equipment.
A World Ventures membership is worthless. You’ll find much better travel deals independently or through regular travel sites like Expedia.
And if your gym offered you an incentive for referring people, it would be different because those people would actually be getting something of value too! Not so with the worthless WV membership.
WV isn’t a business. No MLM is. Read here: http://www.sequenceinc.com/fraudfiles/2015/03/multi-level-marketing-is-not-a-business-its-a-pyramid-scheme/
I think it is a scam also. We r told to put so much per month in a vacation club and at the end of the year we can use the money- not true! Only a small percentage per trip!!!
I was invited to a local restaurant by a friend. I thought we were meeting for dinner. I was not told what was going on. I went there and she’s like oh do you want a bowl of soup. I am like I want dinner. I thought her and her husband wanted to visit with me. The pulled me into the side table and then the presentation started. If this company is so awesome, why do people have to lie to rope their friends into seeing it? IMO this World Ventures is nothing but a time share without a physical property. The points disappear when you don’t use them in a year, and if you can’t get off to go on the vacation oh well, you can’t go. Plus, why the hell would I want to go on trips with groups of people? I want to get away, not be with the same people I am trying to get away from. Needless to say, this has destroyed my friendship. I feel used, I am disgusted.
I was invited to a WV “Travel Party” for this “Big Opportunity” by a friend who knows I like to travel at a restaurant a month or so ago here in Sydney Australia.
I work in finance industry for 30yrs and numbers are my game. The room had about 30 ppl. So i listened watched the presentation video.
A few mins into it immediately realised was an MLM which in effecte is a legal “pyramid scheme”. If it looks like a duck walks like a duck quacks like a duck it is a duck 99.99% of time.
So i was laughing at the preso and lack of transparency then got angry at the unethical confusing manner which they sell. Points to take out. Bear in mind this is for Australia
1. You pay joining fee 220 USD and 60USD/mth. Which they give u points 200 and 55/mth to use for Dream Trips (DT)
2. They say the points accrue monthly …but in fact other than your joining fee pts your monthly pts cant be used until a year later (at no stage do they mention it in preso..its in the fine print) So in effect You Give Them Your Money and cant use it for a Year then have a year to use your points or they expire. It’s like joining a gym signing up monthly fees and gym says you can’t use our gym for a year.
3. They give examples of how much you save after you apply any points allowable for Dream Trips. This is ludicrous as you’ve paid for Those points. Eg DT costs 500USD pp but can apply 150pts. So the way they present it is
500USD × 2 = 1000
DT Points. 150
Cost. 850
Then theyll compare it to something other site say same trip is 1100USD if you’re lucky and you Save 23% or usd 250
What smoke and mirrors
Cause to get those 150DT points you’ve paid 165USD in memberships fees.in Aus.
So the saving if anything is negligible
But all they give you back what you paid less 10% and say wow look how great we are.
4.All figures in preso in Australia are in USD but they dont highlight this its an asterisk.
SO AT CURRENT EXCHANGE RATE of .72 THE COST IN A$ is approx 30% higher
Ppl i know who regrettably signed up were shocked at the cost but lack of transparency in cost.
5. I wanted to ask questions to clarify things and was told do not take questions in public forum only to reps individually. I said oh is that so you don’t lose potential customers after seeking clarification on points.
6. They mention business side and get for pay no more which is the essence of the business to recruit.
7. They do show the Income Disclosure statement of Reps very briefly. But 20% only make an income on av 1750USD. With .03% of all reps achieving the top 3 income earning levels in USA. That is 3 ppl for every 10000 reps. There were some 225k reps in USA as dec 2016.
8. I did some research and obtained all available Income Disclosure Statements since inception of coy. Whilst the av commissions earned have gone up in 10yrs the amount of reps earning a com in % terms has gone down. Even though the company has grown.
9. The % of the top 3 tiers of income earners has gone down whilst the $ amount they earn has gone up. Simple maths classic MLM or “pyramid scheme ” More ppl they recruit the more $ flow up to top few.
10. End of presentation ppl clapped pretending to be interested to buy these are existing reps supporting each other. They have chat groups encouraging follow reps to attend these parties to create interest and FOMO.
11. Dissenters are shown the door or ignored. The hard sell sign up is evident once preso is completed.
12. These coys like WV in my opinion prey on middle to low socio groups as a way to make $, students, the lonely, the bored, the unemployed, part timers, housewives, ppl that feel unapreciated etc as a way to meet ppl make $ and give them a sense of self achievement BUT you’ll pay along the way and the odds a heavily stacked against you.
13. For those of you that sign up as reps these firms will train support encourage reinforce the WV way but you pay for all the training seminars etc.
14. They use NLP Neuro Linguistic Programming to create a fervent quasi religious group to stay in WV and feed the best and deal with sceptics.
15. I will end with this
If Dream Trips Membership so great why do they need the recruitment side to sustain business? Good consumer value on a product stands alone
Why all the cloak dagger secrecy re presos the “big opportunity” in a restaurant etc? Great brands great products stands alone how did you hear about Facebook Expedia Wotif Agoda Trip Advisor Netflix etc ? Do they rely on recruitment to sustain business model?
Why is the remuneration contract or compensation plan of reps in Australia some 20 pages ? Just to sell?
Why in remuneration contract in Aus (a new market) is there a clause hidden in 20 pages stating those that have achieved the top tiers prior to Jan 2017 will be grandfathered.? Meaning irrespective of their teams activity they will still get the big $. And “reward” those that were their from the beginning? and WV have someone to show case that you can achieve this…. ? all newbies will just have odds heavily stacked against and just feed the beast. As we say in Aus “come in spinner:”
Why do you have to pay for training accom flights etc every successful firm ive worked for thats invests in its people to achieve business goals would send me on training all expenses paid run by mainly external experts not internal so called success ppl and charge you for it. Or to hear from management.
16. For those that will join do your research look at the history background of ppl involved look at the key personnel that have left look at the history business practises outcomes of
Paycation
Your Travel Biz filed for bankruptcy
Herbalife (after 35 years declared pyramid scheme)
Amway
And make an informed decision.
As we say in Merchant Banking
“There aint no thing as a free lunch”
BUYER BEWARE and good luck with your decision
P.S Check out the logo of WV and check out logo of Your Travel Biz (after rotating 180%)
Guys? What’s wrong with you? All that Worldventures is is the whole world travel industry in one app on the lowest price, highest quality, unforgettable experience with people who are positive, high energy and extremely good hearted – and if you find something better anywhere – you will get refund. Of course you would help your friends to live this experience and save money! What’s wrong to be rewarded for helping the company grow?! If you and I go to your favorite coffee place and you recommend me what to drink, I order it and for the recommendation you get rewarded with 20% off from your next drink – would that mean this coffee place is a pyramid and you will never go there again? We recommend things all the time. What the Network Market is all about is rewarding people for something we do ALL DAY EVERY DAY. MLM is the future of business. Read a little bit Napoleon Hill, Robert Kiyosaki and stop post incompetent thoughts based on hatred and lack of information. All the written things here are false. End of story.
Anastasia – WorldVentures does NOT offer the lowest price or highest quality. Read the comments and you’ll see. MLM is not the future of business, by the way. It’s endless chain recruiting with no value added.
World venture is a scam. Run fast in the other direction.
If you haven’t got you money back from this company then go out to the BBB and write a complaint. They gave me an my mother the run around as well. As soon as I filled the complaint with the BBB my refund came through QUICKLY!!! Lol.. This company is the biggest JOKE EVER!!!!! And for all of you defending them, shame on you… The top LEADERS of this company committed TAX FRAUD…. If they are doing so well then why not pay your taxes….. Not something I would ever recommend to anyone ( a company that is run by Leaders who have committed FRAUD!!!!). Have fun ripping off your warm market… OOOO and so you all know… if you don’t use your points you loose them…. They don’t tell you that when you sign up.. Oooo. alll the money you pay in will back available for DT… BS… Use you points in the year or they are gone. Why would they not rolll them over???? O because they are rip off artist. Gets your heads out!!!
I am so glad I came across this site – a friend also told me about this great oppurtunity to earn extra income but I had a bad feeling right from the start!!! Why is the net full of alligations that WV is a scam? If they were a top travel company selling an amazing product there won’t be bad publicity! Who in South Africa can go for 3 nights to Las Vegas? And then its only the accomodation thats free – no airfare included. My brother and I did a few random searches on different sites and different destinations and got amazing all inclusive deals, much better than what WV offers, and you can go on your desired dates – not the dates predetermined by the offers of WV. Thank God I didnt embaress myself by trying to recruit my close people into this scam. Their membership fees are ridiculous, even if you dont want to become a rep and do the “business side” of the membership. And yes, the owners of the company commited tax fraud – who wants to do business with people like that?
Some people like Jasmine Carter,Sonja and many others who have commented positive about WV are part of the scheme and are trying there best to protect the scams they are doing. Believe it or not WV is a pyramid scheme stealing from people.
I will never try it.
I save $108 on a DreamTrip recently and really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to banking my savings into additional traveling opportunities you only life once 🙂
A cult of slimy con artists.
Thank you ever so much for this information. We were invited to a presentation yesterday. Seemed too “surreal” they promise to help us get the customers, make R6000 a per month. Showed us sms where money is transferred every month into their account.
Well said Anastacia….I am with WV and it has changed my life..it is hard work in the beginning but pays off in the end…AND I am not an idiot…I have lost a lot of money on scams..so when I was shown this I did do research and there was a lot of negative stuff…but I actually visually saw a lot if positive proof as well…so if it is a pyramid scheme…well so be it…I have made a substatial amount of bonuses and gone up the ranks successfully….yes its hard work….and it is NOT a quick rich scheme…the travel is very comparable with other search agents…..people get negative when they are not successful…i have not misled a single oersin in OUR network…we have enjoyed a lot of the perks…and to those that press in and make some money…well done for us going in…to those that have done a Dream Trips….well done for taking a well deserved break at good price price…..this is all this is about….there are hundreds of “scammed” members in our team that are making big amounts of money…I am heading to the “scammed” levels that they are…I have spent 6 months now…and 6 months of fun and meeting successful people who are supportive…
Dam I love this “scam”….
Amber – If it’s a pyramid scheme (and it is), then those below you in the pyramid are all being scammed out of your money. “So be it,” you say. Shame on you.
The people in this business (and any MLM business) that are making money and have put in the hard yards know that the only reason they are making money is because they are continually recruiting people and those people are recruiting people and every one of them is paying monthly membership fees which grows the upward commissions. They are doing well out of it because people keep paying fees.
These people are not making money because they are selling travel products or services! the core business is therefore the exact definition of a pyramid scheme. I believe that this one is even worse than something like Amway or Herbalife because these people are paying membership fees and perhaps getting absolutely nothing in return except for the opportunity to purchase high priced travel deals. At least with Amway or Herbalife, the people involved are receiving actual products for the money they are being forced to spend (to maintain there level and eligibility to earn commissions).
Furthermore, the people that are making money from this are the kinds of people that have no problem with convincing other people (friends and family usually) of a lie to line their own pockets. The only reason that they come out to defend the business is so they can continue to make money from exploiting those that come after them. Complete predatory behavior.
You people are crazy that say World Ventures is a Pyramid Scheme! I have been with WV for 3 yrs and I love every bit of it. I travel with family and friends and it’s great! What is wrong with you people!!! Just because you aren’t making money fast doesn’t mean it’s a Scheme! You have to work and work hard. I made all my money back from the company. If you would read your contract along with the company number, it says your points will go away if you don’t use them. Unreal!!! I will keep traveling while you all stay unhappy!!!
Daniel Rankin
That’s good for you but this company here do not explain that well If you do not travel to a World It did not benefit you If you travel from state to state you cannot go anywhere Discount Customer service is terrible No one pick up the phone and try to explain to you Don’t travel a lot it’s not worth the money And all the money monthly You cancel you get no refund Half of that Me and my wife had almost $600 into World Venture And they Did not want to refund because we don’t use it that much and when we want to go to Cancun the trip inspired because the flights was too high Is good that other people like this I need to change that policy and have a refund guarantee policy they are so big why they can’t give people their money back
WV has not paid top ranked affiliates around the world( their to rank called IMD) for months causing these leaders to leave WV
Check out the names
Randy Webb
Wanda Webb
Chris Kent
Shane Anderson
James Lee
Savvas Christofi
Just to name a few..
From countries USA Australia Singapore
Check out an industry magazine
http://behindmlm.com/companies/world-ventures/no-timeframe-for-worldventures-unpaid-commissions/
Trouble in paradise
Hahahha. I’m laughing because a few years ago I didnt know what a pyramid scheme was either. It’s okay my friend told me I was uneducated and explained. It’s when someone sells you nothing. Meaning no product. WV product is DreamTrips. Makes sense now right.
Also they don’t get paid on recruiting but paid on sales of packages. Gyms do this. BJs does this.
It’s illegal to get paid to recruit people.
ID you haven’t had success I wish you the best. If you’re the type of person who likes to put blame on others for your lack of success I wish you the best too. You won’t get anywhere in life like that, in any industry. Especially network marketing. Your own drive in anything determines your success. Again I wish you all the best.
Yeah, Chief… WorldVentures (and all other MLMs) has to have a “product” so that they don’t appear to be a pyramid scheme. They pretend they’re selling trips, when what they’re selling is the opportunity (i.e. paying for recruiting but making it look like they’re paying for overpriced travel).
The scheme is arriving in Brazil. I’m brazilian. I was cheated this weekend. A friend invited me and … the rest of the story everyone already knows. There was a director of a state tourism company as bait to say that the company is really good. I did not like the manipulation environment.
Thato, can you please tell me where you attended the event? My nephew is from Brazil and was told about this and I want to know more before he makes a decision.
If WV is some kind of illegal scheme, how has it been in business since 2005? Shouldn’t it have been shut down a long time ago? The people complaining about it sound like people who thought they bought a lottery ticket when they signed up. Network Marketing is a legitimate business model and has been around for over 100 years. With that being said, it is definiteyl NOT for everybody. It’s a very simple thing to do, but it is not easy.
When people join an MLM company and don’t have quick success, they usually look to blame everything and and everybody besides themselves. That’s human nature.
Darrin – Sadly, the US government allows MLMs to operate, so long as everyone pretends they’re not pyramid schemes. Simple as that!
I live in Texas. I paid hundreds to join and sell and on top of that have paid $120 for 6 months. I wanted this for my two kids and I since its hard to pay so much money to travel for 3. I charged it and now playing interest. Can I get my money back or join the lawsuit? I desperately need advise. I’m calling to cancel my membership tomorrow. Thank you all.
Y’all are a bunch of babies. “Oh it’s not working for me so it must be a scam” clearly people are making money from it. You just suck it so you wanna play the blame game. It’s like getting a gym membership, going to the gym once or twice a month, then complain the gym is a scam because you never lost weight. If YOU don’t put in the work WV won’t work for you. Very simple. Did you think it would be easy? You’d get money hand over fist? Nah. Work for it. Learn what you did right and wrong in each presentation. Craft yourself into becoming an amazing people person and presenter. If not, go back to your 9-5 and be quiet because who cares what whiners say.
I kept getting a text from a friend to learn about a great travel opportunity. My first question to him was “Is this multi-lievel marketing” to which he said no. He wouldn’t tell me the name of the company until I kept refusing to go to these meetings at the local pizza place. I was lured into Isagenix years ago so I knew exactly how this all worked.Finally to get him off my back I wtn to a meeting last night. Of course there were 6 WV people there and me. I watched the presentation and knew immediately it was a scam. I’ve used Expedia and Costco for travel and had much better rate that included airfare and rental car then what they were proposing. And listening to them you could only use a certain amount of points for each trip. I did my research before attending so at the end of the presentation I asked why there were 287 Better Business Bureau complaints. The look on all 6 faces – they had no idea how to answer it except “All companies have complaints” to which I replied “There are 67 in 2018 alone”. Needless to say I walked out of the meeting and did not buy into the scheme that I see so many people doing. Beware – if it sounds to good to be true, it is.
Marc – Who are the people “clearly” making money from WorldVentures? The owners of the company and a few people at the top of the pyramid. Did you know that 99% of people lose money in MLM? It’s not because they’re lazy, it’s because MLM is a pyramid scheme which guarantees that almost everyone will lose money.
what happened to a comment left by a girl named Landek on July 23rd? She was talking about the problems this company had in China
No comment was left by someone named Landek
Thank you!
I found it elsewhere. It was VERY eye opening. Much luck to this case!
I joined a few years ago .. challenge unable to find trips that matched my travel to conferences and other events .. what I don’t like is your lose your money and points after a set time .. I pay 165 per month as platinum and feel like I have really been ripped off in that I can’t build that reserve .
where are they up to re the class action ?
My wife and I joined, me reluctantly, we were already members of Amway, which is basically a pyramid, but they had decent products, anyway I had a bad feeling about this, but tried to give it a chance, we went to several seminars in different cities which was costly, the bottom line is you have to work it like you work any MLM, I just wish they wouldn’t be so deceptive, I wasted a lot of money on this.
How do I join the lawsuit?
Unfortunately MLMs will always exist because there is a never ending influx of naive people who fall for the false promises. Then, even when these folks realize that they have been scammed – they won’t admit it. They will simply move on to another pyramid thinking it’s the “real deal”.
There isn’t much to discuss, just look at the facts:
– The company itself provides financial reports which show that over 99% of its reps LOSE money. – WorldVentures is illegal in Norway because it’s a pyramid scheme.
– There is an ongoing lawsuit in U.S.A. against this company
If these 3 facts don’t make you see that it’s a scam – nothing will. Congrats, you have been brainwashed.
Worldventures just arriving to Mexico and this guy Matt Morris ready to scam thousands with this scheme. And plus a binary comp plan. When Ftc will shut down this company?
I was approached by my cousin this evening to watch a presentation online. I watched and then she called me immediately after it ended. I told her it was a MLM scheme and I wasn’t interested in joining. I didn’t hear from this cousin while my husband was ill nor after his death. Then all the sudden she calls and is interested in selling me a dream vacation? I don’t think so!
They said in the presentation that they will begin next month giving 200 points to people in the USA and then to the world, just give the points (right!). In this presentation I watched, they knocked the price to join down to $99, if you join by Dec. 5th, and then you pay monthly and receive 200 points. They sound to me like a very desperate company trying to make quick money before they go under.
I attended a presentation yesterday and I saw the emphasis on the benefits ; travel lifestyle and benefits that this is a pyramid scheme.The pyramid scheme appeals to lust, what you could benefit by join and nothing about products. Those defending are obviously part of the scam. They are being paid from lower members subscriptions or naive enough to not realise its a scam
What really boggles my mind, is that the reps in Brazil uses fake Social Security numbers to sign up new members. WV is not officially open for business in Brazil, yet some of their highest ranking Reps operate in Brazil!?!?! Why is the lawsuit dragging so long? There are multiple claims of reps not getting paid. I asked a few people I know in South Africa if they are getting paid, and of course they will, because Africa is currently the fastest growing team in WV. They will never not pay them, otherwise they lose all the money of the thousands of people in Africa joining like suckers. How terrible! If WV was really about travel membership, more people would have gone on the trips, but they don’t, cause it’s a luxury and most people cant afford it or get time off work… they just hold on to the promise of recruiting as much people as possible in order to start earning the residual income. The desperate people whom joins don’t even always have access to contacts with enough money to also join. I don’t know, but I just have a bad feeling towards this company altogether.
Karin J
I too have been scammed. I signed up and couldn’t get into the website. So my Rep told me that I hadn’t chosen a membership. So I went back and did that. Still couldn’t log on. Next the Rep said that I hadn’t completed the application, so I re-did it. Still couldn’t get in. Then 2 days later I was charged another registration fee. Have been trying now for 3 days to get a customer service rep on the phone (getting a recording that doesn’t allow you to even leave a message) and have sent 3 emails also. I have contacted a lawyer and alerted my credit card company about WV!!!
Very interesting comments. I have been invited to one of the meetings recently. For me personally, it sounds good, and maybe too good to be true. That’s why I am just researching about it now. What I want to understand from people who seem to be benefiting from it, what does ‘ you just have to do a lot of work mean?’ Does that work mean recruiting others? And why is it that I cannot choose my travel dates?
Every day you people venture off to the biggest pyramid scheme in the world which is called your job and this is exactly how you all complain under your breath. Why is their no lawsuit against who you work for?
Every job in this world is a pyramid scheme and unlike your job, in World Venture you can actually surpass the individual who brought you in or those that were there before you….so how can that be a pyramid?
You people are so negative due to a lack of understanding and laziness. Some of you are the same individuals that are afraid to branch out in the world and start your own business.
I bet If everytime you guys had to pay the individual you’re giving your opinion to $50, your mouths would be closed.
All I’m seeing here from the persons being negative is how you failed, why did you fail ?
Stop the complaining, we ain’t forcing you guys to join, go and be a slave to your job, work your 40 years where some of you can barely see your family members, then hopefully depend on that pension that can barely get you through.
You have to put in the work.
Tracy Coenen Could you provide examples of much cheaper trips offered by Expedia versus those offered by World Ventures? I’m just curious as to the price difference.
I dont know what y’all are talking about because it’s been going well for me and my family/friends … sooooo…yeah.
Tracy you need to get on to Boom now that is real fraud Honey it’s on Facebook take a look. This is insane I have not brought my membership but will I have heard more than 1 success story from the folks that put the work in you guys sound like you have no money and no time… who invests with no money who joins a travel club with no money??? I have both so I will return with answers because I haven’t much to lose…. key point if you have no money and or can’t put the work in KEEP YOUR DAY JOB!
Tasha – No, but you’re free to do your own research. http://www.expedia.com
People need to be educated before making assumptions and jumping to conclusions. WV has been good to us and we have been involved in the company for more that 15 months now. I love the culture, leadership, ethics and transparency. If you want information it is available just ask. I have met so many people in this business at all levels and all of them are happy to be part of the organization. I have also met many unhappy people in the business and it is because they have not put in the effort, taken the time to understand the business or even attended any of the training events. Try becoming a doctor with out leaning or a CA or engineer. It is impossible. Education is key. I will continue to build WV and continue to support each an everyone of my team members that chooses to do the same and help them succeed.
WV is NO ‘get rich quick’ process, it is hard work and none of the reps will ever say it is easy. So if you want to remain negative there are many other things to talk about in this wonderful country of ours. Let people build their dreams how they choose to.
Kevin – WV is a GET RICH NEVER scheme. It is a pyramid scheme in which you’re selling people nothing. You’re getting money from them for nothing. Why are they getting nothing? Because they could go purchase similar trips on the internet cheaper than they can get them through WV. You are selling an opportunity to sell an opportunity to sell an opportunity.
I’ve only joined a few months ago. But i can surely say that world ventures is family. Having Positive people around makes a difference in ur life!
To heck with what people say, if this works for u then good for you. If it doesn’t then too bad.
Working for a commission based company is a scam then! Coz it’s based on the amount of sales u make.
Life itself is a scam then!
All wv reps do is sell u a product and get paid depending on how many they sell you.
Why do people make a mountain out of a mole hill.
Not everybody can make it through med school, will u start bad mouthing doctors then?
If u see an opportunity, why not try it, it’s better to try and fail than fail to try.
If u fail at it, atleast u know, you’re not cut out for it.
People gamble so much at a casino, and lose alot, will u file a lawsuit against the casino??
Everything u do in life is at ur own risk.
The success stories are amazing, from college kids, to uber drivers, to high school drop outa to business owners!
I believe in this, and there’s nothing that anyone can say that will change my mind about it.
And good for me if i fell in this “scam” lol. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.
Claudy – WV is a scam because you’re not *really* selling a product. Sure, you “sell” vacations that cost more than people could get them for on the internet. Therefore what you have to do is sell the “opportunity” and people who sign up buy the more expensive vacations simply to qualify for commissions. Total scam.
What a fantastic forum. The plight of MLM companies & their MLMers. Let me be fully transparent & disclose that I am an associate of MaxInternational, and have been so for 8 yrs. The last 4 yrs I have not promoted the biz side of Max, but still passionately share the awesome scientific breakthrough of Dr Herbert Nagasawa. At least Max has a “real” product that actually does what it claims. Anyhow, onto the yap about WV. I have been approached by members of max re joining WV as they are looking for the next “best” thing as they are disgruntled with our corporate body. As stated above, I do not share the biz side of my company & had no intention of joining wv other than to see what it is all about. Well shock horror, not. My due diligence into investigating this mob left me flabbergasted at its going’s on. So much negativity, hurt, undelivered promises, hype, untruths, exodus of top earners / leaders, law suits, corporate upheaval just to name some of the myriad of complaints. As with every mlm income disclosure, WV’s is abysmal.
I also took the liberty (I reside in Western Australia) of tracking down a top leader to get their take on their company. As it turned out the gent I contacted had the largest team in the US and he QUIT, resigned March 15 2018. I asked if he was terminated or actually did quit, quit it was & his words as to why I quote –
Not being paid my monthly residual for several months.
How people who were far worse off than I were being treated.
A climate of fear, scarcity & deception.
How some of my other top leader friends were being treated & lied about.
The realization that it was simply time to move on as I could not stay & be in integrity with myself or anyone else.
I know I left my mark & the team I left them is still the biggest in the US.
Glad I did my due diligence for the sake of curiosity / understanding & in the hope that any of my fellow associates do their due diligence before making any decision if approached.
Yep mlm in itself is a trudge & full of misgivings that sadly take a toll on people financially, emotionally and with the fear tactics of having to perform. Sounds like some peoples work environment eh!
Why would you join any organisation with a track record like that.
I shared my findings with the max exodus mob, only to be told wv is rebuilding & have acquired a guru to raise the sinking ship (my words).
Sadly there are mlm companies out there with excellent products that are probably overpriced somewhat as the piper has to be paid.
For those of us that have full belief in the products we consume via our mlm company, please do share by being 100% transparent & sharing for the right reason.
I will take my product till the day I expire as it has been a life changer for me & many others on many grounds. The bottom line is I cant buy it anywhere else. As for the biz side, if someone is interested in that, I will point them in the right direction with clarity & total transparency.
I commend everyone for their comments on this forum / blog, as we are all entitled to our comment & thoughts.
And to you Tracy, congratulations on bringing to light the saga of MLM & its MLMers
Be happy, have integrity, hold true to your beliefs and most importantly, help those in need & forgive (especially yourself)
Once there’s no more people to recruit, it will ultimately collapse; and it will be unfair for those who just joined because they will never get their money back; therefore everyone who has been benefiting will be guilty of this. This is simply Kippi/MMM disguising behind “travel” to make people believe there some genuine business generating money. Of course, there’s someone making big money out of this, but that does not justify this scheme — it only means there’s still people joining the scheme… that’s where the money is coming from.
I am that guy that can and will actually read the income disclosure and terms and conditions of an opportunity. If I am going to invest any money or time for a sustained period of time, I check it out. Many mlm recruit to only find reps. WV reps sell memberships, Period. The company sells the travel packages, not the reps. duh. I waived fees right away, only 4 that stay Active. WV knows the industry average on sponsoring is 3. They set the bar higher at 4. Who cares? If you don’t share, your membership fees are not waived. That is lottery mentality to join and not work and expect to make income. I only made several sales. I like WV for the culture and self development. They are not overpricing by much. Look at the health and beauty mlm’s. Prices are INSANE. Only interested in a product because it is monetized. At least with travel and fun, you don’t have to force someone to believe its good for you. People just simply want to experience more. Their comp plan was revised to help newbies. I always had an issue with it, but didn’t quit. I had tons of issues with my bosses and job duties, but didn’t quit. You are free to enterprise or Not. It is a very expensive hobby IF you do not build a REP or CUSTOMER base. You don’t have to recruit to make money. That is illegal and a ponzi scheme. You get paid on selling memberships Period. Get educated. Get the real facts. I am not making money with it and pay my rep fee and Gold for 75 a month. Have 800 pts/dollars to redeem on a few trips. They are honest about rates and fees unlike timeshares or other discounted travel found on the web. A dude in Houston has 1000 customers with no REPS. Most MLM’s can’t function like that. At least here you can. Peace.
Sam, Amway started in 1959. They still have not collapsed. haha. I am not with them. The point is the birth rate is higher than the death rate. People who can’t sell or influence others will and must quit. Therefore, there are always people to recruit. It is called attrition. Affiliate marketing is different and less attrition, less quitting. MLM is still legal if they operate legally. I have seen illegal behavior when I was in law enforcement and the military by Officers. It doesn’t mean the Navy or State police are illegal. It is the independent operators that cut corners. You get it?
I work for a different travel mlm because of their commission structure and their culture in general. With us you can chose your own destinations and your own dates too. The start up cost and membership is also less. And honestly, i could not find cheaper prices elsewhere. However,please know the difference between a pyramid scheme and an MLM. Know what a pyramid scheme is first. In an MLM you can pass the person who introduced you to the business in rank and money. Second, a pyramid scheme has no product. It is just the money made of recruiting people moving up the line. And finally a pyramid scheme is illigal!!! With a little research you can make your own informed decision.
Myr – You’ve got the wrong definition of pyramid scheme. Your MLM is a pyramid scheme as well. It is simply a recruiting business in which you pretend to sell an opportunity to someone who is almost guaranteed to lose moeny… and you’re recruiting them for the purpose of having them recruit more people.
Lol you have a lot of ignorant persons in the world. Most persons on this thread don’t even know what a pyramid is.
I want everyone on here to notice something. Everyone that’s complaining hasn’t even taken a trip for one or knows how the company works EVEN THOUGH IT CLEARLY STATES IT ON EACH VIDEO PRESENTATION AND SLIDE SHOW. The world has a lot of miserable persons so its expected, but how can you blame the travel club you joined if you chose not to travel??? Theres a dreamtrip price promise that states If you find the same trip somewhere else for less then you go for free soooo I’m guessing we got a lot of remedial persons that can’t read then?? If you guys were members and claim that there were better prices for the trips elsewhere why didnt you notify WV? But hey just incase you’re not playing with a full deck we’ll ignore this ignorance lol…moving on
” it’s a pyramid because it’s based off recruiting ppl” lol. Um where do I start…for 1 the business side is optional just incase persons didn’t know. You can have a travel membership and just travel and not speak to ANYONE about dreamtrips at all but yet still get access to all the perks. And for those in the back with bad hearing..ehhemm…GETTING YOUR MONTHLY DUES BACK IS A PERK! THERE IS NO OTHER COMPANY( that I know of lol) THAT GIVES YOU YOUR FUNDS BACK FOR A PRODUCT YOU PAID FOR AND LETS YOU USE SOME OF THAT MONEY TO MAKE THE PRODUCT YOU’RE PAYING FOR EVEN LESS!! But lets just say there are even more remedial persons left that still dnt understand this….moving on
2. What business do you guys know of operates without having customers?? So therefore if you decide to come on as a rep and own your own distributorship, you gain the rights to distribute/ sell the product to others, which would make persons buying a membership your customer right?? Or you still dnt understand..cool…let’s use a Franchise, when you purchase a Franchise, you dnt own the over all company, but you gain access to sell the product as your own and make a profit. The only difference with franchise and mlm is the fact that persons coming in to buy McDonald’s dnt gain anything by suggesting that their friend eat there.
You guys are literally knocking a company that has made a way for persons to make money from doing something they already do for free ( advertising) and giving persons an opportunity to see the world with their families at a lower cost than anyone else offers. Lazy persons will complain because they want everything given to them instead of having to work for it. I refuse to give 40 years of my life away to a company that doesn’t care about me or my family and limits how much I get paid no matter how hard I work. It isn’t a get rich quick nor is it a lottery ticket. Most of you came in with that mindset which is why you failed.
If it really was a pyramid that’s been around from 2005, why is it that I’ve made more than a lot of persons that were in before me?? Been on more trips?? And helped persons I introduced this concept to have a consistent 2nd stream of income?? Logically that doesn’t make sense right? But you guys are on here complain yet you won’t ever make more than the person that hired you on your job even if you outworked them…that’s sound like a way better structure than mlm right?? Lol
Cohen – Almost no one makes money in MLM, so your claims about people making these consistent streams of income are nonsense. You get to pay money to be able to pay money to take a trip. Wow. A recruiting pyramid is not defined by whether or not you can make more than the person who recruited you. It’s about the recruiting activities and the compensation plan.
But about this dream trip price guarantee. Let’s talk about that. Here’s the fine print:
In order to qualify as a Concurrent Lower Price, the lower price must be for an identical booking, where the same DreamTrips package is booked in a single transaction, inclusive of all taxes and fees. All booking details, including the following, must exactly match the details of the DreamTrips package you booked through the Website:
? Hotel (including room type)
? Full and complete details of the competing trip’s itinerary, including dates and times of departure, routing and check-in
? Full and complete details of the competing trip’s inclusions, activities, amenities and/or excursions
? All applicable cancellation and refund policies of the hotel
? The hotel booking, as the case may be, needs to be prepaid in full and be instantly confirmed at the point of booking
? Any special terms of purchase.
So……
Every single thing about the trip has to be exactly the same, and you have to be able to book it in a SINGLE transaction in order to qualify. That’s the catch. You will never find one that is 100% identical and can be booked in a single transaction.
BUT…. if you book your own trip and find the pieces of it separately (say the airfare and the hotel), you’ll save money.
There’s more:
A Concurrent Lower Price does not include rates that are (a) available on the Website, (b) found on coupon sites, (c) found on websites where the hotel property is opaque or unknown until after purchase, or (d) where prices are determined by any sort of name-your-own-price, or auction/ bidding services. A Concurrent Lower Price will not apply to errors or mistakes, including pricing errors. The DreamPrice Promise does not apply to bookings for special event/sports trips, WorldVentures Foundation “voluntourism” trips, team/private trips and special training trips.
A Concurrent Lower Price must be both advertised and available to the general public on a website offering travel services to resident of the country in which you are resident. A Concurrent Lower Price shall not include corporate discounts or rates, military discounts, senior discounts, AAA or CAA discounts or rates, group rates, charter rates, past guest rates, rewards program rates, incentives, meeting rates, convention rates, consolidator or interline prices, or prices available only by using a coupon or voucher, or any other rates or promotions not offered to the general public. A Concurrent Lower Price cannot come from a website, which requires you to call to get the rate, or from an email that you received. Where a Concurrent Lower Price is quoted in your local currency to your country of residence we will use the IROE (IATA Rates of exchange) currency conversion rate applied at the date of the booking.
So any sort of coupon or discount or program that may help you get a lower rate isn’t included either.
Basically it’s a price guarantee that you will almost never be able to use.
Just a question to Tracy Coenen:
Are you or have you ever been a bar examed lawyer that passed the bar exam?
Just wanted to share the rep agreement has a clause for arbitration. You can not sue WV. Class Action was stayed will the arbitrators can review the case.
https://www.truthinadvertising.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Yiru-v-Worldventures-memo-opinion-and-order.pdf
You guys are really stupid?
Its a private travelling club thats why you have to pay monthly fee.
If you don’t enroll 4 why did you joined the business side?
Gratian – A private traveling club, you say? LOL
No. It’s a pyramid scheme meant to look like a business opportunity.
I’ve been in the club for awhile. The results are in:
1. Did many comparisons with other travel sites, and have saved thousands of dollars on travel with Worldventures.
2. Haven’t paid a membership fee in over 7 years and it’s still free
3. I get a monthly residual check every month that continues to grow
4. Lastly, if you like your current situation, stay in it. This is not for you…
I’ve joined WV beginning of the year… Seriously I don’t see it as a scam I pay my fee for my business and so far I’m getting back if you not serious about it it will look like a scam I mean the company is vat registered
Interesting Comments. I am still wondering where “the scam is”. I am a member and a representative. I started as a Member 4.5 years ago and I took multiple trips. I just booked a trip to New Orleans. The Membership IS the product. In exchange for a monthly membership fee, you are given access to over 4000 trips throughout the year to choose from. You have access to anytime escapes, where you can have access to resorts around the world (all inclusive). There is plenty more. So there is no scam.
As for the business I started just 8 months ago. Remember the business is optional. I sell memberships. I present it honestly and competently because I know the membership and how it works. How do you lose 1000.00 Dollars a year on a business that costs you 25.00 per month out of pocket? The answer is you can’t. I have made 16 membership sales in 6 months “working” part time after work. Yes I have a full time job. After all the WV presentation said that it wasn’t a get rich quick program. They encourage you to build the business in your spare time. The commissions from each sale means I am profitable for the year no matter what. Of course this is not including the bonuses I earned.
Some of my 16 sales also decided to opt into the business system and I am helping them. Both of them have enrolled 4 members and their fees are waived. I haven’t paid a fee in months.
The business is not for everyone. I don’t need to sell a damn thing. All I do is show the deals and communicate my own personal experiences. You say no…cool..you say yes…cool also. Over 2 million members in over 42 countries is not a scam.
Louis – It’s not a business. You are selling “memberships” that allow people to either buy travel that will cost them more than if they booked on their own through popular travel sites or recruit people to sell useless memberships to others. You don’t need “access” to trips and resorts. It’s freely available to everyone at a lower price without paying for some sort of membership. All you need is one of the hundreds of free travel websites out there.
Costco sells Memberships. Sam’s Club sells Memberships – then you enter the store and buy more…
I joined because we were told that this was like a savings account for your vacation, but now we learn we can only use the money we saved to cover a tiny portion of their idiotically overpriced trips. Basically, we’re paying for the privilege of paying these creeps to give us a discount that brings them down to just above market… I feel like an imbecile.
Chantal – Yes, Costco and Sam’s Club sells memberships. They are valuable. You actually get to save money on things you buy there. With WV, your membership is worthless. You buy a membership in order to have the privilege of paying more for your vacation than if you booked it online through popular travel websites. Also, Costco and Sam’s doesn’t have members run out and recruit other members.
They are active here in the Phil. Im hoping we can find the truth in this matter
OMG. This day and time you can find something wrong with anything. I would say most of you believe in Jesus, but if you google is Jesus real. You will find some search say he is not. Go ahead and look it up. I would be willing to say some of you people who have so much negatives to say are people who can’t stay focus on anything more then 10 minutes. And yes I am in world ventures and have been for 2 years. The first year I didn’t sign not one person up. And I looked for every reason to blame someone else. My friend and family told me I was crazy. After I decided to get off my ass and build this business i understood the only one that was holding me back was me. No it’s not for everyone but I tell you this. This new generation is jumping on board and running with it. So you old baby bomber just stay on your couch and watch reruns of old shows you have seen a 100 times and be mad at the world. All I can say is YOU SHOULD HERE.
Phillip – You don’t have a business. You are part of a scam. You are signing up people for a bogus opportunity. The won’t make money, and they won’t save money on travel.
The most interesting part of this blog is that all of us are devating back and for and the only one who wins is Tracy, the one who started this blog, she sells her product and all of you who are failing in dreamtrips, most likely will buy Tracy”s books and her products JaJa!
Open your eyes!!! Tracy also has a blog against Amway, May Cay and most MLM, the reason is because is where she finds victims, who are crying who are not able entrepreneurs . IS like Facebook, we are making money to Tracy by people like you. If Dreamtrips is not for you, learn from the failure and find something else, move out of the way and let people like Phillip and me to have fun and make money in Dreamtrips and Worldventures. find me in Facebook and you will see I took 12 vacations in 2018 one of them was one months in worldcup Russia. Last one to Vienna I paid 100% in points! It works! and I love it!
I will not be surprised if this text will be erase.
Luis – I make no money off this. People reading about WorldVentures are not buying my book. I don’t sell products. They’re not contributing to me financially in any way. I blog about MLMs because they’re abusive scams. I don’t make money by doing that. I spend both time and money to do it. I do it because I want to.
As someone with a masters in business psychology and a BA in marketing, I’d like to confirm that based on their business practices world ventures is in fact a pyramid scheme. I could get into the specifics but it’s so obvious to anyone who’s studied marketing:
Kinda like the episode of The Office where Michael was conviencing everyone that his idea wasn’t a pyramid scheme and Jim gets ups, grabs the marker and draws a pyramid around his explaintion of compensation method.
I’ve worked for Google, Amazon, and currently work at Apple. No one I know in my vast network of professional friends and colleagues has taken part of world venture. I’ve been asked by a few people to join and it’s usually people who are struggling with adulthood and are desperate for to make a quick residual buck. After letting some of these folks down they become angry and I never hear from them again. I would be angry too if I had to pay “membership fees” until I convinced 4 others to fall down the same trap.
Hey Phillip b, “I looked for every reason to blame someone else” “My friend and family told me I was crazy” “i understood the only one that was holding me back was me” “be mad at the world”.
God…I’ve never seen anybody with their head up his ass this much! What a tool!!!!
Your whole comment is basically yourself telling the world how brainwashed you are because that’s EXACTLY what everyone inside says and that’s what your pseudo leaders tell you to say to the “poor 9-5 victims of society”! You guys are nothing but mindless sheep, rookie scammers!
1. You got banned off Norway for being a pyramid scheme! And THAT is the reason…not what your uplines tell you.
2. You’re getting banned off more and more countries and claim not to be selling any travel in those countries.
3. In China, a similar thing happened. In 2015 individual provinces in China caught some affiliates going full pyramid scheme: recruit recruit recruit! And caught a few. “WV DreamTrips” got declared “Internet Pyramid” by China Bureau of Industry in November 2015. And they went full underground, but they didn’t go away, as there are further reports in 2016 and March 2017, that Chinese government had to make a public announcement again.
4. Your so called FLYE card has been a total disaster. Millions have been lost on it… they sold it, unready and not working properly to their reps, ripping those people off.
5. Since September of 2017, WV HAS NOT BEEN PAYING THEIR REPS COMMISSIONS, residuals and dream car/home payments. They are also millions in debt to vendors that they haven’t been paying either!!
6. As a result of all this crap, worldventures has gone from $926.6 million in revenue in 2016 from $377 million in 2018 having completely disappeared from the 2017 DSN list. That’s a 60% revenue reduction in 2 years!
7. Lots of double imds leaving the company jumping to next big scheme!
But yeah, the whole world is narrow minded and only you are fabulous and with an entrepreneur vision. Sure! What a great entrepreneur vision to let others do the thinking for you and scam more poor victims like yourself to the scam.
How sad…you better have a plan B for your life or I really feel sorry for you.
Tracey, this is a valuable blog to forwarn those unsuspecting newbies about sophisticated manipulative coersive persuation techniques which they wont even see coming! Purely a $ making scam.
Have you noticed the almost identical pattern in support letters which parrot the in-house briefings designed to “dead-agent” (dis) any complaintaints with “this is hard work. Get off your ass and earn it!” As an answer to any reason why the person feels ripped-off?
I’ve just learned they got me a second time with “No, only a portion of your accrued points savings can be used towards purchase. Not the entire amount!” The first time was “oh, you can’t use you deposit or points towds plane tickets” per 1st year rules.
Now I devise my plan?
Poor Anastatia, she drank the cool-aid. Her comments were straight out of the brochure. It is neither a deal nor or a good time. During my second, expensive, training trip. One guy said in stage, “fake it till you make it,” buy that car, get the watch, charge it all, look successful. By the way, recording was prohibited but they sold the dvd afterwards for $99. The whole front row of “soldiers” jumped right up to go to the back to buy. I saw them later, turning them back in, so they could be sold for real!. By the way, the top “earners” brought their “downline with them from another mlm. I was there, i lived it. World Ventures, was/is a complete scam! It is a simple fact, as most MLM people never earn more than a few hundred a year. WV most people lost money when they ran out of friends and family to sell to.
MLM, 99% of the people who try it will never profit. If you want that, you gotta start your own MLM
Hey all, i do hear your comments which have made me crazy. A lady was introducing me to the WV yesterday. I now have an answer to my many questions
Best part of reading this article is the comments of the WV reps. Total pyramid scheme can’t cover up and that other dumb guy who said they don’t tell u to recruit ….yes they do never even really sell packages if you have to advertise to friends and family then would not benefit u in any business . In a real sales position there is usually leads and other options to meet a sales quota
I have 3 months in this travelling club and i already been in Los Angeles, Cyprus, Dubai, Romania, Greece and France.
Great deals, only 4 and 5 stars hotels, all inclusive or only with breakfast.
For me personally, was amazing, i was look foe something exclusivist like this, and I am travelling worldwide through this platform.
Business part is optional. Nobody forces you to do it. This is what my friend told me from the start and personality i am developing part time only. I am more into travelling than business. So people, be more open and enjoy life more. When you don’t understand something, just ask people in the field. is like going to the doctor to do you hair and are you still wondering why he doesn’t know how to fix it for you.
But what do I know, I am just a person that travels only.
#useyourbrainpeople
Mhh.. My teacher is enjoying the benefits of WV… She is From the holiday.. I saw her pics holding.. YOU NEED TO BE HERE” flag.. she is earning R 7 200 montly since January 15th 2019
Georgiana – And I bet you paid more to do that travel than if you had just researched using the common travel sites available to everyone. I travel extensively. Good for you for choosing the YTB “travel club” that allows you to overpay for your travel.
#useyourbraingeorgiana
I opted out right away and of course following month was charged again. They say you can opt out in so many days not true…I had to close my bank acct. I left because it didn’t sound and no real answers just alot of smokr right then I google it so decided it was a hard no.
Here is my experience, Tried it for 3 months in 2016, made lot of effort and made 0 dollars, lost money actually. Of course people leave the company after they realize it is another scheme only to recruit additional members and to get money out of your wallet offering no refund. False promises.
So has anyone heard any updates on this lawsuit? Is the company going to win? Or nah? Please reply
How about a guy who was making 2 million dollars a year, just left world ventures because he could not be a part of the fraud, theft and deception any longer. The company is going to collapse very soon.
Tracy Coenen I experimented in about two MLM Operations….The Module and product did not resonate with my background. But Tony Robbins speaks of that if a person is in the right company that they resonate with, for instance, Health and Wellness would be my background, then the possibilities can be good. I am a sales study and if there is a person that believes they can be successful in Network Marketing, then so be it. I reside in Atlanta and I handle my companies top accounts and i meet young couples living in million dollar homes and they are Network marketers, bloggers, etc… NW’s is a decision, as is sales, some may like it, others may not. I did meet some Incredible people from World Ventures that I am still friends with, It was not for me, but I seen the rewards and been on several trips without paying much at all, including after losing my 80K job in 2013 and within 40 hours walking through Disney that was shut down only for the tagged members. So my restaurant team saw me on social media less than 40 hours of getting canned by a division manager who eventually committed suicide (Bless his daughter) Having fun with a small group at Disney and no one knew of the surprise that our free passes was around our neck. “There is an old saying….”Through blood sweat and tears, a dream can be achieved no matter the routes we take in this remarkable life”. For the people that are filing a lawsuit, i got a better one for you, SHUT your computer off, take ten minutes to dream of what you love and Implement your energy into a new direction INSTEAD of swinging fists at a company that is a business N.M. operation, It’s a decision, move on, do what you LOVE and the money will follow! Peace from Atlanta!
Jason, you’re absolutely right that there are a handful of people who have gotten wealthy from MLM. That has been at the expense of millions and millions of people who lost money with a fake opportunity with which they never had any chance of profiting. That, my friend, is (by definition) a scam.
Great, legitimate company, with all of the opportunities available to free Americans, who actually want to WORK, network, make the contacts, do the presentations and help sign up people to either become travel club MEMBERS, or REPRESENTATIVES, or BOTH! Many people today in the world want something for nothing, and then expect to get paid! What a joke! Our country was founded upon, expanded and prospered because people had WORK ETHIC and WORKED HARD! Many people continue to do that TODAY, and they make MONEY! That is the American dream, and people come to this country in search of the freedom to do what they want, and improve their lot in life! If people don’t work, and don’t invite, present and get people signed up to save money on their vacations, and ancillary costs, which our company GUARANTEES, they don’t get paid! It’s that simple, IF YOU DON’T WORK, YOU GO HUNGRY! STOP COMPLAINING AND START WORKING, and you WILL PROSPER! Don’t get caught up in buying into the philosophy of doing the bare minimum and getting compensation. You get paid for your actual work, not sitting around doing nothing but watching tv, social media and other time wasters. Perhaps you do that at your JOB (we call it Journey of the Broke), but those of us who are making money, and enjoy traveling at these great prices, and are reps like me making $, actually do what the Bible says and we WORK!
How is this pandemic affecting WV? In 2013 they had 500k reps in the US, In 2019 they only had 50K. So they are losing a lot of reps. That’s why they are going overseas to recoup their loses.
The company is doing very poorly. They had a planned mass layoff and blamed it on Covid. They went from over 700 employees down to approx. 200. The company has so much debt, many months behind on their accounts payable, new lawsuits for unpaid commissions or vendors. insolvancy/bankruptcy is the expected outcome it is only a matter of when.
[…] company does have a few nicks on its reputation: they were sued by the government of Norway in 2014 and forced to discontinue operations there after being classified as a pyramid scheme, […]
Ironically among WV reps is the word “bankruptcy” and company takeover ie; new entity is
“Seacret” claiming ownership. Only months ago a new selling model was introduced called Seacret with boasts of health and beauty products and how timely with the advancing COVID concerns.
Hilarious! I just found what you’re talking about. 2 failing MLMs become ONE failing MLM.
Randy Webb and Wanda Webb deserve to be in jail. They scammed me and their entire network through this MLM!!! He’s nothing but a used care sales man. Randy Webb still continues to scam through IML and his “team Legacy” aka “Randy Webb scam” when you confront him he will just block and delete you. Randy Webb is nothing but a narcissist