+34
Charlie Harris thought she had found a flexible, lucrative career selling holidays with InteleTravel. But the real money came from recruiting others, not selling trips. After 15 months, she earned just £1,470, with a profit of £383.85. The experience led to mental health struggles and self-harm. Now she exposes the smoke and mirrors of multi-level marketing in the travel industry.
The woman lounged on a hammock overlooking the turquoise Caribbean. It was an Instagram picture posted by travel agent Charlie Harris, with the implicit message that she could help send her followers on a similarly idyllic holiday.
But little behind this and the stream of holiday photos Charlie posted to promote her business was as it seemed. From the outside, it looked like Charlie had an envy-inducing job. She was making a living selling people their dream holidays for travel agency InteleTravel. She had flexibility over her hours and could work from home.
And she received discounts on her own holiday bookings. But what Charlies Instagram post didnt mention was that her main form of income while working for InteleTravel wasnt actually from selling holidays at all, but from recruiting other agents to sell holidays with InteleTravel. That was through a second operation called PlanNet Marketing, a multi-level marketing (MLM) company, in which sales reps earn by recruiting others into the business.
Even the Instagram picture itself had more to it than first appeared. The woman in it was not one of Charlies clients at all, but was in fact her mother a frequent traveller whose photos she used to promote her business. But in the 15 months Charlie sold holidays for InteleTravel, her mother resolutely refused to book trips through her daughter. She knew how to get the best deals, says Charlie.
I could never compete with what she was getting through Tui. For every agent Charlie recruited to InteleTravel, she was paid. For every new recruit those new people recruited, she received an additional fee. At one point I had a team of more than 20 people, says Charlie, 35, from Derby.
Yet the success and income shed been implicitly promised never materialised. It was an operation, she now says, that offered little more than smoke and mirrors. In 15 months, Charlie made just 1,470.25 pounds from InteleTravel and PlanNet Marketing: 218.49 pounds in commission for ten travel bookings, and 1,251.76 pounds for recruitment. And I was in the top three per cent of earners, she laughs wryly.
I was making a tiny bit of profit, but everyone below me was losing. After discounting the 156 pound joining fee shed paid both companies to sign up, a mandatory 46 pound monthly fee to InteleTravel, and hundreds more spent on training events and her own website, her profit was 383.85 pounds a paltry average of 25.59 pounds per month. Working 60-hour weeks, she would search for flights and hotels for clients.
I could spend all day putting together a quote, she says. Effectively toiling for nothing or a single penny an hour the ramifications on her mental health were profound and she even ended up self-harming. Five years on, Charlie has completed an Open University degree in psychology and counselling, which has helped her to understand how the scheme worked. The manipulation started to make sense, she says.
At first I thought I was a perpetrator. But Id been brainwashed. When Charlie joined InteleTravel shortly after its 2019 launch in the UK, it had around 4,000 agents. Co-founded by its American CEO James Ferrara in 1991, it now has more than 38,000 agents in the UK and Ireland.
Chances are youll have seen its social media pictures promoting holidays on your social media feed, which are all the more alluring as summer gets underway. Of course, theres nothing wrong with travel agents earning commission when booking holidays. InteleTravel is a regulated host travel agency with Air Travel Organisers Licensing (ATOL), and is a member of the industry body, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).
But what makes it controversial is its 11-year partnership with PlanNet Marketing, a company founded by American father-of-four Donald Bradley, 57. Bradley has said his passion for the business stems from his desire to lift people out of poverty.
His net worth isnt known, but given he declared in 2023 that his ambition was to increase the number of sales reps paying his company 40 dollars (29.88 pounds) a month from 82,000 worldwide to one million by 2028, its safe to say hes a multi-millionaire. Critics of MLMs such as his point out that the vast majority of sales reps are women needing flexible work.
They are often required to make a payment to enter the company and risk straining relationships with family and friends who are bombarded with their sales pitches on social media. Most are passionate about their MLM. When I investigate these companies, Im inundated with stories about their life-changing powers, and warned against criticising them. The psychology of cults and MLMs are on a par, says Charlie.
In her case, the dream of a flexible, lucrative career turned into a nightmare of financial loss and emotional distress. She now warns others to be cautious about such opportunities that promise easy money through recruitment. Her story is a cautionary tale about the hidden costs of a job that looks perfect on social media but can leave individuals worse off
Scratch the next story
Please follow us on Google to support usMulti-Level Marketing Travel Agency Recruitment Financial Loss Mental Health
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Karmelo Anthony trial consumed by race and self-defense, but hidden hurdle could be key: expertTexas attorney says Karmelo Anthony murder trial could hinge on self-defense laws, race and jurors' understanding of high school track meets.
Read more »
Study reveals hidden gut factor that may make some people more susceptible to sepsisA healthy gut microbiome may protect against severe sepsis, experts say, as new research links certain gut bacteria to stronger inflammatory responses.
Read more »
Royal Wedding: Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling Marry in Intimate Ceremony with Hidden MomentsPeter Phillips marries Harriet Sperling in a Cotswolds ceremony attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla, featuring a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, a high-street dress worn by Lena Tindall, and the presence of Kate Middleton's ex-boyfriend Rupert Finch.
Read more »
Minnesota Couple Accused of Sexual Abuse of Missing Teen Found Hidden in BedroomA Minnesota couple faces charges after a missing 14-year-old girl was discovered hidden in their home. The victim was found in a cardboard box following a late-night police response to neighbor reports. Explicit material was recovered from the suspects' phones, and the couple's own children were previously taken by Child Protective Services.
Read more »