Dugan's Travels review: Fraud and scam 151

People who do not pay their fees are deadbeats. That is rude and unprofessional. Signing a contract and not following through with what they signed. By signing that contract, they committed to paying their fees.

Beth

Yes Dugan's Travels makes a profit but it does not go into my pockets. I make a salary as well as others who work for the agency does. Extra earnings have been put back into the business as well as put into savings because we want to make sure we are here for the long haul rather than when something terrible like 9/11 we can make it thru. So many agencies can't make it thru hard times due to mis-management of money and we will not be like that. When we need money it will be there. We paid out over 140, 000 to agents this month alone. Agents never have to worry that they won't get paid because we have spent their commissions.

But a HUGE number of our agents make the $3000 quota and do not pay the $10 fee. Our agents are successful and great at what they do. Ask suppliers what they think of our agents- we constantly get emails, calls and letters from suppliers praising our agents from suppliers. Suppliers come to our agent seminar each year just to see our agents because they want them to work with them.

Those who are successful don't sit there and worry about what people are earning or attack others for being successful. They are excited and want to do better themselves. There is no reason to get jealous but rather look at ways you can be successful yourself. It took a very long time and alot of hard work to build Dugan's Travels to what it is today and everyone who works for Dugan's Travels deserves what they earn! That includes not only our agents, our staff but also myself.

Jennifer Dugan

I can honestly say I have absolutely no regrets. Everyone was always willing to help out, give their advice, help me find the best deals. They provide you with training & support. If you're not ready, they'll work with you until you are ready. It's your own business & it's what you make it. They are not there to just 'give' you clients. As with any business, you need to advertise & find a way to bring in your own clients. I have never had any issues.

Dugan's and their agents are all very helpful & provide all the training you need. If you have any doubts about anything, they are there to lend a helping hand. They are quick in replying to any help you need. They are all very kind and friendly. I have never had any issues & absolutely have no regrets.

It's a shame how one bad apple spoils the bunch. Dugan's "supports" its members by allowing them to book travel for THEIR business without having to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars obtaining their own credentials and insurance. They give at-home agents all of the tools they need to be successful. Whether someone uses those tools to their fullest potential is up to the user, not Dugan's. And $10/month? Are you kidding me? A pittance compared to what you'd pay if you did it on your own. Perhaps Dugan's doesn't exist to coddle whiny brats -- if that's the support you want, you shouldn't even think about starting your own business. If, however, you are a hard worker who will use the tools Dugan's provides and someone who will strive to make their business successful, you couldn't find a better (and less expensive) opportunity

I've been sitting back, reading all these posts and I have a question. Ms. Dugan says she has 900 agents (perhaps it was an agent who said this but it was mentioned in one of the posts and not recanted by anyone at Dugans.) My question is IF there are 900 agents, why do only 200-300 show up on the Dugans Travels site? They are listed by state and there are nowhere near 900. Just a question I'd like answered. If the reason they don't show up is that they haven't met a quota, or whatever, how will they ever if Dugans doesn't give them a chance to pick up clients from the website. I can't think of a good answer for their being deleted, can anyone else?

Also, unless Ms Dugan reads every email her staff sends out (from their personal computers which she doesn't have access to) how does she know someone hasn't been rude to another agent? It's called CYA and those with a short fuse cover their tracks by blaming problems on someone else, someone who isn't getting paid by Ms Dugan. That's the way it works in the corporate world and I don't know any reason it wouldn't be the same in the travel agent world. Just saying.

Just to be accurate, there are exactly 184 agents on Dugan's site. 184, not 900. That's quite an error for a businesswoman to make, especially since it can be checked so easily.

ERROR! I am so sorry that I posted that there are 900 agents according to Ms Dugan. On her webpage, she says there are 700. My error. Of course, her error is that there are only 184 but who's counting!

Agents are responsible for listing themselves on the website. Not everyone wishes to be on the website for whatever reason. There are 700 agents with the agency, but only 184 who wish to be listed on the website.

Thanks!

Not all our agents choose to be listed. This is a personal choice for agents. I am not sure why you are questioning my honesty but we do have close to 700 agents. There really is no reason for us to lie about how many agents we have. You might do some more research before publicly attacking someone.

Jennifer Dugan

It is important to do your own research first, It is not Dugan's Travels job as a host agency to hold your hand. However, it is their job to give you the tools and resources to help you sell product. Dugan's Travels is not scam or fraud! It provides good customer service and an excellant commission spilt arrangement for larger host agency.

Cruiseboy

I am a new agent with Dugan's Travels and have found the experience overall and with some patience to be great. All of the tools are in place to be a successful agent with the online tools and questions forum that is answered promptly. My trainer is patient with all my questions and being able to ask questions of long-term agents is giving me some insight that I would have to learn on the job and over time. The $130 sign up fee is doable as is the $10 per month support fee and the yearly $50 for E&O Insurance. Being overwhelmed and frustrated is part of starting out in a new field...I did feel that way. Now after 4 weeks, I'm beginning to catch on and plan to be with Dugan's for many years to come. You may want to take another look at Dugan's...they've come a long way since 2009. Ana North

I was researching becoming a TA and came across this post. I have been an Accountant for 30 years and had a real estate lic for 20 years. The negative commenters against this company are totally ignorant as to how a real business operates. It takes investing money to make money. A $10.00 non-compliance fee is nothing! They seem to be oblivious to the fact that when signing an agreement - you are bound to follow the limits and specifics of the agreement. This is a "sales" job. You sell, everybody reaps. You don't sell - everybody pays. The company "assists" you - they need to maintain policies and regulations to run their company - all of which (from all that I've read) are perfectly normal business "norms". Ms Dugan is simply defending her company by replying to these posts for which I do not blame her as this is the first post that comes up when "searching the Internet" for her company. I would go further, if I were her, and file a law suit. These are slanderous allegations that are definitely affecting "new agents'" decisions that are researching her company.

I almost gave her my money thanx for the insight all!

Dugans Travels has a new management team, new websites, new agent forum, and just received an award at Sandals Star award ceremony. Our agents are outstanding. With any business, there will be people who complain because they don't succeed. If you do your research and see what this website is, you will see Dugans Travels offers so much for the independent travel agent looking for a home. I am very proud of our agency, management team and agents. Just read our reviews on websites that actually make people be accountable for their statements and you will see. We could spend thousands of dollars to pay to get this garbage removed from the internet, however we would rather spend that money on things that actually help like our fundraising efforts for various organizations. Hopefully anyone reading this website and looking at whether they should join our agency or use one of our agents for their travel plans will see it for what it is. You can complain without having any proof or reasoning.

I would like to say That i was Looking for a Home base business and decided to look at WAHMS. My lost job I had was selling time share vacations out of a Bass Pro Shop. So when I saw a forum about home base travel agency it caught my attention. The ladies on there were expressing great pleasure with there exp. with Dugans. I went on Dugan"s website and it was very easy to understand I did however email them with some questions and in less then a hour Ms.Dugan herself got back to me very promptly. I have spend the last 7 hours doing nothing but Comparing her company with others. As of right now cannot find a better fit. I decide to google complaints against her and I was surprise to see on this site She stands up for her agents and company! I never seen walmart, sears or any other place take the time to do so. I am still looking up something such as state laws here in Iowa with Ms. Dugan herself advised me to do on her email she sent. If everything looks good on my end I will not hesitate giving Dugans travel a shot. I am very much looking forward with working with them.

I worked as an Independent Contractor for Dugans travels in the past, and was very disappointed. I would verge on saying that are becoming a "Card Mill". At the time I was with them, Jennifer Dugan was so busy building her "new home" that she was completely unavailble to answer any phone calls or emails. When I finally got a response from her, it was extremely nasty. She basically told me that if I needed to ask questions, that I needed to go elsewhere. So I did. Best move I ever made. She is about the MONEY, not the agents. She would not refund any monthly fees due to my leaving, and I wasn't about to be dealt with like a child, by a rude and greedy woman. They are all about getting you to sign up, and pay all their various fees. More fees than I've ever paid elsewhere. (Hence the new home..) Do yourself a favor - GO WITH ANOTHER HOST AGENCY. Trust me!

We do recognize that in 2004 there were some delays due to home remodeling. In 2004 we were a much smaller agency with a management staff of 2 and less than 100 agents. Today in 2013 we are proud to announce that we have a much larger management staff, new tools, website, Client Data Management system, 24 hour commission reporting access and over 600 agents! We are sorry for your experience in [protected] please ask any current agents of ours now how they feel about our agency and they will tell you they are happy. See reviews here: http://hostagencyreviews.com/host-agency-list/dugans-travels/
Please note that Dugans Travels never was and is not now a “card mill” agency. Thank you for sharing your feedback agents like yourself are what have helped us build a better Host Agency.

I have a suggestion from an accounting manager's perspective (I don't work for this company, , , , yet :)
I am assuming the 'company' is providing their agents the 'leads' if that is not accurate, please clue me in as to where the leads come
from.
If in fact the 'company' does provide the leads to each agent, would it not be more efficient (and less obviously irritating ) to have
the 'company' deduct the 25% fee out of each check before they disburse the agent's payments? It would seem more logical,
again, assuming that the leads are being generated through the 'company' and then referred to an agent, THAT IS THE COST OF
DOING BUSINESS, ladies and gentlemen?
It sounds like you want the 'company' to pay the cost of ADVERTISING so you get leads (and the leads are what you earn your money off of). You are an 'independent consultant' who gets to work at home, so essentially, you have NO TRANSPORTATION COSTS of your OWN, NO PROFESSIONAL WARDROBE COSTS, and IF YOU USE A CHEAP NO COST PHONE SERVICE LIKE 'MAGIC JACK' YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A PHONE BILL? I'm sorry if I sound dumb, but THAT SOUNDS LIKE THE PERFECT JOB TO ME!

Maybe I'll sign up and see for myself? :) www.YourPersonalConciergeOnCall.com

Your personal Concierge on call, we do not offer leads, we offer training, tools and resources for those interested in starting their own business as a home based travel agent . We give marketing ideas however the actual marketing is up to the agent. We do now have a system that allows us to deduct the fee from the agents commission making the fee collection much nicer from the accounting standpoint. However agents who choose to join us then do nothing with their business including paying the monthly support fee which covers costs such as the CRM tool, the agents only website and staff to assist them, those are the ones who complain. We dont force anyone into a contract, if they want to join great but its not an overnight money maker it takes hard work and dedication. Those who complain just dont want to pay the fee that they agreed to because they failed to hold up their part of the commitment which they can choose to end at anytime with a phone call or by sending in a letter requesting termination from the agency. Once we receive this letter they only pay what is left on their account, if they have commissions due to them we will deduct it from that and we always wish them luck in their future endeavors. If we see agents are not making bookings we call, email and reach out to them to see what we can do to help them build their business. Check us out on the web Host Agency Travel Reviews and Find a Travel Host Agency both of these sites have reviews of our agency. You can also ask agents who work with us, post a question on our Dugans Travels Facebook page and please we encourage you to research us. We are not the perfect fit for everyone no Host Agency is. Its important to do your homework and partner with someone who fits your needs. We have expanded our management team, we have upgraded our systems, we have really worked very hard to be sure that anyone who works with us or wants to work with us will not be disappointed.

I just joined Dugans travel. I went to cash check today and is a counterfeited check. This company is scaming people thru bookings. I received my instructions and never was in contact with any customer.at all. All they asked me was to retype the ittinenary sent. now..now working for hotels and tour operators and travel agencies in no Agency world this happens. They pay you to wash the stolen checks the write...Whos going to pay you $230.00 just to retype an itinerary to email client...please

@Debra. I spoke with you today on the phone. The company you signed up with is not Dugan's Travels. A scammer named Jeff Howell is presenting himself as Dugans Travel and contacting people directly by email to be "travel coordinators." Jeff Howell has nothing to do with Dugan's Travels in Rio Rancho NM.

As I told you on the phone we are doing everything we can to stop this scammer. We appreciate you contacting us, giving us info about how you were approached and the documents you received. What you experienced is not the way we do business. I'm glad you are savvy enough to detect the scam and were not harmed by this malicious behavior.

Virginia, Dugan's Travels General Manager

Jeff Howell is a scam artist. He is running a phishing scam against Dugan's Travels. Jeff Howell is not an agent with Dugan's Travels nor has he ever been.
He has been sending out emails to individuals/message boards claiming to be an agent advertising for new agents.

He is using emails of jeff.howell@juno.com and jeffowell@aol.com Do not respond to these emails. He may even be using different emails. If you see the name Jeff Howell do not respond.

Dugan's is trying to scam me as well. They sent me a check made out to me clearly in the "Pay to the order of" line. I deposited it because I am a travel agent ( NOT w/Dugan's) and clearly assumed it was a commission check since it had my name on it. Now they are trying to get me to return the money to them claiming it doesn't belong to me. (Their accounting errors are not my problem.) My attorney has uncovered almost 30 scams by this company and advised me to stop payment on the check I returned to them out of good faith that it was my mistake. However, he also advised me that I was probably the one being scammed. A genius way to make someone feel guilty and send them money. How would they get my name, address and telephone number in order to send a check and contact me if this was a "mistake"? I've never worked for them. They are harassing me on a weekly basis hounding me to send them the money. The fact that the owner is so foul and unprofessional is also a huge red flag. Watch out people! It is a complete scam! If you're affected at all GET AN ATTORNEY!

This is not us, this is a PHISHING SCAM created by a guy namd Jeff Howell who is NOT with our agency. If you go to our website www.travelathome.com we have a warning. I am sorry you were scammed by this guy we have only had 2 people out of hundreds actually take this to the bank. We have called the attorney generals office of NM, the local police departments of those who have received them and they will not help us get this guy caught they tell everyone to throw it away. Again these checks are not from our Travel Agency. Anyone reading this please do NOT Cash any money orders or cashiers checks. We only pay commissions by direct deposit and to agents that have paid the fee to join our Host Agency.

Well I found one host agency not to go with. Who wants an agency so combative. Thank you everyone.

Jennifer you should just stop replying. Most of it just comes off as unprofessional. The defensive attitude you take and ease you use is disturbing at best, sounds like your used to it and that speaks volumes. Even though I can see through the bitterness of some of the posters have towards you for reasons that don't seem to be your fault, your public perception is shot with me. I will go another direction in my search for a new Host Agency hopefully I will wind up with one with an owner that has much more professionalism then you were able to display.

As always Dugan's Travels appreciates constructive criticism in our effort to work to be a better host agency. We work to be the best fit for new, inexperienced agents as well as those who are seasoned pros. Dugan's Travels has worked tirelessly over the last few years to update our technology and work on new processes and procedures to help our amazing agents work smarter. It is not an agency best practice to be combative within our agency and I am sorry if that is impression you were left with. We want all agents and prospective agents to walk away impressed with our agency whether or not we are the best fit for them. We wish you the best of luck in your search for a host agency.

I have been an agent w/ Dugans for four years now. My experience has been great. I have no complaints. I receive plenty of support and always in a very timely manner. My commissions are also always paid on time. I guess some people are just never happy.

LOTS OF HELPFUL PEOPLE and RESOURCES! I was with Dugan's for over 3 years, needed to take a personal sabbatical, and am back now. The training is even more thorough now and there is a great mentoring/training program to work new agents into the business. Many people underestimate what there is to selling travel - it definitely can feel like resource overload, but I am so thankful to have everything I need at my fingertips plus a large supportive base of agents to collaborate with. Jennifer Dugan and her staff (many long term) have responded very quickly to questions from my experience and observation. I see her taking steps all the time to improve the process! Not every Host Agency will fit every individual, and that is why it is great we have a choice! My experience with Dugan's was great the first time, and even better this time!

I have worked part time with Dugan's Travels since 2008. I have always been treated respectfully and communications have always been professional. Jennifer has done a great job finding people to help her run the business - agents who are passionate about travel, and their enthusiasm is inspiring. In my opinion this host agency feels more like a family as I am comfortable contacting any other Dugan's agent for help with advice on trip planning where I'm not yet an expert. Our shared client software does a great job recording reservations and tracking commissions, and with our Facebook group we have another great way to communicate - with answers sometimes coming in minutes.