Pitts - If I was an operator I'd gladly pay £10 for every one of those referrals...
And if it were that simple I might agree but I just can't see that it is.
From what I can see, the franchisee will bill the customer and have to pay whatever service charge for the on-line transaction. They then have a contract to deliver the flight.
If the franchisee then tells the customer that they're not delivering the flight, so please call school X, I would expect the customer to be a bit
'd off. If they're smart, they'll cancel the sale under the distance selling regulations and book directly with the organ grinder.
Let's not even consider the undoubted complications of scheduling, Wx cancellations, changing customer requirements etc etc. Is the franchisee really going to be set up to cope with that? Telling the customer to contact school X after you've paid over your money is just not good enough.
You might say "well that's what the voucher pimps do", but that is not the case either. These organisations have excelled in their relationships with customers to a point where many organisations across many sectors are dependent on their "do it for cost" handouts in order to keep fresh faces coming through the door.
Jerry, perhaps you could elaborate on the sales cycle or point us to a franchisee website?