How To Combat Merchant & Network Fraud.

[Master Mind]

To combat the epidemic of fraud perpretrated on affiliates by merchants and the ad netowrks you have to do more than just complain.

The problem is complaining is FREE and taking action is not.

Yet every affiliate can go file a small claims case against any of the networks and or merchants who have ripped them off.

How many have done so? Not a lot or the fraud stuff would stop.

There is a huge file of evidence available from forums like this one, abestweb, cash pile and more on both individual merchants and the networks.

All people need to do is screen print the stuff and organize it in a presentable way,
file the small claims case for the $100 or so it costs and the game is on.

You go to court, present your side of the deal the judge makes a ruling, you win or lose.

If you win, you wait the required time and then collect or the company appeals.

In any case, if you win you send a PR piece out to the press touting your victory.

Why don't affiliates do this? Who knows?

But if 1,000 affiliates each filed a case in 1,000 different small claims courts, some one at the companies would get the message.

They might never have to pay anyone but they would be buried in legal costs and unless they changed their tactics, these costs would continue.

Another thing, Overstock, ValueClick (CJ) eBay and a host of other cheaters are public companies.

Such actions would not bode well for the stock price.

You want to keep from getting screwed, don't get mad, get even.

As long as you let them get away with it, you are going to get screwed.

[amberstar702]

Frederick:
Would you please provide some links regarding places to make complaints?

This is my story: I had been an affiliate of http://www.seniorscircle.com for several years and received commissions erratically even though they were supposed to pay monthly. I had a co-branded senior dating website with them, then worked for them doing promotions and recruiting new affiliates.

We had a parting of the ways regarding a financial dispute and I re-directed my URL to an 'Under Construction' site until building my own affiliate site and signing up with Senior Friendfinder in their affiliate program.

I received an email from a disgruntled member who demanded that I 'stop spamming him with emails.' I was able to ascertain that Seniorscircle.com had been sending them out in my name. When I wrote to them and asked them to cease, they responded immediately and said they would do so. They also stated they had no idea I was no longer affiliated with them (this, even though I no longer received checks from them)!

At that time, I was still able to read the stats and found that they had 80 free sign-ups in three months. I was unable to determine how many people
converted to paying member status though. And after I wrote to them, they cut off my access to the stats.


After several months, I discovered that they had kept the co-branded website up and were diverting my traffic. I found on several search engines that my url of www.spicy-senior-singles was listed by www.seniorscircle.com and led to the co-branded site. I again wrote to them and this time received no response - the sites still remain.

I am surprised at the blatant gall of this man even though I advised him I was going to take action. Any advice that you or any other member could give me would be most appreciated.

Regards,

[Master Mind]

Go to Abestweb and look up the thread of where to complain.

Go to Google and look up FTC, FBI etc.

Go to your state website and look up smail claim court rules.

good luck.