affiliates - do you check the join pages and terms?

Webmaster Discussion
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#1

when you sign up to promote a site or program, do you go get your links for each site, put them in your browser and click through to the join page?

most people i know don’t check the join pages or terms and conditions of sites they promote, and so they don’t know about things that are fairly common and can affect affiliate sales and rebills:

  • hidden pre-checked cross sales
  • pre-checked cross sales that don't mention they rebill
  • pics on the join page that don't work with the niche of the site
  • sites that don't show the rebill price on the join page
  • sites that don't mention that their memberships rebill
  • join pages with the names of a network or other site on them rather than the site you're promoting
  • some "lifetime" memberships you promote aren't for the site you're promoting - they're for a cheap bonus site.
  • sites that have a second processor that affiliates don't get credit for
  • sites that have limited trials (some limited trials give less access than some reality tours give for free)
and don't forget to read the terms on each site. you might be surprised to discover that at some sites your referred members can only download 500 mb per day on sites where each downloadable video is easily 250 mb. that's going to hurt retention and annoy members. or you may discover special cancel instructions that most members won't know about or understand.

i’ve promoted gay sites with girls on the join page, straight sites with guys on the join page, granny sites with a 19 year old girl on the join page. i’ve also seen sites that have special terms for people in particular countries.

#2

Re: affiliates - do you check the join pages and terms?

Not always… Its more likly that I check the tour and join page if I see odd stats or worse no sales.

#3

Re: affiliates - do you check the join pages and terms?

You should always be aware of your terms - there are items that never change from contract to contract (liability, etc.) but there are other items that can cause issues.

For example, many have statements like “we can change these terms at any time without informing you”.
Recently, there was a kafuffle on GFY as an affiliate had been cut off of his lifetime rebills from AEBN because he was no longer sending them traffic. Apparently they decided that the lifetime rebills only apply as long as you were sending new joins.
(how this was resolved, I don’t know)

But, they include that “we can change” statement in their terms so they could have changed their terms or changed the way they do business in general without informing their webmasters.

Fact of the matter is that as this industry becomes more saturated, program owners become more desperate to maintain their previous traffic and revenue stats and many are failing. As they fail, they make reckless choices that are poor for the consumer and the webmaster.

Basschicks list is just the tip of the abuse iceberg.

Forewarned is fore-armed!

Maryflixxx

#4

Re: affiliates - do you check the join pages and terms?

thanks, Maryflixxx, but i was talking about member terms. affiliates checking affiliate terms is also a good point - most of the people i know don’t, and it’s taken me as long as half an hour to go through some terms before joining a program.