Order sniping, what would you do?
 

Just a question here since I know quite a few folks here have mainstream sites and work with commission junction.

Yesterday, a regular customer that frequents one of my mainstream sites and regularly makes purchases there through my affiliate links relayed a rather disturbing situation.

He had just clicked through my affiliate link and was filling out the profile for a rather large product purchase. The profile included his phone number and such. While he was in the midst of placing his web order, he received a phone call from the "sales staff" telling him that they would take his order over the phone "for his convenience."

Of course, my regular customer contacted me and told me what had happened. Apparently, the sales staff has access to see who is online and what they fill out in their profile and "sniped" the order by calling my customer.

I'm waiting to hear back from my affiliate rep on this, but damn, when I three wayed my customer into the "sales office" with me on the phone to find out what was going on they were dismissive, rude as hell, and obviously GUILTY AS FUCK.

I wonder now how many orders I have lost from this company by their sales staff having access to customers as they are online trying to place order through my affiliate links! THIS BLOWS! :mad:

Whatever you do, do NOT give us the name of the company. It is strictly against GFY rules.

:1orglaugh

I'll be happy to give anyone here the name of the company who has a cj account and wants to avoid them as soon as I hear from the affiliate manager tomorrow regarding this incident. I don't believe this in an institutional problem with this company, but if they don't take action to restrict their telesales people from doing what they are doing, as in, restricting their access to customers who are online filling out profiles and making orders and sniping those orders mid sale, then I will have to judge this as institutional and not only will I give the information to interested webmasters, but it will be reported to commission junction. My customer knew they were sniping the sale and has told me he will stand by me and provide whatever information is necessary to commission junction as well. Good customers are like gold sometimes, especially the ones that are loyal like this guy is to the site I run. ;-)

I will tell you this, the minimum order for this company is around $1000. I am mortified today at how many orders I may have lost through sniping, but I am glad that the dirt came out because if it's not addressed by my affiliate manager to my satisfaction I will be pulling my links and I do big sales for these folks. :Oh crap

thats messed up, please email me the company that did this,

Yes yes -- everyone who responds here I will be happy to send a mail to you -- if the affiliate manager does not acknowledge and rectify the problem tomorrow and I have to go ahead with a complaint to cj from both my customer and myself.

I'll repost here in this thread when i get a response tomorrow from the affiliate manager.

All I have to say is -- BUSTED!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:

make a complaint to commission junction.

Alot of hosting companies pull this bullshit

That's pretty jacked up. Assuming there's no reasonable explanation given (I can't imagine what one could be), imho, that's outright theft.

I'd appreciate an email as to who it is, and being kept in the loop on how this turns out myself, if you're willing/able.

Thanks... and good luck.

Absolutely willing to send anyone here the info if I do not receive the relief I am looking for.

Question is, what should I expect? This is the first time anything like this has ever happened to me with a mainstream company (no it's not a hosting company). I'd like relief in the form of raised commissions on the orders that did go through this month to make up for the sniping that is obviously going on.

I love the fact there that I have a customer willing to stand by my side as a direct witness. He says he's canceling his order if I do not receive sales credit for it -- but beyond that, how can I be sure that they are going to do something like fire the asshole that stole from me and restrict access of telesales people from the customers coming in through affiliate links? How can I really be sure they are going to do that?

What really sucks here is that this program is the one I have been making the most money with on my site... :-(

i work with cj....i hope i have not been fucked too!

damn, that's fucked up... :(

Shit, when I worked in corporate sales many moons ago I had fuckers in my own office taking my sales off the fax machine and stealing calls from customers asking for me -- sales can be so damn sleezy like that. You think the corporation would have fired the assholes doing that to their highest earning sales tech? Nah... just a slap on the hand. I dunno.. maybe the economy of today with 100 honest people who kick ass at sales waiting outside their door for a chance at a job is an incentive to fire the thieves that populate some sales offices -- it was different during the dot bomb boom. lol.

cj has always been shady

that's pretty fucked :-/

Shit I also work with CJ...and I know plenty of other people that do too.
If you dont get a resolution I would post this in every mainstream board.
I would like to know the name of the company too pls

You could put a note on your page to the effect of warning about scammers who will call "supposedly" representing the company to try to get credit card numbers and such.

Don't know what cj would think of that..lol. But it might get customers to ignore the calls.

I agree that it is unfair and I am sure CJ would like to know about that because it is jipping them out of their commission too.