Forkbeard Recommends: Avoid GordCash

[Forkbeard]

Cliff notes version: Gordcash (super-niche bondage affiliate program) promised rebills for the life of memberships, has apparently now decided to stop paying on all rebills, including rebills on existing memberships.

I'll start by saying I consider affiliate program owners to stand in a fiduciary relationship with respect to the money owed affiliates. Program owners should (and good ones do) display an exaggerated determination to see that affiliates get every penny coming to them. They have too many opportunities to steal, so it's vital that they be seen as scrupulously honest. If I see any hint that a program owner is relaxed about getting affiliates paid, I stop sending traffic ASAP. So, that's where I'm coming from.

Having said that, I'll let the excerpted emails speak for themselves. (Aside: I think the affiliate manager is a basically good guy with boneheaded bosses. I'm not naming him because he seems to be embarrassed to be where he is and (in subsequent emails not quoted) he offered to *personally* compensate me out of his own pocket for the trivial sum his bosses are not paying me -- basically, one rebilling member. I told him thanks but no thanks -- but as far as I'm concerned, he personally is a stand up guy.)

Originally Posted by GordCash

Date: Fri, 04 Aug 2006
Subject: House Of Gord Affiliate Program

Hi,
My name is [redacted]. I'm the new affiliate manager for the House of Gord.
I'd like to take a moment to invite you to join and earn 50% of all
transcations for the life of the membership.

Time passes. Minor promotion by me. Long complicated sub-plot about why they never got major promotion from me, now irrelevant. Then yesterday:

Originally Posted by GordCash

From: "House of Gord" <[email protected]>
Subject: Affiliate Payment Changes
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007

To all Affiliates,

We at Beltane Enterprises, Inc. would like to take this moment to inform you that starting August 1st, we will no longer be paying out on affiliate rebilling. We will however pay 60% of all future new members.

This was a hard decision for us to make. We know it will be a disappointment to all of you. We have debated this for the past couple of months. However with the cost of production and other expenses we feel we have no other choice. If we are going to keep the affiliate program alive, then it must
be mutually financially productive.

We hope you all will continue to promote our sites and we would like to apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. If any of you have any questions or just want to rant feel free to contact me at:
[affiliate manager email].

Originally Posted by Forkbeard

Does that mean that existing rebills will be collected by you, but not shared with your affiliates? Because I believe that would violate your contractual obligations.

Or, do you just mean that you will not be sharing rebills from new sales?

Originally Posted by GordCash

Good question. I'll have to get that answer from the bosses.

Originally Posted by Forkbeard

The rebill issue isn't a big one for me, but I've had one guy rebilling for six months who looks set to continue awhile. And I don't think it would be fair business practice for you guys to just decide to start keeping that revenue.

Originally Posted by GordCash

I'm sorry but I think the people at Gord have decided to not pay for old
rebilling. I tried to explain to them that this is a bad idea and that
it creates a bad image for them in the industry but they were resolved
to end the affiliate program altogether and have agreed to leave whats
left because of my wishes.

I agree with you that this is not the best way to do this but I work for
them and have to comply with there wishes.

So, there you have it, folks. My recommendation to all bondage / fetish webmasters would be to keep far, far away.

[bobby666]

sounds not good for the house of gord

[Forkbeard]

No, it's really not.

I mean, they only started the affiliate program a year ago. It sounds like they looked at the rebill revenue stream and thought "why are we giving half of that away?" without any thought that it wasn't theirs to "give" or retain.

Greed triumphs over good sense, sigh. Not for the first time in this biz or any other.

[Bansheelinks]

Stupidity, stupidity, stupidity.

[Forkbeard]

I have been amazed at how many small sites with new-ish affiliate programs don't seem to understand the first thing about affiliate marketing. In particular, this "we can't afford our affiliates" meme seems common.

I had one small fetish program owner tell me "we've never made any any money from our affiliates, we only have the program in order to give back to the community of our supporters." My response was, in effect, "Duuude. You must not be doing it right."

He then explained that the reason affiliates didn't make them any money was that "they are sending us sales that we would get anyway, without them."

[Sen]

Originally Posted by Forkbeard

I have been amazed at how many small sites with new-ish affiliate programs don't seem to understand the first thing about affiliate marketing. In particular, this "we can't afford our affiliates" meme seems common.

I had one small fetish program owner tell me "we've never made any any money from our affiliates, we only have the program in order to give back to the community of our supporters." My response was, in effect, "Duuude. You must not be doing it right."

He then explained that the reason affiliates didn't make them any money was that "they are sending us sales that we would get anyway, without them."

Let me guess his name was paul ?

[CaptainHowdy]

Bumperoo!

[Forkbeard]

Originally Posted by Sen

Let me guess his name was paul ?

Heh, no.

[Aussie Rebel]

Originally Posted by Sen

Let me guess his name was paul ?

[u-Bob]

Originally Posted by Forkbeard

"they are sending us sales that we would get anyway, without them."

[jonesonyou]

What a sad story.

[BoyAlley]

Originally Posted by Bansheelinks

Stupidity, stupidity, stupidity.

Quoted for emphasis.

[Kinky Dollars]

Wow, that's the first I've heard of it. Bad move on their part.

[J. Falcon]

Originally Posted by Forkbeard

I have been amazed at how many small sites with new-ish affiliate programs don't seem to understand the first thing about affiliate marketing. In particular, this "we can't afford our affiliates" meme seems common.

I had one small fetish program owner tell me "we've never made any any money from our affiliates, we only have the program in order to give back to the community of our supporters." My response was, in effect, "Duuude. You must not be doing it right."

He then explained that the reason affiliates didn't make them any money was that "they are sending us sales that we would get anyway, without them."

[GatorB]

Just another reason to stay with PPS instead of revshare.

[Ditosta]

That's bad news for affiliates, We were considering promoting them in our members areas.

[Forkbeard]

They've got stylish content, but apparently not so much honesty.

[Brad Mitchell]

Jesus christ, I never even heard of this program before! Seems like there are five new ones every week. Shame.

Brad

[Forkbeard]

Thread is old but I'm bumping it. These guys are pretty obscure in the industry but I want to make sure everybody who might be thinking about dealing with them understands their casual disregard for their business obligations.

[janosik]

They at least inform that affiliates will not be paid for rebills while assholes Cashtitans just don't pay without warning. Somebody should make paysite listing those scumbags to warn newbies

[tranza]

How fucked up is that???

[Ditosta]

Send all your fetish traffic to us!

[Forkbeard]

Originally Posted by tranza

How fucked up is that???

Pretty damned fucked up.

I don't do a lot of "stay away from these fuckers" board drama threads, but the cold "we don't give a shit, we're just stealing it" move just pissed me off.

[Pics Traffic]

stay away from those fuckers

[Iron Fist]

You know hookers are NOT CHEAP! Fuck over the affiliates to get that extra 10 cents! We will see who lasts longer.... me or House of Gone.

[sicone]

guess they dont understand the meaning of revshare

[Iron Fist]

Originally Posted by Forkbeard

He then explained that the reason affiliates didn't make them any money was that "they are sending us sales that we would get anyway, without them."

And how exactly would they be getting those sales? By sitting on their asses waiting for them to just come in? That is the most fucktarded sentence I have ever seen! Unbelievable! Unless you have an army of people in your company, YOU CANNOT COMPETE with a competitor who has an army of affiliates working on sending them traffic and sales.. not to mention all the extra sideline stuff like posting on boards, newsgroups, tubes, etc etc etc... WOW... someone needs to deflate that ego... actually on second though.. nevermind... let them bleed cash until they are out of business

[signupdamnit]

Originally Posted by Forkbeard

I have been amazed at how many small sites with new-ish affiliate programs don't seem to understand the first thing about affiliate marketing. In particular, this "we can't afford our affiliates" meme seems common.

I had one small fetish program owner tell me "we've never made any any money from our affiliates, we only have the program in order to give back to the community of our supporters." My response was, in effect, "Duuude. You must not be doing it right."

He then explained that the reason affiliates didn't make them any money was that "they are sending us sales that we would get anyway, without them."

I see this attitude all the time. Including the ones which want to do a 25% partnership program. I just move on.

[BOSS1]

The whole point of revshare is to share revenue Otherwise why not send to PPS sponsors