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Well, the only folk who have ever failed to pay me affiliate commissions owed (oh, the check’s been in the mail - since September 2005) have been Clickbank, so Shawn Collins’ snarky comment at the end of this video about “picking better merchants” is not actually helpful.
Carsten Cumbrowski at ReveNews has some suggestions that are helpful, however, depending upon the amount you’re owed, from hiring a lawyer if it’s worth the outlay (check your contract), to a more DIY approach.
For the latter you need to be mature and level headed and, above all, stick to the facts. Seeing how most people behave on public forums, I would caution most against it. Oh, but it would be interesting to find the right venue to “leverage on social media and community” and to ask Clickbank where they stand “when it comes to payment morals and value of partnerships”. I’ve already provided my theory on that here.
With the similar disclaimer that “I am not a lawyer”, nor any kind of expert, another avenue that I wonder if it might be worth looking down in straightforward cases, because you have entered into a contract with the merchant and that MAY mean you can demonstrate your contractual entitlement to payment, is you might be able to treat it as a simple debt and use a debt collector. Sure, debt collectors take a percentage, but whatever you might end up with is more than you had before.
If anybody can give you an honest idea if your case is worth pursuing, it’s probably MAD Collection Agency, which was started by Michelle A Dunn, who I “retained” back in around 1999 to advise me over issues relating to contracts for web design work. Also worth noting is that, if the folk who owe you money are in the United States, but you’re not, they should still be able to help (at least advise, as Michelle did for me and I’m in Spain), which is a lot easier for us “aliens” to access than U.S. lawyers.
Sponzurz
Hi Pamela -
I’ve been fleeced on commissions myself, and in all cases, it took place with merchants that I would not have promoted had I done a little research on them.
so for me, across 11 years of promoting affiliate offers, the hassle of due diligence has been worth the effort, as I haven’t been left unpaid since I started doing it.
As far as ClickBank, can you provide more details on the situation? The title you sold and whether thy claimed it was returned?
Most of us see things clearly with hindsight Shawn and, of course, one needs to take basic care, but 99% of the time, spotting a rogue merchant in advance will be no more accurate than spotting a potential murderer from amongst random people in a street. In other words, they all look “normal.”
The details of the Clickbank situation are all provided at the link given in this post. It does not refer to a particular merchant, product or sale, but to a historical problem with checks Clickbank claim they have raised, but which they appear unable to send to me.
HI Pamela, nice to read your blog. I had to comment to let you know I sold M.A.D. Collection Agency 3 years ago and am now writing books and offering classes to teach others what helped you and more. Good luck with all your doing!
Hi Pamela,
I agree that it’s not a perfect method to do a little research on a merchant, but it’s worked in my experience.
I’ve often found damning information in forums and other places that kept me from promoting a given company.
Michelle: Long time no speak! Yes, I read that you’d sold MAD, which is why I said “started by”, but I’m so glad you found this and that we can now find you again.
Shawn: Agreed, there is often information out there, but how much use it is often depends on what niche it refers to and who says it. Definitely not everyone tells the truth, often folk set themselves up then cry “victim” when they were the ones in the wrong … and so on.
While we might get additional clues from experience inside internet marketing and from many years online, putting myself in the shoes of the “average” or new marketer, they might research a merchant, find conflicting information and still be none the wiser, or worse, become even more confused.
Actually, the latter still happens to me, most of the time!