Ode To CJ - A Tale Of Affiliate Betrayal *Sob*!
Affiliate Annoyances, Affiliate Networks Add commentsA while ago I had a $4300 claw back from my CJ account with absolutely no warning or explaination. This was for commissions that had been paid out 12 months previously. At the time, I was mighty damned pissed off (who wouldn’t be?!?). It turned out that the commissions were from a merchant that had gone bankrupt. CJ then clawed back every penny from yours truly. The merchant in question was Wealth of Nations Clothing by Judy French.
I posted at the time on A4UForum, and to my surprise CJ were extremely responsive. They explained what had happened quickly on the forum, and even called me in Australia to say how sorry they were about it all.
At the time they promised to look into whether or not I might get a small amount back from the initial deposit paid by the merchant, and also said they owed me a big, big favour for the inconvenience. “We’ll see what we can do for you and drop you a line about it”, the nice young chap on the phone said. “Wow!!”, I thought. “What an improvement from CJ. I pledge never to sully their good name again.”
What have I heard in the 8 weeks since? Absolutely hee haw from CJ. Thanks guys! In honour of your excellent customer service skills and another recent annoyance, I have written a heartbreaking poem outlining your cruel betrayal of a trusting young affiliate beauty (what do you mean “who’s that?” Its me!)
An Ode To CJ – A Modern Day Tale of Love Gone Awry
Oh dear CJ what doth thy say?
My beloved commission has gone away.
Thine accounts payable did’st not insist
‘Pon payment demands that were dismissed.
12 long months they did slide by
And off with your money Miss French did fly.
What course of action, I hear you say?
For your mistakes I must pay.
Plundered my affiliate account,
CJ took the full amount.
Foul great stench did I kick up,
Bad publicity they picked up.
With golden tounge dids’t they woo,
Yet all their promises turned to poo.
The moral of this affiliate tale?
CJ’s policies will make thy wail!
Umm… I have no idea where that little ditty came from. Medic!
June 1st, 2007 at 11:23 am
LOL - affiliate marketing’s Poet Laureate!
June 1st, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Oh ho, yes! I am surely a poet and I didn’t know it! Perhaps next I will write one about your brave and epic battle to win the love of the fair lady “PeneloP C D’Campaign”
June 1st, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Many networks would take the hit - it appears CJ did not in this case. I’m not aware of the figures involved with this merchants - but certainly this should be in the minds of affiliates when choosing an affiliate network.
June 1st, 2007 at 5:27 pm
> Perhaps next I will write one about your brave and epic battle to win the love >of the fair lady “PeneloP C D’Campaign”
LOL, I’m not sure she’s a lady. I hear that other guys are having more luck with her than me on a daily basis and some of them even brag about it (in ebooks).
June 1st, 2007 at 5:37 pm
So what would have happened if you’d already taken the funds out of the account? Would they have persued it further? Sounds dodgy to me!
June 1st, 2007 at 5:44 pm
I never knew something like could happen with them taking money back if a company went bankrupt. Thanks for the writing about it with making others aware of the possibility something like that could happen.
June 1st, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Kristy, I do hope some one from CJ is going to give you a call. It is a shame these things happen.
June 2nd, 2007 at 12:06 am
> “So what would have happened if you’d already taken the funds out of the account? Would they have persued it further? Sounds dodgy to me!”
Exactly the question I asked at the time! I’ve no idea. I’m kicking myself a bit as I’d meant to change over to a sterling account a few months ago. I’d have loved to have seen what happened!
> “Kristy, I do hope some one from CJ is going to give you a call. It is a shame these things happen.”
I’m not holding my breath there. I’ve already had their “say one thing and do another” policy demonstrated with great clarity. I’ve no need to engage in their PR game any longer.
June 3rd, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Howdy Kirsty - What a great example of bad faith on CJ’s part… So, does this mean that if companies go out of business 5 years from now, they will charge you back for everything you have earned until some undetermined time in the past? *sheesh* I think that 12 months would be the maximum limit for a charge back…
June 3rd, 2007 at 11:42 pm
Yes, agreed. They said that the commissions had never actually been approved, but they did pay out on them as my account balance was below $4300 quite a few times prior to the chargeback.
I think they just chose to make affiliates pay for their own mistake. They also told me that I personally bore about 80% of the total chargeback for the whole programme. Thanks Commission Junction!
June 6th, 2007 at 3:21 am
CJ are the lousiest network in the UK, bar none. That is the opinion of several of the leading affiliates in the UK. Their customer service is a joke.
July 24th, 2007 at 9:00 am
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