This sucks big time. However, whenever I have questions and issues which might be taken care more effectively directly with the advertiser I do a bit of digging and contact the advertising agency behind the offer in question and talk with them.
If I understood your post correctly you only talked with the network and they claimed not being paid out. So, talking with the advertiser directly might clear some stuff, especially the exact alleged fraudulent leads stats.
I tried going straight to them, however it is very hard to find their information. I even went back to the old links and domain names that the links ended up on but those are all dead. I'm still trying to get some sort of contact information though. I know there are more than 1 advertisers, at least that's what Direct Leads said, would take that with a grain of salt though.
im anxious to see what they have to say as well... maybe theyll pick up on this thread:action-smiley-052:
Probably the same bullshit they've been feeding me for the past months.
Note to self: Continue to stay the fuck away from any CPA CO's - period.
OP - I wish you well man. I'll tell you one thing, if this was me I'd probably be in jail right now. If you want I know a few Russians who ca..... . .. kidding but there is more than one way to get your money/satisfaction/hold them accountable.
Fucking dare someone to tell me 'i'm not paying you for your honest blood/sweat because I'm waiting to get paid from the people I report to, and your traffic is all of a sudden questionable so here's a few bucks to shut you up for now'
^ I'm a tall lanky whiteboi but I'll make the fuck sure you, your family, your kids, your fucking pets and your biz suffer if you try to jack me for 80 fucking K! I don't care WHO owes YOU what bitch - pay me my hard earned fucking money, I don't care where you get it. Don't have the resources? I don't care fuck you pay me. Advertiser is ripping YOU off? FuCK YOU pay me. Need to get a loan to get even/re-up? FUCK YOU PAY ME. Or else you better have eyes everywhere for a long fucking time because when you least expect it.. .. . .. so FUCK YOU PAY ME.
Digital River is lucky you're a passive and collected cat (or maybe calculated), they fuck with the wrong person on these levels and I can literally see people dying over this shit - straight up fucking white collar robbery every time I read these.
**Sorry this shit REALLLLLLY makes me fucking mad - I know I don't post much and do my own thing a lot among you guys but - HOW do you let yourselves be taken like this and not react more as a collective?!
We are all quite powerful as a team, and I'm sure you can shake shit up if you strategize a plan together to stop getting fucked - or ALL OF YOU go direct, that'll really start to make these fuckers admire and see you for what you are. Especially you 5-6 figure a day cats.
I'm starting a network called 'STOP GETTING FUCKED' - and I'll take you for 80K too if all you're going to do is think about litigating me, shit by then i'll have made your money grow 10 fold and give you some of it back later, but only if you really really push me to... << That's basically what these asses are saying to you.
I admire your passiveness - I'd be loooooosing it and somebuddy wood gett a hurrrt real real bad!
.02.
I was feeling like that early on. Was so pissed and worried about how it would affect my cash flow and my finances. Of course they don't care that they could have potentially hurt me and my business financially. But I calmed myself down, realized that money isn't the big picture. Things are back on track now. Although I am pretty passive about this right now, it doesn't mean I'm going to let them off the hook so easily.
Sue the fucking daylights out of them.
The fact alone that they wrote you a $38,000 check shows they had the intent to pay you this money, and it's clearly obvious they turned around and decided to screw you over after the fact. I honestly think you have a great case to get your money in court, or at the very least settle. Good job getting screenshots... document EVERYTHING, print it out and give it to your lawyer.
Yeah I have the check and everything. I'm glad I got the screenshots a long time ago, didn't think they'd go as low as declining my account.
Yeah it's been many moons since I heard bad shit about these fuckers and decided not to roll with them. Sue them for more than they have for u dude. Include stress and all that shit in the lawsuit.
These fucking networks just love shittting affs then get up and go. Nothing my fucking 9milli won't solve if I knew where these fucks lived.
Ironic how the company runs the platforms of many legitimate networks but has a crap network for itself.
Get a lawyer on contingency, which means you only pay him/her if she nets you money. A lawyer will certainly take the case in this economy. You also potentially have a punative case, which means there's money beyond what's owed. Just hand it over and let the stress be theirs.
That's a very good idea, thought about this myself (in terms of contingency), as for punitive, that is also a very good idea. If the lawyer can take over all the stress then I'll be happy.
Also report them to the BBB, I would try everything to get my money. Getting a lawyer and sue is the first step, but also report them to the BBB. Maybe won't help you getting your money but at least they will be listed.
https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/getstarted.aspx
And why don't you try to have big bloggers pick up your case, can't hurt to try to make a big wave so everybody reads this story, even people who don't read wickedfire (do people like this even exist?)
I would go ballistic if somebody fucks me over like this.
I'm not sure how much BBB will help, but you're right it will get them listed. As for the bloggers, I don't like pity or making it look like I'm begging. If any bloggers do want to pick up this story I'll be happy to answer any of their questions. As for me contacting them, I just have too much pride for that.
I'm really sorry to hear about your problems OP, and like someone else mentioned, it's pretty amazing how calm you are taking this. I'd be pretty up in arms if someone took me for 80k. Anyway, and not to beat a dead horse, but even though you say the network told you it was a prepaid deal, how come you weren't placed on weeklies? Surely your volume would've warranted it -- or did you even ask for it? Seems to me, that would've saved you at least the majority of the dollars earned
I asked for weeklies many times, but they wouldn't do that. The best they did for me was prepay me for some of the traffic. Learned my lesson about demanding weeklies for sure.
We have to admit, there is so much hypocrisy and selfishness in our industry.
When shit happens everyone comes here to cry.
No offense, but I'm not coming here to cry or anything. Just wanting to inform the others here to stay away from them so they don't get screwed the way I did.
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Anyway, I know a few other people who are owed money as well. No where near the amount I am owed, but Direct Leads is trying to cover up the fact that they owe anyone more than $30k.
They're telling people that they owe no affiliate that much money, and when I confronted Anthony Gozzo about this he was quick to say that me telling my story to people will "jeopordize collections" with the advertisers. They're trying real hard to cover this up. Too bad I've had enough of their bullshit.
