If they have been clear and upfront with you the entire way, I would eat the loss and move on.
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Free registration at the forum removes this block.Seems like scam.Everything here... something sounds fishy...
@MoreVolume, since you used PayPal you can file a dispute, however I would recommend that you give the company the benefit of doubt by:Long story short... In November a popular website (as they described themselves) reached out to us to advertise. They ran the numbers by us and made themselves seem like they could do alot for us. I agreed to work with them and paid $4k to run ads with them. The ads started Monday, and we have yet to see an increase in usual traffic. I included a coupon code to track sales, and I havent had ONE sale yet.
This exact same thing is the reason why I am afraid of hiring any digital marketer to run my advertising for me. But i did come across a post from a member here who goes by Andy Black, he has 2 packages to offer for owners like us who are just getting started or want to take it to the next level. I haven't tried it yet but I will be subscribing to his services today when I find time.Hey guys. I wanted to wait until there was an official decision, before I posted an update
But I got the money back. Thank god that I used PayPal instead of wiring the money
I admit that I did play dirty when it came to my PayPal claim, but i don’t feel bad about it, since I was deceived
the website in question is “ego tastic.com” (just delete the space)
I’m not worried about them suing us...I’ve threatened them with a counter suit. Not because I think we will win. But because I know they don’t have the financial stamina/resources to keep fighting us in court. We bring in $4K in less than 2 weeks, meanwhile they have to scam for it. Do you really think they can afford a lawyer? It costs to sue, lol
Someone mention my companies reputation being soiled after this. Nothing will happen.
1) they are small time with no reputation
2) they have no way to reach our target audience.
Everything is all good. I learned a lesson in all this, and now I can move forward in a smarter manner.
All I can say is....fight for your damn business. Even if the money is a small amount, don’t you dare let anyone take advantage of you
@Johnny boy @Jon L @Peal @SEOguy @RazorCut @SamRussell @Kid @Zahida A. Khan @MarkJT @LightHouse
But i did come across a post from a member here who goes by Andy Black, he has 2 packages to offer for owners like us who are just getting started or want to take it to the next level. I haven't tried it yet but I will be subscribing to his services today when I find time.
Thank god that I used PayPal instead of wiring the money
I admit that I did play dirty when it came to my PayPal claim, but i don’t feel bad about it, since I was deceived
As you know only too well ad placement, type of ad, how relevant the product is to the websites core niche etc. will all affect conversion rates but zero sales? Something doesn't sound right. How much traffic do they usually got to the page(s) you are advertising on?
I would ask to see their stats. Page views, etc.. What do your stats show? You must be able to track click throughs. How much traffic is your 4k supposed to get? Have they given you a minimum guarantee? If your product and their niche are a good fit I'm sure you can work out the wrinkles. If they are legit and want long term advertising revenue it is in their best interests to ensure you are happy after all.
Things are fishy indeed, which is why I personally feel as if I would be justified to contact Paypal to get my money back. I told him that I will give him 5 business days to see a change, once the new ads are up. If there is no change then I am just going to ask for some type of prorated refund.
What would be your course of action, based on my reply?
My ex-business partner would say... it's the cost of doing business. So, limit your exposure in the future. Set up a test program where you try out a new site by doing a test program before you go balls out. (and only a $4k loss is nothing compared to what a lot of people spend) Yes, people lie. So, be the questioning mind that always wants to know more.I just found the original email that the dude sent me. He explained that the site was a pop culture site, with 3 million unique views a day. I had just advertised on a site called “The Chive”, which was the same type of site. So it wasn’t the type audience that was the issue
The issue was, the site was a scam and barely for any traffic. Meanwhile the similar site gave me dynamite results
Not trying to sound cocky, but when people get an understanding of what my product is about, they usually try it. It has the same type of demand as Viagra, but a wider audience (larger age range)
In all honesty, my vetting process has always been pretty thorough. I was able to get scammed because the guy outright lied to me. He gave me false stats and references, and provided a good presentation. I wasn’t going to be able to see what was what until the campaign went on.
I know it sounds like im not trying to take responsibility, but this was more of an issue I’d this guy being a scumbag scammer/liar
Paypal. Im going to be honest. I can ask for a refund and probably get it because I didn't send it via Friends and FamilyHow did you send the money?
I understand that I am not owed a refund. It would be childish to think that would be a possibilityHow communicative have they been since you notified them? I've worked for several ad agencies and when something like this would happen, we would immediately do a technical audit. In an audit, we would check to make sure links were setup properly, the ads were clickable etc. By now, they should give you some confirmation that it is setup as it should be.
Also, what was your agreement based on? CPM? CPC?
If it was an informal: "$4,000 to run ads on our site for one month" handshake, a refund is basically at the discretion of the site owner.
The guy told me they were getting around 150,000 page views per day. Said they have a relationship with TMZ and other heavy hitters. I should have asked him for visual proof. I just took his word for it, because every advertiser who has reached out to us so far, has delivered SUPER results.As you know only too well ad placement, type of ad, how relevant the product is to the websites core niche etc. will all affect conversion rates but zero sales? Something doesn't sound right. How much traffic do they usually get to the page(s) you are advertising on?
I would ask to see their stats. Page views, etc.. What do your stats show? You must be able to track click throughs. How much traffic is your 4k supposed to get? Have they given you a minimum guarantee? If your product and their niche are a good fit I'm sure you can work out the wrinkles. If they are legit and want long term advertising revenue it is in their best interests to ensure you are happy after all.
I just found the original email that the dude sent me. He explained that the site was a pop culture site, with 3 million unique views a day. I had just advertised on a site called “The Chive”, which was the same type of site. So it wasn’t the type audience that was the issueI know you've got your money back...but just out of curiosity, what kind of page were they advertising for you on? I'd imagine that, that would play a huge part in sales. Could be they had the wrong target audience.
In all honesty, my vetting process has always been pretty thorough. I was able to get scammed because the guy outright lied to me. He gave me false stats and references, and provided a good presentation. I wasn’t going to be able to see what was what until the campaign went on.What did you learn out of all of this? Yes, you got your money back -- but, that isn't the important part. Think of all the time and mental energy you have spent on this issue. The $4k is nothing compared to the real investment that you have made. So, have you set up a test program for placing future ads? Have you honed your profile of what type of site will pull the best for you? Have you created a screening process to make sure that the sites where you purchase ad space are on the up and up? Are you testing your ads when they are placed to make sure that they are working properly? Have you done an A vs. B testing program, with a specific tracking system, to see what is really pulling the best? There's a lot of great info out there on market and how to do it well.
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