Mark Pearson (MyVoucherCodes) - Please Stop!

[Affility]

PriceDash.com copied by MyVoucherCodes again...

Latest Discount Codes for Next, Dixons, Tesco, Littlewoods, Boden and over 800 other UK Shops

Networks, when are you going to sit up and take notice of this persistent abuser?

Mark

You have already upset a great many affiliates, merchants and perhaps even networks with your (many) underhanded tactics and abusive emails - not to mention breaking advertising laws when bidding on our very own brand name:
Stealing Exclusive Codes

But this really takes the biscuit... a visitor has just forwarded me your latest email newsletter, identifying that you had copied the entire footer section of our newsletter but had forgotten to change one of the links! Here it is in all its beauty:

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TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT MY VOUCHER CODES
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The UK's Biggest, Best & Most Up To Date FREE Discount Code Website! MyVoucherCodes MyVoucherCodes.co.uk
Like the MyVoucherCodes website ? Please help others save money by:
1. Forwarding this email to friends, family & colleagues.
2. Spread the word by sharing links to MyVoucherCodes.co.uk on message boards & social networking sites like FaceBook, MySpace & Bebo.
3. Share your discount codes on MyVoucherCodes.co.uk simply by replying to this newsletter with the details.
4. Discuss our site down the pub with your mates!
...and don't forget to Bookmark Us, Link To Us from your own web site, and set your browser home-page to our 'latest discount codes' page: Latest Discount Codes - Discount Vouchers, Promotional Codes, Hot Deals and Bargains
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Thanks for the free traffic but when are you going to follow network rules/come up with something original instead of ripping off other people's ideas & copy? I don't think I could sleep at night if I had angered as many people as you have in such a short time.

Networks, when are you going to sit up and take notice of this persistent abuser?

[Bud]

Is someone going to be brave and pull the plug on Mr P?

Or is everyone happy to take the money ... no matter what

[aotagain]

Perhaps all the success since the beginning of the year and the press coverage has gone to his head and he thinks he's immune in some way. He's quite young really. Hopefully putting the money away for a rainy day.

Press coverage can of course work the other way can't it ?

[lowndsy]

I can confirm that he has been thrown out of some programs, and at least one network is examining him carefully.

[Vialli]

Originally Posted by lowndsy at least one network is examining him carefully.

With rubber gloves I hope :eek:

[Bud]

Will any merchants/networks confirm he has been dropped?

Let's see who the good guys are.

We won't see this as pandering to the forum, it's been proved time and again here about his methods. From what I can see here he has also, almost single-handedly, caused many merchants to change their voucher code systems. Is he worth the effort?

One bad apple ...

[tpacker]

Ive not been around in affiliate marketing too long, and i dont want to be the new guy spoiling the fun. But Don't you guys think your being a bit petty? It seems to me you all put this guy under the microscope and point out every little detail.

Im sure there are things on everyones site that could be pointed out or seen as wrong, take your site pricedash. Im not sure but im pretty confident that Iframes along with forced pop unders on the A-Z page are frowned upon just to name a few.

UK Discount Codes from Companies beginning with P

Pen & Paper Discount Codes, Discount Vouchers, Pen & Paper Promotional Codes, Hot Deals and Bargains - iframe?

Im sure all these sites get monitored by the networks, so let them do their jobs!...if you focus your time on your own businesses instead of other peoples youd get alot further.

Do you guys not think your doing the industry more damage than good by brining all this into a forum?...if you have a problem, take it up wth the networks...if they don't see it as a problem...Drop it, as your just wasting your own time and im sure it can be better spent!.

[befuddle]

Originally Posted by tpacker if you focus your time on your own businesses instead of other peoples youd get alot further.

I'm sure I would. With iframes/cookie dropping, I'm sure I'd be able to buy my mum a new house too. Slippers for her this year though.

[Frostie]

That just takes the complete mickey! Codes, content, urls and now newsletters.....

It seems to me you all put this guy under the microscope and point out every little detail.

No, we are all playing fairly above board. None of us copy codes knowingly. None of us copy content. None of us copy newsletters. None of us list others URLs as dirty SEO tactics.

Im sure all these sites get monitored by the networks, so let them do their jobs!...

No networks are doing their jobs! Thats the problem!

Do you guys not think your doing the industry more damage than good

No, we are highlighting areas in the industry that need to be addressed.

take it up wth the networks...

We do

Drop it, as your just wasting your own time

No its something that many of us will not drop.

Would I be correct in thinking that this case doesn't affect you, therefore you see it as a waste of time? Would you be so blase about something that did affect you and lot of other affiliates?

[loquax]

if you focus your time on your own businesses instead of other peoples youd get alot further

Not always the case, networks say they monitor this stuff and have tools to pick up iframe drops etc etc... but obviously it didn't pick up MVC at the time and definitely they've not picked up Pricedash as shown in the examples since I first blogged about iframes/codes.

So yes, whilst it's important to keep an eye firmly on your own business, it's also important to be vigilant on what other's are doing. A few bad apples can ruin things for everyone, and whilst playing fields are never level everyone should be playing within the rules.

I hope for the day when a network has the steel nuts to turn round and treat iframe cookie droppers with the same contempt as spyware and get them off their networks. Why? Because ultimately it damages the business which I've firmly got my eye on and my involvement in.

Jason

[tpacker]

Originally Posted by Frostie That just takes the complete mickey! Codes, content, urls and now newsletters..... No, we are all playing fairly above board. None of us copy codes knowingly. None of us copy content. None of us copy newsletters. None of us list others URLs as dirty SEO tactics. No networks are doing their jobs! Thats the problem! No, we are highlighting areas in the industry that need to be addressed. We do No its something that many of us will not drop. Would I be correct in thinking that this case doesn't affect you, therefore you see it as a waste of time? Would you be so blase about something that did affect you and lot of other affiliates?

Id much sooner spend my time looking at how i can improve my business, than sitting on a forum pointing out errors with other peoples site?...as i said, and as you havnt quoted, pricedash is forcing cookies on the A-Z page, why is nobody bringing that up?

[Affility]

Originally Posted by tpacker Im sure there are things on everyones site that could be pointed out or seen as wrong, take your site pricedash. Im not sure but im pretty confident that Iframes along with forced pop unders on the A-Z page are frowned upon just to name a few. UK Discount Codes from Companies beginning with P Pen & Paper Discount Codes, Discount Vouchers, Pen & Paper Promotional Codes, Hot Deals and Bargains - iframe? Im sure all these sites get monitored by the networks, so let them do their jobs!...if you focus your time on your own businesses instead of other peoples youd get alot further.

As you say, sites get monitered by networks all the time and we are happy to convert our iframes to using non-tracking affiliate links when requested - this has been done for all TradeDoubler, AffiliateWindow, Affiliate Future and WebGains merchants to name just a few. Please view our source code to confirm this for yourself. Some networks however see the checking of a merchants homepage for the latest promotion as a genuinely valid feature of our site.

As has already been said in other threads, direct contact with Mark is usually ignored and his bad practices would otherwise go undiscovered by the networks if it is not brought to light on a forum such as this. I think I can speak for a number of voucher code affiliates when I say we have had about as much as we can stand.

[loquax]

Id much sooner spend my time looking at how i can improve my business than sitting on a forum pointing out errors with other peoples site?

But you're sat there on a forum pointing out why you think people shouldn't be pointing out problems... which makes you no better

Anyway - yes Pricedash - lets hope the networks move fast on that one too.

Jason

[tpacker]

Originally Posted by Affility As you say, sites get monitered by networks all the time and we are happy to convert our iframes to using non-tracking affiliate links when requested - this has been done for all TradeDoubler, AffiliateWindow, Affiliate Future and WebGains merchants to name just a few. Please view our source code to confirm this for yourself. Some networks however see the checking of a merchants homepage for the latest promotion as a genuinely valid feature of our site. As has already been said in other threads, direct contact with Mark is usually ignored and his bad practices would otherwise go undiscovered by the networks if it is not brought to light on a forum such as this. I think I can speak for a number of voucher code affiliates when I say we have had about as much as we can stand.

I can understand where your coming from frosty, but surley if the contact with mark isnt working, and the only reason for using the forum is to bring it to the attetion of the networks, then surley contacting the networks and not posting about it here makes alot more sense?

[tpacker]

Originally Posted by loquax But you're sat there on a forum pointing out why you think people shouldn't be pointing out problems... which makes you no better Anyway - yes Pricedash - lets hope the networks move fast on that one too. Jason

No, im saying, people can pick points at any site. It seems others are being ignored, because of this one site.