Problems with John Lewis

[Bonita]

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John Lewis have rejected all my sales over the Christmas period citing "order associated with a different channel". When I queried it they said that the sales were rejected "because we confirm sales on the last click referral."

However, checking my affiliate window transaction logs, how likely is it that there was another click after people clicked from my site?

eg

Sale 1 click time 02/12/2011 17:58:07 transaction time 02/12/2011 18:32:12 - i,.e. the transaction took place within 34 minutes of clicking through.

Sale 2 click time 05/12/2011 14:08:46 transaction time 05/12/2011 14:15:10 - transaction took place within 6 minutes 24 seconds!

and so on.

With the second sale especially, the customer would not have had time to do another organic search, find this "other channel" whatever it is, and then transact the sale. I'm wondering if the customers I'm sending them need to set up a new account with John Lewis to buy, and John Lewis is counting the click from the email verification as the "last click" and refusing to pay.

It also seems weird that this is happening to all my sales with John Lewis - I also send people to Amazon from the same site and Amazon are crediting me with sales, it's bizarre that the "other channel" thing is happening only with John Lewis.

Is anyone else having the same problem? Have pulled the john lewis links from my sites in the meanwhile - pointless sending them traffic if they are going to pretend it came from elsewhere.

Update: Affiliate Window have come back to me and advised that John Lewis have said that their "last click tracking" attributes the first sale to email and the other sales to PPC. Even though the short time frame between click and transaction means it's hard to believe someone would click through to John Lewis from my site, backspace to my site, backspace to the SERPs, click on a PPC ad and then make the transaction all within minutes.

Am done here - they obviously don't want to pay, and this last tracking business means that the cookie lasts a couple of minutes rather than 30 days. Am better off with Amazon's 24 hour cookie and their honest reputation for paying for all sales with your tracking ID.

Just like to make it clear that my problem is not with Affiliate Window, they are decent and did what they could.

[Bonita]

P.S. This last click business means that John Lewis does not really operate a 30 day cookie policy - more like a 5 minute cookie policy, in which case we're better dealing with Amazon and their 24 hour cookie!

[Rachel Humphreys]

Hi there

Please can you give me your affiliate ID and I'll look into the specifics of your case as I'd like to see whether you are seeing a higher than average rejection rate. (you mention all of your sales have been rejected but how many sales are we talking)

Thanks

Rachel

[Bonita]

Update: Apparently John Lewis have come back to Affiliate Window and advised that the first order was attributed to email and the other orders were attributed to PPC on a "last click tracking basis".

It seems incredible to me that that someone would click through and then backspace to my site, backspace into the SERPs and click on a PPC ad all within 6 minutes, and that this would happen for all the sales.

Looks to me like for whatever reason they don't want to pay and their "30 day cookie" is really a five minute cookie or less. I'm done - am going to promote Amazon from here on in - their 24 hour cookie seems like a better deal and at least they are honest.

P.S. Have no problem with Affiliate Window and will continue to promote their other merchants.