Thread: This type of thing is not on, anyone else get test sales?

Lucky you to get an email to confirm it!

I find that they test and don't bother telling me about it:

Its obvious from the rejection percentage (particularly after they've hiked the commission up) that they're testing their systems...as you said, they need to set up their own account and then they can **** around as much as they want...

Thats my sub-rant over...cheers... <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/grin.gif ALT=" >D">

They test? On more than one account?

Well cynical old me thinks that its a pretty strange thing to do.

The latest email from them says AW told them to test it on affiliates links. Is it just me or should all affiliate links not work no matter what account they are from so why test on live real affiliates, when they could be affiliates themselves to test.

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Clarke

I am sorry that you feel this way. We did test our link before it went live and were given the go-ahead from Marc at Affiliate Window. Unfortunately there were technical problems that were missed with the way the code worked with our shopping cart which were not picked up until recently. This is highly regrettable for the reasons you state. We were advised to test the link by Affiliate Window through one of the affiliates so that we could see it working properly, which it now is.

It is precisely because we do care about our affiliates that we have worked very hard to resolve the technical problems so that we can get the program working to everyone's benefit. It is already proving successful for a number of affiliates.

I can only apologise for any outrage caused by the technical problems we have experienced recently.

Best regards

Nick Thomas
Affiliate Manager
www.cloggs.co.uk[/quote]

Clarke
Also got email and one duplicate removed.

Do you deep link to Cloggs pages? I have been using the method AW show but they always show the same method even when the links DON'T work so I always have wee doubts running through my head about it.
More so with cloggs as they have the redirects and store system thingy that they use.
If you do use deep linking to Cloggs how confident are you with it?

Aly

ps. It would be courtesy to inform affilates when there links were to be used for testing

Don't deep link to them, just a straightforward link. Spoke to Marc at AW and going to talk to the merchant with regards using affiliate links for testing when they have test account for merchants to us. As he rightly pointed out, how was I to know if it's a real test or not if I don't get told until 2 days after they are rejected what was going on.

I think it's just merchant not knowing any better by doing that to be honest, bit of a pain but not much Affiliate Window can do if merchants don't listen to them, least they will get a reminder about the test accounts from Marc now so it by any luck won't happen again.

Thing the upset me most is what if I have being paying out on PPC and thought this was a terrific converter and paid out even more just to find out a week later that it all been tests. I know these things can look minor to a merchant but can have major impacts on affiliates, but no real harm done here.

I would like to add the comment that my latest email from this merchant (that I won't print but will remove the ones above) is very understand to the point of view and issues I expressed and now have every confidence that this was more them trying to ensure they had no tracking issues with affiliates and wanted to make sure it was working in the real world, and they just went about it the wrong way not understand the full implementations of checking it in the fashion that they did.

I will be adding my links back and be happy to recommend them to anyone just down to the effort they shown in understand this issue, proves they want to work with affiliates, everyone makes mistakes, it's what they do to correct them that counts

is that what they call a U-Turn? supercod

I suggest that if any testing is to be done, then Marc Gear should give them his affiliate site URL to test through.

Why mess affiliates about, when they can test in a sandbox like Marc's site?

It was HE, who gave them the go-ahead, why didn't HE give them a safe place to play?

I'm still worried!

Actually he didn't but we won't get in to that

I am happy with the final reply I got from the merchant; it was best intentions getting a little mixed up

We did test our link before it went live and were given the go-ahead from Marc at Affiliate Window.

I was asking why Marc didn't give them his site to 'play' with?

On a slightly different but similar note, I recently had a Merchant purchase something from my site using the IPS system because they were checking the IPS system was working correctly.

I saw a £5 commission whipped from before my very eyes! :rollin:

It’s not the checking I have an issue with, they want to do it, that’s fine, but just let us know what's going on is my main point. We are in the dark after all so it's a trust issue, and letting you know after the event not very good for building trust, however and you will be bored of me saying this, with regards to the merchant above, it was simply not knowing any better and what impact it could have had should I have rushed out and spent a small fortune on PPC to promote them.

Fair comment Supercod, and in the instance I pointed out above, I immediately emailed the merchant to see why the commish had been rejected... that's how I know what it was all about.

As you say though, before they go messing around with what is essentially OUR business, some kind of request for permission would be appreciated as a matter of courtesy if nothing else.

Duplicate sales caused by customer going back and forward in browser,this is a real pain!
I used affiliate site to test feed (only once), needed to check that it is being used correctly. Not Marc's idea!


Peter

Casa Rosa Florists

<a href="http://www.casarosaflorists.co.uk" target="top">www.casarosaflorists.co.uk</a>

hehe, and I thought I was being very discreet in not mentioning the merchant's name

btw... have you noticed I have added a new section for Balloons? Which basically lists your entire Balloons feed?