JohnLewis.com blocking affiliate generated deep links

EyeOfTheTiger · 08-09-07

I've been using the new deep link creating machine on buy.at for johnlewis.com and although it says my links are constructed properly, wehn I click through on the link I get the message " URL blocked by URLScan ".

Does anyone know anything about this. I have sent buy.at an email but its the weekend so won't get a response till monday.

My link is below....

Nursery Furniture - John Lewis

Cheers

Mike

Elaine · 08-09-07

HI - just tried your link and it works ok from here. I had this problem a while back and I think I had to go in and update the ones that were affected - couldn't fathom out what the url scan thingy was - but mine are all deep links and they're working OK as well.

cheers

wibble99 · 08-09-07

Your link works for me too, but if you do a search on Google for that text you only get a couple of pages back - one of which is John Lewis:

"URL blocked by URLScan - Google Search

If you then click on the 'Cached' link below it you get a page that says 'URL blocked by URLScan'.

So it doesn't look like it's a problem with Buy.at, more something to do with the John Lewis site itself.

The Ferryman · 08-09-07

Works from here, too.

I can see a picture of a lovely wee baby delivering cots for John Lewis.

Child labour, I'd say.

moredial · 08-09-07

Reading the post here it looks like it is a program installed on IIS servers to prevent hacker attacks from infected computers.

Maybe you need to run a virus scan on your computer.

Just a thought - if Google is seeing this, Googlebot has been infected with the same virus/trojan/worm and is now busy infecting every unprotected IIS server out there.

EyeOfTheTiger · 09-09-07

Hi all,

how weird. The link works fine for me too now. And I havent changed anything. I wonder how many times my visitors are clicking JL links and getting the same problem. Could this be why my conversion rates for JL are low?

Cheers

Mike

Richard Forster · 10-09-07

HI all,

It appears John Lewis has URLScan (URLScan Security Tool) installed on their webservers, and it seems to be incorrectly categorizing some affiliate URLs as problematic. Obviously it seems to be intermittent as reported by EyeOfTheTiger.

Rest assured i have informed John Lewis and i will work to get this issue resolved ASAP.

Many thanks,