HotelsCombined.com Affiliate Program - One to Avoid?

[wilwak]

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Does anyone have any experience of the HotelsCombined programme?

We joined 3 months ago and added a few links. Seemed like a good site.

We've only just acheived the minimum payment threshold of $100 and were expecting our first payment next week.

However, we've just received an email saying that our account has been suspended pending a review for 'unwanted' traffic. Our earnings would be forfeited.

In over ten years on other networks and using Google adsense we've never had a problem.

This is looking like a scam to me.

Anyone else use them?

[wilwak]

I wish I'd done a bit more reading before sending them traffic.

My mistake!

It seems that many affiliates are removed from the programme once they reach the payment threshold.

Hope nobody else falls for it.

The returns per click seem quite promising so you think things are going ok and then they just kick you off the programme when payment is due.

Not good!

[wilwak]

It's now two weeks since they sent out the suspension email. We've now emailed Hotels Combined affiliate support 4 times asking for an explanation. No reply.

We were remaining 'slightly' open-minded about their actions but when they don't even have the business courtesy to reply to an email it definately brings in to question their motives.

We know that we have acted honestly. Not a single click that has been sent from our sites has been by us. We have worked with many other networks and agencies for over 10 years on many CPC campaigns and have never had a single problem.

It seems clear that Hotels Combined join up new affiliates to their programme, allow them to run until the minimum $100 payment threshold is reached and then suspend them and forfeit their earnings. An easy way to get free traffic.

It's clear now that the Hotels Combined affiliate programme is scamming affiliates.

Don't fall for it.

[JordanofHotelsCombined]

Hi Wilwak,

I have send your a private message, but if possible can you email through to jordan@hotelscombined. I would like to personally investigate the suspension of your account.

Regards

Jordan

[wilwak]

I finally got a reply and the reason we were suspended with total loss of earnings is because we had only generated 2 successful sales per hundred clicks and they wanted 4 sales per hundred clicks.

I'm not sure that this is a good enough reason to lose all our earnings.

They confirmed there was no evidence of fradulent clicks on our account.

Seems a very odd system they operate. Surely a CPA model would be far better?