Why Are You Cheating Me and My Family Out of Our Referral Links?
Announcemnets, blogging ethics
Asking me to invest time into helping you by answering support related questions about a product or service I promote or have an affiliation with and then turning around and either stripping away my referral ID and or just simply signing up for the service under the referral ID of someone else just isn’t cool. Over the last month, I have had this happen to me many times on quite a few of the items that I openly provide advice and support on.
I’d like to think that I work hard at earning my commission. I don’t just simply slam out a million plugs to an affiliate link, check stats, cross my fingers and hope for a high conversion. I do things differently. I talk about the product or service being offered, I answer questions on my blog, in email and even in instant messenger. When I discover that certain people I have helped not show up in my referral reports it disappoints me. It is clear as day that they have purchased the product or service because they are now using on their own blog. Yet for some reason, I never got credit for the referral.
The reason is simple… people who soak up my volunteer time towards me recommending the product, teaching them about the product and how the product works thwart my effort towards getting credit by choosing NOT to using my referral ID. Why would you do that? Seriously? Why would you cheat me out of money that doesn’t really have any effect to you? That is why I provided the volunteer support in the first place, knowing that it wouldn’t cost you money, but in the end, I would still get compensated for it.
The funny part about this is the fact that people will start promoting the product as I am doing, but never even mention that Garry Conn showed them. Whatever… what comes around goes around and to be honest… it is things like the above example that makes me want to stop helping others and just laugh so hard that not many people know how to do what I do and want to.
Have I pissed you off? For those of you who are at home and actually think about me and think about my family on your own time and perhaps wonder, “Hey… I wonder how Garry and Angie and their kids are doing today?” For those of you that follow me and my writing in that much detail, this post isn’t directed to you. However, for those of you who care nothing about me and care nothing about my family and the fact that I do what I do to support then seriously, screw you and how dare you waste my time that I could have used towards doing something else such as throw the baseball with my son.
For the record: If you are going to ask me for my advice about a product or service that you intend to purchase, then purchase it using my referral. Otherwise, I think in the future, you’ll see Garry Conn dot Com become more of a photo blog rather than a place that helps others. My Feedburner is now showing almost 2000 people. That doesn’t mean crap to me. I would much rather my FeedBurner show 25 people who I know won’t back stab me or was my time by purposely taken advantage of my kindness towards helping others.
Am I pissed? Hell yes, I am pissed. So far for the month of August I have lost close to $2000 dollars in potential income due to being cheated out of the referral because someone sat there and asked me all these questions about something and then decided not to order through me. If you already know that you are not going to buy from me, then ask the person that you are going to buy from all your urgent questions. Don’t bother me…
I have no problem helping others… however, when you start messing with the ONE AND ONLY thing that pays me, I tend to get a little angry. For those of you that feel like I am being as asshole, you are probably guilty of cheating me in some shape or form. I only wish that there was a way to filter you out and allow only the true people that support and care about me read my blog.
For what it is worth, I have made some really awesome friends with this blog… you guys know who you are, this post isn’t directed to you at all. Also, I have quite a few “silent” readers where this post doesn’t apply to them either. Unfortunately, there is a handful of people that this post applies to, you know who you are.
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Date/Time: 8-16-2008 13:24:41 Comment #18339
Hey Garry,
Great post. It’s a shame that there are people out there who will go to great lengths to take the food out of your children’s mouths in order to advance their own gains.
I totally feel your pain.
Check out Christine Senter’s last blog post..Challenge Your Creative Side
Date/Time: 8-16-2008 13:31:03 Comment #18340
Thanks for your support Christine… It means a lot:
The funny part about this is the fact that a referral affiliate commission doesn’t even cost the person anything… yet they strip it out. That is stupid, it’s free money on the table and by removing the code, its money that goes wasted. Also, there is a reason why I am available online to everyone thru Instant Messenger, email, my blog or even phone… because I know that I’ll get compensated with the referral link.
Some people ask me for advice because the person that told them about the service doesn’t have answers, so they turn to me for answers but still make the decision to use the other person’s referral ID.
I don’t really know what I should do about this. It honestly hurts my feelings quite a bit to see that there are a number of people who cheat me and my family from money when this money is more than “well earned”. Moments like this is really suck for me. This also too has been building up quite a bit. I am sure many people have noticed that I have been in a pretty bad mood over the last few weeks, and well… that’s the reason why.
Date/Time: 8-16-2008 14:03:09 Comment #18344
I know what you mean, Garry. What I don’t know is why people do this sort of thing. It’s the same product no matter if the affiliate link is used or not, so why do people have to be jerks about it by stripping away the ID? Just makes no sense at all. I guess it serves as evidence that it’s not enough that people succeed, but must make others fail in the process.
Check out Mark Sierra at MeAndMyDrum.com’s last blog post..The Contest Is Over. Time To Count The Points.
Date/Time: 8-16-2008 20:29:30 Comment #18393
Aaron Abber mentions that a lot. How a lot of people don’t like it when they see others find success and so then they will do things on purpose to attempt to knock them down.
Date/Time: 8-16-2008 14:10:46 Comment #18345
If it hurts your feelings that bad then simply don’t do it.
You control the ability to stop your pain. People will always take advantage of those who are willing….they always have and they always will.
You can help people because you want to or you can help people because you want to get paid. Completely your call.
My 2 cents.
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 00:15:43 Comment #18415
… are you saying that it is one or the other?
… yeah, ok.. so I shut my blog down and ruin it for 90% of the people that read it who don’t cheat me. Problem is solved, I’ll get right on that.
Date/Time: 8-16-2008 14:17:35 Comment #18347
Another good post Garry. Do you know why I like this post Garry?
*Internet marketers take note*
You are showing your personal side and being completely honest which draws people like a magnet. Yeah, yeah, your post about hosting, wordpress, all that is good…but this last post is GREAT. Keep it up Garry.
I am a firm believer in karma. What goes around comes around. You providing free advice and consultation to people (even if they are screwing you) will come back 100 fold…I promise.
Check out Paul’s last blog post..How do you make video tutorials?
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 00:19:31 Comment #18416
That is awesome Paul… It is weird that you said that, because I was on the fence with posting it. I gave Christine a draft copy in chat and let her look at it first and she told me that I should post it. For one I guess it’d make me feel a little better, which actually it does and two I guess it shows the people that cheated me that I know and burns the bridge. I shouldn’t have used profanity though… ;(
Thanks so much for the encouraging words. A comment like this from any guy who hooks him mom up with the best blog in the world, I do indeed take to heart.
Date/Time: 8-16-2008 14:43:59 Comment #18353
Hi Garry, I can definitely see how this can piss you off. You do put a lot of hard work and time into helping others and you ask for VERY little in return.
I am not too sure why people do remove the affiliate id’s and such when they sign up for services. I guess they think that the person doesn’t deserve the money or something along those lines.
If I was you, I would keep doing what you are doing a bit differently. I know you enjoy helping people, but if you can somehow track if somebody purchased something with your referral link, consider helping them. If for some reason somebody contacts you about something you mentioned and you can figure out they didn’t use your link, forget them.
It may seem harsh, but if they are not willing to help you out, why would you be willing to help them out? Especially at a time when money is tight for everybody and every dollar counts.
Check out Jarret’s last blog post..Stay Up To Date With Google Alerts
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 00:28:02 Comment #18418
Hi Jarret,
Thanks for your support man… you have been so active on my blog lately. It’s been really cool to get to know you better in the last few weeks. I enjoy our chats and really do enjoy helping you and it’s ironic how we share such similar ideas.
(btw, I absolutely love your hosting review blog)
As you know, I’d like to purchase advertising on your blog. Go here:
http://www.garryconn.com/gcdc-was-in-a-huge-forest-fire.php
that is where I have my 125×125 and 468×60. I am not sure which one I want to sign up for, but I think I am favoring the 125×125 spot.
BTW ppl…. do check out Jarret’s blog… he is doing a super cool job with it and has some great posts. Also, he is providing ppl with $5 dollar / month advertising.. you really can’t beat that price. If you don’t want to advertise on his blog, give him a little reach around and click on that good ol’ RSS subscribe button.
http://jarretcade.net/advertise
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 00:43:23 Comment #18425
Hey, awesome to see that you are responding to everybody’s posts Garry!!
I really like that in a blogger, so many of the popular bloggers never seem to really care much about what their readers have to say in their comments, well at least they don’t respond to them. You are one of the few people who I know that actively engages with your readers in the comments and it is one of the many reasons why I find myself coming back again and again to your blog.
You really do a great job with your blog considering how many other sites that you do run. It sucks to hear that people are ripping you off considering how much work you put into your daily schedule. I really don’t know how you do it honestly, keeping track of so many blogs and find the time to keep them updated while spending time with your family.
Thank you as well for the kind words and comments. A quick fix though, I don’t offer $5/month hosting, I do offer $5/month advertising though
Maybe $5/month hosting will show up on my web host review site one day.
Check out Jarret’s last blog post..Week In Review - August 10-16
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 01:35:40 Comment #18434
LOL… that is funny I did say hosting!!! I was working on moving a site over when I was responding to your comment…
You should see what happens to me when I chew gum and walk at the same time! LOL.. I’ll fix that comment.. unless you plan on doing reseller hosting anytime soon.
As far as responding to other people’s comments… that is why I have Brian’s Threaded Comments installed.
http://meidell.dk/archives/2004/09/04/nested-comments/
that is the one I use… it was a little buggy and it isn’t supported too well by the developer. I been meaning to ask Normal Joe which one he found… the one he is using is much better than mine.
http://imwithjoe.com/
check his comments out, it has some really cool features.
I like responding to comments and consider it like a public email broadcast. People can learn a lot by reading the comments.
You can go here to get a stream of the comments made on my blog:
http://www.garryconn.com/comment-live-stream
also I have them displayed on the sidebar.
You can go here to get a stream of the comments I leave on other people’s blog:
http://co.mments.com/people/garryconn
Sometimes it’s hard for me to remember to click the Co.mment track button so I don’t get them all.
If you want to get blown away by checking out everything I do “day to day” go here:
http://friendfeed.com/garryconn
I have all my RSS feeds connected to my FriendFeed.
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 01:42:31 Comment #18435
Yeah I use Brian’s Threaded Comments as well. Haven’t had any problems with it so far, although I haven’t had many comments either haha
Headed on over to Joe’s site and did some code digging. Found “” in his code, looked it up in Google and found WP Thread Comment, Joe must have messed around with the CSS as the screenshots for the plugin look way different. Although he could be using a totally different plugin, I just found that data in his source code.
Check out Jarret’s last blog post..Week In Review - August 10-16
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 01:45:54 Comment #18436
Bah, the code didn’t show up, oh well at least the link worked.
Check out Jarret’s last blog post..Week In Review - August 10-16
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 01:46:13 Comment #18437
As much as I would like to modify mine to improve it… I don’t think its a good idea. Here is a splash on my dashboard stats:
You have 779 posts, 50 pages, 18 drafts, contained within 3 categories and 1,100 tags. You have 10,006 total comments, 10,005 approved, 1 spam and 0 awaiting moderation.
I have over 10,000 comments on my blog that are threaded. I can’t afford to go messing with it because if I break it… none of the comments will be ordered correctly. I had a heck of a time installing it, so I just leave it be.
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 09:19:13 Comment #18481
I used to his Brian’s Threaded Comments as well. As much as I liked it, I soon found out that once you start using it, you have to keep using otherwise, like you said, the order of your comments gets out of whack. I stopped using it to so my “roots” wouldn’t go too deep.
Date/Time: 8-16-2008 14:59:30 Comment #18355
Garry,
I don’t understand about why people strip out affiliate link IDs - it makes no sense to me - is there anyone out there that has done this who would like to explain why?
RE: helping people. Being kind and compassionate and sharing is never a cost. I think with a great guy like you, it’s two separate issues. One, you want to provide service to others and you do that in all areas of your life, often without compensation. You probably wouldn’t be who you are as a standup man unless you did that. That won’t change because it’s inherent to your life philosophy. Give what you are willing in that spirit and have trust the universe will provide. Don’t give beyond your joy in it so you won’t have to regret it.
Two, you work hard for the products and resources you provide and as a business person expect reward, fairly enough. If you’re looking for a solution, maybe set up a monthly subscription service so you get money and are then free to give out advice and help openly to your subscribers. At that point, affiliate money is gravy. If you’re just looking to vent, go get ‘em tiger, you are absolutely right, and screw those jerks!!! Okay, I’ve caught my breath - grrrrrllllll - sigh…For the record, I would never do this to you and I know there are hundreds of people, probably more, of your fans that wouldn’t either. We appreciate you do. Thank you.
Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman
Check out Vicki Flaugher’s last blog post..Health and Business - How Do You Manage An Unknown?
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 00:31:17 Comment #18421
Hi Vicki,
Congrats! You seriously take the prize of providing me with the most caring and thoughtful comment of the year! Thanks for putting a smile on my face. If you decide to hit the furniture store and get one of those leather recliner chairs that people use when speaking with a therapist, I’ll be your first customer and pay you big bucks for sessions.
You indeed are the original SmartWoman… thanks so much for cheering me up.
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 00:41:27 Comment #18424
That is a really neat idea! I wonder how many ppl would sign up? How much would I charge? Could I use a message board for something like that?
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 04:27:27 Comment #18456
Hey Garry,
I think Vicki’s suggestion of a membership is a great idea. Mate, from what I have seen of some of the crap membership programs going around, I am sure if you only offered only half the information in the program that you currently do on your blog, it would be still twice as much as some of the other crap that is out there!
As far as setting it up, I think maybe a tiered approach to the membership may be the way to go allowing a scaled pricing structure. This would obviously provide you with a steady reliable income, especially with the new bub on the way.
I for one would have no difficulty in paying you a membership on a monthly basis for the amount of knowledge and advice that you communicate through your posts. Whatever the cost is a month, be it $10 or $20 or whatever, I am certain it would be repaid many times over with the advice you provide. It would also give you an opportunity to promote some of those great themes that you provide and hopefully weed out some of those jerks that are fiddling with affiliate commissions that you rightly deserve!
Once again mate thanks for your honesty on this one and being a straight shooter. Keep on doing what you are doing and you will be rewarded in the long run.
Check out Murray’s last blog post..Coaching Youth Soccer Successfully
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 09:15:12 Comment #18480
Actually, I think this would be your best bet, Garry. It’s working very well for Josh Spaulding’s “Coaching With Josh“.
Date/Time: 8-20-2008 02:28:56 Comment #18783
You could definitely set up a membership site, Garry. There are various solutions out there that can be put together to quickly organize a site like that (e.g. Joomla + aMember), collecting money, allowing registration/login, etc. If you wanted something custom built, I could give you a hand as well, though I don’t have much experience working with developing for payment services like PayPal or google Checkout. You could find coders on a site like elance.com if you’re really interested.
I think you seem to have a lot of connections and fans too such that you could more than likely make it a success, or at least successful enough such that it makes up for some of the “losses” unfortunately encounter in situations like this.
Date/Time: 8-16-2008 18:59:00 Comment #18379
Garry … I like your straight talking and the wealth of knowledge that you share is appreciated.
I’m looking forward to the launch of your WP themes ….. customer waiting patiently here!
Check out Paddy Bloggit’s last blog post..Here’s to you Ronnie Drew!
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 00:33:30 Comment #18422
These themes are going to be so cool… I had a very busy week this week because the kids are back in school and we all had to get used to the new system of that, but I can’t wait to get back working on them.
For those who don’t know… Paddy is talking about ThemeClick.com. Go here to learn more:
http://www.garryconn.com/make-money-online-with-the-all-new-themeclickcom-wordpress-themes.php
Thanks for the comment Paddy… I very much appreciate it. And I too can’t wait to release my first ThemeClick.com theme pack.
Date/Time: 8-16-2008 19:28:38 Comment #18384
I have never bought any affiliate products - never wanted any - but I can’t understand why people would strip your code out seeing the price is the same - if it was cheaper I guess then maybe, still wouldn’t be right. How do you track this?
Has it been a big increase in this happening, Garry?
Maybe it is a bit like people going to actual brick stores for an item, getting all the info and then buying online anyway? Or it’s people asking you for info and then, without thinking, a week later they just go directly to the product without thinking? I don’t know, not all would be arses, maybe I’m wrong.
Check out goldcoaster’s last blog post..Googles New Adsense For Feeds
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 00:39:47 Comment #18423
The only thing that I can think of is that perhaps ppl want to feel like they are the original one and don’t want to admit that someone referred them to something? IDK, that’s my only guess.
Well, kinda because I started talking to new people in instant messenger. They pop up and ask for help then we start talking… I am friendly so I try to talk to anyone that pops up. So I’ll help, make recommendations, etc… then week later visit their blog and see that what I recommended was installed and then check my records and don’t see credit. The funny part is a few people come back and say thanks for the tip or what not but do it in a funny way which kinda lets me know indirectly that they shafted me.
Date/Time: 8-16-2008 22:29:49 Comment #18405
People stripping out affiliate codes is not a new thing…..many of the things that I have seen Gary promote are clickbank products.
Clickbank allows you to purchase items on your own affiliate link…..so I would suspect we have just uncovered the mystery of why people don’t buy via Gary’s link. If they buy it at all, they probably buy it on their own link.
I am not sure how other affiliate products handle commissions or which product Gary is talking about but I would suspect that to be the root cause of the issue.
Check out Bill’s last blog post..Ugly Sites Make No Money
Date/Time: 8-17-2008 00:48:18 Comment #18427
Read this:
http://www.clickbank.com/affiliate_faq.html#aff_question_24
and this:
http://www.clickbank.com/accounting.html
…affiliates should not be using their own hoplinks to purchase products for themselves and th