VC Affiliates - Predatory Terms?

[GFPC]

So since 2007 I have been promoting VC Poker. Back then i was new and only did poker. Did alright for a bit.. then noticed account stopped working.

To make a long story short - i never heard from them for months. After repeated emails to them i gave up. Removed my banners and moved on.

Just last week I get an email - saying tech issues with VC were happening. So it got me interested....

I contacted them got my password reset and decided to check stats. LOL

WOW!! I seen a Sports Bet player wagering 300 GPB a month.. so around $450 USD a month and i look at my commission - ZERO!!

So i email them and ask them to please audit it - and let me know what is the issue and lets sort it out.

It seemed the affiliate department was now responsive to affiliates.

Well they decide to only pay me 25% of about 750 GPBs - just over $1000USD i think and then said my account will be closed...

Since i no longer have a banner on my site they are using terms of termination to close me down... LOL

With VC Affiliates if you do not promote them they have the right to shut your affiliate account down.

So now i lose a $500 a month player for life!!!!

Is this not Predatory? It does state this in their terms of service so i guess its my own fault.. but...

After emailing them back - i told them the reason i removed them was because 7 months ago i could not get answers. They always held our payments so i got fed up.

Since we have many more sites now - and active casino players, poker players, and soon to be Sports players i would of thought they would of reconsidered and transfered this player to a new account....

But i guess they rather steal 1 players life time earnings of 25% then get many more players from all our sites.. LOL - to funny!!!

Another back list group for us i guess!

Anyone else loose a lifetime player from them based on this kind of term?

Here is their terms - 5.1 and 3.4

5 Term and Termination, Consequences and Unsuitable Sites

5.1 Term and Termination
a) This Agreement shall remain in force from the date of this Agreement for an initial fixed term of one year and shall continue thereafter unless and until terminated on 30 days written notice by one party to the other or otherwise as terminated below. For purposes of notification of termination, delivery via
e-mail is considered a written and immediate form of notification.
b) Either party may terminate this Agreement by notice in writing with immediate effect if the other party is in material breach of any of the terms of this Agreement and such breach, where it is remediable, remains unremedied fourteen days after receipt of notice from the terminating party that the other party is in breach.
c) Either party shall have the right to terminate this Agreement with immediate effect on notice in writing if liquidation or similar proceedings relating to insolvency are filed or initiated by or against the other party.
d) After termination, VC shall pay to the Affiliate commission subject to the terms of this Agreement on bets and accounts placed prior to the date of termination but no further commission shall be payable.

3.4 Continued Promotion
The Affiliate shall incorporate and prominently and continually display the most up-to-date links provided by VC on all pages of its website and in a manner and location agreed with VC, and the Affiliate shall not alter the form, location or operation of the links without VC’s prior consent. The Affiliate is eligible for Referral Commissions based upon its continued promotion of VC. VC reserves the right to terminate Referral Commission if the Affiliate ceases to promote the VC brand. The Affiliate’s reduced or suspended promotion of VC’s sites will be deemed to represent the Affiliate’s termination of this Agreement.

[Engineer]

Thanks for the info, Steve. That is definitely predatory. Affs would be wise to steer clear of VC Affiliates until they change their ways and start respecting their affiliate partners.

[GFPC]

Thanks for the info, Steve. That is definitely predatory. Affs would be wise to steer clear of VC Affiliates until they change their ways and start respecting their affiliate partners.

Thanks mate - and your welcome :-)

In all fairness I can't really complain to much - as I did agree to the terms from the start, although I do not remember. It was 3 years ago. I was also a new affiliate and did not think about those things.

My only real peeve was the fact that even after I emailed them back requesting we work this out and start over I got a real cold reply.

The term they use is similar to "Winner" in that if you do not promote them anymore they confiscate your earnings.

This one player could go on to bet many thousands of dollars over the years and the 25% rev share i would of made would be a nice chunk over time.

But to shut me out like this - even after explaining when they revamped their affiliate system they stopped communicating I had to chose. I was not getting paid by them..

Yet i did not know I had a player who was raking with them. Hard to keep track when i have much larger payments to keep track of monthly...

So anyways :-) - yeah here was theeir last reply.. in email!!! LOL

Dear Steve



Thank you for your recent email.



Abiding by our Terms and Conditions - Term 5.1 (b) Term and Termination - your account has been closed with immediate effect and shall remain closed.



With regards to paying you further commission please read Term 5.1 (d) Therefore the outstanding commission to date will be paid tomorrow and no other commissions will be paid thereafter.



You can read our Terms and Conditions on the following link :



VC Affiliates - Terms & Conditions

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Note: If you promote VC AFFILIATES and decide to stop after some time - Please Keep a back Up file in case you need to contact them about payments for past players... If they see you not promoting them anymore they will refuse your money and close your account!!!!

This is proof!!

[Guard Dog]

And this is why we make sure affiliate-friendly programs remove these terms. We constantly get the response: 'We will never use that clause' or 'We have never and will never use that'.

Well... this is the exact proof that companies WILL use such terms to confiscate your earnings.

VC Affiliates should be ashamed of themselves.

[GFPC]

VC Affiliates should be ashamed of themselves.

Yes agreed!! I mean i would of thought they would want to continue and work it out in a more productive way. I fault myself really... I did not read the terms 3 years ago..

At least they are paying me 25% of around 800 pounds!!! Pocket change!!
I will buy some nice Poker and Casino news items for that!!

I was never to fond of their program back then - they lacked communication to much which is why i stopped...

but as it turned out - a player turned into a solid earner and seems to losing a few hundred a month.. so over a years time it can be alot!!! Every bit helps.

But then they pulled that term on me - after i asked them to even reconsider.

They do convert! -

but to be honest - It would be hard for me to reason continuing since that term is so unfriendly and me promoting them would condone that term!!

So in a nut shell - I guess it worked out for the best except I lose for that player but save myself on moral ground!! Win win!!

Its all good - i have other sports books and casinos to send players too.

Thanks guys!

Steve

[Pokerkeep]

When Victor Chandler changed their program some time last year, they did it without notifying me as well. No communication for months! To this day, they have not bothered to touch base and see why I stopped pushing them.

I have no idea how many months my banners and links were not working. Since the program was a non earner for me, I didn't check the account very often... maybe once every couple or three months.

Once I discovered the links were broken, I tried to log in to my aff account to update my stuff, but found I was locked out... the login ID and password would not work.

At that point I pulled all their ads and links from my site and washed my hands of them - as far as I'm concerned, they're trash - I wouldn't promote them again if they were the last aff program on Earth.

[GFPC]

Hey Terry!!!! LOL - Yeah I had that problem exactly among others. Our tracking did not work, links. I had players say promo didn't work - ect ect..

Except you know me - I never give up - I will email them for months and months to get them to finally reply!!!

They did reply eventually - and got me set back up - and I earned a bit for several months until they stopped all communications again when i need help.

Then at this time I said forget it :-) - But i did not know I had a strong earner.

What makes me sick - All i had to do was add a banner to Homepage showing i promote them (yesterday when they looked) and i would of got paid for the player and continuosly onward.

I mean for 7 months they did not notice and then all of a sudden when i ask to be paid my commission they look??

They obviously decided to rip me off!! LOL as when i suggest i will reapply banners and work with them they do not want to.. LOL

Rather steal my income!!! - WELL DONE VICTOR!!!

You made a good move Terry!!! - Well at least I salvaged a few hundred off those cheats!!!! LOL

I will buy a nice article from someone with it - and the title will be Do Not Play at Victor Chandler!! LOL I am serious i am going to do that..

Anyone wanna write it? Will pay $20 for it!! LOL

Cheers

[Pokerkeep]

If I had the time, I would write it for you - no charge!
Giggles is in a foul mood right now over the spat with Dave... she's in prime shape to write a nasty article for you.

BTW - got your pm and notified Judy. Thanks for the heads up!!

[GFPC]

If I had the time, I would write it for you - no charge!
Giggles is in a foul mood right now over the spat with Dave... she's in prime shape to write a nasty article for you.

BTW - got your pm and notified Judy. Thanks for the heads up!!

HAHA yeah i thought of that already :-) - but maybe later shes working already on some for me :-) Love her so much!!!!

Re: Judy - cool!!

Cheers

[greek39]

Obviously a predatory program Steve. I know little about VC Poker but will consider including them on my Rogue Site (dead beat business partners).

The good news you received some payment but also lost any future earnings. Keep up the determination it does work never surrender.

Likewise I am very determined to do what ever it takes in bringing down Grand Prive and the Virtual Group by years end. One of the reasons I not around all that much

greek39