BetAtHome - rogue?

[footballaffiliate]

Anyone had any problems with BetAtHome? We tried our best to promote them after receiving an email saying our performance was not up to scratch. They threatened us by saying if we did not get a number of sign ups in a defined period our revenue share would go down to 5%! Hardly an incentive! My view on it was that if they're happy to try this tactic then what will they try in the future. So, we're dropping them completely. We personally cannot trust a program that uses this sort of tactic (email below). We did try to work with them, explaining that the affiliate system was full of redundant banners and links, and asked them for other things like deep links, but they just don't seem to want to work with people. There are plenty of better sportsbooks and affiliate programs out there so when a small guy like this uses this sort of tactic I'm surprised anyone reacts to it with more promotion.

Dear Affiliate Partner,

The first observation period (1st of October 2012 until the 31st of December ) of your affiliate performance is over and we unfortunately have to inform you that you did not meet the minimum criteria to keep your commission structure on the current level.

From the 1st of January 2013 until the 31st of March the percentage rate of the Revenue Share for your account will be reduced to a rate of 5%.

You will always have the chance to return to your former Revenue Share commission-level by delivering 5 new depositing accounts at a minimum in the next observation period from the 1st of January 2013 until the 31st of March.

Please note that we will inform you again in April 2013 about the new results and the next steps.

If there is a special need for new advertising materials, which will help you increasing your affiliate traffic, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Best regards,
Your bet-at-home.com Affiliate Team

 

[Engineer]

That is very rogue behavior.

I would dump them and move on, as you plan to do. Everyone should avoid working with this place.

 

[LandofOz]

Not acceptable!! Luckily I don't promote them, but if I did, I would certainly remove all their links.

 

[Guard Dog]

Completely not acceptable, I agree. We will have to list this place as rogue. Please send me the information you have regarding their actions to:

[agdemail][/agdemail]

 

[fastbonusru]

good to know

 

[footballaffiliate]

Sent AFG the full email series from BetAtHome. Even though they may try rectify this situation now they have bad press on it, I can't trust them as an advertiser. Really tried to work hard with these people as I know they have some good media for Eastern Europe and a number of different currencies and languages, but I can't trust them in the future not to pull off another stunt. Good job I've not got 100 playing players with them - that would make me nervous that such an amount of income was dependent on a company I didn't trust.

 

[footballaffiliate]

By the way, I forgot to add, we're not an affiliate with low potential - our sites get 50 million+ page views per year! Just didn't work out that well with this program, despite some good exposure. So, if an affiliate program can behave in this way towards a decent sized affiliate, then I imagine they've treated the smaller affiliates just as badly.

 

[mgbonus]

Sorry for replying to an old thread.
We got the same email from Bet-at-Home as well.

Haven't promoted them for ages.
Doesn't really matter if the rate drops to 5% as the affiliate account is like a ghost town anyways. Won't be sending them any players.
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Dear Affiliate Partner,
we have recognized that your affiliate activities have declined during the last twelve months.
We are contacting you because we really want to reactivate and continue our co-operation, as we are still considering you as an important partner of bet-at-home.com Affiliates!

Nevertheless we have minimum-requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to keep your affiliate account on the current commission-level.

We expect that you as one of our affiliates should at least refer 5 new depositing accounts during the next three months. (observation period will be the 1st of December 2013 until the 28th of February 2014)

If you fulfill this requirement we will keep your commission structure on the current level.

If you are not able to reach this level of 5 new depositing accounts, the percentage rate of the Revenue Share for your account will be reduced to a rate of 5%.

You will always have the chance to return to your former Revenue Share commission-level by delivering 5 new depositing accounts in the next observation period, which will then be the quarter after February 2014 and so on.

If there is a special need for new advertising materials, which will help you increasing your affiliate traffic, please do not hesitate to contact us again.
Best regards,
bet-at-home.com Affiliates

 

[footballaffiliate]

Sorry for replying to an old thread.
We got the same email from Bet-at-Home as well.

Haven't promoted them for ages.
Doesn't really matter if the rate drops to 5% as the affiliate account is like a ghost town anyways. Won't be sending them any players.

Agreed. I reckon someone at their company has naively thought this was a good idea to motivate affiliates, when it's practically advertiser suicide to do it. I'm surprised they didn't learn from the previous mail shots they've done like this, in that 99% of affiliates will take this as a threat and will just move their business elsewhere to companies they can rely on and trust.