The End of the Road...

For me, at least, but not for those other cheated affiliates.

I realized, after this post, that VT still owed me money. Not from current sales, but because their system could keep track of the payment tiers. In all, they owed me $490 for the back payments, plus $60 in current sales.

After not hearing a word back from them on the matter, which seems to be SOP for ViaTalk, I informed them that once again, I was left with no recourse but to file suit in small claims court. Realizing that they needed to silence me, I received my payment via PayPal, and the following message from Brendan Brader, CEO of ViaTalk:

Hi,

Paypal is going out today. In the future we would prefer if you found another company to promote, as we are processing any and all pending sales you have and discontinuing your affiliate account after this payment.

-Brendan

They can do as they wish, but let's look back over my relationship with their affiliate program:

1. After earning over $3500 in sales, they don't pay for months. A BBB complaint had to be filed before any payment was received.
2. After another $400+ in sales, still no payment. Another BBB complaint, which I realized was useless as they lost their accreditation, was filed. Small claims paperwork was prepared, but never filed, as VT made payment hours before I was intending to file at the courthouse.
3. It is realized that they have been shorting affiliates money, and I'm now owed another $490. I skip the BBB, and prepare new small claims paperwork. VT pays and shuts me down.

It's their affiliate program, they can do what they want, but this is rotten press for them. Those three items up there are VT's three strikes. They're out. I've long since removed links for them from all my sites and blogs.

Goodbye, VT affiliate program. Let's hope the folks that are owed double or triple what I was owed don't follow my footsteps and file claims against you. By shutting down your affiliates, you're shutting down a source of income. You'll learn eventually, but it'll probably be too late.

Not Over Yet

So it appears that ViaTalk still hasn't paid all their affiliates, just those of us that made some noise on the DSLR forums.

This user will be filing a suit if payment hasn't been received by 3 April. Other have said the same.

Why does VT persist in such unethical, unprofessional behavior? Do they lack the funds to pay the affiliates? Do they hope most affiliates won't remember that they're due to be paid? Is their Accounts Payable department just a joke? Is Brandi Solomon using the affiliate money to buy new shoes? It's anybody's guess.


What is certain is that VT is cheating a lot of people and pissing them off in the process. If you want to share your story, PM me at DSLReports, my username is dmolavi.

Case Closed?

Well, on Monday, about 30 minutes before I was going to head to the courthouse to file the suit, ViaTalk came through and paid. The question remains - Will they pay me next month for my commissions that are currently pending? Will they (or have they) paid all outstanding affiliate fees?

It appears that only the squeaky wheels get their grease, as other affiliates have not been paid. Some are even hiring lawyers to collect back interest.


Stay tuned to this blog, I'll update it as my (or other folks who want to share their story) situation changes.

My Story, Part 1

Here's a quick summary of why I've started this blog.

Back in July 2007, shortly after Sunrocket went under, I signed up as a ViaTalk affiliate, posting affiliate links on my other blog, GizmoPasswords.

In the wake of the Sunrocket sinking, I racked up $3300 in affiliate sales. Unfortunately, month after month went by without a payment from VT. I decided to file a BBB complaint against them.

Just as the 30 day response deadline approached, I got a flurry of emails from VT, eventually resulting in the payment of my sales. I was assured that this type of delay would never occur again.

Apparently, I was lied to.

I now have $410 in confirmed sales that haven't been paid out in over 60 days. Left with no other option, since VT has lost it's BBB accreditation and is no longer obliged to respond to them (they now have over 10 "no shows" on their BBB file), I have prepared the claims and summons paperwork for filing in Gloucester County, NJ.

I will post updates as they warrant posting.

Small Claims Suit to be Filed

Since my attempts at emails and DSLReports.com PMs to various officials at ViaTalk have gone unanswered (the PMs have not even been read), I've decided that my only remaining course of action is to file a suit in New Jersey small claims court.

I have the paperwork filled out, and will file the complaint this week. Stay tuned to this blog for updates on the proceedings.

Welcome to the site...

This blog is focused on the ViaTalk affiliate program. More specifically, on those affiliates that have been cheated out of their payments by ViaTalk.

Some of the issues can be viewed at this DSLReports.com discussion.

Part of my saga can be read in this discussion.

Your story can be posted here, if you wish. To send your story for inclusion, simply send me a private message on DSLReports.com. My username is "dmolavi".

Stay tuned for updates...