- This topic is empty.
-
Posts
-
ON MARCH 10th (nearly two weeks ago) WE SEND FORTUNE AN EMAIL IN REGARD TO THEIR REPLY ABOUT OUR AUDITS. WE HAVE YET TO GET A RESPONSE, SO WE WILL PUBLISH OUR RESULTS.
===================================================
Dear David (and Fortune Affiliates),
We thank Fortune Affiliates for their time and investigation. It is encouraging to see cooperation in this area. We hope this cooperation continues.
Fortune admits that there is a problem, and states they are working to fix the issue. However, we do take serious issue with specific statements that Fortune made detailed below:
FORTUNE: “One of our major concerns is that throughout the audit MS tags are mentioned, which belong to Slickstreet Marketing and not Fortune Affiliates, and, therefore, would not show in the Fortune Affiliates system.”
This should be a major concern to you and every affiliate you have because we only dealt with “MS” tags when you emailed them to us. We, at NO TIME, clicked through an “MS” tag on any portal. We registered all our audits through affiliate links on affiliate websites, or by directly typing in the URL and got the “7_Direct” tag.
Our Players/Auditors that registered ON YOUR SITES received follow-up emails with “MS” tags in them. Some of these follow up, cross-marketing emails came to the address we entered even when we failed to complete the initial downloads. That means, without any doubt or confusion, that Fortune Affiliates had exclusive access to that email address, and that email address subsequently received cross-marketing emails with “MS” tags in them.
Additionally, before these audit results were originally released, we had been verbally instructed that Fortune did use “MS” tags in emails for marketing tracking purposes, and that those particular “MS” tags had nothing to do with Slick Street. It seems that there has been a reversal on this claim.
========================================================
FORTUNE: “In the audit, there appears to be little mention of Fortune Affiliates’ tags, which are identified by AD_ or ehr_.”
This is not at all a fair statement and seems intended to deliberately detract from the issue at hand.
The fact is that an “ehr” tag started the entire five month audit process, and the only time “MS” tags were audited was when Fortune Affiliates emailed them to an auditor. If you don’t think it’s fair that we audit “MS” tags then please do not sent them out to our players.
In the very first audit detail we specifically mention the use of an “ehr” tag. It was the Fortune/MicroGaming “ananomaly” that led the audits into a different and much larger direction. Thank goodness it did, otherwise this flaw would still be undetected.
========================================================
FORTUNE: “Fortune Affiliates and Slickstreet Marketing are two separate companies… Fortune Affiliates do not use Slickstreet tags, but has its own tagging system. These are in no way shared with Slickstreet Marketing.”
Then explain to our membership how an auditor entered an email address at the 7 Sultans Casino download page, aborted the download, and received an email with an “MS” tag embedded in the cross-marketed offer.
You made the statement. Explain it.
========================================================
FORTUNE: “The only way anyone would have a Slickstreet tag is if he or she came through one of Slickstreet’s publisher sites.”
Flat not true.
No APCW auditor ever visited a Slick Street site, yet we had “MS” tags like a plague… all over our emails and in every “Fortune Buddie” account we opened.
The truth is that “MS” tags were/are fully integrated into your cross-marketing promotions. In fact, we just today (March 10th, 2006) re-evaluated and tested this exact senario, We downloaded one of your casinos (7 Sultans) and registered an account for fun. The cookie was a “Direct” cookies… which is CORRECT.
THEN… during our download of 7 Sultans we installed the “buddie”. We used the “buddie” to open another account (At Royal Vegas) with all the SAME information used for 7 Sultans. The cookie is an “MS” tag. Fortune is using “MS” tags for tracking… there’s absolutely NO DEBATING this issue.
We are eager (and have been for some time) to hear your thoughts on this.
Well!!!
I do think we need to hear a lot more from fortune on this.
This is looking worse and worse.
I hope FA know that this is really important that will decide what’s going to happen to all FA Casinos in relation with all affiliates. :shots:All I can say is where theres smoke theres fire. In my opinion, I think we can all agree that we are being short-changed revenue whether intentially or unintenially, the end result is still the same. With that being said, why would anyone want to continue giving space to FA in light of their stats issues. Meaning, if a player joins and deposits through your website, you may or may not get credit for that player as oppossed to sending them to a casino that you are reasonably sure you will get credit for. This is a major issue, and let’s remind ourselves the potential income lost if your not credited with that depositing player. It could be hundreds, it coud be pennies, but what if it’s thousands, that whale that some of us seem to land from time to time. Could it be that guy that loses $2k a month. Thats $6k a year lost and $30k lost over 5 years from just that one player. What if its 10 players. Thats serious money and when that kind of money is on the table, I have to know that things are exactly as they should be. I don’t have time to analyize all my stats each month or wonder why the player that deposited and lost $500 last month isn’t showing any revenue earned a month later. I just want to see people make good business decisions here. It took me 2 months to remove them from my site, I kept saying to myself they will get it together yet every other day someone is complaining about their stats and it is hard for me to believe that all these affiliates that used to do so well with FA are now fighting to make enough to buy a pizza. I guess the flip side for the veterans is you don’t want a program that you currently earn $5k a month from to go cold as you lose your clout and they may kick you to the curb entirely. That’s kind of a sticky one, but for the newbies just use good judgement here and promote the programs where there are not stats issues. You owe it to yourself not to have to deal with these headaches so you can concentrate on building and promoting your site. I hope for everyone concerned that FA gets it together. I could rap about hours on the issues here with FA, but frankly I am moving past them and I would rather spend my time making money instead of chasing down what I have already made. What I bet some of you wouldn’t give to have made different decisions in the past regarding some of these debacles. I can just see myself 1 year down the road saying damn – why didn’t I read the writing on the wall.
Superb post, Bonusgeek…
David Sack is my friend and will continue to be my friend…
…even if I have to drop Fortune off all my sites…
…even if Fortune leaves APCW over these issues…
I think David (in his heart) believes what the Tech Department tells him… and he’s really caught in the middle here. Unfortunately, that’s just the ugly reality of the situation.
There was a time I easily did thousands with Fortune… every month. Now, I don’t usually make the payment threshold of $200. Thats with SIX FORTUNE CASINOS on my site… three on the front page.
Last month, my $75 CPA deal with Poker Stars netted me MORE INCOME than all six of the Fortune properties I promote… combined. In fact, there are so many programs making me more cash with far FAR less traffic that it boggles my mind to try to think of them all…
Truth is, the only reason I haven’t taken them off my sites is David Sack. However, I am at a point where I need to put personal relationships aside and make the correct business decision.
This remove- put back-remove – put back dance is getting to me.
I am going to wait and see what comes of this and will start replacing as updates happen, but not doing an all out effort.
What I would like is some good, straight communication.
We can have a big pow-wow and smoke-em peace pipe in Amsterdam (the perfect place to do it)… if we can pin David down… :dozing:
…although it would be nice if David can bring in some higher-up’s…
Maybe we can round up enough affiliates to herd the “Fortunettes” into a private room…
I would like that but David already declined to meet with me.
I was thinking of a friendly, quiet talk that could be helpful to all.
The last problem, honoring contracts, was of such a nature that nothing much was to be gained from conversation, either it happened or it didn’t. Sitting there saying “yes, you have to” and “no, I dont” at infinitum isn’t very helpful.
This problem is very different though, there are solutions to be found that can make all parties happier and discussion could generate a lot of good will.
Dominique wrote:…David already declined to meet with me.So?
I was thinking more of a bag over the head, shuved into a car, and wake-up in a warehouse sort of meeting anyway! LOL! :roflmao:
JUST KIDDING, DAVID! :rasta:
Integrity wrote:So?I was thinking more of a bag over the head, shuved into a car, and wake-up in a warehouse sort of meeting anyway! LOL! :roflmao:
Hmmm, now that sounds like a fun project!
:woohoo:
I have arranged to meet David for half an hour or so in the bar at the Kras, exact day and time to be arranged. I am sure he won’t mind a few other people attending as well.
Thak you, Webzcas… :hattip:
That may work out just fine… :cheers:
Integrity posted: Truth is, the only reason I haven’t taken them off my sites is David Sack. However, I am at a point where I need to put personal relationships aside and make the correct business decision.Yes, business is business even how nice the person you are dealing with. If you see something wrong with your stats, it’s better to take it down. It’s better then getting robbed each and every month. :slapface:
If they had responded in a timely fashion eg shown an honest interest in working with affiliates and in making things right it would have gone a lot futher with me. Their tardy and inadequate responses told me all I needed to know.
I just dont understand how they are still certified and one of the big sponsors for the cap party. Affiliates should be banding together and demanding better treatment not bending over backwards for them and turning a blind eye as if everything was perfectly ok.
I will be meeting face to face with David (and whoever else shows up with him) in Amsterdam. Hopefully, I can return with some specific answers to some specific questions.
I’ll try to pop in at CAP while at the conference… if not, I’ll see some of you there and talk to the rest of you when I return =0)
:guitar:
