[jasonco12]

I'm in the process of communicating with a merchant about Ebates Money Maker. I believe there application is unfair to affiliates, as it's a reminder service which I believe is taking away our customers to shop though Ebates. They believe there's nothing wrong with Ebates based by linkshare. Could any merchants or abestweb members explain why Ebates Money Maker is unfair to affiliates or merchants. AS It's pretty obvious- reminder service tells me it's unfair to us.

thanks

Jason
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
affiliate program: http://www.shareasale.com/shareasale.cfm?merchantID=857

[ecomcity]

Your whistling into a gale force wind unless you talk directly to the merchant's management. The AM's just don't give a crap one way or the other as long as they get their commission and paycheck. eBates is a fully automated script that could be run by a pimpled faced Geek webmaster due to the network daily autoloads of incent offers. If only those pesky 20% didn't demand their rebate checks Paul would stuff all the money they vaccumm into his own pocket and fire the other employees.

Charlie ...

If they won't adopt and feed a bird ..flip them one! Where's the love and show me the money?

[Andy]

If the merchant is a publicly held company, a message to a few of their major stockholders should raise some eyebrows.

Especially the part that they're paying out commissions for their own SE listings and advertising! Kind of paying to get the sale twice, as it were.

Andy

AFFILIATE MARKETING STANDARD: The site upon which the initial action to buy occurs is the site the commission is paid to. Period.

[webmarm]

If you're talking about their newsletter, that's fair enough of them to do! Also shopping through their portal is fair game.

Now the MoeMoneyMaker BHO (browser helper object), that's another thing altogether. If they think that the Linkshare situation is fair to other affiliates, think again. \

If your visitor has MMM installed on their system, click on your LS link, and purchase immediately, fine and dandy. MMM does not automatically overwrite your link.

However, if your visitor bookmarks the merchant site, or looks up the merchant site later in a search engine, or even types the merchant URL into their browser address bar, then your cookie is crumbs. MMM swoops in and overwrites your cookie. Any merchant affiliated with eBates is essentially a session cookie if your visitor has MMM installed.

The merchant now pays eBates commissions for any sales resulting from bookmarks, free Search Engine listings, pay-per-click listings, and address bar type-ins. All these would have either been cookied by the original affiliate who referred the visitor, or a non-monetized sale for the merchant who had branded well.

- - - - -
42. Yup, the answer to life, the universe, and everything.

[mdwolinski]

Here's an e-mail newsletter which describes the situation more clearly. Sorry about the length of it.

Mark Wolinski
GigaGolf, Inc

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ConsumerMarketingBiz Newsletter From MarketingSherpa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Get your own http://www.consumermarketingbiz.com
Please forward *without* cutting - thanks!

Jan 16, 2003
1) SPECIAL REPORT: The Continuing Threat of Affiliate Automation -
Risks to eRetailers, Rewards Portals & Smaller Affiliates

2) SherpaStore: How to Pick an Email Service - Buyer's Guide


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=============
1) SPECIAL REPORT: The Continuing Threat of Affiliate Automation
By Jeff Molander, President Molander & Associates Inc
=============

If you think that the peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing debate that
rages within the entertainment industry has nothing to do with e-
commerce, guess again. Not surprisingly, companies that make
file-sharing tools – allowing consumers to swap music and
graphical images – are looking for sustainable revenue streams.

Flying largely under the radar, P2P players like Morpheus,
Limewire, Kazaa and others have begun offering shopping services
to their users.

In fact, they are making a big splash in the world of e-commerce,
largely through leveraging affiliate programs – a strategy
wherein marketers pay a commission or bounty to an affiliate
partner for referred sales or desired consumer actions.

So where’s the problem for direct marketers?

It has recently come to light that tactics being used by some P2P
– and other large affiliate players distributing downloadable
“shopping assistant” applications – are questionable, perhaps
unethical and absolutely troublesome for marketers.

“P2P applications are providing new functionality for their users
in hopes of maintaining loyalty for their core service. This is
an evolutionary step,” says Greg Kerber, CEO of WURLD Media, an
e-commerce tech provider to financial and P2P software companies.

-> Why This "Evolution" is Problematic

In order to generate revenue from their user bases, P2P players
are turning to affiliate programs that allow them to tap into e-
commerce without actually becoming a seller of goods or services.

They do this by simply adding an online shopping component to
their popular file-swapping applications that reside on a
consumer’s PC.

As consumers make their way from an affiliate’s site to a
marketer’s Web site, links are used to track referrals – among
other pieces of data. Each affiliate has its unique link ID and
can, therefore, earn credit (commissions) for sales being
referred.

Essentially, a handful of the larger affiliates that distribute
downloadable applications – such as P2P tools – have been accused
of programming their software to inappropriately insert their
affiliate link ID in place of other affiliate ID’s. In effect,
they are being accused of over-writing the links of other
affiliates in order to gain commissions.

-> Real trouble for "Rewards" marketers

These tactics are the source of potential headaches loyalty,
philanthropic or cash-back shopping services such as
uPromise.com, iGive.com, eBates.com and Northwest Airlines Online
WorldPerks Mall.

Since rewards and cash-back Web sites use affiliate networks as
their primary means to track and process rewards earned by
consumers, it is critical that the true referring affiliate link
is used for each consumer’s purchase – mainly as unique “member
identifying” codes are passed along inside that link as a shopper
clicks through to a marketer’s Web site.

A good number of cash-back and loyalty properties have begun to
use downloadable applications in an effort to make shopping
“through” their portal (clicking their affiliate link) to be more
convenient. They have interest in making it easy for their
members to earn a reward when shopping on the Web. Giving a
consumer the option to download and install a shopping assistant
makes sense.

However, the trouble arises when some of these digital shopping
assistants have been programmed to insert or over-write affiliate
ID’s in a controversial manner – similar to how some of the P2P’s
have operated.

Let’s set aside the rewards portal’s headache for a moment and
consider the damage to a marketer’s brand a when one affiliate
steps on another’s toes.

Consider a “family PC” scenario wherein a teenager downloads and
installs a P2P program to share music files with friends. This
P2P program has a resident shopping application that may or may
not be overly evident to the user but is constantly running in
the background.

What if the teen's parent decides to shop at a rewards portal –
in an effort to send cash directly into his/her child’s college
savings account or to fund a retirement portfolio. The parent
surfs to the rewards portal, clicks though to shop at the
merchant site, makes a purchase and logs off – assuming that all
is well and that the purchase was tracked and recorded by the
rewards portal; however, the teen's P2P application has inserted
its own link – overwriting the rewards portal’s link.

The parent’s unique ID was not part of that link; hence the
reward, which may be sizable, is not credited to the appropriate
account.

The consumer’s experience with the brand purchased is now at
risk.

-> The Two Risks of eRetail Fraud

Additionally, and more disturbing to e-retailers, some large
affiliates have been accused of distributing consumer-side
applications that insert affiliate links when no referral was
made – as in the case of a consumer surfing directly to a
marketer’s Web site.

This hurts e-retailers in two ways:

1. If affiliates take a percentage of each and every sale made at
a marketer’s Web site without having made a referral, the site's
profits plummet.

2. Sales resulting directly from other promotions - catalogs,
email, TV, etc. - will not be counted properly. Therefore
marketers relying on inaccurate sales data to make promotional
and budgeting decisions for future campaigns, could make costly
mistakes.

“A handful of marketers are exposed to what is going on through
their affiliate managers but only a few are beginning to grasp
how important this is to their bottom line… at the executive
level,” explains Wayne Porter, VP Product Development at AffTrack
LLC who helps large affiliates to automate the aggregation of ROI
and revenue data across the various networks.

-> The Code of Conduct: A First-Step Solution

In November 2002, Porter moderated a series of meetings that
resulted in the recently released affiliate “Code of Conduct”
agreed to together by the rival affiliate networks BeFree,
Performics and Commission Junction.

The Code is intended to ensure equity and fairness across all
affiliates by setting standards and guidance that were previously
unavailable. (Link below.)

-> Beyond the Code: Marketers Taking Further Steps

Porter believes that recent focus within the industry on this so-
called “parasiteware” threat has cast light on other, equally
important economic and strategic issues for marketers to
consider.

Marketers must step up to the plate and pro-actively understand
more about those who they affiliate or partner with prior to
becoming involved. This will help to eliminate what Porter calls
“drive-by performance marketing strategies” – or affiliate
programs that are run purely on auto pilot (without much hands-on
management).

“Historically speaking, most affiliate program managers have
invited anyone and everyone to participate – having performed
little if any due diligence on their affiliate partners,” Porter
explains. “This is dangerous yet alarmingly common. It’s time
for the industry to grow up.”

According to Patrick Toland, VP Sales & Marketing at shopping
application software developer TopMoxie, “Merchants and their
affiliate partners are suddenly at odds over their respective
marketing practices because their goals are completely different.

"Most merchants want a consumer to travel through an affiliate
link only once – returning directly to the merchant site from
that day forward. Affiliate partners want to retain their
customers and have them continually travel through their
affiliate-tracked links. As a result of this polar opposite
perspective, marketing by either party is constantly questioned
and the use of software-based direct marketing tools is simply an
extension of this ongoing conflict.”

Porter agrees there's a disconnect between marketers and their
partners.

“What we are seeing is clear – many marketers have approached
affiliate marketing purely with a customer acquisition mindset,”
he explains. “However, affiliate relationships that have risen
to the top have done so because they have effectively driven
sales, or desired actions, on a large scale.

"Essentially, these affiliate partners send repeat customers to
marketers on a frequent basis and expect to be rewarded for this.
They go beyond acquisition by helping marketers retain customers
and increase purchase frequency – oftentimes through the use of
customer-side shopping applications.”

Indeed, marketers are reporting that loyalty, cash back and
comparison Web sites are producing most of the sales action now
that the industry has matured. At the same time, P2P players
have made strides as well, yet not all downloadable applications
– or their distributors – are alike.

“The affiliate landscape is a growing and quickly evolving
ecosystem of many players of differing sizes, functions and
trustworthiness,” said Farhad Mohit, Chairman and Chief Product
Officer of BizRate.com. “At each layer there exists an
opportunity for fraud and deception; and, at each layer there are
many legitimate players pursuing honorable business goals.”

A handful of marketers have gone as far as eliminating
relationships that have been in place for years – extending
beyond P2P affiliates and into loyalty and cash-back shopping
partnerships.

“We have pro-actively decided to discontinue our relationships
with all affiliates employing downloadable applications that
currently – or in their past versions – over-write other
affiliates’ links and/or inappropriately insert their own
affiliate links,” said Rick McGrath, Partner Marketing Manager at
JC Whitney, an automotive aftermarket part and accessories
marketer.

“We strongly desire to work with partners who can send us quality
customers but we have a difficult time partnering with those
affiliates who force us to work within the constraints of their
customer-side application. When presented with an ‘all or
nothing’ deal we have chosen to part company.”

While some are walking away, other marketers continue to try and
find common ground with key affiliates.

“With 50 million consumers presently using these applications,
retailers now have the opportunity to reach a huge, focused Web
audience quickly and easily. But most importantly, we have to
keep in mind that it’s the consumer who drives the application
and the purchase,” said WURLD's Kerber.

So far, the industry’s new Code of Conduct is being widely
adopted. Will the days of “drive-by” affiliate marketing fade
away? Hopefully, yes. Should marketers begin to think in terms
that serve to move them beyond the limitations of affiliate
models – applying traditional concepts that bring them toward
more mature, multi-faceted performance marketing strategies?
Absolutely.

Useful links:

Copy of the Code of Conduct:
http://www.marketingsherpa1.com/cgibin/pl.pl?aff2

Molander & Associates: http://www.molanderassoc.com/staff1

A Merchant's Quick Guide to Affiliate Marketing in 2002
(First, Forget the "A" Word)
http://www.consumermarketingbiz.com/barrier.cfm?currentID=2121


========
SherpaStore: How to Pick an Email Service - Buyer's Guide
========

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==
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==
1. How to Create, Design and Get Subscribers for Newsletters
http://sherpastore.com/store/page.cfm/1992?a=her

2. Real-Life Stories of 25 Marketers Using Email Newsletters
http://sherpastore.com/store/page.cfm/1993?a=her

3. How to Grow Your Email Newsletter's Profits
http://sherpastore.com/store/page.cfm/1979?a=her


=========================
ConsumerMarketingBiz Info
=========================

To join:
Use the super-easy form at our Web site
http://www.marketingsherpa.com

To learn about advertising with us:
info@bethesda-list.com

Contributing Editor:
Mark Brownlow
markb@marketingsherpa.com

Marketing Director:
Jon Lowder

Sponsorship Sales:
Dan Zebroski
info@Bethesda-list.com

Subscriber Services:
Donna Pfledderer
subscriptions@marketingsherpa.com

Publisher:
Anne Holland

(c) Copyright 2003, MarketingSherpa, Inc
http://www.consumermarketingbiz.com

Sponsored By: New Search Engine Marketing Handbook
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[Kellie aka Ms. B]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>If your visitor has MMM installed on their system, click on your LS link, and purchase immediately, fine and dandy. MMM does not automatically overwrite your link.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This is not correct! It depends on how the affiliate has coded their site. Some affiliate links WILL be overwritten.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>However, if your visitor bookmarks the merchant site, or looks up the merchant site later in a search engine, or even types the merchant URL into their browser address bar, then your cookie is crumbs. MMM swoops in and overwrites your cookie. Any merchant affiliated with eBates is essentially a session cookie if your visitor has MMM installed.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Very, very true! A point that many merchants and the networks are completely ignoring. Except in the case where a visitor bookmarks the aff link and it is coded in such a way that TopMoxie detects it as an affiliate link.

When a merchant states anything more than a 0 cookie duration and they are associated with these software companies, they are reporting misleading and inaccurate to their affiliates. How many times during the course of this whole parasite issue have people said "well you can choose which merchants you partner with?" There is some validity to that point (I won't go into how that effects one's ability to fairly compete with other sites); but in order for affiliates to make a reasoned decision regarding who to partner with, they should be provided with valid information in the merchant's profile. If a merchant states they have a 30 day cookie and associate with topmoxie clients, in reality you get a 30 day cookie for some visitors, and a 0 day cookie for others. Just depends on what the end user has installed on their computer.

If they networks are going to allow these companies into their affiliate base, then they need to be upfront with their entire affiliate base!

Keep Your Hands Off My Cookies

[ecomcity]

Amen to that BLFH. The networks can no longer even analyize their stats due to the hijackers not showing impressions or clicks. They steal the click once it gets to the merchant site and make EcomCity look like their product displays can't convert. Everyparasite gets lifetime cookies and all normal affiliates best sell on the first visit.

Charlie ...

If they won't adopt and feed a bird ..flip them one! Where's the love and show me the money?

[Jaston]

I too am trying to make the decision on whether 1-800 CONTACTS will allow the continuation of our partnership. I think this is a very complex issue (even more so then Whenu, etc.). With Whenu and other parasite ware participants (say that 10 times fast) it has been a lot easier for me to do my research and count them as being unethical. However, to me, Ebates is a lot harder to do this with.

Anyway-on to my question. I have heard that there are merchants who have been able to continue their relationship, but have asked Ebates to discontinue the use of MMM on their program and with their site. IS this true? IF so, who? I have heard rumors of Amazon, but that's about it.

Josh

[Kellie aka Ms. B]

That is about it Josh. Generally speaking Ebates does not allow this.

I think this is an important point for merchants to consider. Why is it that ebates doesn't allow to be included on their website but not the MMM? Could it be because more "sales" are driven for them through the MMM vs their website?

Let's face it...all "visitors" delivered to a merchant's site via MMM is redirected traffic that ebates had no hand in initially driving that visitor to the merchant. Yet they are rewarded with a commission. I'm still trying to figure out how anyone can call that performance marketing.

Keep Your Hands Off My Cookies

[Andy]

Ebates has stated that the "reminders" that pop up are for the benefit of their own customers who forget to shop through their site.

So...if Ebates is such a great place to shop, why don't their customers initiate their shopping there, instead of other affiliate sites? Actions speak louder than words, and if a customer must continually be "reminded" about a rebate or discount or reward or whatever, one wonders how much value is truly there.

In my opinion, it seems Ebates depends on other websites to sell the products, then "reminds" customers to shop through Ebates for a discount or whatever. Most of the time, these customers don't even understand what's going on.

They add nothing to the sales process, but get the commission. Doesn't it seem that the people doing all the work to sell the merchandise are the ones not being paid for it?

If Ebates really adds so much to the shopping experience, why the need for the reminder? If there was truly value there, a reminder wouldn't be such a necessary part of their business plan. Ebates depends largely on other sites for their traffic.

Support the people who are actually making the sale for you, instead of rewarding someone else for another's hard work.

Andy

"If you were born to be shot, you'll never be hung." -Unknown

[retrac]

Well said Andy!

[happypoon]

Josh,

Talk with Andy of tigerdirect - before they discontinued Ebates, he was able to particpate in their program with exclusion from MMM.

I may be wrong but I also think Andy was able to protect his affiliates sites from WhenU popups as well. While legaly there may be reason for each entity to protect itself, it seems that a popup and interference acted on "your trademark" would be an issue regardless of where the violation occurred. Andy can confirm if this is the case or not but he can definately provide detail of how he got exclusion.

I think the term used for merchants excluding themselves "when allowed" of MMM is refered to as a "coupons only" site. Looking at the ebates site on the "all merchants" page, I see that Amazon, Apple, Babies Online, ChristianBook.com (score one for those with ethics) and "quite a few others" clearly fall into this category.

[ecomcity]

Keep it simple Josh. Does 1-800-contacts allow Pearle Vision or Lens Express to stuff or past their discount coupons into your shipping boxes. Does Walmart allow K-mart checkout lane interlopers in clown suits to hand their shoppers discount coupons when they have their wallets out.

No damn competitor is allowed to popup on TigerDirects site because they legally notified the Incent Whores to keep off their domain.

Mike & Charlie ...

If they won't adopt and feed a bird ..flip them one! BBQ some Gator and remember to flush WhenU..

[happypoon]

Even with a blessing from the networks saying they are "in COC complience", this doesn't mean they don't still interfere with affiliates cookies and commisions or charge you for commisisons on your own customers "in many ways". The facts clearly show they do!

This is all that matters to most of us here and hopefully will to you as well.

[Jaston]

After a lot of time and resources invested in this, we have now discontinued our partnership with Ebates. For those who are making the same investigation, here are my reasons.

Let me preface this by saying that I feel that Ebates would be totally acceptable if it were not for the MMM program. I truly think that Ebates has a good thing going by offering the customer a commission back on every sale-it’s a great business idea. However I have quite a few problems with the way Moe Money Maker functions. They are as follows:


1- Financially Damaging
We already spend a lot of money to ensure that we keep a 75-80% retention rate within 1-800 CONTACTS. I don’t think that it’s fair for 1-800 CONTACTS to pay a commission based on a program that automatically and programmatically passes a commission to Ebates. I believe that it’s good that the customer is getting cash back on every single order, however it forces 1-800 CONTACTS to unnecessarily pay for a customer twice (our internal campaigns as well as through Ebates). This is purely my opinion, but I find it to be financially damaging for us to unnecessarily pay repeatedly for a customer that we already know will return 75-80% of the time. This is different than other affiliate relationships. With other relationships, we are paying when a user actually goes out in search of a contact lens retailer. Ebates is different because it receives a commission even if the customer arrives at our site by typing in our domain name. Also based on the Ebates program, if a customer clicks on one of our paid links, then the Ebates assumes that Ebates has somehow earned money in this process and MMM swoops in to take credit. WE are therefore paying for the click and the commission on the order (where MMM is present). I am also in objection to the way that MMM is distributed. The customer downloads the program based on its “convenience” attributes and there is no way that the customer would understand the ethics and percussions which are created once the software is downloaded. I’m not debating that it does not make it more convenient for the consumer, but it does it in such a way that it takes advantage of 1-800 CONTACTS and other affiliates.

2- Intercepting Cookies
This occurs when an affiliate other than Ebates refers a customer to 1-800 CONTACTS. We find that people rarely purchase from 1-800 CONTACTS on the very first visit (In fact, on average they visit up to 5 times before placing an order). When the customer comes back to 1-800 CONTACTS and if they have MMM installed, the cookie then goes to Ebates. I think that the person that initially referred the person should get the commission. It renders our 90 day cookie life as being irrelevant when the MMM program interrupts the process. Ebates claims that only 10% may have this installed, but that is quite a large amount of people based on the total # of people that use the Ebates service. I have found that if the customer purchases immediately, then the affiliate link (of someone other than Ebates) is not meddled with. However it is common web wide for people to make a number of visits before placing an order.


3- History of Ebates-
I feel that Ebates has done some very questionable things in the past. The fact that Ebates had to change their business model in order to be complaint is proof enough. I think there are things which have not been defined in the on-line world (b/c it is relatively new), however they are still things which should not be practiced (law or not). The only reason that we are forced to define so many rules in on-line marketing is b/c of folks like you. These types of companies are always “testing the fence” and trying to find an easy way to make a buck.

4- Not in compliance with Code of Conduct

Interference with referrals. No Web publisher ("Publisher") or software download technology provider ("Technology Provider") may interfere with or seek to influence improperly the referral of a potential customer or visitor ("End-User") to the Web site of an online advertiser ("Advertiser").
(Code of Conduct, CJ)

I feel that, according to my interpretations of the CJ Code of Conduct, the MMM software download is interfering with or seeking to influence improperly the referral of a customer or visitor. It does not interfere so much on the initial visit, but more so with subsequent visits which can be referred to as “cookie visits”.

[garystarling]

Josh - Respect

'I am not young enough to know everything.'
- Oscar Wilde

[cditty]

EXCELLENT post Josh.

Chris

----------------------------
Scriptsforyoursite.com - Featuring datafeed import scripts for Backcountry Store, Coldwater Creek, Mondera.com and many more.....

[Nova]

The Poonmeister and me are very very please and feels very good to hear/read your post!

The light has shine and the steps are being done in the right direction.

thank you very much for your sense of decency and ethic.

You certainly have our continued support!

Give your self a pat on the shoulder you sure deserve!

Salamat Po!



------------------------------
What does the COC stand for? Crooks Overwriting Commissions.
------------------------------
Love Life to the fullest. we only get ONE chance! :-) !

[Linda]

Josh, I think that is one of the best posts I have seen concerning BHOs. It is well thought out and worded to where anyone can understand.

Thank you for taking the time to post your reasonings and findings and most of all, thank you for standing up for all affiliates.

[Kellie aka Ms. B]

A decision, stance, and post very well done. See, good business decisions and ethics can work hand in hand.

Josh just to prove that good deeds do get rewarded sometimes, I'm off to do a very special post in another thread for you. Be sure to take a look at it and enjoy.

Keep Your Hands Off My Cookies

[Haiko de Poel, Jr.]

I wanna see links to 1800Contacts everywhere!!!!!!!!

WTG!!! Josh

<font size="2" face="Verdana">Haiko


The secret of success is constancy of purpose. ~ Disraeli</font></p>

[walleyewarrior]

Thanks for your stand Josh.
A very much informed stance, that again validates many arguments on how their methods actually work against an affiliate and merchant's interests.

...............
WW

Make a difference! Support your local Cancer Care providers.

[Andy]

Josh,

Excellent post. I only wish the AM from shoes.com felt the same way.

I will certainly add your site to my "Good Guys" list and join your program when I'm ready to put up links.

Thanks for doing the right thing!

Andy

"If you were born to be shot, you'll never be hung." -Unknown

[ecomcity]

Well I'm 100% committed to give 1-800-contacts exposure on my site. If 70-80% of their customers choose to use their site and service to replace contact lenses then they earn and deserve the business referral. We all feel better when we can push an ethical merchant earning showcase status.

My hats off to memerchant in January for putting together a very good summary on the issues of BHO incentive marketing. We all sure love it when mrmerchant-OBdon -Wayne enlighten us to the forces at play here. If only Haiko had some way to serve up single malt scotch from this forum we'd be treated more often.

Post of the month goes to Josh for walking thru the flames of enlightenment with his boss's ebiz plan in hand.

Mike & Charlie ...

If they won't adopt and feed a bird ..flip them one! BBQ some Gator and remember to flush WhenU..

[Jaston]

Thank you all for supporting 1-800 CONTACTS in this decision. This decision was based largely upon what I have learned from this discussion forum. It provided me with a lot of very helpful information and leads as I was researching Ebates. Thank you all!

It definitely is a hard decision, especially when we have several large competitors using Ebates and other parasiteware to compete with 1-800 CONTACTS (either by siphoning off our customers with Whenu/Gator or by offering compelling offers on other companies like Ebates). However this isn't the first time that our competitors have done this and I'm sure it's not the last. I believe that they have gotten themselves into the parasite ware trap. They have realized that they can make a lot of money joining with these companies. Too bad they have decided to sacrifice their morale and ethical standards to do so.

Anyway reading all of your support really helps me feel good about my decision. As I’m sure you are all aware, it is always hard to give up a partnership where a lot of revenue is involved. I think it is most important for us to vocalize our opinions and make the truth known. These companies have a lot of $$$ backing them and it will take a lot to make them correct their ways. I am 100% confident that it was the absolutely right thing to do! I only hope that others who are unaware of their business practices will research these types of parasite ware relationship and that they will be willing to act on what they learn.

Thanks again for all your help and support!