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Non-Paying Advertisers and Customers: How Dare They?

Non-Paying Advertisers and Customers: How Dare They?

Most blogs rely on ads to make money, in one way or another. If you really want to rake in, direct sales is usually the key, but most are settling for Adsense or similar ad networks. There is no doubt that you need to find a way that works for you, but chances are, direct sales is your best bet, if you can manage them.

That brings another problem: The advertiser neglects to pay.

You would think that today, with blogs and everything related to you online is a potential reference someone will read in the future, that advertisers and clients would be cautious not to risk the bad press. You really would think that, but sometimes you get amazed, and a little bit depressed.

Like ProToolerBlog, a niche blog for musicians using ProTools (the software to use I’m told, although I’m using Logic myself, sort of) with a lot of weight in its business. The readership spends thousands of dollars on plugins and software packages, and not to mention hardware tools, to get their work done. And the ones reading about all this stuff surely is the ideal customer for a company offering products to this niche.

That’s why I’m amazed that an advertiser, BBE Sound, isn’t paying its bill for an ad campaign. A small amount I’m told. Utterly stupid, because naturally there’s a post up about it on the site, telling us what’s been going on, and asking the readers to spread the word.

If you’re doing business with BBE Sound, or is thinking about it, I urge you to get out of it quickly because obviously they can’t be trusted.

To you, dear reader, feel free to spread the word. If not for me (and I would be very grateful), consider doing it for the poor blokes who might get scammed the same way I did.

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The amount of badwill that this has garnered BBE Sound, even if they pay up due to the post, is huge. If I saw something like this on a blog, I would stay away from that particular company. And the thing is, today we’re googling companies and products we don’t know anything about, which means that in the future, BBE Sound will have to drag this baggage. Sure, everybody won’t find the particular post, but many will, and word gets around.

I’ve been in the same situation myself, having delivered work but not being paid for it on time. I’m actually in one right now, and I’m very close to calling the client out. Should I do so, I fully expect to not be paid, especially since I won’t remove posts on principle, but it’s a matter of pride, and of letting people know who can be trusted and who cannot. Naturally, I’d rather just get my money and be done with it, but there’s only so long you can wait.

Have you called someone out for being a potential business hazard? What are your experiences in this? Do share in the comments.

View Comments (3)
  • I’ve been in that situation in reverse … paid for projects and then the programmer falls off the face of the Earth.

    The thing about public outings, though, is the sheer fact that once you pull the trigger on that you can’t take it back. The power the Internet has to ruin a reputation over a simple misunderstanding or even a non-simple one is, frankly, a bit scary sometime.

    I’ve been in a related situation recently, for example, with a non-profit that created a Wiki to discuss people in a field I cover. Anyway, I wake up one day to find Google has indexed a gynormous 20 page article someone’s written about me that is filled with glaring errors and outright libelous falsehoods. It was clear the author had no idea what she was talking about.

    Now because the industry covered is small enough my page rank high enough and the offending author obscure enough, I could respond on my site and after a week or so the first link that will come up on a Google search of the author’s name would be my takedown. But again, that’s almost a scary ability to screw with people’s lives even when one might be in the right to do so.

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