HUKD - Is A Scam! Open Letter From A Self Promoter
As with others before me, I have written requesting that I post deals promoting my In Car Entertainment internet shop to this website. I have been treated very badly, but it is you the consumers and Members who have not been able to take advantage of these deals - good or bad - you where not able to see them.
The following is my response to the latest and very confusing reply to my last PM from the Owner Paul.
You do not have the full history here, but I have copies if you want to see them - make your own mind up! I can take it!
"Hi Paul and thanks for the response.
Ultimately, your business "HUKD" is driven by consumers looking for "Hot UK Deals" some of these consumers become members and as a result, help you and help the moderators find good deals on the web.
Weather it be the consumer as a member, you or a moderator, you advertise these deals to attract more consumers and hopefully new members - your forum is exactly a place for advertising! This is what your forum does - It's an advertising site and your members and consumers are delighted that you and the moderators have worked so hard to produce it.
To be honest with you and if I can be perfectly blunt, your insistence on not answering my questions from the moment I joined, not explaining why you removed my posts and the fact that you have never asked me to stop posting or given me a reason why my deal wasn't good enough for your browsers apart from being rude, this suggests that you have a very dangerous and shallow agenda of not letting the consumers (potential new customers) and more importantly your members, make their minds up on the deals posted!
You havent given the members or consumers a chance to complain about or congratulate my postings on your site - I advised you that my In Car DVD/MP3 was cheaper than anything else on Froogle - you just ignored me and removed the post!
Is this website built and designed for the consumers benefit - I dont think so! You are choosing what's good for them and choosing what to hide from them - you are running this site in a dishonest fashion and playing a dangerous game.
I think that this site is a fantastic concept, and I very much hope someone copies it and runs it in a more honest manner than you are proving to do. I have noticed that you have a number of similar issues and complaints from previous members - you will get more if you don't open up.
I wonder if you really can take criticism?
Russell"
Hi Russell,
Thanks for the messages. The forum here is driven by our members as consumers and by moderators that look around the web for deals. It is not driven by the merchants, it is not a place for advertising.
To be absolutely blunt, your insistence in posting your site in multiple ways has been annoying particularly after our initial conversation where I asked you not to do so.
People are assaulted by advertising enough everywhere else, I don't want it on here. Every day we have people signing up to promote anything from free iPods to their own ecommerce site. That's not what this site is for and it's not what it's going to turn into.
I think allowing a link in your sig is more than fair.
Regards,
Paul
All Comments (11)
Jump to unread Post a CommentI stand by what I wrote to you in my last pm (which you have posted at the bottom of your post).
This site is here for consumers and by consumers. It is not here for merchants to advertise themselves. If a merchant wants to let us know about an offer they have which we may be interested in posting they are welcome to submit it through the front page "Submit a Deal" link. This will be reviewed and if we believe it fits the criteria for a deal we will post it.
A deal which is self-promotion will not remain in the forum.
To operate an open and honest site we do not permit posts from people who have an interest in that post. End of story.
I don't mind this thread being here and all and if anyone wants to post their thoughts please do :)
EDIT: Just another comment...
That's the nail on the head right there. That is exactly what this site does. Our members and our mods decide what's good for the community and they post such.
If I want to hear what a merchant thinks is good for me I can turn on the radio, telly or open a newspaper.
We can't have one rule for one person and a different rule for everybody else.
How can HUKD be any more fair than to say "If a merchant wants to let us know about an offer they have which we may be interested in posting they are welcome to submit it through the front page "Submit a Deal" link. This will be reviewed and if we believe it fits the criteria for a deal we will post it."
What more needs to be said?
What's wrong with having a link in your signature? You could post other deals for something completely seperate to your business and your FREE advertising is there every day.
Admin has already been kind enough to let you advertise (freely might i add) in your signature.
As for being treated badly, this hasnt been the case at all, you were only asked to follow the rules of the forum like everyone else. Great patience has been shown as you have consistantly flouted these rules!
Deals that are posted here are posted on merit and are not biased towards any particular merchants.
"It is not driven by the merchants, it is not a place for advertising." These are your words!
Are you trying to pull the wool over our eyes?
Almost every deal post that you personally make is driven directly by the "merchants" who pay you to "advertise" their deal on your site.
It's called "affiliation" someone buys the - deal you get paid. I think Duckmagic was kind enough to inform us of this in an earlier post.
The point is, that you are indeed "self promoting" by posting and reposting these deals in the hope that a sale is made. I don't care that you make money doing this, but do not try and kid your browsers on that I am the bad guy here.
We would all like to make money, but operating as a cartel only last's so long!
Do you notice how many of your Moderators and friends have backed you up? you have good friends - hold on to them!
The consumers,your members and your affiliates are the reason why you have this site - dont offend them by saying "we do not permit posts from people who have an interest in that post" a contradiction in terms!
Russell
Admin has been banned from receiving affiliate money from Argos, Tesco, etc because he's decided to continue posting the codes and offers against their will.
You will see many offers on here which are with companies who don't give any affiliate money. It's all about the deals. Admin has said that before too. The server is preety big, and I'm sure that it costs quite a bit.
Anyway, this isn't your webstie Iceblue. There are rules here, and they're in place for very good reasons. As a member you are expected to follow these rules, something which the other 4,600 and odd members manage to do without complaining.
In any case it is a somewhat ironic suggestion to make after you yourself offered affiliate commissions to myself in exchange for allowing your self-promotion. As I said then it is not a factor in deciding which deals we post.
I consider the conversation closed on this issue Iceblue. I have stated the position of HUKD clearly and believe that you understand it quite well.
If any members want to comment on this issue it is of course open but I think the conversation between yourself and myself is finished.