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Update: It seems like people want the short-version of the story. 
Here it is:
A few weeks ago Commission Junction sent me an email saying I was in violation of their terms and conditions and that I needed to take down a specific webpage at www.incomemax.com or they would close my Commission Junction account.
The webpage they wanted removed framed a page from the babycenter.com website. I guess there’s a relationship between babycenter.com and Commission Junction. However, the page at Incomemax.com doesn’t use a Commission Junction link and was created back in the year 2000 in response to a request (presumably from babycenter.com). So the page was created before the account that Commission Junction was threatening to close even existed!
When I raised this point with Commission Junction they agreed that I was not in violation of their agreement. They didn’t apologise for being wrong. I think they used unnecessary bullying tactics and should take longer to investigate each incident before threatening to close accounts.
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If you’ve got a few minutes, here’s the movie version…
(for a much larger version, click here)
I don’t think it’s right that Commission Junction can try to bully me into taking down a webpage when they were 100% absolutely, categorically, in the wrong.
What do you think? Should Commission Junction have done just a little bit of research before firing off a legal email threatening me with account closure? How long would it have taken them to work out that the incident they were complaining about didn’t even use a Commission Junction link?
Am I right to get worked up about this? Is it an important principle to defend, or am I over-reacting?
It usually takes a lot to get me into “rant mode”, but Commission Junction managed it!
now, i have confused..
before read this post, i wanna join and make account there. but now i consider to pending my decission…
The sad fact is that they probably try this with lots of websites and 99.9% of the time the site’s owner will just do what they say rather than risk losing their account.
First time I have come across your blog, Neil, and I will be adding it to my favourites. As for CJ it is not worth fighting them over trivial matters on a matter of principle as you can’t win and the stress is not worth it.
I know it’s frustrating but the big guys usually win.
Hello Neal,
I agree. I think you should have done just what you did and call Commission Junction on their idiotic blunder.
You are right when you say they should investigate before the start with the threats.
Unfortunately, this seems to be the trend of many businesses now, not just Commission Junction.
A lot of businesses anymore have forgotten that the customer is always right. They continually bite the hand that feeds them (the customers), and then they wonder why their business is all but bankrupt, and a lot of times it gets to that.
It seems that large coorporations just don’t even use any common sense anymore, and the CEOs and the board members have forgotten everything they learned in business 101, and… don’t even get me started on eBay.
For about the last 5 years, every rule they have come up with has been very hostile to their members, who are the very people who have gotten eBay where it is today. People are now leaving in droves, including eBay veterans who have been there a decade or more.
To explain all of the nasty stunts ebay has pulled in the last five years would fill a small encyclopedia, but let’s just say that from all of the hatred of eBay that I am seeing both on eBay and on the rest of cyberspace as well, it is once again obvious that is it not very smart to bite the hand that feeds you.
So yeah, I agree. From everything you have said about the whole Commission Junction experiance you had, you had every right to take them to task like you did.
Misato K.
that’s true CJ is truly, a big bully it earns a lot and gives profit peanut size.
I really never had any luck with CJ anyway so I moved over to Amazon and it actually does much better. People know the Amazon name and do not think twice about buying from them.
They should really do some research and not just see the surface of things.
Nothing upsets me (I’d like to use stronger language but I won’t) more than mindless bureaucracy and mindless legal departments.
No, you didn’t over-react.
Neil, I say good for you for keeping CJ on their toes.
Joel Smith
Casa Preciosa Ajijic
I used to think that Commission Junction was a more respectable network, but they’re using tactics like this? Well I’ve never used them myself, so I don’t care personally, but they shouldn’t do that.
Tried using CJ years back and never had much conflicts with them. This problem might just be the lack of training for their staff over at CJ. Big corporation lacks proper customer service training nowadays.
Rif Chia