Sometimes emails come through or announcements are made from merchants or networks that really make me raise an eyebrow and wonder if this is really how professionals should be acting.

A few weeks ago, mobile phone network 3 seemingly extracted email addresses of their affiliates through Buy.at, and advised them directly that they will shortly be leaving Buy.at and give info on how to sign up to them directly.

I don't have any issue with them starting an independent program or leaving Buy.at if that's what their contract allows, but to hear this directly from 3 and not via Buy.at seemed questionable to say the least. Should 3 really be emailing Buy.at affiliates and asking them to join their in-house scheme? As it happens, Buy.at still haven't confirmed 3 are leaving and are actively promoting new 3 deals, so I'd assume they may be trying to persuade them to stay but they may already have lost affiliates to the in-house scheme.

More recently, it's been announced on Affiliate Window that Heal's - one of my favourite shops, by the way - has "exclusively" launched on their platform.

That puzzled me because I'm already an affiliate of Heal's on TradeDoubler, and I've had no communication to say that this program is ending. Awin even ask TD affiliates to email them directly for info on changing TD links to Awin ones. Until I hear otherwise from TradeDoubler (unless I've missed an email announcing it?), I consider the Heal's to be a live program and find it odd that another network is calling it an Exclusive and offering to help me change links.

Not massive issues really but small things that make me question the level of professionalism - especially in communications with affiliates - in affiliate marketing.

Labels: affiliate marketing, affiliate network