YP's Pay per call program - updated/outcome

[SMRBAP]

Posted a while back, updating to the final outcome.

In short the Pay per call program has imo proven to be yet another smoke and mirror scam to siphon our hard earned $.

Same tactics - as soon as you dispute, your account rep changes 2-3-4 times, when you take the dispute to management, that contact changes 1-2-3 times. Escalate to higher ups, they "investigate" to tell you they were advised by the "managers" nothing was out of order and the charges are valid.

The number assigned in our ads that "meters" the calls for charges was recycled from another advertiser last year, who provided lawncare.

YP.com won't find our firm by related keywords, but it puts us in all 3 top positions if you enter our name + any other keyword after, including spaceships, diapers, lunar vacations..... even made up words. In a sense its the most expensive white pages known to man. If someone knows your name, why do you need to spend to advertise - the whole point is to introduce your name to those seeking a "need".

The above gets spammed the same way on affiliate sites.

Short of the long - on the .com, others who pay for higher positions are found, you aren't, you'll just be spammed everywhere else to get bogus calls.

I had many calls from friggin autodailers even.

And as far as the hang up in 18 seconds to not get charged..... impossible, by the time you pickup on ring 2-3, say hello, and they say hello, I am looking for someone to help my grandmother get her fre hoveraound.... it's too late and you have been charge $80-100.

And even with a phone system that has recorded these calls and audio proof - they simply do not care, and want to collect their thousands.

Stay clear from it - it's more work to [try] keep them honest (which gets you no where anyway), that its worth. I'd rather pay a kid with an a-frame sign in a big bird outfit to dance at an intersection.

So I'll have to wait until the collection attorney gets it - hears my dispute, and returns it uncollectable as he certainly won't take to any court after seeing the documentation and facts.

I however am out 30-40 hours fighting the bill

White collar crooks who rob small biz blind and get away with it.

 

[Becker]

So you are saying to avoid it?

How much were you paying per call?

Did you book anything off the program?

 

[SMRBAP]

Yes, like the plague.

Cost depends on category. We fell under 2 rates, $38/call and $88/call.

We received about 4 "valid" calls from folks seeking water loss service, of them 2 were decent jobs we booked, 2 were minimums, <50 sq ft wet and needed an AM, dry in 24 hrs, at $500 each.

The other 40+ calls were for things not even closely related.

I blocked their incoming number from accepting calls, so no more charges would tally up - that was maybe 3-4 months of live use. Likely in a year they'd had racked up $10,000 to $12,000 in crap charges.

 

[Newman]

Another fine side effect - your good company name has been spammed all over the internet attached to a now bogus phone number. Similar to the Service Magic scam. They chase after your current customer base. When your existing customer searches you by name, what are the chances Mrs. Finkelgroover finds the YP phone number you paid so much for? Now that you have decided to discontinue the service, what will happen when that number is called by a real customer. It is not easy to unring that bell.

IMHO - Marketing rule # 584, Never pay for any advertising that uses a phone number other than your own.