Comments on: Citysearch.com Accused of Encouraging Click Fraud http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2008/05/citysearchcom-accused-of-encouraging-click-fraud.html Internet Marketing News Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:00:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Drink Texas http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2008/05/citysearchcom-accused-of-encouraging-click-fraud.html/comment-page-1#comment-67200 Drink Texas Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:20:06 +0000 http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/?p=5301#comment-67200 Citysearch offered us #1 placement for our business but failed to change our listing at all. $200 a month for zero clicks, and both their sales rep and customer service refuse to return my emails or calls. I've changed my credit card number so I can no longer be charged by these scam artists. I also had our case featured on the Bad Company blog - http://badcompany.wordpress.com. It's really frustrating dealing with these guys so I suspect I'll never get my money back. Citysearch offered us #1 placement for our business but failed to change our listing at all. $200 a month for zero clicks, and both their sales rep and customer service refuse to return my emails or calls. I’ve changed my credit card number so I can no longer be charged by these scam artists. I also had our case featured on the Bad Company blog – http://badcompany.wordpress.com. It’s really frustrating dealing with these guys so I suspect I’ll never get my money back.

]]> By: Rick Arnst http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2008/05/citysearchcom-accused-of-encouraging-click-fraud.html/comment-page-1#comment-66217 Rick Arnst Sat, 17 Jan 2009 03:21:42 +0000 http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/?p=5301#comment-66217 Mr. Cheap is dead on the money. I too have been victimized by Citysearch. They have billed my credit card over $500 per month for five months. The rep who signed us up said the billing to our account would be 12.95 and he doubted that the billing would go over $20 in any given month. I am trying to work thru my credit card company and may get some relief there but it will only be partially. I have done alot of reading from others who have suffered the bad Citysearch experience. I would be remiss if I did not say BEWARE (ESPECIALLY SMALL COMPANIES) IT IS VERY DOUBTFUL THIS COMPANY WILL EVER BE A POSITIVE ADVERTISER FOR YOUR COMPANY GIVEN THEIR CURRENT PRACTICES. Mr. Cheap is dead on the money. I too have been victimized by Citysearch. They have billed my credit card over $500 per month for five months. The rep who signed us up said the billing to our account would be 12.95 and he doubted that the billing would go over $20 in any given month. I am trying to work thru my credit card company and may get some relief there but it will only be partially. I have done alot of reading from others who have suffered the bad Citysearch experience. I would be remiss if I did not say BEWARE (ESPECIALLY SMALL COMPANIES) IT IS VERY DOUBTFUL THIS COMPANY WILL EVER BE A POSITIVE ADVERTISER FOR YOUR COMPANY GIVEN THEIR CURRENT PRACTICES.

]]> By: Jeff Cheap http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2008/05/citysearchcom-accused-of-encouraging-click-fraud.html/comment-page-1#comment-56173 Jeff Cheap Fri, 19 Sep 2008 06:01:01 +0000 http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/?p=5301#comment-56173 I have also been defrauded by Citysearch and will probably file a lawsuit. Once I signed up on October 7, 2007 and supposedly put my ad up on Citysearch, I looked for it for several days afterwards but could never find it. It was only supposedly listed in the Oklahoma City area Citysearch (my company is registered in Oklahoma) so how hard could it be to find it, especially since I knew what I was looking for? I never could find it, so I just assumed that they had decided not to post my ad for whatever reason and then forgot about it, until I received an email from Citysearch on November 3, stating that I was about to be invoiced. I couldn’t imagine that I had used up the $25 credit already, so I logged in to my Citysearch account. It showed that my ad supposedly ran from 10/7 to 11/1, with zero clicks everyday except for 4 days: Monday 10/22 showed 51 clicks, Tuesday 10/23 showed 25 clicks, Wednesday 10/24 showed 25 clicks, and Thursday 10/25 showed 21 clicks. I had Google Analytics installed and I didn't even have nearly that many visits to my website for the two months it had been up! I complained to Citysearch and only got a rude reply from someone named “Bruce Jones, Senior Account Exec (sic)” full of misspellings and only telling me to call him to discuss the cost per click. Now it is almost a year later, and I keep disputing the charges and Citysearch keeps re-charging my credit card. Someone needs to stop Citysearch with their dishonest and corrupt business practices - too many small business are being hurt or destroyed by Citysearch fraud! I have also been defrauded by Citysearch and will probably file a lawsuit. Once I signed up on October 7, 2007 and supposedly put my ad up on Citysearch, I looked for it for several days afterwards but could never find it. It was only supposedly listed in the Oklahoma City area Citysearch (my company is registered in Oklahoma) so how hard could it be to find it, especially since I knew what I was looking for? I never could find it, so I just assumed that they had decided not to post my ad for whatever reason and then forgot about it, until I received an email from Citysearch on November 3, stating that I was about to be invoiced. I couldn’t imagine that I had used up the $25 credit already, so I logged in to my Citysearch account. It showed that my ad supposedly ran from 10/7 to 11/1, with zero clicks everyday except for 4 days: Monday 10/22 showed 51 clicks, Tuesday 10/23 showed 25 clicks, Wednesday 10/24 showed 25 clicks, and Thursday 10/25 showed 21 clicks. I had Google Analytics installed and I didn’t even have nearly that many visits to my website for the two months it had been up!
I complained to Citysearch and only got a rude reply from someone named “Bruce Jones, Senior Account Exec (sic)” full of misspellings and only telling me to call him to discuss the cost per click.
Now it is almost a year later, and I keep disputing the charges and Citysearch keeps re-charging my credit card. Someone needs to stop Citysearch with their dishonest and corrupt business practices – too many small business are being hurt or destroyed by Citysearch fraud!

]]> By: Kevin Luxon http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2008/05/citysearchcom-accused-of-encouraging-click-fraud.html/comment-page-1#comment-49798 Kevin Luxon Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:38:54 +0000 http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/?p=5301#comment-49798 I'm looking for an attorney to help me with Ask.com and click fraud. With every other program ADWORDS, OVERTURE/YAHOO, MSN, my cost per acquisitions has never gone above $8 average. At ask.com, it has been over $130 to $250 CPA. Please call for details, Kevin at 888-722-1688 I’m looking for an attorney to help me with Ask.com and click fraud. With every other program ADWORDS, OVERTURE/YAHOO, MSN, my cost per acquisitions has never gone above $8 average. At ask.com, it has been over $130 to $250 CPA. Please call for details, Kevin at 888-722-1688

]]> By: Web Browser http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2008/05/citysearchcom-accused-of-encouraging-click-fraud.html/comment-page-1#comment-48510 Web Browser Thu, 29 May 2008 10:39:04 +0000 http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/?p=5301#comment-48510 What about other companies? More than 50% of "top ones" got as much fraud click as anyone else. <em>Web Browser's last blog post..<a href='http://www.favbrowser.com/firefox-3-vs-internet-explorer-7-ie7-vs-safari-31/' rel="nofollow">Firefox 3 vs. Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) vs. Safari 3.1</a></em> What about other companies? More than 50% of “top ones” got as much fraud click as anyone else.

Web Browser’s last blog post..Firefox 3 vs. Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) vs. Safari 3.1

]]> By: Frank Reed http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2008/05/citysearchcom-accused-of-encouraging-click-fraud.html/comment-page-1#comment-48418 Frank Reed Wed, 28 May 2008 15:00:01 +0000 http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/?p=5301#comment-48418 Wow. I guess $30 million to the firm wasn't enough back in 2006. I betcha that law firm has some nice perks! Gotta feed the machine! <em>Frank Reed's last blog post..<a href='http://www.frankthinking.com/blog-what-blog/' rel="nofollow">Blog? What Blog?</a></em> Wow. I guess $30 million to the firm wasn’t enough back in 2006. I betcha that law firm has some nice perks! Gotta feed the machine!

Frank Reed’s last blog post..Blog? What Blog?

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