I've been promoting Amazon for 3 months now, making $21,000 in earnings (not profit) during that time. About a week ago I got an email from Amazon stating the I am bidding on their trademarks (Amazon, Kindle, Endelss etc.) and that I will not get paid. This of course is not true and I even sent them my whole keyword list so they will be able to see for themselves. I've been debating this with them for a week until they finally wrote the following: "As outlined in the Operating Agreement, if we determine, in our sole discretion, that you have engaged in the purchase or registration of any keywords, search terms or other identifiers which include our Proprietary Terms, we may (without limiting any other rights or remedies available to us) withhold any referral fees otherwise payable to you under the Agreement and/or terminate the Agreement. While I understand that you do not agree with this decision, it is final based on multiple reviews of your account history. Any further messages regarding this issue will not receive a response." It's amazing how they can treat their affiliate like dirt. Throughout this whole period they wouldn't even talk to me on the phone, only emails. I'm not writing this just to get this off my chest, I'm writing this to find out if there is someone else that this has happened to him or has heard of something like this with Amazon, since I'm sure I'm not the first person they have done this to. Thanks a lot for your help.
well Amazon did away with paying any affiliates who are using adwords or other such programs that are PPC. So technically in the keyword that you are bidding on is one that is not allowed by them anymore. They started not allowing it anymore on May 1st... which, would have been right around the time you started. " We’re writing to let you know about a change to the Amazon Associates Program. After careful review of how we are investing our advertising resources, we have made the decision to no longer pay referral fees to Associates who send users to www.amazon.com, www.amazon.ca, or www.endless.com through keyword bidding and other paid search on Google, Yahoo, MSN, and other search engines, and their extended search networks. If you’re not sure if this change affects you, please visit this page for FAQs. As of May 1, 2009, Associates will not be paid referral fees for paid search traffic. Also, in connection with this change, as of May 1, 2009, Amazon will no longer make data feeds available to Associates for the purpose of sending users to the Amazon websites in the US or Canada via paid search. This change applies only to the Associates programs in North America. If you are conducting paid search activities in connection with one of Amazon’s Associates Programs outside of the US and Canada, please refer to the applicable country’s Associates Program Operating Agreement for relevant terms and conditions." That was the e-mail everyone got who were affiliates at the time they made the announcement.
Thanks but the thing is that I didn't bid on any of these keywords and they still deducted my commissions.
They did write to me accusing me of bidding on keywords, but I replied asing them why, and explaining that I had not bid on any keywords. They have not refused to pay me (yet).