Last year we gave inlinks (same guys as text-link-ads.com) a try to see how their service performed. In our topical areas we were only able to find some websites in Asia and Eastern Europe and after trying that for a month we decided that wasn't worth it. However, turns out that it's not so easy to cancel Inlinks' service. We've been billed for 5 consecutive month after canceling. Mind you, we send e-mails (heck, even faxes) to get this stopped. No replies, no cancellation. With no other options we finally decided to just get a chargeback done on the credit card charge by text-link-ads. Bad customer service is one thing - Inlinks.com seems to have that down. However, outright charging someone 5 times the amount that was actually ordered is bordering on fraud for us.
It is a sad story. But that is how the internet has become today. So much dishonesty. I doubt which direction we are heading to.
The Internet is full of morons who would never be able to make a real business. That's why you should always call the business beforehand, several times. I've built my business on the same principles of a business with a storefront in a small community. Treat the customer well always, not just when they have paid you. It's worked very well. The fact is the internet is the most impersonal form of marketing available to a business, so you really need to work on creating a business that is extremely personal, always helpful, and even more important, always resolve issues quickly.