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What affiliates should do when an operator misses a payment

Now more than ever, given the recent crackdown in the U.S. of online gambling sites, and the continued problems faced by payment processors serving the industry, affiliates are expressing concerns about whether they’ll get paid what they’re owed in commissions.

It’s a problem that’s not unique to today’s situation, of course. In the past few years, few names have served to cause as much controversy in affiliate marketing circles as “Grand Prive”, the notorious online casino that stiffed affiliates in 2007 and has yet to fully pay up.

A similar situation may be playing itself out with Best Casino Partner, although it’s still too early to tell how that case will play out.

So, how should affiliates react when one of their operators misses a payment? Here are five important factors.

1. Stay calm. Given the anxiety currently facing the industry, it’s important not to overreact. A missed payment is a serious issue, no doubt about that. But before you take things to extreme levels, remember that every business partner is entitled to a chance to explain themselves. Staying rational now will prevent you from damaging a business relationship that could still be profitable in the future.

2. Check your communications. Have you received any notification from the affiliate program explaining why payments are late this month? If you, like many of us, are inundated with spam and other junk email, it’s possible for such a message to slip through the cracks. Double check your inbox and spam folder and make sure you haven’t missed an explanation.

3. Contact your affiliate manager. Before going public with your complaint, give the program a chance to explain itself and make amends, if necessary. As with any other potential problem, your affiliate manager should always be your first point of contact. And, as most casino affiliate programs provide you with a dedicated affiliate manager upon sign-up, access to the manager should be easy.

4. Get on the forums. If the prior two points don’t help, it may be time to take your problem to the wider affiliate marketing community. The forum at Casino Affiliate Programs is a good place to start. Don’t be too confrontational or accusatory here — simply state your case, let the operator and other affiliates know what the problem is, and see if the community proposes a solution (or if other affiliates are experiencing the same problem as you).

5. Arbitration. If you’ve exhausted all these options and are still missing what you’re owed, you have a legitimate reason to take your complaint to the next level. That means arbitration, or the intervention of a third party to help you get your payment. Affiliate Guard Dog is an ideal place for figuring out how to proceed with arbitration. There’s no guarantee that arbitration will work. But the point is to “out” operators who refuse to pay as “rogues” and let the affiliate world know to avoid doing business with them.

Comments? Questions?
Have you had experience with missed payments from operators? If so, how did you react, and was the situation resolved to your satisfaction? Sound off in the comments and let us know about your experiences.