Who Didn't Pay Me?

[nickbaer]

There's threads on other Forums about "Who" paid me?... Often a sponsor program will pay out using a 3rd party company that send out checks or ACHs with names that we can't figure out.

I thought, as a follow-up to a thread that I started a month or two ago about a dying business that was dying because of laziness on the part of their staff, that I would start a thread "Who Didn't Pay Me?"!!

Today is the 10th. For 9 years, an important player has paid on the 10th. Like clockwork, on the 10th. Except when the 10th fell on a Sat, Sun or Bank holiday, then we got paid as soon as they and the ACH banking network could catch up. Sometimes Monday sometimes Tuesday.

Today is the 10th, and I didn't get paid!

Why does this bother me? Because in the past 2 months, daily sales revenues with them have fallen, suddenly, drastically, to about 40% of usual.

[nickbaer]

Got paid today.

It seems they use a smaller bank, lower on the ACH priority list. I guess they have to get an earlier start to their day, to make the cutoff, if not a full day prior.

[nickbaer]

A former big player, who faded into the background for a few years, is making a big come back!

Got paid by them today! I look for them from the 10th to 13th, on average (with allowance for bank holidays).

[Bec]

Glad you got paid ... that's always a happy dance moment

[nickbaer]

Yes, especially when sales with this huge player have fallen off a steep cliff!


I notice it's been kind of quiet around here and elsewhere. I wonder how many people are seeing a similar seismic shift with the revenue partners they're working with?

I am looking to put up my own member site network because of that. It still seems to me it's a good time to take matters into one's pwn hands.

[dirtyratstudios]

I wonder if it's the same company with hopeless staff that I'm having problems with? After I complained strongly last month my earnings this month so far are less than $1. An amazing coincidence that there should be this worst-ever-in-12-years-as-an-affiliate 11 day period after I complain.

[nickbaer]

Hi DirtyRatStudios - It is amazing how with some companies, earnings periodically drop drastically. Sounds manipulated to me.

[nickbaer]

I had a big VOD company fiddle around with my content for several months this spring. After 4 years of pitiful earnings, I pulled the plug at the beginning of the month.

That's a PayPal deposit that I will be chasing down in a few days - after their Pride partying.

[dirtyratstudios]

So I complain and suddenly the June total is less than one third that of May. Lowest earnings in 12 years... Yet in June I added the most new members in a month since last September.

I still haven't had the cheque from them. They reckon they mailed it to my old address by mistake. The Royal Mail say my redirect is working fine. Someone is actually going to go to the apartment, which is empty, for me and see if it's there. I suspect not. But then I expect the company will say it got lost in the mail. That won't be very credible because I think in 12 years (and most of the time getting a cheque every month) only one has ever gone missing.

Sad times when a once reliable company comes to this However I have more than 1,400 members on my account and I've always thought it strange that the earnings didn't increase more. That must surely mean that most members tend to only buy once or twice, as I add more members every month?

[nickbaer]

I really worry about the concept that our webmaster affiliate members are "for life"! I, too, have found serious peaks and valleys with membership revenues.

A steady climb often during the winter months. A couple of months of sustained sales, then a quick drop off, often not to be restored for some time.

I did try an experiment last winter, where I created a member through my affiliate link, and bought $10 of viewing time, on 2-3 occasions. Of course to watch MY movies!!

A couple of months later, that "member" got a promotional e-mail from the company, offering me free minutes. I haven't taken the time to walk through accepting that offer, but I suspect that if I take the company up on the offer, that the member will get switched from my webmaster account, to theirs.

[nickbaer]

It's now the 11th, and this big company has not paid. 9 years, quite faithful on the 10th, an occasional 11th (12th, 13th) when the 10th was a weekend or bank holiday.

July 2014, the 10th was on a sunny Thursday. No blizzards, hurricanes, tornados, floods, volcanic eruptions with lava flows.

Today is Friday. ACH sometimes works on Saturdays, sometimes not.

Good thing I work 7 days a week.

[nickbaer]

Payment Notice From AEBN

07/10/2014

Affiliates and Studio Partners,

As you have probably heard, the Operation Choke Point campaign, designed to crack down on potential fraud, has been setting its sights on the adult industry. Instead of targeting only fraudsters, Operation Choke Point casts a wide net. Since Operation Choke Point began, banks have been terminating the financial dealings of legitimate, law-abiding corporations across a broad spectrum of legal industries, including the adult entertainment business.

We were previously informed of our bank’s intention to exit the industry and that it would no longer accept AEBN's business, despite being in good standing and having a compliant business history. On June 30th, we were informed by our bank that our ability to disburse funds through ACH and wire transfers was being terminated that same day. This came after previous assurances that reasonable time frames would be given to properly transition our business to avoid operational disruptions.

This development will delay some of our business payouts to studios and affiliates – payouts that otherwise would have been seamless, standard operating transactions as they have been for years. A new banking relationship has been finalized, and ACH and wire functionality is being re-established. We will begin to make disbursements on time; however, this interruption is likely to delay some disbursements for up to a week as the payment information is transferred to the new system. This is a one-time delay and once the new system is set up, disbursements will be made on time.

This news follows similar high-profile bank account closures for banking customers who were in good financial standing and happened to work in the adult industry.

All of us here at AEBN place a high value on our business partners and understand the challenging economic realities we all face. We are doing everything we can to minimize business disruptions. We apologize for any inconvenience. If you have questions, please contact your studio/affiliate sales representatives through the contact information listed in the “Contact Us” page at www.aebn.net.

Sincerely,

The AEBN Team



AEBN
500 Archdale Drive
Charlotte, NC 28217
704.529.1600

[nickbaer]

For webmasters here, who have female traffic that likes softcore male, I have 200 VOD movies on AEBN with non-sexual male nudity. With AEBN being the top VOD platform, and being able to leap-frog financial obstacles in their way, now is a good time to think about strengthening business with AEBN.

My soft-core male theater on aebn.net is "Triangle Dream". They pay a healthy 30% to webmasters.

http://gay.theater.aebn.net/dispatch...id=AEBN-022522

[nickbaer]

I've been paid faithfully by AEBN for 9 years. Since they started doing business with the bank mentioned above, there were a couple of times payments were late, and my Rep grumbled about the staff at the Bank.

I don't remember anyone complaining in March 2012 when we got paid twice! Same amount, a couple days apart! (Of course, the next month, the extra payment got deducted!!)

For all of the companies they own in San Francisco, I'm confused as to why they bank in their hometown, with visions of the cast of Mayberry RFD and Dukes of Hazzard working security, and processing!

I like Payoneer a lot - since 2008. I didn't like PAXUM at first, but every idiotic obstacle I encountered and complained about, Ruth got fixed. Paxum is now quite impressive.

I get paid from Programs in the US, Canada, UK, and EU. I like to travel, therefore hate checks, but for the one processor who does not do ACH, but does do checks, all of my Banks have Apps with take-a-picture deposits. Almost as good as $30 Wires (which cost $15 to send and $15 to receive).

One Program pays me from Canada to my UK Bank through Western Union (via IBAN). A US Program uses Bill.com / IDMpay (ACH). The rest use PayPal or good ol' ACH.

[nickbaer]

While AEBN moves to another Bank...

On the 9th Anniversary of my relationship with a lesser player, its "management" company decides to go and reset our minimum payouts to $150!! In this age?!?!?!?

I had been at $50. And while I earn between $50 and $150, it is SUMMER, and people aren't sitting home watching VOD in the SUMMER, as they do in the WINTER!


Then, I'm feeling sorry for myself because another on-line reseller who I had been doing $1200/month with, all of a sudden has no sales posted since June 20!

Being the tactful business person that I am, I did start off this morning's e-mail with "Are Stats broke...?

The answer was: "YES". New accounting and inventory software. Stats are not being posted, but sales are, and one of these days, sales will be posted to my studio and affiliate account.

A relief, BUT, in the middle of 2013, when there is a built-in downturn in DVD and VOD sales to start with, why spend time and money on a new software system? That is obviously more than $200 QuickBooks...

I wish companies would spend as much time and attention to sales and marketing, as they do with accounting tiddling.