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What happened (previously) to the Butlins Affiliate Program (when it was at Buy.at)?!


This page is historical now, and I'm pleased to say that now the Butlins program has returned!

This additional page was put up during the time the Butlins affiliate program was Corked when it was with Buy.at and a page of explanation was required.

The page used to explain why the links connecting up to Butlins Holiday Camp no longer worked, but remember, this is now history, as the new links DO work, now the program has moved to Affiliate Window. The story goes as follows:

For years this website promoted Butlins, via various different affiliate marketing companies, and it was all going very well for some considerable time. Butlins is a well known company and people remember the idea of going on holiday to Butlins Holiday Camp, and there's a nice page about this at the Butlins page here. The links were via companies who added up who'd been good for business and so how much commission each would get. This is the nature of affiliate marketing, which is explained here.

Everything was going well until Buy.at was bought out by AOL, and after that they tried to impose a contract which I refused so sign! This may sound odd or oldfashioned, but I don't sign things that I don't agree to!

I urged Buy.at to write a better contract, something that was agreeable to all. Unfortunately they seemed unable (or unwilling) so to do. Now of course none of this is the fault of Butlins. We still like Butlins and still get on well with them, and on phoning Butlins to explain what had happened, they seemed quite shocked that the Buy.at company which is supposed to be good for business had made such a mess of things.

The fact is, an affiliate marketing company is there to do the accounting and tracking and to make sure there is fair play. They are not there to impose ridiculous restrictions upon people who run independent websites, and they are not there to try to gain a monopolistic stranglehold on the market for the purposes of holding us all to ransom.

The obvious solution is to move all the affiliate programs to other networks. It is supposed to be a free market economy, where people are free to move their business to another supplier if they so choose. So, Butlins could set up another affiliate program with one of the many other affiliate marketing companies, because I'm sure the people who run Butlins have the good sense to avoid signing any exclusivist agreement

I hope that Butlins will have a new affiliate program soon*. I'd like to continue to promote the place and to be good for business as I have been for years. I've nothing against Butlins. It's not their fault if the affiliate marketing company have got too big for their boots.

* Note: They did have a new affiliate program! See Butlins (new program via Affiliate Window). Historical review continues...

Customers, please be patient; I'm sure you'd like to visit Butlins, either at their seaside holiday resorts, or online to book your holiday. So I'll tell you as a matter of public information that the official website of Butlins is: www.butlinsonline.co.uk , and they also have www.butlins.com and www.butlins.co.uk , (although they seem not to have www.butlins.at *2). However, you CAN get to Butlins via the Butlins page at Stamp Demon

* Note2: What? Butlins have not got www.butlins.at ?! Now surely Buy.at would not stoop so low as to get into the evil business of cybersquatting?! That would be despicable, if it were the case. Historical review continues...

I feel a bit sorry for Butlins because whereas other holiday camps have affiliate programs where appropriate with affiliate marketing companies who have continued to play fair, Butlins have ended up corked because of the problems at Buy.at , for which Butlins are not to blame! It's not their fault and it's not fair!

I look forward to a new and amicable arrangement! Good Luck, Butlins!

...

Resolution: The story has a happy ending, as Butlins moved their affiliate program to Affiliate Window, and so, here's the updated page about... Butlins!


This old CORKED page was retired on 2009/11/03