AllAdvantage - Rage and Outrage
Written: Jul 18 '00 (Updated Jul 19 '00)
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AllAdvantage has sparked a rage and several outrages.
In August, 1999 I was approached by an online friend and asked to consider joining AllAdvantage, the company that was promising to pay me for surfing the web. The idea seemed a little silly, too good to be true, and intriguing. There was no obligation, so I joined.
Millions of others have joined AllAdvantage worldwide, prompting the company to boast arrogantly about its global status. In fact, the company grew more quickly and more globally than it expected. In the process many members became overzealous in their efforts to recruit others, creating a public relations (PR) backlash and a common public image of encouraging members to "spam" the Internet public in an attempt to build large referral downlines and thus large incomes. In fact, the company hates spam (see AllAdvantage's definition of spam in its web site) and has cancelled hundreds of memberships of spammers.
Numerous other PR problems plague the company. Many of its stated early goals, such as paying members for up to 40 hours per month of surfing, and making AllAdvantage membership worth $1000 per year to members, were taken as promises by large numbers of members and have not been delivered. Add to that the expectations of members in dozens of countries that they would be paid, when in fact they are not (AllAdvantage currently pays in about 20 countries), and the PR problem truly is global.
In February, 2000 AllAdvantage revealed its intent to parlay its unexpectedly rapid membership growth into an initial public [stock] offering (IPO). Having raised over $130 Million in venture capital from investors, the company appeared to be on the fast track to its IPO until dot com stocks softened several months later. Now the company that has been boasting of leadership in providing value and balance to advertisers, consumers and itself as a so-called "Infomediary", is involved in a more vital balancing act. It is apparently fighting to balance the pressures of weak advertiser interest, high pressure from investors to reduce bloodbath scale losses, and rising member discontent and fraud. Recently the company has dedicated substantial resources to combatting fraudulent schemes by some of its members, with a great deal of apparent success.
Why Join? There are two legitimate reasons to join AllAdvantage. A majority of members join to be paid a small amount of money per hour to display the AllAdvantage Viewbar - a window about the height of a standard banner that extends across the top of the computer screen - while they are actively surfing the sites of their own choice on the Web. A reasonably small minority join to refer others, and in turn earn small percentages of the surfing earnings of their referrals, and 4 additional levels of their referrals' referrals.
How to Join: I recommend that you join as a referral of someone you know and respect. They will have already experienced some of the ups and downs of AllAdvantage membership, and will have a vested interest in giving you good advice and help. Once you join, you will never be able to change your referrer. If you ask some of your friends if they are AllAdvantage members, it is likely that one or more of them will be a member and will be grateful for the opportunity to give you their referral ID to enter into the signup form on the AllAdvantage Web site "Join" page. AllAdvantage does not require that you have a referrer, and appears to intentionally make it convenient for new members to join without one so it can profit more greatly, by not having to pay additional commissions to referrers. Current members will appreciate your effort to make sure you join with a referrer, just as you will later appreciate new members you refer giving you credit for referring them.
Viewbar Installation: After you join, you will download a software program that will display ads on your screen. AllAdvantage has made significant strides in ironing out bugs in its program, but some still exist. For most users, downloading and installation should be smooth. Once the software is installed, it will periodically update itself to the current version as AllAdvantage makes improvements and other changes from time to time.
Using the Viewbar: Once installed, the Viewbar will run automatically when you start your computer. You can turn it off at any time. It will track paid time for you, as indicated by a green light while you are actively surfing the Web. While you are not surfing it will continue to display ads, but will not track paid time for you, as indicated by a red light.
Earnings: Pay rates and monthly paid time limits vary by country, and may also vary month to month. As of this writing, United States members earn 53 cents per hour for a maximum of 15 hours per month for surfing with the Viewbar running. In addition, 10 cents is paid per hour for time your referrals surf, and 5 cents is paid for each hour surfed by level 2-5 referrals. Although a vast majority of members only surf themselves, or refer only a very small number of new members, a small number of members actually have tens of thousands of referrals each, and earn as much as a few thousand dollars each per month. I can personally vouch for the validity of monthly checks of more than one thousand dollars. Most members can expect to earn about seven to ten dollars per month, without making any real effort, other than surfing the Web.
Receiving Checks: Minimum check amounts also vary by country. Currently in the United States members must accumulate thirty dollars in earnings before a check is issued to them. Checks are issued monthly, about 45 days after the end of the month in which earnings topped thirty dollars. It is fairly common for checks to be delayed for various reasons, so it is wise to not count on receiving checks at any specific time. This is a significant irritant to large numbers of members who become involved in delays which are often not announces in advance, and can last weeks or even months in some cases. Explanations are seldom clear for delays. Most delayed payments are eventually made.
Member Services: AllAdvantage provides terrible member services. They communicate mostly by e-mail, typically very slowly and quite often completely off topic. The best way to get member service attention is to participate in a public forum that is regularly monitored by a select few AllAdvantage employees who are attentive and effective in getting member problems resolved. One of the best such forums, where many of the top AllAdvantage members discuss issues and problems is AllAdvantage Information Central at http://www.delphi.com/alladrules. Although this forum is not affiliated with AllAdvantage, it is a better place to turn for help than any of AllAdvantage's member service facilities.
Overall Membership Experience: Many members experience little or no hassles with AllAdvantage. However, large numbers of members experience numerous frustrations and hassles, ranging from technical problems with their Viewbars to significant and repeated delays in receipt of their checks.
Company Prognosis: AllAdvantage is believed by many to be on its way out of business. This follows recent reports of its IPO cancellation, stretching out member payment cycles, low ad sales, layoffs, etc. I believe the company will survive. It is important to note, however, that AllAdvantage's vision is not limited to its current "get paid to surf" (GPTS) scope. The company is likely to make sacrifices to its GPTS model to assure its survival and keep alive its hopes of achieving a much more grandiose mission. Virtually all communication originating from AllAdvantage indicates that to be simply a GPTS company would be a failure.
Membership Prognosis: I expect AllAdvantage membership to continue to be both frustrating and rewarding. In general, frustration has been and will probably continue to be proportionate to earnings. That being the case, I strongly recommend joining AllAdvantage if you already do at least 10 hours per month of Web surfing. For you, this is almost free money. Even though it isn't a lot, it is enough to pay for something nice for yourself or your family every few months. I do not recommend investing large sums of money or time referring others to AllAdvantage at this time, unless you are prepared to lose a gamble. It is still possible to gain large numbers of referrals, but there are signs that it may become harder rather than easier to earn sufficient commissions to justify the investment. By all means, though, refer your friends. Just don't pester them. This isn't for everyone, and you'll be best off not becoming one of the zealots who give all members a bad name.
About the Opinionator: I have been an active member of AllAdvantage since August, 1999. My referrals total over 11,000. I was AllAdvantage's A+ Featured Member in January, 2000. I have been one of AllAdvantage's leading supporters and harshest critics. AllAdvantage has provided me an interesting, if not satisfying ride. I continue to passively promote the program, but am severely disappointed in the disrespectful and condescending manner in which members are often treated by the company that thinks so highly of itself. I recommend that Web surfers give this a try, at least once, with low expectations, which for many will result in a pleasant surprise.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
RuleOf72
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Member: David
Location: Redmond, WA
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 65 members
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