Response from AK71 (to accusations) regarding "the" seminar.

I really didn't want to talk about this anymore. Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that I am being accused of withholding information regarding my fee for helping to promote "the" seminar due to some ulterior motive.

I don't see why this should be material at all as what should be material was already revealed in this paragraph in an earlier blog post here:

"To be fair to myself and other advertisers in my blog, I told him that I can help him spread the word but there would be a one time advertising fee. He said that he was only helping the organiser of the event and had to check with the organiser. He came back to say that the organiser offered to pay me for every ticket I sold in my blog and to make it more attractive, my readers will get a discount off the official price of $64 per ticket. A "discount code" or "promotion code" was created for this purpose."

Now, did I hide the fact that I was going to be compensated for my efforts? Anyway, since how much I was going to be paid for helping to promote the event seems to be important although the reason escapes me why it should be, I will reveal it as there is no reason to hide (as much as there was no reason to reveal).

Here are the emails, starting from the first email I received from SC, after I replied to his comment in a blog post that I cannot allow free advertisement in my blog. This was when a seminar ticket was advised to be at $57.00 a piece:

Dear AK,

 

I've checked with the organizer and they are definitely paying you a fee for helping them to advertise.

 

Ticket is at $57 per pax.

For every referral from you that sign up for the seminar, you get $6 (more than 10%) if they pay via internet banking.

If the referral pay via EventBrite, then it is $4, as admin cost like eventbrite and paypal takes up a significant portion.

 

So basically, all the cost of paying eventbrite and paypal, goes directly to you as well.

 

Is this ok with you?

 

Event is held at:

 

Nexus Auditorium
5 Koek Road #05-07 S(228796)
Cuppage Plaza (near Somerset MRT Exit B)
Singapore 228796

 

Monday, 19Aug 2013

Time: 7-10pm

 

Let me know.

 

Thanks,

Swee Chye

As I preferred the simplicity of having a one time fee, I replied:

Hi Swee Chye,

Thanks for this. :)

I would like to propose a more straightforward method.

For Value Investing Summit, the organisers told me my blog referred almost 70 participants in January 2013. Of course, since then, I think my blog's readership has grown if you saw my most recent blog stats which I blogged about.

So, I would like to offer a big rectangle banner space (300x250) on the top of my right sidebar for S$400.00. This will run to 18 August.

If the organisers accept this, please deposit the money into my POSB savings account 093-44286-5. They will have to provide me with the HTML code for the banner ad which links to their website too, of course.

As a bonus, I will also compose a short advertorial on the event. This will usually enhance the effectiveness of the campaign.

I hope to hear from you again soon. :)

Best wishes,
AK

A counter proposal was made by the organiser where the commission offered was raised from S$4.00 - $6.00 to $27.00 a ticket! Mind boggling:

Dear AK,

 

Thanks for the quick response.

 

I've checked with the organizer, and they are counter proposing to create a special link for the payment just for you, if you can promote for them, with the number of tickets shown online for that link.

 

The link will have the number of tickets at the start, and it will decrease as tickets are bought in order for you to know how many tickets are sold from your referral.

 

For every tickets sold, you will get $27, so selling only $15 (sic) tickets will net you $405.

So the more tickets that are sold via your referral link, the more you get paid.

 

Is this a fair deal for you?

 

Let me know, so that the organizer can do the necessary link for you.

 

Cheers,

Swee Chye

 

PS: On a personal note, do continue writing your interesting articles in your blog, as from time to time, I do visit it when I am able to have some time. :D

I thought this over for quite a while because it was quite an attractive offer and I was also somewhat surprised at their generosity but I still preferred the simplicity of a one time fee. So, I wrote:

Hi Swee Chye,

Advertising income is nice to have as pocket money but being the fastidious person I am, I know I will be checking on the ticket sales daily. Yikes. I want to avoid that. This is why I proposed a straightforward upfront one time payment. My blog could end up selling 100 tickets and it wouldn't matter to me. :)

I got to know someone who blogs for a living in the USA and he told me that with the traffic I have now, I should charge US$150 a month for a 125x125 button. Example: "TheFinance" in my left sidebar. So, I believe that S$400 for the proposed 300x250 banner is inexpensive.

Please tell the organiser that I appreciate their offer which is very generous. It is more than fair because I am sure I will end up making more money with their method but this would be important to me if my primary motivation for blogging is for money. ;p

Well, if they don't need me to write an advertorial in support of the banner ad, I could lower the price, I guess. However, I can say from experience that an advertorial helps. :)

Best wishes,
AK

Then, I received a reply from SC which I guess shows that he is more knowledgeable about internet marketing than I am:

Dear AK,

 

I've spoken to the organizer, and they are more interested in actual ticket sales, and that is why they made that proposal to you.

 

Of course, any advertorial in support of the banner ad is most welcome, but they cannot track nor have any means to know the actual conversion rate simply from putting up a banner and a blog post.

 

Getting lots of traffic is definitely good and no doubt about it, but it is the actual conversion and sales that is what any advertisers are most interested in.

 

I believe Bloggers and Internet Marketers wants lots of traffic, but their source of income comes from actual sales, ppc, ppv etc 

 

Let me know if you are willing to help the organizer on the actual sales.

 

Cheers,

Swee Chye 

OK, at that point, I really should have just ended it and I would have avoided this entire nightmare. Unfortunately, much to my regret, I gave in:

Hi Swee Chye,

Yes, I quite understand their concerns. Must make sure that their advertising dollar is well spent.

I have given this more thought and have decided to accept the organiser's proposed special arrangement just for me. I could end up making more money. ;p

I will wait for the HTML code and instructions. Thanks. :)

Best wishes,
AK

This was followed by an email from SC in which the official price of a ticket, for the first time, was stated as $64.00:

Hi AK,

 

Here are the details for you to promote the event.

 

The event link:

ttp://www.eventbrite.sg/event/7661797643/

 

You are free to write as creatively as you can, and can use the link information for your write up.

You will notice there are 200 tickets for sale for this special link, and it is displayed visibly.

So every sale for this link will decrease the count by one, so the tracking of each ticket is visible to all.

 

You have a promotional code for all your referrals and subscribers to pay for the event if they are interested.

 

The promotional code is AK71-MSOI

This gives those interested to sign up at least 10% discount from the official price of $64.

 

Some pictures and banner you can use:

 --- (AK71 deleted the link)

 --- (AK71 deleted the link)
 

A picture for your banner in your website as attached.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions or need any other information for your promotion of the event.

 

I thank you on behalf of the organizer and hopefully it will be a successful campaign.

 

Cheers,

Swee Chye 

I took a screen capture to show that I did not make this up:

Click to enlarge.

Then, there were a few more emails on how to set up the ads which I am pretty sure there is no need to reveal, well, just like the above emails really.

Is the fee negotiation process an important part of the revelations? I don't think so. What was material was how certain details were left out in the negotiation process which led me to making a badly informed decision. These details which were left out were pointed out to me by readers of my blog! (You know who you are. Thank you.)

I would have insisted on early bird prices of $30.00 a ticket and $57.00 for three tickets if I was told they existed when they first approached me. Of course, with the publication of my blog posts on the matter, the organisers have stopped the early bird prices. The price is now $57.00 a ticket.

I would have insisted that the official price be stated as $57.00 if I had known that it was being marketed as such in another local finance blog. Instead, I was made to think that the official price was $64.00 and that to buy at $57.00, my readers must use a "discount code". The regular price of $57.00 over at kiasuparents.com's forum now supports my point that $64.00 is not and was never the "official" price.

Have I knowingly left out any details which might skew readers' perception of the organisers of the event? No and I have no need to lie.

One only has to think logically as to what AK71 has to gain from lying about anything. Why would I put in work to promote an event just to tear it down? I gain nothing from it. As another blogger, SMOL, said, I could have simply shrugged it off and put it down to "willing buyer, willing seller". I could have been absolutely nonchalant.

Everything I know, my readers know. Anything else that people say I should know and that I chose not to share with my readers now, well, they are entitled to their beliefs. I don't need to fabricate anything. I don't go around making baseless accusations as a pastime. Regular readers will know that is definitely not in my character. I say it as it is.

If people have been totally honest and fair from the onset, laying down all their cards on the table for me to see, would this have happened? Would there be any need for damage control? No, there wouldn't be any damage in the first instance!

For people who still think that I am blogging because of the money I get out of it, well, I can say with confidence that I won't miss the income but I WILL miss blogging.

In a reply to SC above, I said:

"Please tell the organiser that I appreciate their offer which is very generous. It is more than fair because I am sure I will end up making more money with their method but this would be important to me if my primary motivation for blogging is for money. ;p"

In another reply to SC which I shared in an earlier blog post, I said as much:

"You might know this but the organiser might not: I am not a blogger who is blogging for money. I care about my blog's reputation more than anything else."

I will stop here or else some people might accuse me of having ulterior motives (again).

Related posts:
1. I will not attend Multiple Streams of Income Seminar.
2. Multiple Streams of Income closed early bird prices.

Multiple Streams of Income Seminar closed early bird prices.

"However, when a reader showed me that the forum at kiasuparents.com is selling the tickets at only $30.00 each and that $57.00 could get three tickets, I was really upset."

I should have done a screen capture of the kiasuparents.com ticketing site at eventbee last night. It now looks like this:

Click to enlarge.

Anyway, I have enough readers and bloggers who clicked on the link yesterday to confirm that the early bird offer was still on then.

This was the last entry made by SC in the forum at kiasuparents.com on 27 July 2013:

Click to enlarge.

When I was approached by SC on 29 July 2013, the early bird offer was, without question, still available but he didn't tell me. When I published my blog post on 30 July 2013, the early bird offer was still available but he didn't tell me.

On 31 July, the early bird offer was still available when a reader alerted me to the site and I even clicked on the eventbee link to see for myself. I sent an email (amongst others) on that very night to SC regarding this matter and got no reply.

The early bird offer was stated as "Available from Jun 11 to Aug 19..." just like what we see for the VVIP ticket. Now, it is suddenly gone after my blog post this morning. Yes, the early bird offer has closed. What is the ticket price now?

S$57.00. No discount code required.

There is no denying that the early bird offer was still available when SC approached me. There is no denying that the early bird offer was still available when my first blog post on the seminar was published. I even corresponded with SC about the blog post that night.

By not providing this vital information to me, I made a terribly flawed decision.

Related post:
I will not attend Multiple Streams of Income seminar.

I will not attend Multiple Streams of Income Seminar.

After sending out multiple emails, I have not received any reply from the organisers of Multiple Streams of Income seminar by Robert G. Allen. I have, therefore, concluded that they are ignoring me and are not going to do the right thing as per my suggestion.

So, I am proceeding to blog about the whole matter here in my blog for all to see and for readers to decide for themselves if the people organising the event are fair and honest. If they are not fair and honest, then, can we logically question if a product or service offered by them has any hidden agenda?

I was first introduced to Robert G. Allen's books by a reader of my blog. He goes by the initials "SC". Then, recently, he asked if I would like to help promote an upcoming seminar by Robert G. Allen.

To be fair to myself and other advertisers in my blog, I told him that I can help him spread the word but there would be a one time advertising fee. He said that he was only helping the organiser of the event and had to check with the organiser. He came back to say that the organiser offered to pay me for every ticket I sold in my blog and to make it more attractive, my readers will get a discount off the official price of $64 per ticket. A "discount code" or "promotion code" was created for this purpose.

Now, Robert G. Allen's books are interesting and while not revolutionary, I believe that they will benefit people who are thinking of creating more income streams on their journey to financial freedom. So, there was no reason not to accept an advertorial offer to promote a seminar by the same person.

The nightmare started after a reader told me that another blog is selling the ticket at $57.00 without having to apply any discount code. So, I wrote an email to SC regarding this. His name is Swee Chye, by the way:

Hi Swee Chye,

Something just came to my attention and I am not too happy.

A reader just told me that he saw the tickets going for sale in a another blog for only $57 and I am saying in my blog that the regular price is $64 and that my readers get a special price if they use the discount code I have provided in my blog.

I clicked on the link provided by the reader and it really says $57.00. This is in Greatsage's blog. This is on Facebook too.

You have put me in a very difficult position.

My blog has a reputation which I put on the line when I do this. If I do not get a satisfactory answer, I will have to blog about this to clarify the matter and salvage the situation.

I look forward to your prompt reply as to how to remedy the situation.

Best wishes,
AK

I got a rather prompt reply from SC:

Dear AK,

 

I've checked with the organizer and he came back and clarify that the other blog link was at the net discounted price as it has already factor in the discount. This was a tie up with the other blogger.

 

I went to check myself and yes there is no promotional code area to enter for the other link, and it is at net $57.

 

So maybe you can explain to the reader that the official price is at $64, and that is why you manage to get a special price if they use the discount code, which can't be used in another link or page.

 

Hope this helps to explain the discrepancies.

 

Let me know if there are any other clarification to be made.

 

Regards,

Swee Chye

To which I replied:

Hi Swee Chye,

This is not a satisfactory answer.

If readers can buy the tickets at S$57 elsewhere without applying any discount code, why do they have to do it in my blog?

It gives the impression that my blog raised the price and then provide a discount to give an impression that it I am offering a better deal!

I get the feeling that you are also a business professional. How would you feel?

This is not just a matter of 1 reader raising the issue. How many more will there be? How many more will talk about this without telling me? It is my blog's reputation which is at stake here.

I suggest that the discount for my readers be raised to 15% to remedy the situation. For those readers who already bought their tickets and I last counted the number to be 3, you guys could give them some token for the additional 5% discount at the venue.

The current arrangement puts me in an awkward position and I am sure you can appreciate this. I cannot accept it.

I hope that the organiser agrees to my suggestion. Failing this, I will have to take matters into my own hands.

Best wishes,
AK

And this was the remedy they offered:

Dear AK,

 

I've convey your message to the organizer.

 

This is what he came back with.

 

As a special appreciation and token for your readers, those who have signed up, and those intending to sign up will get a complementary ticket to "The_Secret_Of_Success" seminar on 18Aug itself.

 

This complementary ticket is value at $57 as well.

 

The session will be in Mandarin, focusing on the "Secret to Success".

 

Maybe, you can include some add on in the blog post on the special gift only for your readers, but not the poster.

 

For those who have signed up, they will be informed and given the special complementary ticket.

 

This is subjected to the first 100 sign ups only.

 

So for those already sign up or intend to sign up for Robert's session on Monday - the tickets will be complimentary,   i.e. you buy one ticket, and get to attend both sessions, subjected to the first 100 sign ups only..

 

All guests attending this event are encourage to meet Ben Lai and Jane for discussions.

This is a special arrangement just for your reader and clarification to the discrepancy, which the other blogger will not get.

 

Is this ok for you?

 

Let me know.

 

Regards,

Swee Chye

Of course, this missed the point I was making totally and I told SC so:

Hi Swee Chye,

Please tell the organiser that I am promoting Robert G Allen's seminar and not some other seminar. This is in part due to your prior good recommendation to read his books which are interesting.

I don't even know who are the people conducting "The Secret of Success" seminar. Furthermore, it is in Mandarin! My blog is in English! How many of my readers are like me and have difficulty with Chinese?

A bundle offer is not the original intention of our agreement. A special price for my readers is supposedly the offer. This special price is now discovered to be not special at all.

So, I am asking the organiser to deliver on the promise of a special price for Robert G Allen's seminar for my readers and nothing else. A 15% discount should do it.

If the organisers cannot agree to an extra 5% discount, I will simply state my views on the matter in my blog matter of factly and let readers form their own conclusion. I will still fulfil my end of the agreement but I will have to do so giving readers full knowledge.

You might know this but the organiser might not: I am not a blogger who is blogging for money. I care about my blog's reputation more than anything else.

I look forward to your prompt response. Thank you.

Best wishes,
AK

SC did not send a reply to the above email and I followed up with another email at night after publishing a Part 2 to the advertorial in my blog:

Hi Swee Chye,

I have not received any reply regarding the proposed 15% discount for my readers. So, I assume that the answer is "no".

Anyway, I have updated my readers regarding the situation in my blog and if they still want to buy tickets to the event from my blog, they are now doing so knowing fully well that the tickets are available in another blog for $57.00 each without having to apply any discount code.

I am always above board with my readers. That is the reason why they trust me and why they keep coming back.

Readers who buy tickets from my blog, I will send them tokens of appreciation at my own cost.

I have to say that I am disappointed with how this has turned out but I know you are just the middle man and you don't have a say in how things work.

Thank you for helping me pass the messages. :)

Best wishes,
AK

As anyone can see, I was still very cordial, believing that SC, a reader of my blog, was just helping out the organiser and that he was not in the know.

However, when a reader showed me that the forum at kiasuparents.com is selling the tickets at only $30.00 each and that $57.00 could get three tickets, I was really upset:

Hi Swee Chye,

A reader just told me that the forum at kiasuparents.com is selling the tickets for $30 each and $57 for 3 tickets! What is going on?

I clicked on the link provided and it brought me to:http://www.eventbee.com/event?eid=102104202

Please find out from the organiser what is going on. This is just getting worse! It is terrible!

How well do you know these people?

Best wishes,
AK

As you can see, I still believed SC! Then, I looked at the nickname of the person posting in kiasuparents.com. It says "scang". I put two and two together.  SC's email address says anselmang@gmail.com:

Swee Chye,

The person posting in kiasuparents.com has the nickname "scang". That is you, isn't it? You knew all along about the special prices and you didn't tell me?

I entered into this arrangement in good faith! How is this fair to me and my readers! I hope you are going to tell me "scang" is not you.

If I do not hear from you by 8am tomorrow, I am going to publish our correspondence on my blog for all to see.

I DO NOT APPRECIATE BEING TREATED THIS WAY!

I want you to offer a FULL REFUND to all my readers who have bought tickets to the event through my blog if they wish it.

There is a total lack of fairness on your part in this entire exercise! You have omitted important information which could have influenced my decision on whether to promote the event! This is MISREPRESENTATION BY OMISSION!

TREAT THIS AS VERY SERIOUS!

AK

Now, not many people have seen me furious but I was SO furious and still am.

Then, something struck me. I went to the three ticketing sites and everyone had this in the header:

What or who is ARIIX? I did an online search and I think this is an MLM company. If the seminar is just a front to promote some MLM effort, then, the organiser has truly been dishonest with me. If I knew it was an MLM effort, I would never have agreed to this. My fury went up a level because it makes me an unknowing partner to a possible deception.

I did an online search on Ang Swee Chye. He has a linkedin account: http://sg.linkedin.com/in/scang

The last piece of the puzzle has fallen into place.

In my life, I have come across many dishonest and unfair people. People would sometimes withhold vital information, putting others at a disadvantage while promoting their own agenda.

I have been a victim before and I have developed a defence mechanism over time but not to the point of being cynical or overly suspicious. I still like to believe in the goodness of people. I still believe in fair play.

A total of 6 tickets were sold through my blog. Of course, I can say that I am lucky that I discovered the shenanigans quite quickly. However, to the people who bought the 6 tickets, I am truly sorry.

I went and bought inspirational bookmarks last night to send to them as a token of appreciation because they could have bought tickets at $57 each from the other blog instead of my blog. Now, these bookmarks seem grossly inadequate.

I don't know what else to say and for someone who talks a lot, this is saying something. I am very sorry.

Related post:
Create multiple income streams with Robert G. Allen.

Tea with AK71: Cheating our fellow human beings 101.

A few years ago, I was involved in a motor vehicle accident. A motorcyclist crashed into the side of my car but claimed that I crashed into him. It was also "fortunate" for him that he had an instant witness in a car behind my car. The witness also happened to be someone familiar with the ways of insurance claims. I was helpless.

I made a police report after the incident and called my insurance company. I was called to the Traffic Police headquarters days later to make another statement. Strangely, the police officer seemed to know that "witness" as he asked me if the person was of a certain height, built, looks and if he wore glasses. A regular visitor?

Well, in the end, I received a letter from the Traffic Police for a fine of $200 and was given 9 demerit points. I was devastated. My perfect driving record was ruined. But what could I do? Friends asked me to appeal but I just decided to let it go. Just hope that I would not have such bad luck again.

I also found out later from my car insurance company that they had to compensate the motorcyclist some $15K for a broken toe! I am sure the toe eventually healed.  It was an expensive experience as my car insurance premium shot up the following year plus the fact that I paid to repair the damage to the side of my car where the collision took place.

I was told by the car workshop mechanic that such "accidents" were on the rise then. He told me that the claims would usually involve the same few people and after a while, the Traffic Police would investigate and make arrests. Apparently, such scams were not new and happened many years before as well. Just "suay" (bad luck) for me.

Why the sudden melancholic flashback? Well, I was getting my daily dose of news and these were a couple of articles that made me wonder why are there such people in the world:

Liyana, 24, said she "cheated" hundreds of men by "selling" her seductive pictures on social networking sites like Tagged and Facebook. "Through my online profile, I openly offer massage services. However, those offers are actually fake. In a day, I can cheat five to six men. Before even meeting me, they are willing to bank in 100 ringgit (US$33) to 150 ringgit into my account," she said, adding she disappears or give excuses to the men after receiving the money.

Read article here.

The public should also be wary of “fake accidents” where a pedestrian would would claim to have been knocked over by a car and would then demand compensation from the driver.

Read article here.

As the Chinese saying goes: 防人之心不可无. We must always be wary of others.