Pay Day Loans - and CAG

[Fester Tester]

I think it's clear from the posts here regarding Pay Day Loans, that this may be a rather less than suitable way to raise short term cash.

 

In which case, might I inquire as to why CAG thinks it appropriate to run an advertisement for Pay Day loans in the sidebar?

 

I realise that the ads are syndicated, so it is perhaps not always as simple as not having one particular ad pop up. And I realise that there is a need to raise revenue to keep the site running.

 

However, I cannot help but feel that the site team MUST be aware of the ad. And that it would be somewhat obvious that SOME members of CAG will take the company concerned up on its kind off to throw money at them. And that at least SOME of those that do will end up in difficulties.

 

Perhaps the site team might like to comment and put my mind, and I suspect others', at rest and explain the reasoning behind it.

[Fester Tester]

Bolleaux to this nonsense...

 

[Jamie Kingston]

i dont believe its possible to alter the ad content... whatever google or whichever other company it is throws at you - you have to take - but your point is noted.

[spot]

I read their was some deal with a debt collecting lot and peples who get these loans will get in truble and bring more viewers ot the sight

 

Mite be that then? I do well with the motor parkin ticket book they cell for 10 quid I got off loads a parkin tickets

 

why u so tetchy about it then?

[Guest Mrs Hobbit]

I never realised this ad was on this site. Aren't we here to help people who are having problems with money and how to control their money. Come to think of it there are couple of threads posted by people who are having problems with companies of this sort, very high interest and once having repaid the loan the company coming after them again claiming the loan was never repaid?

 

Does the expression running with the foxes and hunting with hounds come to mind?

[CrazyCatLady]

Hi,

 

Most sites are part of cetain ad networks, such as MSN and do not really have a choice on which ads are served. they can be different for different site visitors.

 

The ads you are served will depend on what you may have searched for previously, for example, if you have been viewing payday loan sites it's more than likely you will be served payday loan banner ads. Likewise if you're online looking at shoes, it's more than likely you'll be hit with retailer ads.

 

It's all to do with cookies, that leave an imprint on your computer and these last up to 2 weeks. So if you don't want to see them, clear you cache / internet history / cookies.

 

Hope this helps

Crazycatlady

[Guest Mrs Hobbit]

Nothing to do with clearing your cache, this is advertised on this site, look at the left hand panel. I never search for these things, this ad is there for all to see. At the moment it showing me Looking for Insurance?

[Fester Tester]

Have to agree with Mrs Hobbit there. None of the ads that show there bear any relationship to my browsing history. They DO relate to site content.

 

Which to my mind, is tantamount to targetting the vulnerable people who use this forum.

 

Now, if CAG has no say on which ads are served, might I suggest utilising a syndicate that CAN discriminate? Or is that too much to ask? I know it's possible, as I have done so myself, so technical excuses just won't wash.

 

Or is the revenue generated by the ads so great that it takes precedence over the supposed ethos of this site?

[Fester Tester]

I read their was some deal with a debt collecting lot and peples who get these loans will get in truble and bring more viewers ot the sight

 

Mite be that then? I do well with the motor parkin ticket book they cell for 10 quid I got off loads a parkin tickets

 

why u so tetchy about it then?

 

It's not something I've heard about, but I've been abroad for quite a while so might have missed any mention of that.

 

Personally, I'd be quite glad to see the industry on here in a role whereby they genuinely deal with people's concerns. If I read you correctly though, I think the danger is that it will be seen as a tactic by those companies to subtly bully "customers" into paying up, regardless of the lawfulness or otherwise of their right to collect debts.

 

Am I in the right ballpark there?

 

Anyway, it's somewhat off topic. And ure speelung iz atroshus.

[Rhia]

Nope I NEVER look for PayDay loans either. Wouldn't touch 'em with a 90' barge pole with a nuclear device attached and I can see these same ads.

CAG is considered the leading consumer advice site - such ads will destroy the ethos of this wonderful site.

[Fester Tester]

Oh, look...

 

waiting for http://www.synicatedsearchresults.com

 

I need to investigate further.

[spot]

It's not something I've heard about, but I've been abroad for quite a while so might have missed any mention of that.

 

Personally, I'd be quite glad to see the industry on here in a role whereby they genuinely deal with people's concerns. If I read you correctly though, I think the danger is that it will be seen as a tactic by those companies to subtly bully "customers" into paying up, regardless of the lawfulness or otherwise of their right to collect debts.

 

Am I in the right ballpark there?

 

Anyway, it's somewhat off topic. And ure speelung iz atroshus.

 

Yeah, more or less. bit surprised you pick on me spellin though, bit cheeky if you ask me...still, no acountin for education is their?

 

Pay day loans helped a lot me mates so from that point of view I think they are good, but precisely why the site team would be patronising the luxury end of the lending fraternity I will never cease to be amazed at. Like your excellent model, there are always reasons and as I heard it somewhere before, follow the money and you'll always find your reason.

 

Having read a significant amount of extraordinary contributions on this forum, it is only left for me to say that one does find it somewhat abhorrent that such an add would be allowed, given that over the years similar links were banned and struck off from a great height and treated as unwanted and totally against the ethos of the site.

 

That betta mate?

[Fester Tester]

Yoor spellin cheker iz obviusly wurking now.

[sillygirl1]

I've alerted the site team to this thread, I get the banner ad too... sometimes these ads go on what is on your own PC rather than on the site... Obviously a cookie thinks it is onto a good thing and might get the odd sucker from here.....

 

Personally I'd like to see all payday loan companies banned from advertising, that would be one nail in their coffin, however they would probably find a way around the ban.

[Fester Tester]

Well, all the reporting has done is made me get my post explaining things CAGbotted.

 

So, why won't CAG just explain things and tell me I'm being silly and paranoid?

 

I suspect it's because I have hit the nail on the head... profits before people. I wondered how long it would take.

 

Mind you, I notice there is no longer an ad in the sidebar. Perhaps my concern is being taken seriously after all. It would be nice to think so.

Edited July 20, 2010 by Fester Tester

[sillygirl1]

It may not be CAGs fault, as you say they sign up for an advertsing banner, and are not in control of what is put there... it is done by 'traffic volumes' which can mean anything... so for example we could have a thread on an adult theme and then the banner would display dubious websites for us to visit....

 

I've been on this site a lot longer than most posters on this thread and I also know some of the site team...

[Fester Tester]

Assuming you are correct SG. then it would be CAG's fault. Ultimately, they have the final say. Nobody forces them to place the script, so it's a "management" decision.

 

However, as I mentioned above, it would appear that they are looking into this area of concern, as I haven't seen an ad banner since I was CAGbotted yesterday. Well done, CAG team.

[Fester Tester]

Well Done, my A R S E!!!!

 

What the HECK is all this about. Please explain to me how it's all a mistake, and you don't really care for money more than the users of the site???? I'm afraid I can see no other reason for the plethora of adverts for loansharks that I see if I log out, and just enter as a guest.

 

No doubt this will get CAGbotted. But just remember one thing, CAG site team... the internet is a big place. And some of us know how to manipulate it. So an act of cowardice now will not go down well.

 

[Guest Mrs Hobbit]

Oh heck, let's hope this is genuine oversight. It just does not sit right with these companies advertising here. What a mess. If I was a novice, I would think, these companies must ba alright, after all Marc Garder is endorsing them.

[Fester Tester]

Exactly my point, Mrs H.

[Guest Mrs Hobbit]

Let's hope the Site Team read these posts and note our concerns. Maybe this is the way of the future to generate an income stream, but to me it is akin to letting the DCA's advertise their services. Is this the Brave new Worls. I suppose if Experian owna DCA as part of it's conglomerate, this is the way to go...

[Fester Tester]

Yes, well considering I was banned from CAG under my Seahorse persona, because it was against "site rules" to have my blog URL in my signature when I was using advertising to cover costs, this absolutely smells like poo.

 

But one thing I learned there was... you CAN be selective about your ad content.

 

Yup, I fear money is far more important than Marc's membership now. And I do wonder exactly where all that money is going. He MUST be generating far more than needed just to cover his costs here. But I'd love to be wrong.

[ukaviator]

Will you all calm down. We are NOT brokering deals with loan companies, that's definitely not the case here. CAG signed up for a Google Adsense account, they gave CAG a code to put on the site, which shows random adverts. Google try to make the ads relevant by looking at the contents of the page on which the ads are shown. So which ads are shown are up to Google's automated system.

 

Google divide their ads into about a dozen different categories, and we can elect for some of these categories not to be shown. The FINANCE catagory is sending in the Payday Loans windows, if we blocked it, ALL finance related adverts would be affected. The ads are click through meaning that if someone clicks the ad then we as a site get a few pence.

 

The site team have reported their feelings about these ads to site admin. With the ads the revenue generated will keep this site going as donations have pretty much dried up.

 

To everyone reading this post "STAY AWAY FROM PAYDAY LOANS". We are not in bed with those companies or Lowells.

[Guest Mrs Hobbit]

Why wasn't this explaination offered when this all started? . A lot of credo has been lost by the delay of this explanation.

 

UKAviator you have offered the explanation, but it would have been better coming from Marc. After all this site is Marc's baby.

[Fester Tester]

I hear what you are saying. BUT. The fact remains, some of the other ads (as shown in the graphic) are for loan companies. And I'm sorry, but the word for those companies is SHARKS.

 

So, it appears that it sits quite happily for MG to risk visitors to HIS site click on those ads. And risk digging themselves a VERY DEEP HOLE by borrowing money from these people.

 

So I suppose you could call that Collateral Damage really. Sacrificing a few for the greater good.

 

It sucks. Big time.