Comments on: Merchant Circle: How are they profiting from your business name this week?

By: MrSmith

MrSmith — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 08:49:12 +0000

Jason beat me to it … but having been reading up on MC. Have to say Im getting a really uneasy feeling about them. Read the terms of service on their site … sounds like something a digital USSR would type out.

Seems as if they’ve been up to one underhanded/sleazy practice after another through-out the years. I know my answer is belated, but like the majority … was what MC was doing with those hotels info legit imo ? Think it was and might still be grounds for a class action lawsuit. Really sleazy move to make, way 2 go MC !!! Your on a roll !!!

Anything to make a buck appears to be the MC operating credo. Seems business owners should at least keep an eye on the MC listing. Make sure it isnt doing anything strange …

By: Jason Rubens

Jason Rubens — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 17:52:40 +0000

It does not look like Merchant Circle is doing this anymore. Several listings I looking up had the actual hotel number not hotelbycities.com 800 number even on unclaimed listings.

By: Paul Dumas

Paul Dumas — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:40:08 +0000

Despite the notion that you must “claim” your listing on Merchantcircle, the original data that they bought or imported originated ultimately with the business owner – whether through the phone company, InfoUSA, or other data center.

If challenged, I think a court would find their practice to be illegal as representing yourself as any other type of entity and intentionally manipulating the representation is the definition of fraud.

MC should simply ad advertisements or create a hotel landing page if they want to leverage their traffic.

By: Matthew Hunt

Matthew Hunt — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:44:27 +0000

It lacks transparency and because of that it will have huge back lash from Merchants. Merchants are consumers too and they become very vocal about this. Anytime something lacks transparency it will rarely ever last.

By: PureSheer

PureSheer — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:39:30 +0000

@Mike,

they just did so…
they said it’s serving my purposes by them to send me a calls tracking report. We said to them- “call tracking?… what about a basic understandment of local SEO

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:08:52 +0000

@PureSheer

What was their rationale? Were they providing “call tracking” without your permission?

By: PureSheer

PureSheer — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:21:19 +0000

Couple of months ago, City Search changed all my listings’ local phone #s to other local #s owned by them. no one ask us if it’s OK to do so.. After a conversation of yelling at each other- they agreed to change it back to my original phone #s.
the nerve this guys have!!..

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By: Angela Paul

Angela Paul — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:15:11 +0000

I have been a new starter in Affiliate Program. I don’t think that MC has the right, legal, ethical or otherwise, to replace a business’s phone number in their business directory with a number that provides them with a commission on every booking at the expense of the hotel. It’s too much business and it violates the right of privacy.