AdultFriendFinder.com Fake Profile Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

[Hell Puppy]

No easy answers here.

Where's the line between "fantasy" and outright "deception"?

Where's the line between aggressive "marketing" and "fraud"?

For me, it's in the underlying attitude and approach. I'm not trying to separate the surfer at all costs and willing to do absolutely anything I can get away with in order to do it. I am aggressive, but I do deliver what I advertise, and I do treat them with respect as any business should do a paying customer.

The results? Customer acquisition has become tougher and tougher as surfers get more and more savvy from being burned. It costs more and more to get a new paying customer. Meanwhile, I've focused on keeping the customers I have over getting new ones since 1997. It's easier to keep one than to get a new one in many businesses, our's is no different. It's worked well for me.

Most guys who run what we would've used to call "amateur" sites will tell you the same thing. Treat 'em right and they're loyal to a fault. You can have big membership numbers without having to feed 100s of new signups a day just to fight the churn.

However, the industry in general attracts people who dont really fit anywhere else and are lured by an easy dollar. Thus you get a lot of people who'd rather take a short cut, fleece the sheep for all they're worth and never worry about tomorrow or where the next buck is coming from. Just get all you can today at all costs. Now just because there are so many people in the biz with that attitude, does that make it right or acceptable? To me, no.

[Rcourt64]

Originally Posted by Hell Puppy

However, the industry in general attracts people who dont really fit anywhere else and are lured by an easy dollar. Thus you get a lot of people who'd rather take a short cut, fleece the sheep for all they're worth and never worry about tomorrow or where the next buck is coming from. Just get all you can today at all costs. Now just because there are so many people in the biz with that attitude, does that make it right or acceptable? To me, no.

I think I read this paragragh over about four times, "And NO, it's not because the word sheep is in there". lol

It was because I truly need to ask why people feel the need to come & gut what they can, then run? leaving the rest of the industry to deal with the mess they left behind? The only thoughts I could come up with was "fear"?

[Rcourt64]

I"m thinking where does one draw the line on deception?
Is it when you make someone spend money thinking they're getting something they paid for? and it was not what it all seemed that you presented?

So in other words..???? This following ad is deceptive because I didn't get any rainbow with my candy?


I'm being told here I'd taste a rainbow if I bought this and tasted it?

Was that deseptive? or was that advertising?
But for some reason there selling millions of bags a day.

People create profiles along the same concept, "to create an illusion or fantasy that would attract people to them, whether it be for profit, pleasure or fun. People buy cause they intrigued. Not because there's really a rainbow inside the bag.

[sarah_webinc]

can't be as bad as myspace where nearly every woman is a hooker

[TheEnforcer]

Originally Posted by Hell Puppy

No easy answers here.

Where's the line between "fantasy" and outright "deception"?

Where's the line between aggressive "marketing" and "fraud"?

Exactly. That line in this business can often be quite wide and grey. The fake profiles can be, and often are, from webmasters looking to spam shit. Don't know if AFF puts some in themselves or not. What I've seen and heard of at other places that is outright over the line are the fake e-mails sent out to lure people in as members or bring them back as members. I've never heard of or seen AFF do something like that.

[TheEnforcer]

Oh, and the phone sex stuff that was being discussed isn't unethical in my book. You're selling a fantasy for a guy to whack off to using his ears and imagination.

[sudden]

Originally Posted by TheEnforcer

Oh, and the phone sex stuff that was being discussed isn't unethical in my book. You're selling a fantasy for a guy to whack off to using his ears and imagination.

Regardless of if its unethical or not, if you're a guy and don't know who operates phone sex numbers (that it's not actually the girls in the pictures used for advertising them), then you're retarded enough to deserve to be tricked.

[Inabon]

Originally Posted by sudden

Regardless of if its unethical or not, if you're a guy and don't know who operates phone sex numbers (that it's not actually the girls in the pictures used for advertising them), then you're retarded enough to deserve to be tricked.

AMEN