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I found this website yesterday http://213.174.150.37/ or http://www.booked.net and then searched for my property. I then put in my property name and lo and behold, I'm listed! So, I tried to see if they can book me (since I am available via the GDS on some websites) and they can't. I tried dates that had no bookings at al and it came back with
This hotel has no rooms available for the dates of your stay, but we can suggest other available hotels.
Available rooms from Wed 19 Oct 2011 , to Fri 21 Oct 2011 , for 2 nights for 2 adults per room
WTF?!?! I do have rooms for those dates.
So it appears that this company is listing properties that they don't have ability to book so that they can sucker people in and then offer them a different property.
I sent them a complaint (likely going to fall on deaf ears) but I have also submitted it to Google via https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/spamreportform?hl=en with the specific URL to my property. I think people should carefully check their own properties.
Do you think I should post this on the PAII so others can check as well?
 
I don't think there is anything to stop them from listing you "aka suckering someone in" - you can probably get listed with them if you pay ... and if you don't well then they will refer "inquiries" to other properties. It's called Business. It may not be business that WE like but that's the internet for you .....
 
I don't think there is anything to stop them from listing you "aka suckering someone in" - you can probably get listed with them if you pay ... and if you don't well then they will refer "inquiries" to other properties. It's called Business. It may not be business that WE like but that's the internet for you ......
agoodman said:
I don't think there is anything to stop them from listing you "aka suckering someone in" - you can probably get listed with them if you pay ... and if you don't well then they will refer "inquiries" to other properties. It's called Business. It may not be business that WE like but that's the internet for you .....
Except of course, they are displaying my copyrighted pictures and using my name.
 
I don't think there is anything to stop them from listing you "aka suckering someone in" - you can probably get listed with them if you pay ... and if you don't well then they will refer "inquiries" to other properties. It's called Business. It may not be business that WE like but that's the internet for you ......
agoodman said:
I don't think there is anything to stop them from listing you "aka suckering someone in" - you can probably get listed with them if you pay ... and if you don't well then they will refer "inquiries" to other properties. It's called Business. It may not be business that WE like but that's the internet for you .....
Except of course, they are displaying my copyrighted pictures and using my name.
.
They're about to discover that Eric is not one to be messed with!
 
I don't think there is anything to stop them from listing you "aka suckering someone in" - you can probably get listed with them if you pay ... and if you don't well then they will refer "inquiries" to other properties. It's called Business. It may not be business that WE like but that's the internet for you ......
agoodman said:
I don't think there is anything to stop them from listing you "aka suckering someone in" - you can probably get listed with them if you pay ... and if you don't well then they will refer "inquiries" to other properties. It's called Business. It may not be business that WE like but that's the internet for you .....
Except of course, they are displaying my copyrighted pictures and using my name.
.
send them a cease an desist letter. That might get their attention, but probably not. It couldn't hurt though!
 
I don't think there is anything to stop them from listing you "aka suckering someone in" - you can probably get listed with them if you pay ... and if you don't well then they will refer "inquiries" to other properties. It's called Business. It may not be business that WE like but that's the internet for you ......
agoodman said:
I don't think there is anything to stop them from listing you "aka suckering someone in" - you can probably get listed with them if you pay ... and if you don't well then they will refer "inquiries" to other properties. It's called Business. It may not be business that WE like but that's the internet for you .....
Except of course, they are displaying my copyrighted pictures and using my name.
.
Have you actually "copyrighted" your pics or just put a little "C" on them thinking that will stop people from using them? As for your name - they are not claiming to BE YOU are they? They are just claiming they can BOOK you, or so people think ...
I am not criticizing YOU or what you are doing but again if you are "out there" on the internet these are the risks we take. Our chocie? Not be on the internet???
 
I don't think there is anything to stop them from listing you "aka suckering someone in" - you can probably get listed with them if you pay ... and if you don't well then they will refer "inquiries" to other properties. It's called Business. It may not be business that WE like but that's the internet for you ......
agoodman said:
I don't think there is anything to stop them from listing you "aka suckering someone in" - you can probably get listed with them if you pay ... and if you don't well then they will refer "inquiries" to other properties. It's called Business. It may not be business that WE like but that's the internet for you .....
Except of course, they are displaying my copyrighted pictures and using my name.
.
Have you actually "copyrighted" your pics or just put a little "C" on them thinking that will stop people from using them? As for your name - they are not claiming to BE YOU are they? They are just claiming they can BOOK you, or so people think ...
I am not criticizing YOU or what you are doing but again if you are "out there" on the internet these are the risks we take. Our chocie? Not be on the internet???
.
Well, I'm going to try my darndest to make them miserable. I have a cease and desist letter ready. I have started a trademark process a while ago. And yes, I have copyright on my photos (you don't have to have a (c) on it. Problem is the company is in the Ukraine. But I do have a right to point out the copyright violation to the big G and they will usually block that page from the indexes at that point. I did report them as spamming the database, which this is, which can lower their entire websites score or worse, make them almost invisible to the net.
 
I don't think there is anything to stop them from listing you "aka suckering someone in" - you can probably get listed with them if you pay ... and if you don't well then they will refer "inquiries" to other properties. It's called Business. It may not be business that WE like but that's the internet for you ......
agoodman said:
I don't think there is anything to stop them from listing you "aka suckering someone in" - you can probably get listed with them if you pay ... and if you don't well then they will refer "inquiries" to other properties. It's called Business. It may not be business that WE like but that's the internet for you .....
Except of course, they are displaying my copyrighted pictures and using my name.
.
Have you actually "copyrighted" your pics or just put a little "C" on them thinking that will stop people from using them? As for your name - they are not claiming to BE YOU are they? They are just claiming they can BOOK you, or so people think ...
I am not criticizing YOU or what you are doing but again if you are "out there" on the internet these are the risks we take. Our chocie? Not be on the internet???
.
Well, I'm going to try my darndest to make them miserable. I have a cease and desist letter ready. I have started a trademark process a while ago. And yes, I have copyright on my photos (you don't have to have a (c) on it. Problem is the company is in the Ukraine. But I do have a right to point out the copyright violation to the big G and they will usually block that page from the indexes at that point. I did report them as spamming the database, which this is, which can lower their entire websites score or worse, make them almost invisible to the net.
.
Yep, I would do my best to make my point with them. Maybe...just maybe they will learn a lesson. Good you have contacts at G as well. Have you read the book "In the Plex"? I heard him on NPR Friday and immediately downloaded the book to my Kindle. Only read first chapter but it is very interesting read so far.
 
I wish I had as much free time on my hands as he does to deal with those little annoyances
Personally I have more important things to worry about in my business
 
I wish I had as much free time on my hands as he does to deal with those little annoyances
Personally I have more important things to worry about in my business.
agoodman said:
I wish I had as much free time on my hands as he does to deal with those little annoyances
Personally I have more important things to worry about in my business
i see nothing wrong with checking reverse links to see who is listing your site ... and then discovering that it's a booking site that directs potential guests away from you because you don't pay them ~ isn't it helpful to know that maybe your site is listed there?
i would be dead on my feet and sleepless because of being so keyed up and would surf the net in the middle of the nite and find things.
 
I wish I had as much free time on my hands as he does to deal with those little annoyances
Personally I have more important things to worry about in my business.
agoodman said:
I wish I had as much free time on my hands as he does to deal with those little annoyances
Personally I have more important things to worry about in my business
i see nothing wrong with checking reverse links to see who is listing your site ... and then discovering that it's a booking site that directs potential guests away from you because you don't pay them ~ isn't it helpful to know that maybe your site is listed there?
i would be dead on my feet and sleepless because of being so keyed up and would surf the net in the middle of the nite and find things.
.
seashanty said:
i see nothing wrong with checking reverse links to see who is listing your site ... ....
I didn't say there was anything wrong with it, I just said I wish I had that much time on my hands, they are not even in the US, not subject to US laws .... which is EXACTLY why they do what they do ....
 
I wish I had as much free time on my hands as he does to deal with those little annoyances
Personally I have more important things to worry about in my business.
agoodman said:
I wish I had as much free time on my hands as he does to deal with those little annoyances
Personally I have more important things to worry about in my business
i see nothing wrong with checking reverse links to see who is listing your site ... and then discovering that it's a booking site that directs potential guests away from you because you don't pay them ~ isn't it helpful to know that maybe your site is listed there?
i would be dead on my feet and sleepless because of being so keyed up and would surf the net in the middle of the nite and find things.
.
seashanty said:
i see nothing wrong with checking reverse links to see who is listing your site ... ....
I didn't say there was anything wrong with it, I just said I wish I had that much time on my hands, they are not even in the US, not subject to US laws .... which is EXACTLY why they do what they do ....
.
agoodman said:
..they are not even in the US, not subject to US laws .... which is EXACTLY why they do what they do ....
Of course, the ones they're attacking, in this case, aren't in the US either. Interesting idea, though, that while you can't go after them in Asia, you CAN try to have Google punish them by making them less "findable".
 
Just a follow-up. The company has been quite nice and forthcoming and has agreed to remove our listing. The emails, in good English have been quite pleasant. Now, I have to talk to the GDS they are using, since they have some culpability as well.
 
I checked and for my town it looks like they have only picked places that are listed on other GDS sources.
Occasionally I will put in the inn's name and search to see where it shows up. Amazing the things I have found. Yes, post the link on PAII.
 
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