UK Party pop

[Royalblue]

Keep getting loads of phone calls from them trying to get me to part with £120. Anyone used them or know if they are any good?

[Corabar Steve]

Hang up, then you'll get the emails, which at least you can spam filter out.

[UltraBeat Entertainment]

I keep getting these too.

They said something about how I've joined as a free member and they need to confirm that I'm real. the only problem is i've never heard of them so i told them were to go. It's always a guy phoning from America as well with the ascent and everything.

Still keeps calling me up every now and again and have received a few emails from them. they just don't get the hint!

I always put the phone down before they get chance to sell anything to me now:)

[spin mobile disco]

Had this once. Just let my wife answer the calls she is really good at making people not ring back lol.

[Steve the DJ]

I keep getting these too.

Me too, I told them where to get off...


It's always a guy phoning from America as well with the ascent and everything.

How high did he go? :whistle:

[axeman]

steer clear Tristan

we've done a a few threads lately on this same thing, they are no good - keep your hard earned in your pocket !!

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

we've done a a few threads lately on this same thing,

Which is why we constantly bang on about using the search facility...;)

[Royalblue]

Ok thanks for that. Apologies for the laziness;)

[Kernow]

Ok thanks for that. Apologies for the laziness;)



ps this is not text !! ;)

[discomobiledj]

Had that too, £120 for a website and premium listing.....my a*se!

[Danno13]

Well I had it too.. but I'm not sure why people are so quick to discount it? They offer a money back guarantee, which I asked for in writing and they delivered.

No other directory I've come across offer this, or even bothered to repond when I've asked for a free week/14/30 days whatever, just to see if it works.

And at £120 a year, its cheap compared to Yell.com (which had zero return for me) and alot of wedding directories.

I haven't decided if its worth it yet though, still investigating how good their google placement is.

[Royalblue]

ps this is not text !! ;)

quite right:D :D :D

[DazzyD]

Just did a quick google of UK Party Pop and it came up in #1 spot.

What concerns me is it seems to be a global site with a lot of emphasis on the USA. There are 5 ads in the middle of its home page and they are all American. Bizarre considering the image at the top is the good old Union Jack Flag. If any forum members don't mind the extra journey time of a transatlantic flight (definately an overnight stay, though!) it might be an idea!

WOAH!!

Just checked the site in a bit more detail. There is a section on for each UK region which I clicked not expecting to see much. Much to my horror, Lightning Disco & Entertainment (ie us!) is listed. I've never heard of UK Party Pop and I certainly didn't give my permission for our name to be used on a site we haven't vetted and approved. I shall be asking for an immediate removal followed up by a chat with our solicitors tomorrow.

[Danno13]

Much to my horror, Lightning Disco & Entertainment (ie us!) is listed. I've never heard of UK Party Pop and I certainly didn't give my permission for our name to be used on a site we haven't vetted and approved. I shall be asking for an immediate removal followed up by a chat with our solicitors tomorrow.

Whilst you're chatting to the solicitor you might want to mention google, yahoo, aol and the numerous other search engines adverising your site for you.. i don't see what the big deal is, its not like they're charging you to advertise your site.

[DazzyD]

The difference is that these sites are marketed as search engines and everyone has heard have them. They have strict operating policies which they have to adhere to and, above all, they're very well respected. Plus, they're obliged to remove details when asked. Plus, they have UK registered offices - Googles is Belgrave House in London, Yahoo is associated with BT and registered at 81 Newgate Street, London and AOL UK is registered at 68 Hammersmith Road, London. This means that they all fall within the remit of UK law/legislation. Lets compare this with PartyPop.com. They only have a UK freefone number which could be re-routed anywhere in the world. Their only contact address is in California meaning they don't come under UK law. And, its been noted, their salespeople have American accents.


As for not charging, wasn't this thread started off by members who were bombarded with calls from PartyPop asking for £120? I know it's easy to say "No" or hang up but the number they are calling on is the main enquiry line. Which means they could be preventing genuine enquiries from getting through meaning lost opportunities. When I choose who to advertise with, I give them a separate telephone number so their calls are not keeping my enquiry line tied up.

What's more, having spent a lot of money over the years building up my reputation and business, I'm very protective of my brand and I don't want any association with a website I'd never even heard of. I don't believe that sites such at MobileDiscoDirectory just pick random businesses to pad out their site and I don't see why PartyPop should either.

You might think it's no big deal but I don't like people using my business details in this way and will take whatever steps necessary to protect my brand especially given that my (rather quick) web search of PartyPop brought up some very negative comments.

[UltraBeat Entertainment]

You might think it's no big deal but I don't like people using my business details in this way and will take whatever steps necessary to protect my brand especially given that my (rather quick) web search of PartyPop brought up some very negative comments.

That's fair enough. You don't want your reputation bought down my a bad website but on the other hand it is free advertising. What details did they have of you business? Name and contact number?

[DazzyD]

Thanks for your response, Spud. Must admit I was expecting a lot of responses saying that I was grossly over-reacting. Maybe I am - all they were diplaying was business name and contact number.

I'm very protective of our brand because, through the reputation I have built up, we supply corporate entertainment to several high profile clients (which is why we haven't advertised through local advertising mediums until this year - never needed to). I simply don't want us to jeopardise this by being associated with an unknown entity.

Sometimes free advertising/listings can prove very useful and successful but I'd much rather choose where we're listed. That way I can keep track of what's going on and can compare the current situation with our marketing strategy. I really appreciate the free listing in mobilediscodirectory and the chance to be part of the fantastic community that is the MDD Forum.

I've been thinking about this whole thing this morning and have done a bit more research in to PartyPop. I've found the negative comments I mentioned mainly revolve around unwanted sales calls (as is the reason for this thread). I've also found that they do own a site, PartyPop.co.uk although this too is registered in the States and it's the same as the .com version.

My main thought is, though, if we put ourselves in to the shoes of our potential clients, would we really think of the name PartyPop when we are looking for a local disco? Somehow, I don't think so.

[BeerFunk]

Igot a voicemail too, 'Roy from Party Pop'. Suffice it to say that I was a little :confused: :confused: :confused:

I don't even advertise anymore, no need for my situation.

[rob1963]

I don't even advertise anymore

That's an interesting marketing strategy!

:rolleyes:

[Royalblue]

I have to say when I advertise, I try and put myself in the position of a customer using a search engine and try and imagine waht they would type. For all the terms I can think of I always get MDD, UK Disco or my own website at the top of the results. Have never seen party pop come up so I think I'll tell them to sling their hook next time they ring.

[DazzyD]

Morning all!

That's the point I was making at the end of my last post, tristan. However, I did a google search for "north east wedding disco" and PartyPop.co.uk showed up in places 8, 9 and 10 so they do have top 10 rankings. But with all the internet scams around, we have to be careful and they really shouldn't be listing businesses without the knowledge of the business involved.

Just a quick update on my earlier posts. I got my legal advisor to email PartyPop.com to demand they removed my details within 24 hours and, all credit to them, they did just that. I'm beginning to think that they're not the scam that I originally feared but I still don't agree with them listing you for free (without your knowledge) and then phoning you with the hard up-sell. That's just not on.

[Jiggles]

Im up there as well! I never asked to be there! :mad:

[DazzyD]

I think a lot people are on there, Callum, without actually knowing it.

I've spent the last couple of days looking in to this site and, whilst I starting to think it's not the huge scam I initially thought it was, they do seem to use devious up-sell tactics like "Your advert is due to expire - would you like to upgrade for £120?" This, to me, is not on.

A few years ago when I worked in another sector, we used to get loads of email scams. One major one was an email stating that "it is time to renew your advert on our site. Please send £12 for the year." Now, if you didn't keep track of your advertising (in the strict way I do) you might just pay it. After all, it's not loads of money but the site wasn't real. I still wonder how many people fell for it and how much the scammers made from it.

This is the reason I am so cautious now (to the point of paranoia sometimes!)

[Dreamstar Entertainment]

they must like me, i got offered the membership for half that price! lol and a lovely american lady who emailed me all the details and wont stop ringing grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr and we are also on pop party, i have no idea how but any free advertising i dont have to spend hours looking to advertise with is welcome!

[DazzyD]

any free advertising i dont have to spend hours looking to advertise with is welcome!

I'm sure that you don't mean "any", Simon. I certainly wouldn't want to advertise on sites that are dodgy or link to dodgy sites (ie. links/references to drugs, porn, illegal stuff - anything that's not family-friendly really). In this business, reputation is everything and you wouldn't want to do anything to damage a hard-earned reputation.

I can understand that free advertising can benefit some discos, especially the Newbies, and there is a place for it in our marketing plan. I am in a lucky position of being able to set a decent advertising budget each year and, after 9 years in the business, have found what works for us and what doesn't.

But I find the best form of free advertising is word of mouth. Do a good job at a show and they'll tell their friends. Mind you, they'll also tell their friends if you do a bad show! I did a 3 hour christening karaoke disco last week and got 4 extra bookings and a few other enquiries from it. This kind of advertising can't be beat!

[HAGGIS]

i got the call to i had a look at the site and i called someone on it he said dont waste your money

[DazzyD]

Do you mean you called someone on the site, ian? Or a trusted advisor? Just seems odd that someone from the site would tell you not to waste your money on them.

They would have to prove to me they could increase my workload/profit by at least 20% for me to even consider parting with my advertising budget.

[flatliners]

think he might of ment another disco on the site. i had the call and as its free i said yes

[ppentertainments]

Why have I not got a call ??
Feel left out here :confused: :D :D

[djsteve10]

Why have I not got a call ??
Feel left out here :confused: :D :D

Trust me you don't want a call from these guys they won't leave you alone and they are high pressured sales too.

They literally don't take no for an awnser until the 50th time and you hang up a few times.

[DazzyD]

I've never actually had them phone me but I've been bombarded with emails. So much so that I've now blocked their domain from sending me the emails at the mail-server side of things. It seems to be working as I've had none come through today.

Mind you, I do think PPEntertainments was being a bit sarcastic there, tho!

[Have a disco]

Ive had email saying Im on there??
not yet found where the hell I am????

[CRAZY K]

Ive had email saying Im on there??
not yet found where the hell I am????

Here you is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seven down:D

http://uk.partypop.com/categories/Disc_Jockeys/East_England.htm

CRAZY K

[Corabar Steve]

It has just occured to me how many people on this & other forums have said they wouldn't list on Party Pop or Born2Entertain & yet are listed (in some cases as paid advertisements).

[CRAZY K]

It has just occured to me how many people on this & other forums have said they wouldn't list on Party Pop or Born2Entertain & yet are listed (in some cases as paid advertisements).

I get the impression its a new sales tactic--give it away free first---then list you and then use it as an excuse to contact you--

YOU ARE AN EXISTING ADVERTISER:D

So we rang you to see if you want to upgrade.:bang: :bang: :bang:

I would bet its probably an American physcological marketing technique--

They are so full of Sales Sh..e

Although they say any publicity is good publicity -especially free-it does encourage the tyre kickers--who waste a lot of my time--

If I want those I advertise in YP:)

Looking at the saturation of ads on the Internet for Entertainers its difficult to see how new sites can make an impact---even giving away ads:D :D :D

CRAZY K

[Corabar Steve]

The thought had crossed my mind (although that doesn't explain the "I'm not going to advertise with them" statements made by some with premium listings)

[pagan_flame]

Here you is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seven down:D

http://uk.partypop.com/categories/Disc_Jockeys/East_England.htm

CRAZY K

Don't worry, they'll soon take your listing off if you don't pay up for the upgrade.

They have mine... :beer1:

[Corabar Steve]

Indeed, you've disappeared since this morning.

[DazzyD]

I asked to be removed cos i'm not happy with the way they do things. although they took me off their site they didn't respond to my email tho. probably too ashamed by their own actions!

[Have a disco]

As long as they dont pester me with advertising sale then they can keep me on the free section no willing to payout £78 per year for a premium listing I have yell.com already whats the point?????

Also have been pestered buy Bestof posse as to join them anyone else got them in there areas

[leighinstoke]

I won't invest in any website that promises me premier listings - I get enough work coming through my website, my advertising, etc.

Still get the calls - still tell them the same thing.

[mike8863]

Have you noticed there are alot of supposed dj's advertised on there once, twice soemtimes three times......!!!!:zip:

[Corabar Steve]

That would be because they are harvesting details from other sites to make it look like their site is busier than it actually is. They obviously don't cross reference what they've harvested. I received this this morning......


We have tried to contact you several times in order to respond to your recent interest in a partypop.com listing.

Today is your lucky day! You can completely get rid of us and we will never bother you again, or you can start making money.

To take full advantage of your PartyPOP listing and maximize the exposure of your business listing on the Internet and the search engines, we encourage you to upgrade your free listing to a Preferred Listing.

A Preferred Listing on PartyPOP.com will include a full web page that is dedicated to your business, complete with pictures, full text description, full contact information, links to your email and website, a video clip, etc. Also, your enhanced listing you will be among the first vendors appearing on the Entertainment Agencies category in your area. The preferred listings always come up before the free listings. This positioning offers you much greater exposure.

Here are the top 10 reasons to upgrade to a Preferred Listing:

1. We have more than 2 million vendors, and we are well known in the community as the most reliable and extensive source of information when it comes to wedding, party, and event planning, thus attracting more than 12,500,000 visitors a month.

2. Google us and you will find out why PartyPOP is the site for weddings and special events.

3. Our Graphic and Editorial Departments will design a Web-Page for you, complete with pictures, full text description of your business and services, and links to your email and website, and if you have a video clip that showcases your products or services, we will post that on your page as well. We will maintain the page all year at no additional cost.

4. PartyPOP's Marketing Team will optimize your page and submit it to the search engines.

5. We have more than 30 years of experience in the Event Planning industry, and more than 11 years of experience with the Internet. We simply use the power of the internet to direct new clients to you.

As a preferred vendor with partypop.com you'll have the opportunity to get more exposure on our network without additional charge

6. PartyPOP is the world's largest wedding and event related network on the internet with more than 60 websites - As a preferred vendor your Ad Page will appear on many of them at no additional cost. Click here to see a list of the sites: http://uk.partypop.com/more_partypop_sites.html

7. As a preferred vendor you'll have the opportunity to use our message boards to promote your business. We have the busiest and most popular 10 message boards on Internet when it comes to wedding and event planning.

8. As a preferred vendor you can participate in our link exchange program that can help your own website's ranking on the search engines.

9. As a preferred vendor you can get contact request emails directly from Internet users that visit our site http://uk.partypop.com/contact_me_please.cfm

10. As a preferred vendor you'll have the opportunity to specify whether you prefer to work with clients with low, medium, or high budget, thus filtering out clients that don't meet your criteria.

To see a PartyPOP demo visit the link below: http://uk.partypop.com/demo/

Remember: people looking for services want information immediately, and you know they won't pay attention to you for even a second unless they SEE you, and READ about YOU. You know they make up their minds quick!

If you are going to be in business then give it your best shot! Your products and services are too valuable to waste time not making every minute profit!

The cost for a standard Preferred Listing starts at only £120.00 for a whole year and it comes with a prorated money-back guarantee. In other words, at any time you choose to remove your preferred listing, we will refund your remaining unused months.

Sincerely,
Avon
Team PartyPOP

My reply.........


Dear Party pop

You neglected to tell us how we could completely get rid of you never to be bothered again. We have not shown any recent interest in your site, quite the opposite.

I have had a look & quite frankly it is the most un-user friendly listings site I have ever come across. Nothing would persuade me to join up especially all the spam emails.

As far as I can see all you have done is trawl other listings sites & taken contact details from them. There is actually a thread about you on one of the Mobile Disco forums & the general consensus is that you are not to be touched with a barge pole.

There are also instances of people being listed on your site without their knowledge, this would seem to prove my theory in the previous paragraph.

Now, for once & for all, will you please stop emailing us.

[CRAZY K]

That would be because they are harvesting details from other sites to make it look like their site is busier than it actually is. They obviously don't cross reference what they've harvested. I received this this morning......



My reply.........

Excellent as a "boating person" my only comment would be--

MAKE THAT A VERY LONG BARGEPOLE:D :D :D

CRAZY K

[djsteve10]

I started to avoid the salesman after telling him i wasnt bothered for paying £10 a month for the listing, i stop awnsering the calls from them and also i even passed the phone to one of my work colleages to handle, He then had the cheek to phone my home number and tell me that i was ignorant and that i wasn't awnsering any of his calls... i said to him well get the point then if i dont want to awnser your calls i dont want the listing simple as, good day and not heard anything since.

Sounds really harsh but has to be done sometimes.

[UltraBeat Entertainment]

I started to avoid the salesman after telling him i wasnt bothered for paying £10 a month for the listing, i stop awnsering the calls from them and also i even passed the phone to one of my work colleages to handle, He then had the cheek to phone my home number and tell me that i was ignorant and that i wasn't awnsering any of his calls... i said to him well get the point then if i dont want to awnser your calls i dont want the listing simple as, good day and not heard anything since.

Sounds really harsh but has to be done sometimes.

I agree. Sometime it's the only way they get the hint!!!:bang:

[Have a disco]

They tried to get me to be a premium listing I kindly declined and just happily accepted a free basic listing. Not been pestered by them since. I was just plain firm and strong with them that I was not interested in paying for a site that should be plain free and they should make they're money by getting paid adverts to pay for the site not via us poorly paid DJ's LOL

as ever Im forever being pestered to upgrade on Touch local Grrr they just dont get the hint

[Candybeatdiscos]

checked scotland, seen a few listings for guys on here but not shaun or mine - :(