11 Jan 11 moneysupermarket.com attempt to bribe and blackmail me

moneysupermarket.com sent me an email recently asking me to publish an article featuring their new TV advert. They went further and hinted at an editorial line besmirching the character of Lord Prescott.

So I published the article. READ IT HERE

But they didn’t like what I wrote.

So they asked me to remove it …and then tried to bribe and blackmail me…. they really don’t want people to read the article

So here follows the correspondence below, which I publish in full because I think this is now a public interest matter. That means it is subject to a greater responsibility to the public than confidentiality footnotes on emails. Under the Freedom of Information Act, it allows publication of such information in order to make people aware that in this case there are  dubious practices being used to stifle my right of free speech. Why? All because I have called the bluff of a famous and national company who are not only paying a distinguished former Deputy Prime Minister to be in a national TV advertisement, but at the same time they launching an underground campaign to damage his reputation.

Received via the contact form on daveyates.co.uk

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From    X (Name removed to protect the individual involved)
Email    *************@moneysupermarket.com
Website    http://www.moneysupermarket.com

Message

Hi,

My name is X and I work for Moneysupermarket.com. We have recently done a video together with former deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and I was wondering if you would like to feature it on your website. I decided to contact you due to the nature of your website which I think features some very informative articles on a wide variety of topics. Having previously mentioned him in the past I I felt that you would be interested in featuring this video which hows Prescott in out latest car insurance advertisement and is rather amusing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWpW_5X2EYE). However, it has proved to be an opinion splitter with some people thinking it shows him in a good light and others thinking that he is cashing in on attacking a voter. If you are interested in featuring this video on your website, please let me know. All we would ask in return is a link back to us to acknowledge that we created the advertisement.

Thanks X

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From: Dave Yates
To: X (Name removed to protect the individual involved)

X

I have included the link and a small article on my site. If you would like to discuss any of this further, please contact me by email or on the number below.

Kind regards
David

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From: X (Name removed to protect the individual involved)
To: Dave Yates

Hi David,
I apologise for the fact the email was unwelcome and the point has been taken. You will not be contacted again.

Can I please request that the whole blog mention be removed along with our video?

Thanks
X

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From: Dave Yates
To: X (Name removed to protect the individual involved)

X

The approach is very welcome. I just think that since you have a commercial objective, you should be prepared to attach a commercial incentive to the request. I do not make a living out of my online activities, yet I still have to pay for the services you wish to market via my website. There is an equitable arrangement just shouting out here and I think you should consider it.

Please reconsider my counter offer.

Thanks
David

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From: X (Name removed to protect the individual involved)
To: Dave Yates

Hi David,
We would be prepared to pay for any such request and if you had asked about the prospect I would have gladly complied. This is something which still isn’t out of the question if the blog mention is removed.

I must advise that the mention of email grammar errors would not be viewed favourably by wordpress due to the potential it has to offend people with dyslexia.

If you could let me know once your post is removed I think we can move on from the matter.

Thanks
X

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From: Dave Yates
To: X (Name removed to protect the individual involved)

X

I’m a little surprised at your response.

I assume that what you are saying is that you are prepared to bribe me with some form of discount vouchers if I pull down the article. On the other hand, you are also prepared to blackmail me since, if I do not, you will try to get WordPress to jump all over me for being insensitive to dyslexic people.

On a point of order, WordPress do not host this Blog, I do. I use the WordPress platform, but as far as publishing standards are concerned, it is none of their business. Additionally, I would go as far as to say that you are incorrect on two levels:

1. As one of few accredited WordPress consultants in the UK, I can tell you that it is not part of the WordPress remit to police publishing standards. It is their objective to provide a publishing platform for others to use. What gets written is not really of any concern to them.

2. The standards of grammar, spelling and so on in an email, even if you are dyslexic, are easily managed via grammar and spelling checks through standard software. You are in a job that involves distributing PR to people who write, either for a living, or as a pastime. It makes you fair game for this sort of criticism.

In the meantime, please let me know what sort of thing you have in mind as far as the discounts are involved.

Many thanks
David

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From: X (Name removed to protect the individual involved)
To: David Yates

Hi David,
I did not attempt to bribe anyone I was merely pointing out a legal opinion I have that it was quite dangerous to say such things in this day and age more for the protection of your website than anything. Of course I can not be certain of this as I haven’t consulted our legal department on the matter.

Additionally, as I understand it you are attempting to bribe us by saying that you will only take this down if we met your demands which again, in my opinion, is legally dubious. This is proven once again by your reference at the bottom of the email to discounts.

Can I suggest that you remove the blog post straight away and we can move on from the matter otherwise I will be forced to consult my manager and/or legal department.

Thanks
X

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From: Dave Yates
To: X (Name removed to protect the individual involved)

X

Let’s recap…

You asked me to publish this.

I did.

I publicly made the point that as a commercial organisation, with a commercial objective, you should be prepared to offer a commercial incentive – which I believe you should.

You didn’t like it and asked me to remove the blog post, suggesting that you might reward me somehow were I to do so. At that point it became a bribe to my mind. You concurrently implied that you would seek to have WordPress sanction me were I not to comply and remove the article. At that stage it became blackmail to my way of thinking.

I asked what sort of an inducement you had in mind.

You are now accusing me of seeking a bribe! Let me remind you, you offered me a bribe, not the other way around and at the same time you made a suggestion of blackmail. For your information, I am interested in how much because, I’ve never been offered a bribe before – it is a perfectly natural question.

Perhaps you should consult your manager and your legal department, I think bribery and blackmail are probably not good corporate strategies.

All the best
David

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From: X (Name removed to protect the individual involved)
To: Dave Yates

Hi David,
1) I never attempted to bribe anyone. I agree that a commercial incentive is a good idea in these cases and attempted to seek a commercial arrangement where we could feature the video and short text with the link back which would benefit us and also put a piece of material which could be of interest to your website readers

2) I made the suggestion that making jokes out of people’s writing could be viewed badly but never once mentioned contacting wordpress, was more a comment on how it could be viewed by others.

3) I requested you remove the post because it is obviously harmful to how we are seen. I don’t question that. I said that we could still continue under my initial intentions if the post was removed as I would ignore that the situation had occurred and realise we inconvenienced you with the email.

I am sorry how this situation has ended up after a harmless approach at a commercial agreement. Had you not published the blog entry you did and had instead approach me by email about the prospect of gaining a commercial incentive for publishing the company video I would have complied without question. I apologise if I have mistakenly read this as bribery but surely you can see why I see it this way just as I can see why you see it your way.

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From: X (Name removed to protect the individual involved)
To: Dave Yates

Hi David,
I would hate for all this to end in conflict so welcome any suggestions you have to rectify the situation?

Thanks
X

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From: Dave Yates
To: X (Name removed to protect the individual involved)

X

1) I never attempted to bribe anyone. I agree that a commercial incentive is a good idea in these cases and attempted to seek a commercial arrangement where we could feature the video and short text with the link back which would benefit us and also put a piece of material which could be of interest to your website readers

Bribe: Call it what you want. But it looks that way to me.
“benefit us and also put a piece of material which could be of interest to your website readers”: You presented this with the words “some people thinking it shows him in a good light and others thinking that he is cashing in on attacking a voter.” That is an invitation to scandalise the man. As someone with more than a bit of experience marketing brands via social media, I know an attempt at viral whispering when I see it.

2) I made the suggestion that making jokes out of people’s writing could be viewed badly but never once mentioned contacting wordpress, was more a comment on how it could be viewed by others.

That’s not how it came across to me.

3) I requested you remove the post because it is obviously harmful to how we are seen. I don’t question that. I said that we could still continue under my initial intentions if the post was removed as I would ignore that the situation had occurred and realise we inconvenienced you with the email.

You have not inconvenienced me with the email. It is exactly the sort of content that I like to feature. I rather think you wanted me to put the video up there with a backlink and some comment like “Look! bloody Prescott coining off the back of his assault and battery on that poor member of the public”

I am sorry how this situation has ended up after a harmless approach at a commercial agreement.

What was the commercial agreement?

Had you not published the blog entry you did and had instead approach me by email about the prospect of gaining a commercial incentive for publishing the company video I would have complied without question.

Don’t blame me for not being psychic. You asked me to publish it and I did. If there was an incentive, you should have approached me with that. The invitation was to put a copy of the vid on my blog with a backlink. Nothing else was mentioned.

I apologise if I have mistakenly read this as bribery but surely you can see why I see it this way just as I can see why you see it your way.

Well at least you can see my point of view and I thank you for that.

Kind regards
David

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…then nothing. Do you think I’ve upset them?