How to handle Yahoo submissions with recurring fees?

Not on my credit card you don't....

[Robert Charlton]

I'm wondering how people are planning to handle Yahoo submissions with recurring fees... I don't want to have these annual charges hanging over my credit card. At the same time, I'm thinking it would be awkward to ask clients for their credit card information... and even worse to have the clients do the submission, even if to my specs. Thoughts?

[pete]

Rob,

Dont think that asking the client to handle the submission is an option at all.

We will use our credit card for submissions but will have to keep a tight check on fees as well as bad debtors.

Will manage it much the same way that we maintain our hosting / domain renewal accounts.

[Liane]

Explain Yahoo's new policy and bill the client in advance. Print out Yahoo's payment terms and attach it to your invoice with an explanation that unless paid by the due date, their site will be removed from Yahoo.

[dwedeking]

We'll use the company card but we're going to have to be VERY hardcore about payment beforehand (this is one of my personal weaknesses is falling for the sob story).

[zechariah]

don't want them to recharge you - just cancel your credit card or just change the card before they manage to get to u - as they say if they can't access your card : they will delist.

[ggrot]

American Express Blue has an option to create temporary card numbers that expire after 60 days or something. You could use these to perform the initial payment, then if and when client funds are secured, you can use another card number to pay the next year's bill.

[Robert Charlton]

I bill clients in advance for Yahoo submissions now.... It's just that the recurring fees become something I have to keep track of. I don't do any hosting or domain renewals, so this is a whole new and annoying area.

[JayC]

It wasn't there even a few days ago, but Yahoo now has a FAQ entry that states that you'll be able to change credit card information: [help.yahoo.com...]

It seems like they're still in the process of updating the information on their site to reflect all of the related policy changes. I suspect that well in advance of the time they actually have to do any renewals (they have a year, after all) they'll detail a process by which to opt out of renewal and that while their policies currently don't say so they'll do what the rest of the world does and notify customers before charging the renewal fee. Doing otherwise will just be inviting declined charges and chargebacks, and no merchant wants that headache (or the chargeback-related fees).

[Robert Charlton]

JayC - Thanks and welcome to WmW. It now looks like they're trying to address the problem. I can still foresee some potential complications, though, in the transfer process, but I'm sure it can be figured out....

[backus]

Me thinks Yahoo will be thinning out sometime soon!

[cyberbear]

What happens if you have three free listings with Yahoo? Will they require you to pay the new fee to maintain them or are they only penalizing people who paid in the first place?

[jilla]

I have a similar question to cybear: I bought an expired domain that was yahoo listed.
It had never been paid for.

Does this mean it will be dropped or is there some kind of pre-Dec 28th grandfathering situation where listings will continue on?

[ggrot]

I think a grandfathering situation will occur. There are just too many quality sites in the index right now with no simple way of contacting the owners and/or convincing them to cough up more dough. It would really push google strongly if all those listings suddenly 'disappeared'.

[backus]

I wish I had loads of money just for the fun of suing Yahoo. I'd sue for discrimination. They can't say, you'll pay but you won't.

[ggrot]

They can actually. They won't be saying you'll pay and you wont. It isn't discrimination based on any personal traits. Much like someone in california who locked into low electric rates with a long-term contract before the rates exploded or grandfathered overture listings still at $0.01 per click. Even the commercial versus non commercial listings are quite legal. All sites can 'purchase' the 3 day submission service, and all sites can use the other 'free' service for submitting to non-commercial categories. It's just that commercial sites wont get accepted using the non-commercial submission.