When the original REAL Astronet closed, all their readers were sent over to keen. Keen made a deal with Ivilliage, who owned Astronet at the time.
They lied to those of us who worked for Astronet, by telling us that things would be the same when we went over to keen. We would e given all the traffic from our old site, as well as other advertising from keen. Boy did they lie.
At first things were OK. We all got lots of traffic, just like we did before coming to keen. Then, about 6 months after we moved to keen things changed. All of a sudden no more direct advertising to us. The links on our old site now started to send people to main stream keen.
There were even occasions where those who would be clicking on a link for one of us (Actual Real Former Astronet Readers, not those that keen now claims are from Astronet, who aren't) anywhere on the net, including on the keen site itself, would be new, so they would have to fill out a form to join keen. When they got done with the forms, they would not be taken back to us, but taken to main stream keen.
After that first six months the traffic and subsequent income started to slowly decrease. We were told to advertise ourselves more, so I did. I got listed in all the directories and even many sites. Didn't help for me and many others. The traffic just kept slipping away, yet others on keen were still getting traffic, which made me wonder.
So I did a little snooping around and found that keen had been sending the people who went looking for us Astronet readers to another place they had set up and was saying was us, which it wasn't. So they were lying to the public claiming these readers were from Astronet and not directing traffic to those of us that actually were from Astronet.
Astronet by the way, the real one that is, did have a great reputation before they closed and sent us all over to keen. Keen killed Astronet and its Former Readers reputations.
So I found that, then I found hundreds of keen banners and links on the net and I followed them all back to the keen site. BUT, they all didn't go to main stream keen. Oh NO, most of them went to private little groups keen set up. To this day there are private little groups they are creating and directing traffic to.
The fact that readers and customers could pad ratings at that time, didn't help what so ever.
So, after a while business was horrible for those who don't play the keen game. Then, to top it all off, keen decided to make it so that if you wanted to get listed ahead of others you had to pay them to put you there. Oh yeah this went over well for me, not!
I should not only pay you a per minute fee, on top of a per call fee, but now I should pay you just to be listed where people will notice me? Does the word GREED fit in here anywhere?
I, like some, refused to pay for such insane things. However, like sheep, most people did pay. They followed along and did just as keen wanted. I was told by those I knew who did pay that they paid per hit to their keen page. So it doesn't matter if the person actually gets a reading from you, you are just paying for them to visit your page.
Now this isn't any kind of set fee either. Keen made it bidding, So that the person willing to pay the most, the highest bid, gets to be listed first. Now they can pay that bid, say $9 (which is not an unheard of number in this) and if someone clicks on their page, views it and leaves, they have to pay this $9 to keen. This seems really wrong to me.
Well, after much personal debate, I removed my listings off of keen. Even though I had not worked through their in many months, I felt it was time to not be associated with them at all. So, I killed my pages and requested they send me the last $5 that was in my account. And I requested it again, and again, and yet again. To this day, which is about 7 months after my first request for it, I have yet to be sent my last $5.
With all the money they rake in, and all the lying and cheating they do, they then have the nerve to not send my $5 after so many requests. Where does it end?
OH, I almost forgot to add, they are lying to the IRS and those working on / through keen. The first year I was there they told everyone that keen was not required to send them 1099 Misc. Forms. WRONG! Big IRS NO NO!
So guess who called the IRS and told them. Yes, that would be little old me. And I am proud of it too!
Then the following year they tell people that they don't have to give you a 1099 Misc. Form unless you were involved in the bidding for advertising bit that they are running. Hello, wrong again. The IRS requires that they send out 1099 Misc. Forms for EVERYONE who makes money through their site.
But do you think keen is doing this? No! Because they are trying their best to yet again stick it to someone. OK I know many people have problems with the government and IRS, but It is companies like keen and their tactics that mess things up for the rest of us.
OK, I have rambled on enough here. I am tired of so many people telling me how good keen is, or how they have made money there. You can only make money at keen if you are willing to stoop to their level and I for one will not. Hence why I am no longer there.
To those others with problems at keen, Please don't hold it against all readers/psychics, there are real ones out here, just most aren't on keen.
Personally I think someone should sue keen and see what happens! It isn't like it wouldn't be warranted. They are a dirty little bunch.
Actual Real Former Astronet Reader!
Somewhere in the US
U.S.A.
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