Author Topic: Is 123RF a hostage-taker ? (Read 5302 times)

Axel Lauer · « **on:** May 21, 2014, 02:59 »

Hi
I want to terminate my account and the last mail from them sounded a bit as if they would act as shady and dubious like many other so called "agencies" (Dreamstime eg) which make the process of termination so painfull that contributors leave their content online only because they do not want to spend a huge part of their lifetime with clicking "delete buttons".
Thats the hostage-strategy.

Does anyone have experience how a termination works with them?
If it turns out that its a hostage-company i better ask my attorney to get that done.

regards axel

PS: and this term from their TOS makes the impression that 123RF is something quity shady complete:

"Effect of Termination: Within a reasonable time after termination or expiration of this Agreement, 123RF shall delete all digital files representing the Accepted Images and withdraw the availability of such files for search and licensing from all Distributors databases and repositories. "

Reasonable time......
aha...that sounds very much like something very crook to me

nicku · « **Reply #1 on:** May 21, 2014, 04:41 »

Agree with you.... 123RF is a small agency that pretty much don' worth the effort..... BUT 123RF has a unique feature : You can download for free your own images at any resolution you want. Considering that my AR there is around 98% , its a good way to have a relative secure way to have an paid online backup option for my images

Axel Lauer · « **Reply #2 on:** May 21, 2014, 04:52 »

You give away your images for peanuts to have a backup?

We have 20 TB backuped on HDDs and we use crashplan / backblaze for a second backup.
So no need for 123RF in that case and since they ...
-dont sell (more or less)
-have a dubios policy regarding their API / partners
-sell for lousy cents
-have no opt out for that pain in the a*ss , called partnersites...

....we decided to give them the axe.

Back to topic:
Any experiences with cancellations / terminations?

Mellimage · « **Reply #3 on:** May 21, 2014, 04:54 »

Quote from: Axel Lauer on May 21, 2014, 02:59

Hi
I want to terminate my account and the last mail from them sounded a bit as if they would act as shady and dubious like many other so called "agencies" (Dreamstime eg) which make the process of termination so painfull that contributors leave their content online only because they do not want to spend a huge part of their lifetime with clicking "delete buttons".
Thats the hostage-strategy.

Does anyone have experience how a termination works with them?
If it turns out that its a hostage-company i better ask my attorney to get that done.

regards axel

PS: and this term from their TOS makes the impression that 123RF is something quity shady complete:

"Effect of Termination: Within a reasonable time after termination or expiration of this Agreement, 123RF shall delete all digital files representing the Accepted Images and withdraw the availability of such files for search and licensing from all Distributors databases and repositories. "

Reasonable time......
aha...that sounds very much like something very crook to me

And of course you forfeit any balance acquired unless it reaches the threshold. Now i am in the process of terminating my account as well - my balance is that high that i should receive payout with the next payment period. Yet if they take their sweet time removing my images that could be a way for them to earn 100% on my images. Leaves a sour taste really... .

Axel Lauer · « **Reply #4 on:** May 21, 2014, 05:47 »

These 49,99$ you might loose in the worst case is nothing compared to what you did loose by the daily rip-off you have to bear as a contributor.
So in my case i dont care about the payout.
I would loose much more if i stay with them.....

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #5 on:** May 21, 2014, 06:50 »

Sorry, what's the "daily rip-off" of contributors?

Mantis · « **Reply #6 on:** May 21, 2014, 06:55 »

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on May 21, 2014, 06:50

Sorry, what's the "daily rip-off" of contributors?

You beat me to it, B. I suspect he is referring to subs, but then we'd be talking about multiple agencies, not just 123. Hope to see some clarity from him.

Mellimage · « **Reply #7 on:** May 21, 2014, 07:18 »

well he may mean that you get 0.14 cents for a small sale because the credit price the buyer paid only 0.5 USd per credit due to some rebate. Or maybe he is fed up getting 9$ for an Extended License because it is sold so cheap.
At least these are my reasons for leaving (aside from the fact that i still got a sale recently on a file I deleted last year - so far for "allowing reasonable time for removal"). If I hate the price undercutting the DPC is doing I can't like this kind of price undercutting 123rf is doing. My RPD with 123rf has been the lowest of all agencies consistenly for over a year, the RPI is awful. I see no reason for wanting to stay... .

Axel Lauer · « **Reply #8 on:** May 21, 2014, 08:07 »

http://dict.leo.org/ende/index_de.html#/search=rip-off&searchLoc=0&resultOrder=basic&multiwordShowSingle=on
Guys, are you kidding or do you just feel comfortable in your dependency??

Subs
Getty / Google
Deposit / Shotshop
DPC
...want more?

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #9 on:** May 21, 2014, 08:13 »

Quote from: Axel Lauer on May 21, 2014, 08:07

http://dict.leo.org/ende/index_de.html#/search=rip-off&searchLoc=0&resultOrder=basic&multiwordShowSingle=on
Guys, are you kidding or do you just feel comfortable in your dependency??

Subs
Getty / Google
Deposit / Shotshop
DPC
...want more?

Oh, you mean all of them. Sorry, I can't afford simply to give up on this and sit around waiting for Alamy to sell something.

cobalt · « **Reply #10 on:** May 21, 2014, 08:25 »

For me the solution is to send content suitable for the risk or the price point. I would never send the same files everywhere.

But there is always dry leaves, flower images,simple and especially really old holiday files that can find a home on a risky agency.

If all my work was expensive to produce or I was able to only create high quality bestsellers, I would stay away from microstock alltogether.

fotorob · « **Reply #11 on:** May 21, 2014, 09:35 »

Quote from: Axel Lauer on May 21, 2014, 04:52

-have no opt out for that pain in the a*ss , called partnersites...

You can out out of partner-sites at 123rf under "My account", uncheck the "123RF API Partner Sales" button on the right side.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #12 on:** May 21, 2014, 09:49 »

I had 123rf remove my content when I went exclusive with iStock (so this isn't recent) and they handled it without any fuss.

I currently am there but have opted out of partner sales - I'm not interested in any of the agencies spreading my work around - so I think delays for partner sites wouldn't apply in that case.

Right now (and I'm hoping they won't change this) there is a minimum price per credit for the purposes of paying contributors, so for me, 18 cents a credit is the lowest it can go. I monitor sales every so often and most of them are higher than the minimum.

They aren't perfect, but if that were the criterion for staying with an agency I'd have pulled out of them all - I can think of legitimate complaints about how contributors are treated at every micro (can't comment on Stocksy as I'm not there). With an opt out for the partner program I can live with them for now.

Will · « **Reply #13 on:** May 21, 2014, 10:01 »

Quote from: cobalt on May 21, 2014, 08:25

For me the solution is to send content suitable for the risk or the price point. I would never send the same files everywhere.

But there is always dry leaves, flower images,simple and especially really old holiday files that can find a home on a risky agency.

If all my work was expensive to produce or I was able to only create high quality bestsellers, I would stay away from microstock alltogether.

Sensible strategy.

Axel Lauer · « **Reply #14 on:** May 21, 2014, 11:06 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on May 21, 2014, 09:49

.....but if that were the criterion for staying with an agency I'd have pulled out of them all -

That is what we will do the next weeks except two of them.
I am really fed up with all these shady "companies" and that trouble with incompetent reviewers and all that timeconsuming crap for just a grand per month.

I give Symbiostock a try (my webdeveloper works on a versíon which is able to handle videos) and if that works i even give the last two agencies the axe

I prefer to sell only a few files for fair prices than to bite the hand thats feed me.
I leave it up to others to bring the whole business to a point where you have to sell your HD video for 1 cent. (Look at Dissolve - they already sell HD for 5$)

Yes, you are right - i cant stop that trend.
But at least i dont have to explain my apprentices why i did my best to ruin their means of existence.

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Author Topic: Is 123RF a hostage-taker ? (Read 5302 times)

Axel Lauer

nicku

Axel Lauer

Mellimage

Axel Lauer

BaldricksTrousers

Mantis

Mellimage

Axel Lauer

BaldricksTrousers

cobalt

fotorob

Jo Ann Snover

Will

Axel Lauer

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