LeapFish Caught Red Handed Spamming TechCrunch

Many internet startups find it privileged to be reviewed by TechCrunch. But even if TechCrunch’s verdict for you is a deadpool, although the author did not tagged that post with “deadpool“, it is still an opportunity for dialog. LeapFish’s employees screwed up so badly that opportunity that TechChrunch team had to ban their IPs from posting comments. Here are the snapshots of some parts of that exchange:

LeapFish Spamming TechCrunch

Please note that Robin Wauters is the author of the original article on TechCrunch.

Here is another warning by Robin which LeapFish employees completely ignore:

LeapFish Spamming TechCrunch

Finally TechCrunch blocks the IPs from where the shill comments appear to originate:
LeapFish Spamming TechCrunch

Later the CEO of LeapFish showed up and “apologized” for his employees- you can read the entire exchange on TechCrunch.

Back in May, United Kingdom legislators have made it illegal for businesses to engage in the above described deceptive marketing.

It may not be such a bad idea to prohibit and criminalize such behavior here in the US as well. Don’t you think?

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  • Spamming comments is how their CEO has handled his marketing for some time.

    He said; "I apologize if some of our employees have posted extra comments on here from our office IP" I say BS. This is the standard operating procedure for his past businesses as well. Always anonymous phony praises for his company.
  • What a wasted opportunity. Many companies would lover to be reviewed on
    TechCrunch.

    By the way I thought we were already following each other on Twitter, just
    added you back.
  • I saw this the other day while I was stumbling:) I thought that was him. What an idiot. Better be careful what you say about him, eh? ;)
  • Brian,

    I was embarrassed to see that exchange on TechCrunch. Even if I had to fire all 80 of my employees I would never allow anything .like that to happen. But then I have heard that for the photo opportunities bunch of models are hired and the company is really run by 3 or 4 people.
  • Yes catch up you Americans ;)

    It was getting a bit cringe worthy in the end. Still he nipped over to one of his loudest critics and give it what but seemed unable to answer my challenge to prove his allegations using a dictionary and external evidences.

    My site also seems to cause him some pant wetting or something. Mind you that could be because I love my Disemvowler (that I wrote) and don't get to use it much.
  • I see they just finally learned how to block IPs, so they are blocking me
    know from all their websites. Now the problem with it is that I am on a
    shared IP- I hope they are blocking their own clients as well :)
  • alltough he was being ethical the ceo shouold have just blanked and denied the issue.
  • You meant to write "he was being ethical"? I would rather see him write that every employee involved in that "astroturfing" was fired- that would be ethical as far as I am concerned.
  • I checked out tech crunch, that was a fun exchange. He doesn't seem to be learning anything from these experiences.
  • It's a shame. A smart marketer could have turned that review around and used it as an opportunity. Oh well. Happy Thanksgiving Ned!
  • They are spamming alot of folks. I have seen this on many blogs
  • Mike,

    Welcome! Some of said that if "Social Media is the game - Transparency is
    the name" - said to see how many people are not getting it.
  • Mike thanks for stopping by. Their business model seams to be based on it.... and cold calling.
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