Business Ethics for Implementing New Programs

When you buy the rights to be a part of an affiliate program, do you expect all of the rules of the program to be in place? If the agreement changes, should you be entitled to get a refund of your money?

I agreed to take on a distributorship for a modest amount of money. Upon meeting at the first training, the entire room learned that the program sold to us changed in its entirety, and no offer to refund money was made. Some were angry, some “went with the flow” and novices didn’t see anything wrong with this picture.

In my case, I picked up new clients while at the training so monetarily, I came out ahead. It was far worse for the novices because they were roped further into the hole as new rules were implemented on the spot. The new requirements included items such as a need for certification, video filming necessitating a video camera, and the creation of a website. The initial $500 investment the novices made increased dramatically on a moment’s notice.

I would like to know if you believe:

1. One has to be that flexbile in business today
2. The person selling the affiliate program should have waited until all pieces of the business were officially settled before collecting money
3. The person selling the affiliate program should have offered a refund

And, would you personally, conduct business in the manner described above?