Microsoft VARs Pinpoint partner location scam

Software giant to take action against VARs found posting false information on firm's partner directory

Microsoft has assured the channel it will take action against VARs that upload misleading information to its online partner directory Pinpoint.

The site allows end users to search for Microsoft partners in their area by name, industry focus, product knowledge and average rating.

According to figures proffered by the software giant at its Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles last July, about a third of its UK partners have created Pinpoint listings for their companies.

However, Microsoft channel sources claim that some partners have entered false information about the number of UK locations they have, in order to bag a better spot in the site's rankings.

ChannelWeb understands that Microsoft has recently investigated several firms over the scam, which involves listing rented PO Box addresses as legitimate office sites on Pinpoint.

Meanwhile, a Microsoft partner, who asked not to be named, said he believes that many more are falsifying entries to improve their rankings.

"This means that the local area is flooded with partners who actually have no local presence and pushes the true, local partners that do further down the list," he explained.

Another Microsoft partner, who spoke to ChannelWeb on condition of anonymity, said news of the scam is unlikely to win over partners that are yet to join the site.

"There are lots of partners, including me, who have put a lot of effort into creating their Pinpoint profiles in the hope of receiving some really high-quality leads," he said.

"So far, I can count the number of leads my company has received on one finger."

In a statement to ChannelWeb, a Microsoft spokesperson said it takes complaints about possible abuse of Pinpoint seriously.

"We investigate any reported abuses of locations which infer a partner has different or broader geographic coverage than they actually do have," the spokesperson said.

"Partners who are known to be entering spurious locations are contacted [and] requested to remove the offending locations. [They can also be] delisted if this does not happen within a given timeframe."