Directories need to be researched, so its fair to say that mass submitting to some huge directory 'list' is asking for trouble - for at least 1 directory on the list will be breaking some Google rule, and bring included sites/businesses listed within it, crashing down with a nasty bump.
Directories must be researched properly to get the best results. It's also common knowledge that £50 directory scripts rarely deliver traffic, never mind anything targeted. And I think businesses need to know who owns such sites, unless ofcourse they don't care who their websites are associated with or where their links will end up on. Plonking your link on anything can do untold damage to rankings, reputation and the wallet of course.

Oh, and lack of ROI.
As a small businessman who hasn't got much time (Uk business forums is different as it's a registered addiction), like most people I just haven't got the time to "research properly" 400 directories, it would take weeks.
I agree that this sort of thing
rarely delivers traffic, but that's not the same as never, although I went to massive pains that this was a getting the website noticed by search engines and not any way to directly increase traffic.
Please give me one actual case where an unsuitable link will cause any damage to a site? If you think about it that can't really be the case or a firms competitor would just have to get in touch with a couple of dodgy sites, and request links to their rivals website to do "untold damage to their ranking, reputation and wallet"?
I've just put two links through to MSN from "Pigeon Fanciers in tights", and "Why are you pushing my sheep around.com" so anyone with MIcrosoft shares might do well to off load them now. (sorry lowest form of wit), but I believe all that actually happens is Google and it's rivals just ignore inappropriate links, they do follow them (which leads them to the new site), but as in the case above, they would see pigeons had no connection to MSN and just ignore it.
Google isn't really a monster, and it isn't really in it's interests financial or otherwise to bring down wesites, so unless you try to do something dodgy with a site such as cloaking, hiding text etc stuff which is obviously done deliberately and by the site builder (ie the BMW issue) it tends just to ignore stuff it doesn't like.
Unless of course you know different in which case I'm in doggy doo doo land big time
