Paid Members Deserve the Right to Discuss Vendors Freely

[xanxiety]

Hi everyone,

I want to raise an important issue concerning what we, as paying members, are actually allowed to do on this site.

Yes, part of our membership fee grants us access to a private list of vendors not available to the public. But if that’s all we’re paying for the ability to silently view vendors then what’s the point of having posting privileges at all?

Recently, I made a post asking two straightforward questions in a vendor thread. Here's my post https://drugbuyersguide.info/threads/canadian-snow-man.10326/post-313230

These are reasonable pre sales questions that help members make informed decisions. The vendor gave a vague reply, and when I asked for a clearer explanation in response my reply was immediately deleted with the reason given: "Thread clogging, vendor's threads are for members that actually placed and paid for an order. Not for your opinions and what not"

This is contradictory. We pay to post. We pay to engage. But if we’re silenced the moment we ask something that isn’t a post-purchase review, then our membership is worth far less than advertised.

If vendor threads are truly for “reviews only,” that policy should be clearly stated upfront not enforced selectively after the fact. Otherwise, we’re just paying for a directory, not a community.

Has anyone else run into this? Are we really only allowed to speak after we’ve bought something? I think we deserve better clarity and better rights as paying members!

 

[alixjones2018]

@xanxiety I am clearly not a mod and this is only my opinion: What I think this means is don't post that kind of "stuff" on the vendor specific thread in that section. Those threads are supposed to be for a quick review of how the vendor handled your order, etc. Its not a space for the questions you posted as it does "clog" the tread and makes it more cumbersome to make a quick decision on the health of that vendor in terms of its ability to delivery and such. I don't care about the questions you brought forth (that's not a judgement on you!!) and that post can get buried pretty quickly—Like this: so then you or maybe even another member with the same opinion/viewpoint/question will again post it BUT with a statement now leading it with saying your question wasn't answered/answered to your satisfaction and then someone else will pop in to give their feedback—agreed or not—to your post—typically one/two of the "angry" posters will spout off and viola' now 10 posts later not one post if this vendor is delivering on time, etc (plus original post was not answered or maybe not even seen!)

And look—it's me!—I have been the problem before so I really know from where I speak. AND on both sides of this! ‍

The much better thing to do is first search the board to make sure no one has already made a most with the same questions/feedback you have. If there is one already, just jump into that thread and ask or tag the vendor. If there isnt a thread yet about this particular topic then start your own. Tag the vendor.

This keeps the review section clean PLUS it ensures the mods aren't spending hours cleaning up REVIEW threads because the guidelines of "vendor threads are actually for members who placed and paid for..." weren't being followed!
Lastly: which probs should have been firstly: Ain't no one telling you—or that's my history—that you cannot give your opinion or ask your "presale" questions—what you are being schooled on is where you can't make those posts. Its hella irritating to have to read through post after post after post to find the info on the health and well-being of the ordering etc process of a vendor!
This board has so much offer—way more than silently view vendors...unless thats all you want to do. Its the foremost list of well-sourced vendors, loads of experts, access to items that would take an "average" person multiple MULITIPLE hours to just locate—not to mention be able to ask questions or give opinions—about...I could go on but I will stop!
Welcome. Read—not just threads but the guidelines for belonging to this group. Post. I have been here since the beginning. Its been the one consistent board--others boards have come and then gone. This is the best one and one of the last ones that offer all that it does.

 

[fyjclol]

You can always just dm the vendor with any specific questions or if youre looking for advice about a specific vendor you can try dming others who have posted reviews on their thread and asking them. Most people on here are very friendly and are happy to help. But that's pretty much what dms are for. Threads are for reviews. Also keep in mind that only some threads are behind the pay wall. The majority is publicly available and that's why most people/vendors dont like specific language on their threads because it draws searchable unwanted attention.