vends banning people from posting?

[AnnaSofia]

What’s the deal with what I’ve heard about a vend banning people from posting on their thread bc they’ve said things that the vend just doesn’t want in their thread? Like negative experiences.

Im rather naive to whether a vend can band a member or if they need permission from admin or if they go to an admin to request someone be banned? I remember being banned for a minute a vend’s now DEFUNCT thread for telling the truth. At the time he had such a well-curated shill club that my complaint likely stood out as being the crazy one - but he was soon exposed for the abusive person he was.

Anyway my real point is people are being banned from a well known international vendor thread for posting reviews that may not be so positive. The mix of reviews in his thread are so hot and cold already.

The censorship of reviews (barring the ones that are just relentless rants and spew way too much info), is unacceptable. People make purchasing decisions based on reviews (unfortunately, some only use reviews to make decisions). Don’t do that. Reviews are sometimes shaped out of fear, intimidation, etc. because people who are ill and dependent and vulnerable aren’t as forthcoming as they would like to be for fear of being cut off. It’s those very people who need to see honest reviews the most.

I wish there was a way to create an anonymous review method but I’m afraid that may be abused in a different way. Perhaps one day admin/mods can decide on a group of trusted long time members that can leave anonymous reviews that others can read and there will be less concern about upsetting a vend. And maybe, just maybe, something could change for the better. If I my slightly.

Of course there would be biases involved to a certain degree but I’m sure the benefits outweigh the risks. We need a safe space. Just an idea for the future.

In the meantime it’s not right that a vend can ban someone from posting their experience. No one wants to tarnish a good vends reputation for the hell of it. And Im not gonna call out this vend bc it’s not hard to figure out if you’ve been around. But it’s just not cool. We shouldn’t feel powerless here or scared to speak up.

These are just my thoughts. I’ve seen tons of comments here and there that echo my sentiments so I thought i would just open things up for discussion if you want to add anything.

Thank you for listening. Be safe. Talk to people. Don’t put too too much weight on reviews. PM’s sometimes tell a different story.

-AS

 

[Admin]

This is not entirely correct, to start vendors can not ban members. Negative feedback is not deleted unless there is a continuous flooding of thread with the same issue. Positive and negative experiences are both welcome, that’s why this forum is around.

There is no need to post the same over. To maintain the order and avoid clogging of topics, repeated bickering on same post will get you banned from the topic. These things should first try to get solved by emailing/PM vendors, if not settled a follow up post is acceptable.

It is a two way street here, vendors are also blackmailed for freebies, discounts, refunds etc., and threatened with negative feedback for whatever reason. There are two sides to every story and the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.

Everyone is encouraged to speak up as long as the reviews are genuine.