Deleting a Thread - Thank you.

This morning I posted a thread about appauling service I had received from a certain vendor. This thead has now been deleted by someone for these reasons:

"Your thread Terrible Service was deleted. Reason: Naming and Shaming on social media is totally unneccasary.If we neglected to assist the client thats terrible service .But we assisting the client ,clients should be sympathetic and understanding knowing that we are absolving all costs just to make them happy ."

Now I'm censored as to what I can write even if it's the truth. Interesting concept on what a forum is about.

Thank you.

Is kind of strange that a vendor has that swing, <informed that vendors can delete posts in their own sub>yet the plethora of bad service threads and complaints over the past week, only one is deleted?

This bit here...

"clients should be sympathetic and understanding" gets to me the most. When we pull the trigger and pay up front in full and fomo is in the hands of the vendor/courier.

No doubt that this issue was just a long line of hiccups that happens from time to time, no ill intent from anyone, still. Deleting the entire thread?

Earlier this week I commented, yes unnesecarily on a complaint for a 1st post complainer, who in his defence has since started contributing more to the forum, so my comment was unfounded and I was lambasted by other members for my comment, yet an active member who was also in a similar situation here has his thread deleted...

Both cases vendors sorted out the issue,
Both cases vendors are members here,

Its not about sticking up for vendors or consumers at all. It is merely about right or wrong.

If a vendor is busy sorting out your issue then give them the credit, as you have, dont rant and blast them online, share your experience for others to see.

It is still a fact that it is poor service, whether the vendor or his courier which delivers the service, point of entry into the deal is the vendor, and if the courier stuffs up, it is not the consumers courier relationship that can improve the service it is that of the supplier. The delivery is part of the service the vendor supplied in the deal. If its a stuff up, you have every right to share your ordeal no matter the outcome resolution.

It's becoming the norm in this country, wipe the negative reviews & only let the ones that blow smoke up your sky remain to be seen by the gullible because they are the majority.

boxerulez said:

Is kind of strange that a vendor has that swing, yet the plethora of bad service threads and complaints over the past week, only one is deleted?

This bit here...

"clients should be sympathetic and understanding" gets to me the most. When we pull the trigger and pay up front in full and fomo is in the hands of the vendor/courier.

No doubt that this issue was just a long line of hiccups that happens from time to time, no ill intent from anyone, still. Deleting the entire thread?

Earlier this week I commented, yes unnesecarily on a complaint for a 1st post complainer, who in his defence has since started contributing more to the forum, so my comment was unfounded and I was lambasted by other members for my comment, yet an active member who was also in a similar situation here has his thread deleted...

Both cases vendors sorted out the issue,
Both cases vendors are members here,

Its not about sticking up for vendors or consumers at all. It is merely about right or wrong.

If a vendor is busy sorting out your issue then give them the credit, as you have, dont rant and blast them online, share your experience for others to see.

It is still a fact that it is poor service, whether the vendor or his courier which delivers the service, point of entry into the deal is the vendor, and if the courier stuffs up, it is not the consumers courier relationship that can improve the service it is that of the supplier. The delivery is part of the service the vendor supplied in the deal. If its a stuff up, you have every right to share your ordeal no matter the outcome resolution.

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I agree totally @boxerulez & I've learnt. There are a handful of established vendors who I'll only support from now on, if I can't source it from them alone, I'll source it overseas. I'm sorry but I feel strongly about that & it's actually ruined my perception about this forum. I acknowledge it's not the Admins fault or they had any involvement in this, it's just the concept of them being able to censor these type of threads.

Deckie said:

I agree totally @boxerulez & I've learnt. There are a handful of established vendors who I'll only support from now on, if I can't source it from them alone, I'll source it overseas. I'm sorry but I feel strongly about that & it's actually ruined my perception about this forum. I acknowledge it's not the Admins fault or they had any involvement in this, it's just the concept of them being able to censor these type of threads.

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Between DIY and Hardware there are only 4 vendors whom I purchase from and that is how it stays. I have tried about 5 of the others, only only sells juice which I no longer buy and the others have not really shone in service/or have actually failed. Nothing worth opening a thread on, but still.

Hi @Deckie,

Vendors control thier own forum and have the power to delete (in thier own forum)... which is what happened in this case. ECIGSSA Admin and Mods did not play a part.

Rob Fisher said:

Hi @Deckie,

Vendors control thier own forum and have the power to delete (in thier own forum)... which is what happened in this case. ECIGSSA Admin and Mods did not play a part.

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This is good to know

Rob Fisher said:

Hi @Deckie,

Vendors control thier own forum and have the power to delete (in thier own forum)... which is what happened in this case. ECIGSSA Admin and Mods did not play a part.

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Afternoon @Rob Fisher

I never for one moment thought it was an Admin in anyway & I don't blame any Admin nor have I accused any. It's the fact that vendors have the power to control what forum members see about their services. One posts on their own forum, which is the correct way of doing things & they don't like it so it's deleted - absolutely no balls to own the issue in public & state that I have no right to name or shame on Social Media. They mustn't claim to have solved the issue until I have received the correct items I paid legal tender for, then & only then is it solved. I've actually been made to feel that I'm at fault here.
Thank you for input though

Deckie said:

Afternoon @Rob Fisher

I never for one moment thought it was an Admin in anyway & I don't blame any Admin nor have I accused any. It's the fact that vendors have the power to control what forum members see about their services. One posts on their own forum, which is the correct way of doing things & they don't like it so it's deleted - absolutely no balls to own the issue in public & state that I have no right to name or shame on Social Media. They mustn't claim to have solved the issue until I have received the correct items I paid legal tender for, then & only then is it solved. I've actually been made to feel that I'm at fault here.
Thank you for input though

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Next time post here instead: https://www.ecigssa.co.za/forums/shop-reviews/

It's not vendor controlled, you posted your experience in the vendor's sub-forum.

Deckie said:

Afternoon @Rob Fisher

I never for one moment thought it was an Admin in anyway & I don't blame any Admin nor have I accused any. It's the fact that vendors have the power to control what forum members see about their services. One posts on their own forum, which is the correct way of doing things & they don't like it so it's deleted - absolutely no balls to own the issue in public & state that I have no right to name or shame on Social Media. They mustn't claim to have solved the issue until I have received the correct items I paid legal tender for, then & only then is it solved. I've actually been made to feel that I'm at fault here.
Thank you for input though

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No argument @Deckie! I don't think the vendor did very well with this issue. It's not how I would have handled it.

By deleting that thread, that vendor has certainly made sure I shall try to never use their services.

Rob Fisher said:

Hi @Deckie,

Vendors control thier own forum and have the power to delete (in thier own forum)... which is what happened in this case. ECIGSSA Admin and Mods did not play a part.

Click to expand...

Not such a good idea for vendors to have absolute power anywhere on a forum where they can cover their own tracks. IOW on their vendor subforum in this instance (I assume that I know why on ECIGSSA). It wasn't allowed, and never would have been for exactly this reason on the forums I administrated in some capacity since the 80's.

But sheit happens in business, and mistakes are made... fact of life. So IMO a vendor should be respected by giving them reasonable time to get issues corrected in a timely manner as long as they are earning it by doing just that. Good communication with updates between vendor and customer goes a long way along the path to both being satisfied.

At least there is an outlet for folks here at shop-reviews where otherwise they can be exposed in a truthful civil manner, and the complaint(s) will stay up for others to see. Feedback is after all intended to be both ways, good or bad.

As a consumer I also understand why a client might "fly off the handle" a bit too soon as well. I have done the same although not on a public level, but seeing a vendor dealing with such a case in a mature and professional manner does a lot of good for how they are perceived. Its good PR in actual fact.

Vendors should also be aware that in the times we live in, the first thought that passes your mind when receiving a defective product is "I've been scr3w3d!". The resulting response is a panic reaction rather than a rationally thought out response. Wrong or right, that is what the professionals need to deal with.

Insofar as deleting complaints, lets face it, there will always be the one or two clients that are just impossible to reason with. No vendor should be stuck with utterings of such a nature on their public profile so I understand the need for removing some complaints.

Then again, this allows vendors to also delete genuine complaints proving consistently bad customer service.

Its a case of six of the one and half a dozen of the other. In any case, "hallo peter" is always an option.

Regards

At most, the vendor should be allowed to contact admin and state their case that the complaint is unwarranted. Then admin can delete it on their behalf if they are in agreement.

I think the only issue here is the misunderstanding of what the vendor subforums are, they are contained spaces that vendors pay for, with that comes control over their content and rightfully so. They cannot delete posts outside of their sub-forums, the forum has provided us with spaces that are vendor-neutral [for lack of a better term (the vendors can reply but not moderate the posts)].

This sub-forum is in fact the forum where reviews are intended to go. They have zero moderation control outside of their sub-forums.

At the end of the day the system is working as intended and my opinion is that the vendor cut their nose off to spite their face.