Forum Suggestions & User Assistance - Woah, what the heck happened with timmyquest?

So timmyquest reports a problem with his account, creates a test account to verify that the problem is account specific, CLEARLY STATES that he is creating a test account for verification purposes, and he gets banned for making a sock puppet? Seriously?

And his thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=9650484#post9650484) complaining about the problems with his account gets deleted?

I gotta say, reading his initial thread made me think he was a bit paranoid, it sounded more like an account configuration issue to me. But having the thread removed makes it seem like maybe he was right. Was he, in fact, being screwed with by a moderator?

I don't know timmyquest, I don't follow his posts, and I can't speak for the "persistent high maintenance" that jaxgtr mentions here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=9652619&postcount=244). But to remove his account AND DELETE THE REPORTING THREAD because of troubleshooting steps really smacks me the wrong way.

TJ,

Timmy was banned after discussion amongst the entire moderation staff for the exact reasons stated by jaxgtr in the "Banned User" thread.

frozen pizza just doesnt forgive!!

ride on TQ. later.

AllenG,

First off, I'd like to thank you for getting back to me, and for keeping this discussion open and public. I very much appreciate that.


To the issue of the "sock puppet". If the "Jimfish" account was truly being used as a sock puppet then I understand the accusation. But I didn't see the Jimfish account used anywhere else, so the precedent I see is that creating a test account for troubleshooting purposes is grounds for banishment. Is this really the case? If so, what is the proper procedure for troubleshooting an account-specific problem?

Creating a test account is certainly the type of action I'd be likely to take, and I'd hate for such a basic step to lead to such drastic results.


Again, thanks for taking the time to answer me, and thanks for respecting the community enough to keep such questions public. :thumb:

TJ,

Only spammers are banned out of hand, and even then we check through their posts to make sure it is not a real member trying sell something where they shouldn't (in which case the most common action is a PM reminder and moving or deleting of the thread).

When taking an action against a member there is always a discussion amongst the staff first.

If you are having difficulty with your acct, the best way is to contact Tom via email at Tom (at) bike forums (dot) net.

Creating another account and using it to post is against forum guidelines.

In order to get banned other than spam or porn, we have what is called an infraction system. Users (depending upon severity of violation) will usually get a warning with explanation on first issue. The next violation will be an infraction. It takes 3 standing infractions to get banned, hence 'accrued points' or 'accrued infractions'. Each infraction is a point, warnings are just warnings.

With each infraction (or point) issued, there is a statement sent to the member that accrued points may restrict access. Infractions do expire given time, which is why standing infractions equal a ban. In other words, the violations must be fairly recent in order to get banned.

So there should be plenty of warning.

Hope that makes it easier to understand. :)

PS. Infractions are not visible to other members, only to the person involved and to the mod/admin team. They are located on your profile.

I understand and it was not a wise move for him. You guys are fairly straightfoward and helpful and I'm certain you provided plenty of guidance as you always do.

Remember that they don't just ban you and leave you out there. You will be warned to take corrective action with some time to do it if they can. There have been some really odd and strange actions taken by banned members in the last year and some merited an instant boot, no way around it.

As I was told, if you've never seen it and know you aren't out of line you are probably okay. I've never seen a warning nor have about 170,000 others.

I know it's a real drag when your friend is banned and I feel bad for you. Thanks for writing.