******COMPETITOR HINTS/ASKING MUST STOP!!*****

[nikebee]

Yeah, but OCUK don't sell the majority of PC games available.

Just seems a bit odd to ban someone that asks where they can buy, say, Red Alert 3 for the cheapest price. Even though OCUK don't stock it.

Swings n roundabouts i suppose.

There is the obvious fact that the vast majority of video game etailers also stock computer hardware, or at the very least gaming style keyboards/mice, gamepads, joysticks, headsets and normally webcams. All of which OcUK do stock.

Not forgetting that OcUK do sell Wii games, so telling someone to go to XXX and buy YYY, may indirectly influence them to shop elsewhere for products that OcUK sell.

Like I said in my last post, use common sense and it'll be fine.

I think what the dons want to stop is people referring to companies by their logos, or describing companies names etc...

I've done it a few times myself, but most people seem to think "if I dont say the company name, I haven't done anything wrong". I'm pretty sure if the reader can work out who your talking about with a silly description, then your still pretty much mentioning competitors.

 

[nikebee]

Can you not use the word filter to edit out these names for you? save you mods a bit of time maybe? and if it pm's you when its been used, even better for yourselfs?

They have filtered one or two direct competitor(s) forums and review sites.

Generally the dons here are more of the "Learn not to do it, we shouldn't need to force you" group.

 

[nikebee]

"the bay"
"a well known online retailer"
and similar

are these bannable?

ps DONT BAN ME

If your that worried, simply just do a search for the competitor.

If a lot of people have mentioned them, and they're not banned or suspended then feel free to post it. If you get suspended for it, you've got a good reason to have a whine, since nobody else has been suspended for the same competitor.

If nothing comes back, don't post the name

 

[psychas]

i think the rules well could be changed for this section as ocuk does not sell PC games so we could freely talk were to get them. how ever ocuk stock some console games. then this rule in theory should be applied only in console game section ?

 

[lewism]

There is the obvious fact that the vast majority of video game etailers also stock computer hardware, or at the very least gaming style keyboards/mice, gamepads, joysticks, headsets and normally webcams. All of which OcUK do stock.

Not forgetting that OcUK do sell Wii games, so telling someone to go to XXX and buy YYY, may indirectly influence them to shop elsewhere for products that OcUK sell.

I understand the first part completley, and i don't have a problem with it.

What i'm trying to say is, if someone wants a certain product that OCUK stock, then obviously they will look at other places online for prices and that can't and shouldn't be posted here. but when OCUK sell 3 Wii games, a nintendo DS, some xbox's and accessories and a wii with some accessories it doesn't really make them a huge player in the games sector does it.

But in hindsight if your'e after a certain product you should be looking about for prices yourself. The only time that this whole no competitor thing annoys me is when theres a really good deal on a single game that hardly ever comes up. yet people have to dodge around the link etc, even though it isn't sold on here.

 

[LoadsaMoney]

How? Really It's the same forum at the end of the day, there should be one rule over all.

As the place above can be mentioned in motors, but not in here, and the place i was on about above also, which can't be mentioned in here either, yet is fine in GD, so obviously the sections have different rules.

 

[Mirage]

If you post one of the grey area competitors, i.e. the supermarkets, but for a non-competitive item (I.e this supermarket sells cheap addidas two stripes) in the other sub-forums it's quite a bit different than posting a link for an general item (I.e, Games, Computer Peripherals) that is sold on OcUK.

Someone going into a seperate section/item grouping on a website is entirely differently to linking someone to that section.

Doesn't seem that hard to understand to me :?

 

[Dark_Angel]

People basically whine too mucn.

Just don't mention something, or if you really want to say something ask a moderator via email. I have emailed moderators before and they usually responded reasonably quickly.

While mods may be a little more merciful perhaps on newer members who accidently mentioned something, seems some people are basically taking it. I even explained to one guy in a different thread that he should edit it out, because hinting is against the rules - he instead told me that it wasn't and was simply a "loop hole".

I don't grasp why people giving hints that are so easy to understand what they mean (we all know the usual ones that are given) are different from telling the person what the store is. If I said to you "it is what you use a chair for to be more comfortable" and "sitting down" there isn't much of a difference other than (assuming you don't have an IQ below a peanut) you have read between rather obvious lines.

While some may dis-agree with the rules, either no swearing, no linking competitors, no post images of games which are not released yet, or talking happily about how to mod your xbox to allow it to play copied games, as well as make toast (I may be joking about that last part) it is the rules of the forum which haven't changed really over time, and that you agreed to when you sign up. If you chose now in hindsight that those rules are restricting you from posting the types of threads / replies that you wish to - well then sorry there are other forums out there.

 

[LoadsaMoney]

Use commons sense.

If someone in GD is asking where to buy some cheap whiskey or moaning that their frozen peas turned up unfrozen, then they can obviously mention *****.

Yes you should use common sense.

 

[Werewolf]

They have filtered one or two direct competitor(s) forums and review sites.

Generally the dons here are more of the "Learn not to do it, we shouldn't need to force you" group.

Not to mention the word filter would end up blanking out legitimate uses of many words, and still not do anything to stop the most common sort of competitor hinting such as "that chilly place where mum goes to see Rudolph" (if Iceland sold hardware/games).

Some of it is really blatant and extracting the urine, which is actually worse than someone making an honest mistake, as if you're hinting you know it's breaking the rules and are trying to get round them - and generally insulting our intelligence.

 

[Dark_Angel]

Not to mention the word filter would end up blanking out legitimate uses of many words, and still not do anything to stop the most common sort of competitor hinting such as "that chilly place where mum goes" (if Iceland sold hardware/games).

Some of it is really blatant and extracting the urine, which is actually worse than someone making an honest mistake, as if you're hinting you know it's breaking the rules and are trying to get round them - and generally insulting our intelligence.

Exactly my point in my previous post.

Do people think that if they hint that moderators are unable to decode it? Perhaps that us regular members can automatically decode their "cryptic" messages and yet like in war time, moderators don't have the correct cyphers to decode it?

By at least being open you can say that you forgot, didn't know (if you are a new user that is possible) and so on.

I also don't understand why some users find it so difficult to stay within the confines of the rules when it comes to swearing. It is so different to write a post on an internet forum without resorting to profanity ? Though I admit this is somewhat off topic. But the recent spats of people complaining about things which have been the way that they have been long before I was a member is starting to wear thin - it is almost like they think that the moderator team is on some kind of power trip with a "hahaha! I strong! you regularly member" mentality which just isn't true.

 

[Confused]

This isn't something new, it's always been that you can't mention competitors.


Yes - many of the "competitors" also sell other stuff, but in a thread regarding a game, mentioning a competitor is a bit silly.

I'm sure we're all savvy enough to find a price we're happy with.


At the end of the day, you don't pay to use this forum, OverclockersUK pay for the forum, you don't HAVE to use the forum either if you don't agree.

 

[Dark_Angel]

This isn't something new, it's always been that you can't mention competitors.


Yes - many of the "competitors" also sell other stuff, but in a thread regarding a game, mentioning a competitor is a bit silly.

I'm sure we're all savvy enough to find a price we're happy with.


At the end of the day, you don't pay to use this forum, OverclockersUK pay for the forum, you don't HAVE to use the forum either if you don't agree.

Your username is the wrong choice you are complete the opposite of it

 

[Goldfingers]

Gotta be honest, it's total ghey. What if there is somewhere with a really good one off bargain? It's only a few gentle hints, which only really concern those who read the specific thread.

I think yes "where is the cheapest to buy X" if a definate no-no. But 123 pgs into a game thread and someone wants to know where another pre-orded their copy of Y game from is just plain ghey

Oh and to the "we wouldn't have the forums without Ocuk bandwagon" to turn that on it's head "ocuk wouldn't have anything on thier forums without us"..

 

[Dark_Angel]

Gotta be honest, it's total ghey. What if there is somewhere with a really good one off bargain? It's only a few gentle hints, which only really concern those who read the specific thread.

I think yes "where is the cheapest to buy X" if a definate no-no. But 123 pgs into a game thread and someone wants to know where another pre-orded their copy of Y game from is just plain ghey

Oh and to the "we wouldn't have the forums without Ocuk bandwagon" to turn that on it's head "ocuk wouldn't have anything on thier forums without us"..

By your constant use of the word "ghey" (I will assume you mean gay) would be a negative? Or you mean it is happy?

Either way, ignoring this rather odd choice of wording, I would point out that there is no "bandwagon" it is simply some members explaining the rules of the forum that you reside on.

While no shop would not exist without its customers, no business (which is sane) would allow the use of a tool / service that they provide for free to promote another business.

It isn't as though they are asking for much, and really if you was reasonably internet savvy, you could find a game with the price mentioned by the correct terms in google.

If anything the rules on this forum are actually more relaxed than some (I belong to creative/artistic website forums for example) and indeed the forums with very lax rules generally suck because of random insults which are thrown around, swearing on all pages, and so on.

I don't understand why people complain so much about something which is free, and there are 100's (perhaps 1000's) of other forums out there. Join a forum which deals in price comparisons or something if it really bugs you.

 

[lewism]

By your constant use of the word "ghey" (I will assume you mean gay) would be a negative? Or you mean it is happy?

Either way, ignoring this rather odd choice of wording, I would point out that there is no "bandwagon" it is simply some members explaining the rules of the forum that you reside on.

While no shop would not exist without its customers, no business (which is sane) would allow the use of a tool / service that they provide for free to promote another business.

It isn't as though they are asking for much, and really if you was reasonably internet savvy, you could find a game with the price mentioned by the correct terms in google.

If anything the rules on this forum are actually more relaxed than some (I belong to creative/artistic website forums for example) and indeed the forums with very lax rules generally suck because of random insults which are thrown around, swearing on all pages, and so on.

I don't understand why people complain so much about something which is free, and there are 100's (perhaps 1000's) of other forums out there. Join a forum which deals in price comparisons or something if it really bugs you.

You're completley missing the point that he's making.

Say, again, for example, Red Alert 3 is £30 in most online shops. yet someone finds it for £15 on a one day sale somewhere and thinks "oh the guys at ocuk might like this" and either posts in the Red Alert 3 thread or makes a new topic for it. As it currently is, he drops a little hint and then people can go and buy said game at half the price and saves someone money.

As far as i can see, for this sub forum anyway, the hints are fine as it is. OCUK rules aren't broken because no competitor names are mentioned, OCUK don't lose out on sales because they don't even sell the blooming thing and someone saves some money.

You can't just say that people should be using google anyway, because 9 times out of 10 they do. Most of the gamers here don't care if a competitor sells a similar item or any of that tosh, we all have the common interest of cheap games.

And everyone here is also grateful that OCUK run this for free, and they don't need to, we already know that.

 

[Skeeter]

You could always just try being chilled about it. So what if a high street retailer that sells CDs happens to sell a laptop.

I mean seriously, you cant ban the mention of anyone who happens to sell the same thing as you. That effectively bans any store or website that sells anythign electronic!

For example: I can fully understand If someone comes on here and goes "OMG The WD 500GB HDD that is £x on OcUK is only £y on Random Competitors website!!!" that its not right, but the competitors by association rules mean im not allowed to say that my local One Stop has a great deal on Cider at the moment, because they sell packs of blank CDs and are therefore a competitor!

It should only be a competitor if the topic of discussion is something that they compete against OcUK on.

 

[Dark_Angel]

You're completley missing the point that he's making.

Say, again, for example, Red Alert 3 is £30 in most online shops. yet someone finds it for £15 on a one day sale somewhere and thinks "oh the guys at ocuk might like this" and either posts in the Red Alert 3 thread or makes a new topic for it. As it currently is, he drops a little hint and then people can go and buy said game at half the price and saves someone money.

As far as i can see, for this sub forum anyway, the hints are fine as it is. OCUK rules aren't broken because no competitor names are mentioned, OCUK don't lose out on sales because they don't even sell the blooming thing and someone saves some money.

You can't just say that people should be using google anyway, because 9 times out of 10 they do. Most of the gamers here don't care if a competitor sells a similar item or any of that tosh, we all have the common interest of cheap games.

And everyone here is also grateful that OCUK run this for free, and they don't need to, we already know that.

We aren't missing the point. The point is that they are asking you to not do something.

One reason I suspect is because of the complex nature of it, if you are only allowed to mention something in forum a, for thing a, but not in forum b for thing a, and so on mistakes are easily made.

While I agree I would not ever go to some places for certain things all of it becomes more complex, people then think they have found loop holes, and it just becomes a mess. The most simple solution is the most effective, and easy to enforce generally.

While true we all want cheap games / items, if you are on website a, for say Farcry 2, you could easily see that they sell a HD TV, which may be cheaper than OCUk, or they could sell blank DVD's which OCUK do. And before anyone mentions pricing, how does that work? It is almost impossible to check prices on 10,000's of goods on all competitors to be sure you are the cheapest or best deals.

I am sorry if I sound like a stuck record here, but I just don't get why people are so bothered by this.

 

[m0r94n]

For example: I can fully understand If someone comes on here and goes "OMG The WD 500GB HDD that is £x on OcUK is only £y on Random Competitors website!!!" that its not right, but the competitors by association rules mean im not allowed to say that my local One Stop has a great deal on Cider at the moment, because they sell packs of blank CDs and are therefore a competitor!

It should only be a competitor if the topic of discussion is something that they compete against OcUK on.

But say someone was to buy some CD's from OcUk, went to One Stop to check out the cider, and decided to pick up some CD's whilst there. Thats business lost.

 

[JediFragger]

I think this has been covered enough now. Thank you the ones with the positive input I appreciate it. Also I'll be updating the Q&A asap & prune any old info.

Will close for now & give it a couple of bumps to increase coverage.

And akaik the Trust system isn't monitored, privacy is intact.