Stop the less than subtle competitor hinting.

Davey_Pitch · 23 Jan 2006 at 18:00

I should also add that if anyone is unsure what is and isn't a competitor, email me before posting about it on here. I'm online a lot and will respond fairly quickly to all emails.

CocoPops · 23 Jan 2006 at 18:01

I can't believe in this day and age, that there is a ban on something so petty.

If people want to buy from OcUK, then they will. If they want to buy from another shop, then they will.

At the end of the day, it just seems very petty to have such a small issue blown out of proportion to the extend where people are getting suspended/banned/abused etc for even mentioning something which isn't explicited listed anywhere.

"Excuse me sir, did you know you were breaking rule 3095.b subsection iii"
"errr no, where can I find such a rule and it's associated issues"
"errrr you can't but I'm suspending you anyway!"
"..."

Davey_Pitch · 23 Jan 2006 at 18:03

Something petty? So Spie should pay for these forums so people can advertise other competitors on them? Give me a break.

Euro_Hunter · 23 Jan 2006 at 18:14

Does seems to be getting a bit petty imo.

I could understand it if someone said don't get that motherboard from OCUK there £10 cheaper at *******.com etc. but as I understand it people are getting in trouble for saying things like ****.com have Xbox 360 Hard Drives in stock.

However I won't be posting any links to be safe after all its up to Spie to make the rules.

Davey_Pitch · 23 Jan 2006 at 18:19

It's been decided that that particular store is a competitor and therefore cannot be mentioned in any way, shape or form. I don't see why people are having a problem with it.

LoadsaMoney · 23 Jan 2006 at 20:40

CocoPops said:
I can't believe in this day and age, that there is a ban on something so petty.

If people want to buy from OcUK, then they will. If they want to buy from another shop, then they will.

At the end of the day, it just seems very petty to have such a small issue blown out of proportion to the extend where people are getting suspended/banned/abused etc for even mentioning something which isn't explicited listed anywhere.

"Excuse me sir, did you know you were breaking rule 3095.b subsection iii"
"errr no, where can I find such a rule and it's associated issues"
"errrr you can't but I'm suspending you anyway!"
"..."

Not mentioned, of course its mentioned about competitors have you not read the FAQ.

CocoPops · 23 Jan 2006 at 20:43

LoadsaMoney said:
Not mentioned, of course its mentioned about competitors have you not read the FAQ.

Don't be pedantic

You know I meant the actual list of banned items...

Thats like saying don't talk about *****, *******, ********, *******, *********, *****, *** ***, ****, ***** or ******

You don't know what I've just told you what you can't say.
Thats the point I was making

Davey_Pitch · 23 Jan 2006 at 20:49

CocoPops said:
Don't be pedantic

You know I meant the actual list of banned items...

Thats like saying don't talk about *****, *******, ********, *******, *********, *****, *** ***, ****, ***** or ******

You don't know what I've just told you what you can't say.
Thats the point I was making

As I've already said, doesn't actually telling you explicitly which stores you can't link to defeat the point?

Duradrum · 23 Jan 2006 at 20:55

Davey_Pitch said:
As I've already said, doesn't actually telling you explicitly which stores you can't link to defeat the point?

There is no consistency in what mods deem 'a competitor'. You all add to the confusion.

Davey_Pitch · 23 Jan 2006 at 20:58

Duradrum said:
There is no consistency in what mods deem 'a competitor'. You all add to the confusion.

Then should we just ban all links altogether? It's something I argued against but it seems to be the only way to keep you lot happy.

CocoPops · 23 Jan 2006 at 21:00

Are all of the competitors in the swear filter?

Surely thats the easiest option?

That way, people can refer to them directly, cut out the hinting.
Then if people hint, you can warn/suspend accordingly?

Therefore I could say "buy your blah at www.******.com" and it would be starred out.

--edit---
I had to manually star it out......

LoadsaMoney · 23 Jan 2006 at 21:03

CocoPops said:
Don't be pedantic

You know I meant the actual list of banned items...

Thats like saying don't talk about *****, *******, ********, *******, *********, *****, *** ***, ****, ***** or ******

You don't know what I've just told you what you can't say.
Thats the point I was making

Davey_Pitch · 23 Jan 2006 at 21:04

No, because a lot of the competitors are made up of legitimate words.

Duradrum · 23 Jan 2006 at 21:07

Davey_Pitch said:
Then should we just ban all links altogether? It's something I argued against but it seems to be the only way to keep you lot happy.

Why, when challenged, do the mods come over all ratty? This is just typical of every one of these threads.

Come to an agreement between yourselves, then stick to it. Not just 'No Competitors' Its full of grey areas. You then contradict one another. One mod allows one thing, another classes it as a competitor.

The Running Man · 23 Jan 2006 at 21:14

jus ban the naughty people.

the links should stay!!

Nismo · 23 Jan 2006 at 21:14

Duradrum said:
Why, when challenged, do the mods come over all ratty? This is just typical of every one of these threads.

Come to an agreement between yourselves, then stick to it. Not just 'No Competitors' Its full of grey areas. You then contradict one another. One mod allows one thing, another classes it as a competitor.

1) Because they all get fed up with it when modding the forums. When I was an UB I got sick of reporting one particular site. The rules are straightforward, its just that some members seem to want to question them all the time rather than just accept them.

2) If you see instances of that, it would help the mod team out if you reported it. Sometimes places are allowed depending on the context, othertimes its a simple case that there has been a mistake - they are human afterall.

Trust me, the issue around competitors isnt as black and white as some members on here seem to think.

JUMPURS · 23 Jan 2006 at 21:26

ok i have said before ban all the links. I cant belive that one store has ocuk shaking so badly in their boots, especially since its a store, by daveys own admition is 'Not an obvious competitor' so how can they take so much money off of ocuk? Like i said though, dont bother me not being able to mention them, i still go for ban links. Why not make it a poll?
1. Grey area rule which nobody understands
2. Clear Rule of No Links
Also Spie might pay for this out his own pocket, but he doesnt do it out the goodness of his heart.
As for they grey areas with rules this one made me chuckle.

Davey_Pitch said:
Then we have the grey areas, id adsume "where in the world" to be a competitor, also the two Red high street retailers who seel everything electrical

There's no grey area. Your first example is a PC specialist, so is a very obvious competitor. The other 2 are less so, and can be mentioned, but only as long as you're mentioning them regarding something OcUK doesn't sell (ie, games, washing machines, etc)

I mean whats that all about Davey, jeez everyone wants the rules cleared up yet this is just so terribly wrong! Puts me in mind of Chemical Ali 'There are no Americans in Bagdahd' **tank trundles along**
I mean they are what you should class as an obvious competitor, yet a cd store which sells computer bits isnt!
Why cant we just follow this rule and link to the game section in the place that is a competitor? Just dont mention the war **cough** i mean PC bits
Also not to get da_mic in trouble but "where in the world" doesnt count as a less than subtle competitor hinting?
Last point, Davey please dont try to be all School teachery with us. I have respect for you. But it really does dissipate when you start saying things like 'am i clear' i fell like saying 'Yessss Misterrrr Pitchhhh'
You can be nice and get the message across the same, if not better, i mean your stance of treating us like kids doesnt work, lets treat us like Adults and maybe we will listen.

Sorry for the Sarcasm etc in this post, and i sense a ban coming my way, but it just had to be said.

Flibster · 23 Jan 2006 at 21:28

Davey_Pitch said:
Then should we just ban all links altogether? It's something I argued against but it seems to be the only way to keep you lot happy.

Go for it.

Could be good for a laugh.

Simon/~Flibster

Davey_Pitch · 23 Jan 2006 at 21:34

JUMPURS said:
I mean whats that all about Davey, jeez everyone wants the rules cleared up yet this is just so terribly wrong! Puts me in mind of Chemical Ali 'There are no Americans in Bagdahd' **tank trundles along**
I mean they are what you should class as an obvious competitor, yet a cd store which sells computer bits isnt!

Yes, I admit I worded that incorrect. To me there is no grey area though. If it's primarily a PC hardware store, it's a competitor. If it's not primarily a PC hardware store, you can link to it for non-pc hardware related items, with the exception of the site referred to in the opening post. Doesn't seem too grey to me.

Why cant we just follow this rule and link to the game section in the place that is a competitor? Just dont mention the war **cough** i mean PC bits

It's been classed as a competitor by the admin team, which means no linking, period.

Also not to get da_mic in trouble but "where in the world" doesnt count as a less than subtle competitor hinting?

It does, but this is one instance where I felt it should be left so his post didn't lose some of the message.

Last point, Davey please dont try to be all School teachery with us. I have respect for you. But it really does dissipate when you start saying things like 'am i clear' i fell like saying 'Yessss Misterrrr Pitchhhh'
You can be nice and get the message across the same, if not better, i mean your stance of treating us like kids doesnt work, lets treat us like Adults and maybe we will listen.

Bluntness is all some people understand. I've tried being nice before, doesn't always work.

Sorry for the Sarcasm etc in this post, and i sense a ban coming my way, but it just had to be said.

I won't ban you for your opinions, the sarcasm wasn't that bad

JUMPURS · 23 Jan 2006 at 21:45

Davey_Pitch said:
Yes, I admit I worded that incorrect. To me there is no grey area though. If it's primarily a PC hardware store, it's a competitor. If it's not primarily a PC hardware store, you can link to it for non-pc hardware related items, with the exception of the site referred to in the opening post. Doesn't seem too grey to me.

It's been classed as a competitor by the admin team, which means no linking, period.

It does, but this is one instance where I felt it should be left so his post didn't lose some of the message.

Bluntness is all some people understand. I've tried being nice before, doesn't always work.

I won't ban you for your opinions, the sarcasm wasn't that bad

To Be honest though mate, i think 99% of the people who mention it, especially in the console gaming section, genuinly dont know that i sells pc bits/is classed as a competitor.
Especially with the 'If its not primarily a PC hardware store' is where people genuinly think, well they are a dvd shop, i mean i had to look look when all this came up to find out there range, and even then, i wouldnt buy anything like that from them tbh, i buy PC bits from a PC bits retailer, usually better advice and better returns/support if its cacked, but thats just me.
You wont be me for my opinions. Well in my opinion you are a *** **** *** *** **** ***

j/k mate