How do you feel about clients who use reviews...

[incognito_NYC]

Wrong!

Dubious, indeed.

Extremely tacky at best, pretty damn sleazy at worst.

As many have stated previously. it's no longer an unbiased opinion that's being given. Therefore defeating the entire purpose of being here, eh?

And why are you trying to "nickel & dime" the woman in the first place?!?

I've used the car analogy before & it always seems to upset people ("if you can only afford a Volkswagen, don't ask for a BMW").

But that's what it comes down to ... if you can't afford to eat fancy food, then you shouldn't be going to an upscale, trendy restaurant.

If you can't afford Brooks Bros., don't shop there.

If you can't afford a European vacation, do something closer to home.

At best, it's a low-class way of trying to get something cheap.

At worst, it's intimidation.

Very blatant abuse of a perceived postition of power to get something that you want, simply because you want it.

Just another version of the infamous "casting couch".

 

[Mod 8]

Ziggy,

I am not aware of the incident you are speaking of. It was most likely before my arrival on the board but I will be certain to look it up and see what I can find. But regardless of past events, I do not intend to allow this thread to degrade into a public lynching. I'm allowing this thread to remain open to discuss the topic that was presented as I feel it is a valid one. I am also being nice enough to ignore the obvious reason that this thread was started which was to have a public lynching. I am asking everyone to keep this discussion on topic or I will close this thread and those who force me to do so may find themselves reading GG's posts on this board before they are able to post again themselves.

Mod 8

 

[HornyForEver]

as money?

A poster, whose name should not be stated here, wrote the following:

And what about all those members who reveal their handle to SPs to get a better service and do not admit it. Should they be banned once enough evidence has been collected? Following the same logic, should the mods also ban members who have been seen at the same GT together when such members write reviews later on about the same SP.

As EB pointed out, this topic has been discussed at length in the past. I am against revealing handles to SPs in general, though I would not be surprised that many members here already do it but will never admit it in public.

The member you are referring to has already admitted in the past that he discloses his board handle to agency owners and SPs, so this is not a scoop. At least he has been honest about it and did not try to deceive other members. Should his frankness be awarded with a ban??? His reviews will be intrepreted under the light of this "new" information, that's all.

If you really started the thread just to target that member, then this whole thing does not belong to merb because the mentioned member cannot defend himself as he is banned here. Also, I think your goal was to get the other board mods ban him from there rather than merb mods, as again he is already banned here.

So, if I got it correctly: you are quoting a post made on the blue board, starting a thread about it on merb and then you are trying to convince the mods on the blue board to ban a member?

 

[z/m(Ret)]

I agree that his credibility is now under suspicion. After that post it should be. But then again...the post was on another board and I don't think the mods here have any business making any decisions based on events elsewhere.

I don't see how this jurisdiction thing applies here. A shill is a shill. How and where shills are caught is irrelevant.

Review boards make it part of their mission to deter, catch and eliminate shills. If you know you have one aboard, it only hurts the board's credibility to give him licence.

 

[Techman]

Jeez...the guy is already banned here! Do you see him making any posts on merb? What do you expect the mods to do? Ban him twice? Put him on double secret probation? Hire a hit man? No one here would even know or care what was going on if you hadn't started this thread in the first place. You're the one that's giving him the publicity here.

 

[Regular Guy]

I am asking everyone to keep this discussion on topic or I will close this thread and those who force me to do so may find themselves reading GG's posts on this board before they are able to post again themselves.

Noooo! Anything but that! We'll be good!

 

[z/m(Ret)]

And what about all those members who reveal their handle to SPs to get a better service and do not admit it. Should they be banned once enough evidence has been collected? Following the same logic, should the mods also ban members who have been seen at the same GT together when such members write reviews later on about the same SP.

As EB pointed out, this topic has been discussed at length in the past. I am against revealing handles to SPs in general, though I would not be surprised that many members here already do it but will never admit it in public.

The member you are referring to has already admitted in the past that he discloses his board handle to agency owners and SPs, so this is not a scoop. At least he has been honest about it and did not try to deceive other members. Should his frankness be awarded with a ban??? His reviews will be intrepreted under the light of this "new" information, that's all.

If you really started the thread just to target that member, then this whole thing does not belong to merb because the mentioned member cannot defend himself as he is banned here. Also, I think your goal was to get the other board mods ban him from there rather than merb mods, as again he is already banned here.

So, if I got it correctly: you are quoting a post made on the blue board, starting a thread about it on merb and then you are trying to convince the mods on the blue board to ban a member?

You're talking about a whole different subject.

The notion of using the board handle to book providers may or may not result in providers enhancing their service, no one can tell for sure and, furthermore, there are no board rules to sanction such practice.

On the other hand, there are rules against shills and, in this view, one who uses reviews as a currency is no less guilty of shilling than a provider who offers sexual favours in exchange of a good review.

In other words, clients demanding to be rewarded for writing a review are not only going against the spirit of review boards but against the rules as well.

As for the intent and if you care to read carefully, the seminal question was "how do members feel about it?" not "should he be banned?", which is a corollary question.

Another corollary question and a better one, I think, is: "should the handle be removed and, along with it, its reviews?"

 

[z/m(Ret)]

Jeez...the guy is already banned here! Do you see him making any posts on merb? What do you expect the mods to do? Ban him twice? Put him on double secret probation? Hire a hit man? No one here would even know or care what was going on if you hadn't started this thread in the first place. You're the one that's giving him the publicity here.

Delete the handle and remove all the posts including reviews is usually what Mods do when they catch a shill.

Techman,

If you want to discuss double standards, allow me this question as a starter:

What caused Eastender to be banned permanently from the other board and how was the proof established?

You should be able to answer the question given that you were a part of committee who unanimously voted him out.

 

[Mod 8]

Well it seems that no matter what I do, this thread will continue to steer itself to events that have nothing to do with MERB. Enough is enough. Thread closed.