If I bought a license and made a negative comment on the forum would you ban me?

[GreggH]

I own a lifetime IPB license that I paid $149 for, but was recently banned from their forums because I made a negative comment about one of their future products on their feedback forum. My username on the IPB forums was greggish, and my real name is Gregg Heifetz. I am posting this information so that you know that I am an actual customer of IPB. I wasn't given any warning or explanation, just banned minutes after I made the comment. I was only given an explanation after I contacted them asking why they banned a paying customer. They also refused to give me a refund and the President of IPS, Charles Warner, told me, "I highly suggest you quietly fade away." I did not use any profanity and just expressed my opinion that their new product Dynamic will not sell. While, my post may not have been the most tactful, I am stunned that they would completely ban a customer from the support forums just for expressing their opinion on a feedback forum. The President of IPS, Charles Warner, also stated to me that I had "multiple 2.0 series boards running without a license", basically calling me a theif. Not only don't I have any IPB boards running, I don't even have a single website up yet. He later apologized to me on this point, claiming to haven mistaken me for another customer, but I don't believe he was sincere. I am still banned, and they say I will not be unbanned, and they have not apologized for telling a paying customer "I highly suggest you quietly fade away."

This is the post I made that caused them to ban me...

The sooner Matt gets Dynamic out, and nobody buys it, the sooner the focus of the company can go back to improving, bug fixing, and speeding up the forum. Sorry, IPB, that's just the way I see it.

This is the response I received from Charles Warner, the President of IPB after asking why I was banned...

That wasn't negative feedback it was a rude, abusive statement designed to damage the company.

Not to mention you have multiple 2.0 series boards running without a license.

We do not ban people for negative feedback. There are plenty of people who post more than you do but none that go as far as you.

I highly suggest you quietly fade away.

--------------------

Charles Warner
Invision Power Services, Inc. - President
[email protected] - 1-800-901-5491 (434-352-4334)
Purchase Invision Power Board - IPS Hosting

I have made several hundred posts on their forum and never received any warnings. According to their own policy I was supposed to get a warning before being banned. I just think this is a terrible way to treat a customer for just making a negative comment about the direction they feel the company is going. I am considering buying and using vBulletin to build my first website instead of using my IPB license because I feel I can no longer trust the company and would be at a big disadvantage not being able to at least read the tips and tricks that other customers are posting in the forums. Basically, what I want to know from vBulletin is, if I made a similar comment, that I thought nobody would buy a new CMS product you may be working on would I be banned and treated in a similar manner without any warning? Thanks.

I forgot to mention that in communications with all of the management team at IPS that lasted several days in trying to resolve this matter and get my support forum access restored and come to an amicable solution for both sides I told them...

If I was simply notified that, "You are not allowed to make any negative comments about the company or products on the forums", then I would have refrained from doing so and still would.

Still, they would not apologize for their actions or unban me.

[oldedit]

Looks like they were pretty touchy, but that's not really unusual for some administrators. Others are much looser. I'm just another member and don't speak for vBulletin, but I think I've seen a lot worse here. Just go read the threads about the release of 3.06. They got raked and took it in good spirit and moved on like pros. And they give good, quick support.

[KW802]

.... but I think I've seen a lot worse here. ...

Heck, that comment that Greg made above about Dynamic would be considered quite polite & civilized compared compared with some of the comments that people around here make to the Jelsoft staff!

[Zachery]

Would we ban you for a rude comment? No.

Would we ban you for using vBulletin in multiple places without licesnes, most likely but thats a situtation by situtaion basises.

Unless you were outright rude and abusive and racist, and a few other things, I don't think we'd ban you right away, at least I know I wouldn't

[Abusiveelusive]

Think of use of a company forum as a privilege, but not an "absolute privilege".

[Vtec44]

Wow, that comment is very unprofessional, coming from the President of a company.

[Andy Huang]

I don't think Jelsoft will ban you for negative comments, in fact, there have been many of such comments floating about, yet, I don't see too many people with the nasty 'Banned' text under their name. However, if you run multiple vB boards without license, you'll probably get in more trouble than you will with IPB... After all, vB is a much better established company on that end...

[Unmutual]

That's bad. Gregg....I completely lost all confidence and faith in them and moved over here a month ago. And I'd been with them for 3 years mostly as a licenced customer and at one point a Hosting customer as well.
Attitudes have changed a lot there....in fact, it was far more relaxed and co-operative when the product was completely free.
Switch to vB mate....different world.

[TheMusicMan]

I think what you will find around here Greg is that very few people indeed have reason to be nasty, and therefore there really are very few rude or offensive posts on these forums.

I really am not 'sucking up' here, but just have a browse around the fora and see for yourself. Read a few posts and threads and you'll find nothing but a helpful community, very helpful customer focussed staff, and some extremely devoted and willing vB owners willing to share their experience and expertise with all.

Even the wider (non official) vB support community is very supportive.

Go on.... get hold of a copy of vB and you'll soon see.

[KimmiKat]

That's the difference between here and the other forum company. Here there's been threads comparing the 2 which would've been tossed on IPB's board. I switched from IPB to vB due to the other company's ever changing policy.

[Floris]

I will not judge or compare the above example and your experience from IPS to Jelsoft's as they are two different companies. And I don't know the full situation so I can't tell if they were right or you were right.

I don't see why we should get all the details from your issues with a company that isn't from us, but ok. Perhaps as example.

Note: We have forum rules and even if you are a paying customer you will still be banned if you continuesly break them. The first time(s) we will point out where to find the forum rules and why we think you've been banned. But if that doesn't help you will get banned.

We allow suggestions and feedback on our products, services, etc. So I don't see why we should not allow someone to speak their mind. And if someone just provides arguments or brings something to the conversation, there is no reason to ban the person; As we value the feedback from our customers as they help improve our products, services, support, sales, etc.

Thank you for your interest in the vBulletin forum software and you might want to know that we also give our customers the impex software for download to convert from third party forum software like IPB to vBulletin. So if you have a forum running already you won't lose any threads/posts/members.

We're looking forward to your purchase.

[Forum-Style]

IPB are new to this company side of things, they do need to learn the correct ways to deal with issues. I do personally understand your views and that many people complain on the way they are treated. This is why people have moved to vB.

vBulletin is a real company with many many years in the software field, they do not judge views of us free speaking people, and as they have commented already they do like to hear real feedback on there software, that is the difference with a well established company.

[feldon23]

Think of use of a company forum as a privilege, but not an "absolute privilege".

Tech support is not a "privilege", it's included in the product. Unless the Terms and Conditions say "We may revoke your right to use our tech support forum if we don't like what you have to say".

I would not ban someone for that comment. But let's say for sake of argument someone WERE being truly disruptive. Isn't the policy usually to refund the person's money since they are obviously not happy with the product or company?

I wonder if Jelsoft has a user group for users who are only allowed to post in the Support areas because of repeated negative comments in Suggestions/Feedback.

It just doesn't seem like they tried to reason with you. At least I know that Jelsoft is reasonable.

[Floris]

Even if it is part of the product, if someone breaks the rules continuesly I see that as valid reason to suspend their support forum account. Jelsoft for example has a private support ticket system where customers can get the same support.

[Freddie Bingham]

Feldon we do not have usergroups with lower permissions for users who are opinionated. We allow you to say anything you feel about us as long as you do it in a manner that doesn't disrupt the forum populace. There are many such threads around here! The users weren't banned or given less permissions for putting us to the wall.