Complaints Section

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Casinomeister

Forum Cheermeister
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Joined
Jun 30, 1998
Location
Bierland
Due to the fact that most new members either don't bother reading the posting rules for the complaints section, or abide by them, the Complaints Section is now closed to newbie members. You have to be a "Fully Registered" member in order to post there. Newbies can still PAB and contact casino reps, but due to the growing number of members who disregard the importance of maintaining a sense of order and community - they can no longer post there.

Fully Registered: Once a member has either 50 reputation points or 100 posts and has been registered for at least 30 days, the membership becomes "Fully Registered". These members have full usage of the public areas and can include URLs in their signature.

https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/help/
 
Just to add - I expect Fully Registered members and above to be able to do what is expected of them when posting complaints. Thanks!
 
Due to the fact that most new members either don't bother reading the posting rules for the complaints section, or abide by them, the Complaints Section is now closed to newbie members. You have to be a "Fully Registered" member in order to post there. Newbies can still PAB and contact casino reps, but due to the growing number of members who disregard the importance of maintaining a sense of order and community - they can no longer post there.

Fully Registered: Once a member has either 50 reputation points or 100 posts and has been registered for at least 30 days, the membership becomes "Fully Registered". These members have full usage of the public areas and can include URLs in their signature.

https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/help/


Too freakin sensible Bryan! Long overdue...........bummer though, cuz what will I do with all the extra time? :) And poor Maxd..........NOT
 
Closing the Complaints Section to newbie members has in my opinion some drawbacks:

- Members who have a problem with a non-accredited casino and have already made a PAB and are no active forum member, they have no chance to solve this problem with the Casinomeister nor with the Casinomeister community.

- Some members (like me) come only in contact with this forum because they would like to report in the Complaints Section about a problem. It could be that the Casinomeister forum loses many valuable new members because they will find out that they can not open a thread about their problem, then they will be frustrated and probably never come back.

- New members are more likely to spam the forum with useless postings to reach 100 posts as quickly as possible to be unlocked for the Complaints Section. Members who don't want to do that, like me, will need probably several month to reach the status "Fully Registered".

- Newbie members who opepened some time ago a thread in the Complaints Section are now no longer allowed to take part in it. This problem affects me, I would like to write a repley in this Thread which I have opened some month ago, but I can't do it anymore.

- Now there will be significant less posts in the Complaints Section and this is disadvantageous for all of us because now we get less information about casinos doing rogue stuff.

However I understand that new members are more likely to violate the rules on opening complaint threads which causes unacceptable time and effort for the moderators of this forum. Therefore I have thought about this problem and maybe found an alternative solution:

Some time ago I wanted to make my first negative feedback on eBay, before I was allowed to do so I was asked from eBay to take part in a test to check whether I have properly understood the eBay rules and to prevent that I deliver a hasty negative feedback. There where questions like "If there is a problem with the bought item what do you do first?" and there were multiple-choice answers like "a) Do a negative feedback", "b) Contact with the seller", etc. Such a test could be also implemented here at Casinomeister. Every time a member wants to open for the first time a complaint thread, he must participate in test to check whether he has understood the rules. If he passes the test, then he is unlocked for the Complaints Section, but if he fails he get blocked from the Complaints Section for a few days, after that he may repeat the test.


@Casinomeister: You have successfully unlocked me from forum "Suggestions & feedback", but unfortunately I'm still locked in my Thread in the Complaints Section. Could you please take again a look at it? Thank you.
 
Excellent post Markus! :thumbsup:

We're discussing what to do in the Complaints section and your post has provided some outstanding material for us to think about. Good on ya!
 
hi

hi , couldnt agree with you more as ive been a member here a while , i read alot on here though dont post very much , but sometimes i could of helped out in a few posts though cant do much due to the fact that ive not posted shed loads on here , but on the other hand i can see casinomeister doesnt want lots of spams .
 
suggestion

Perhaps and ive said it before that fr at least genuine people who join the forum coud be made to at the very least be made to make a smal deposit which of course woul dbe lost if it was a fake..i think anyone whos gonna complain regarding osing money woul dbe more than glad to give up a little deposit to try obtain funds back from a casino...just a thought...alex x
 
- Some members (like me) come only in contact with this forum because they would like to report in the Complaints Section about a problem. It could be that the Casinomeister forum loses many valuable new members because they will find out that they can not open a thread about their problem, then they will be frustrated and probably never come back.

I would suggest that a "valuable" member is already willing to participate here in more ways than one - in other words, if your only reason to visit here is to get someone to handle a complaint, you're in the wrong place.

And a member who only posts complaints is not going to be a great loss - don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that we don't want members like this - but this is a forum. It is not the "Better Business Bureau", nor is it the "Complaints Department". It is a community of people talking about a subject that they find interesting.

How would you feel if someone moved into your neighborhood with the purpose of playing loud music because he discovered that your community seems to tolerate noise pollution?

You move into a community because of other reasons - safe for kids, good schools, pleasant neighborhood, closer to work, etc. You participate as a member of the community - maybe not vocally, maybe not participating in town meetings - but you buy stuff at the local stores, send your kids to the local schools, visit the local doctor, etc.

Thus, if you moved into the community with the purpose of playing loud music and discovered that it was only allowed to certain people on certain occasions, and you moved out of the community, would it be a great loss to the others?

I'm sorry - but I have to disagree with your reasoning here.

- New members are more likely to spam the forum with useless postings to reach 100 posts as quickly as possible to be unlocked for the Complaints Section. Members who don't want to do that, like me, will need probably several month to reach the status "Fully Registered".

By the time a new member reaches 5 useless posts, his intentions will be plenty clear. That kind of participation certainly will not get you unlocked - it will get you thrown into a special user's group for "useless postings".

- Newbie members who opepened some time ago a thread in the Complaints Section are now no longer allowed to take part in it. This problem affects me, I would like to write a repley in this Thread which I have opened some month ago, but I can't do it anymore.

This I agree with - but we would probably deal with this in a different way, like temporarily opening a section for "grandfathered" posts in order to allow you to continue to post in those threads.

- Now there will be significant less posts in the Complaints Section and this is disadvantageous for all of us because now we get less information about casinos doing rogue stuff.

The disadvantage is not clear. If you make use of the Accredited List, the number of complaints will be very few if any. If you play at a casino that is not accredited, you should understand the risks yourself. I do think it is a bit presumptuous to expect Casinomeister to have to serve complaints about casinos which are not accredited - but he does do so and as such he has the right to determine which complaints he will pursue.

Some time ago I wanted to make my first negative feedback on eBay, before I was allowed to do so I was asked from eBay to take part in a test to check whether I have properly understood the eBay rules and to prevent that I deliver a hasty negative feedback. There where questions like "If there is a problem with the bought item what do you do first?" and there were multiple-choice answers like "a) Do a negative feedback", "b) Contact with the seller", etc. Such a test could be also implemented here at Casinomeister. Every time a member wants to open for the first time a complaint thread, he must participate in test to check whether he has understood the rules. If he passes the test, then he is unlocked for the Complaints Section, but if he fails he get blocked from the Complaints Section for a few days, after that he may repeat the test.

That's not a bad suggestion. However, that would take a bit of work to implement, and there's no guarantee that it will make things any better. If this process can be somewhat automated, I'm sure Casinomeister will consider it - but if it raises the workload to an unacceptable level, obviously this is not something that he will want, nor would any of the members as it causes everything else to be done slowly.
 
spearmaster said:
I would suggest that a "valuable" member is already willing to participate here in more ways than one - in other words, if your only reason to visit here is to get someone to handle a complaint, you're in the wrong place.

And a member who only posts complaints is not going to be a great loss - don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that we don't want members like this - but this is a forum. It is not the "Better Business Bureau", nor is it the "Complaints Department". It is a community of people talking about a subject that they find interesting.

How would you feel if someone moved into your neighborhood with the purpose of playing loud music because he discovered that your community seems to tolerate noise pollution?

You move into a community because of other reasons - safe for kids, good schools, pleasant neighborhood, closer to work, etc. You participate as a member of the community - maybe not vocally, maybe not participating in town meetings - but you buy stuff at the local stores, send your kids to the local schools, visit the local doctor, etc.

Thus, if you moved into the community with the purpose of playing loud music and discovered that it was only allowed to certain people on certain occasions, and you moved out of the community, would it be a great loss to the others?

I'm sorry - but I have to disagree with your reasoning here.
I have not said that we need at all costs members who do nothing else then posting complaints. What I meant was that there are members whose motivation to register at this forum was based on the possibility of reporting about their problems with a casino. I count myself to this group. Of course these members must not become necessarily valuable members who also participate in other topics, but there is a fair chance.

spearmaster said:
By the time a new member reaches 5 useless posts, his intentions will be plenty clear. That kind of participation certainly will not get you unlocked - it will get you thrown into a special user's group for "useless postings".
These posts will not be completely useless, but the quality decreases. And you will get a lot of these meaningless single-line postings like "I agree.", "ROFL!", etc.

spearmaster said:
The disadvantage is not clear. If you make use of the Accredited List, the number of complaints will be very few if any. If you play at a casino that is not accredited, you should understand the risks yourself. I do think it is a bit presumptuous to expect Casinomeister to have to serve complaints about casinos which are not accredited - but he does do so and as such he has the right to determine which complaints he will pursue.
Even accredited casinos can cause trouble (current example: Casino Club) and I'm thankful that public forums like the Casinomeister Complaints Section and others warn me about these problems. For me it would be a large disadvantage if I would get much less of these important informations.
 
I have not said that we need at all costs members who do nothing else then posting complaints. What I meant was that there are members whose motivation to register at this forum was based on the possibility of reporting about their problems with a casino. I count myself to this group. Of course these members must not become necessarily valuable members who also participate in other topics, but there is a fair chance.

Your motivation should be to want to participate in the community - not on the off-chance that you have a complaint to file. Again I refer back to my example - you move to a community for a whole bunch of valid reasons, not just because you think they'll allow you to play loud music.

*IF* your motivation is because you want to post a complaint - there's a pretty damn good chance that is the ONLY reason you will come to the forum. I don't doubt that some people will first find Casinomeister because they heard that they could file a complaint here - but this is the wrong reason to come here.

Those who have no interest in the forums will complain that the complaints forum is not open to them, without looking into other options, without even asking around.

Think about it this way - you are discussing something of interest to you - and I daresay you will be the exception to the rule - but at least you make the effort. Discussion is what Casinomeister is all about - not unrealistic expectations that CM is going to throw his weight around just because you asked him to.

The reality of this situation is that many, many people have abused this privilege - so if you want to blame someone, blame those before you.

These posts will not be completely useless, but the quality decreases. And you will get a lot of these meaningless single-line postings like "I agree.", "ROFL!", etc.

Take my word for it - we can still spot them a mile away. Single-line posts in my mind do not qualify as relevant or useful in 99% of cases.

Once someone hits whatever milestone (say 100 posts) to cross into the full-membership arena, there's a fairly high chance that that person will be reviewed a second time by one or more moderators if they feel that something is amiss. Certainly, someone who achieves 100 posts in a very short span of time is not going to be enjoying full membership for very long before he is reclassed into a group of people who need to re-qualify in some manner or other. But in reality, many of these can't even be bothered to waste 100 minutes of their time making one-line responses - in all likelihood, it's their impatience that brought them here in the first place.

Even accredited casinos can cause trouble (current example: Casino Club) and I'm thankful that public forums like the Casinomeister Complaints Section and others warn me about these problems. For me it would be a large disadvantage if I would get much less of these important informations.

It would be highly unusual for any accredited casino to run into problems with players without affecting someone who is already a full member here. I think it's fair to say that you won't be missing out on much, other than a whole bunch of newbies coming to say "Me too".

Again, I must repeat - this decision wasn't taken lightly - CM didn't just one day say "The heck with it, I'm shutting down Complaints to new members". This came about as a result of years of abuse from one-time wonders. This was discussed amongst moderators as well - and in the end CM *reluctantly* decided that this was the best way forward, as this has been discussed a number of times over the years and CM finally decided that the time had come for a change in policy.

It is not necessarily a welcome change for some people - but it is a change which will result in long-time members getting better attention, and ultimately more time available for increasing the resources available to everyone in general.

edit --> I should add one more very important point. It does not require 100 posts to become a full member - someone who comes in here and participates in a way that people appreciate can earn reputation points - and it only takes 50 reputation points plus the 30 days to qualify.

For example - at the time of this post (or rather, this edit) - you have 135 reputation points, even though you've only been here since August. These reputation points came from people who appreciate your posts.

However - one-line posts or useless posts quickly attract negative reputation points as well - so perhaps Casinomeister should consider amending the policy to 30 days and either (100 posts and a positive reputation), or (+50 rep points, regardless of number of posts).

There *are* members in here who by themselves can give over 100 rep points - moderators only have the power to give 15. So effectively it's the members who can approve you for full membership if they believe your posts are useful.
 
Last edited:
I've been meaning to post my opinion on this for some time, but never got round to it... :oops:

Fortunately for me, Markus has posted my exact thoughts & saved me loads of time! :thumbsup:
I totally agree with everything he said & think the rule change was a bad move for the forum as a whole. :(

Closing the Complaints Section to newbie members has in my opinion some drawbacks:

- Members who have a problem with a non-accredited casino and have already made a PAB and are no active forum member, they have no chance to solve this problem with the Casinomeister nor with the Casinomeister community.

- Some members (like me) come only in contact with this forum because they would like to report in the Complaints Section about a problem. It could be that the Casinomeister forum loses many valuable new members because they will find out that they can not open a thread about their problem, then they will be frustrated and probably never come back.

- New members are more likely to spam the forum with useless postings to reach 100 posts as quickly as possible to be unlocked for the Complaints Section. Members who don't want to do that, like me, will need probably several month to reach the status "Fully Registered".

- Newbie members who opened some time ago a thread in the Complaints Section are now no longer allowed to take part in it. This problem affects me, I would like to write a reply in this Thread which I have opened some month ago, but I can't do it anymore.

- Now there will be significant less posts in the Complaints Section and this is disadvantageous for all of us because now we get less information about casinos doing rogue stuff.

However I understand that new members are more likely to violate the rules on opening complaint threads which causes unacceptable time and effort for the moderators of this forum. Therefore I have thought about this problem and maybe found an alternative solution:

Some time ago I wanted to make my first negative feedback on eBay, before I was allowed to do so I was asked from eBay to take part in a test to check whether I have properly understood the eBay rules and to prevent that I deliver a hasty negative feedback. There where questions like "If there is a problem with the bought item what do you do first?" and there were multiple-choice answers like "a) Do a negative feedback", "b) Contact with the seller", etc. Such a test could be also implemented here at Casinomeister. Every time a member wants to open for the first time a complaint thread, he must participate in test to check whether he has understood the rules. If he passes the test, then he is unlocked for the Complaints Section, but if he fails he get blocked from the Complaints Section for a few days, after that he may repeat the test.
 
You're in the army now! Hey, hey, you're in the army now!

CM wrote:
Due to the fact that most new members either don't bother reading the posting rules for the complaints section, or abide by them, the Complaints Section is now closed to newbie members. You have to be a "Fully Registered" member in order to post there. Newbies can still PAB and contact casino reps, but due to the growing number of members who disregard the importance of maintaining a sense of order and community - they can no longer post there.

KK responded (in a different thread):
I totally respect Bryan & his right to have any rules he wants on his forum, but my opinion is this 'complaints rule' is daft. I'm sure most of the other regulars here want newbies to be able to post their gripes & groans - that's how many of us found our way here in the first place!

I would also rather have the section open to newbies. Personally, I don't come here in search of a sense of order and community - I'd join the bloody armed forces forum if I wanted that! :). I'm here to learn, to try to help others, to entertain, and to be entertained. These gripes may be disorderly, but they're entertaining. It's also fun to work out whether they're genuine or not. If they're not genuine, they soon get found out, and that can only add to the reputation of the CM forum.

Let's have some fun FFS!
 
I really didn't read through all this stuff but
I am totally against a newbie coming on for the first time to post a complaint! One has to have cohones , balls , audacity etc etc to do this.
I personally think that if one has a genuinecomplaint then the procedures as set forth should be followed

Its quite unfair to the casinos for some one to pop up in public and make a denouncement..Go to CM or Maxxd and make the complaint if you really want the problem looked into I really can't see why the old timers here like KK for example ,would find anything wrong with this procedure..(.Not flaming you KK:))
Of course just my opinion
 
I'm not taking sides here, but if a player can't come right out and say that they're having a problem with so and so casino, then how in the world is anyone going to know if there's a problem??

Are we just supposed to sit back and think everything is business as usual, until Max or Bryan comes out and issues a warning? Usually by the time that happens, complaints are beginning to pile up, some of which could have been avoided if we had a heads up in the first place...

What if:

When a player pitches a bitch, Max or Bryan posts it in a sticky, locked thread, that only they can post to? That way we're aware of what's going on, as PAB's come in?
 
I couldn't have said it better myself..



I'm not taking sides here, but if a player can't come right out and say that they're having a problem with so and so casino, then how in the world is anyone going to know if there's a problem??

Are we just supposed to sit back and think everything is business as usual, until Max or Bryan comes out and issues a warning? Usually by the time that happens, complaints are beginning to pile up, some of which could have been avoided if we had a heads up in the first place...
 
Hi I am a newbie, only joined today. I just read this and wanted to say, I have only found this place because I had a bad experince and didnt know wat to do. But I have been reading through site, wow lots to read and i keep getting lost lol but now i feel like a fraud joining here :eek: I have been a member of another forum (totally unrelated) for a few years and I do appreciate the decisions that moderators have to make and they are never taken likely, it is always in the best interests of the board. I may have joined under well not ideal circumstances but I do hope that I can be a valued member of the community :D

happygirl x
 
I'm not taking sides here, but if a player can't come right out and say that they're having a problem with so and so casino, then how in the world is anyone going to know if there's a problem??

Are we just supposed to sit back and think everything is business as usual, until Max or Bryan comes out and issues a warning? Usually by the time that happens, complaints are beginning to pile up, some of which could have been avoided if we had a heads up in the first place...

What if:

When a player pitches a bitch, Max or Bryan posts it in a sticky, locked thread, that only they can post to? That way we're aware of what's going on, as PAB's come in?

I believe that Max just mentioned that he was going to start doing that in his new "Blog" here that he started back a couple of days ago or so IIRC...;)
 
All points taken especially on those where newbies should be allowed to send out warnings on ill-behaved casinos. However, if we flip to the other side of the coin we might realise that there are a whole load of those lurkers with hidden motives and who use the forum to discredit casinos who dont succumb to their wishes. You could also see this as threatening the casinos. This forum has some clout in the industry and with it comes added responsibility. Many a player, I believe, will threaten the casino saying 'if you dont give me a bonus blah blah blah...I will report it at CM. Us old guys might realise that this may be BS but for those who grace the forum seeking information the harm is done.

I am not sure whether this will work. Newbies with say 10 posts or less will need to seek Bryan's or Max's approval to post in the complaints section. In fact, maybe they could place the postings in that section for the newbies. This way, you get the articles screened before posted. The downside of all this will be added work for Max/CM.

I understand that casino reps dont usually want to be drawn into such discussions but since it does affect them, I would encourage them to voice their opinions in this thread.
 
Are we just supposed to sit back and think everything is business as usual, until Max or Bryan comes out and issues a warning?

On the flip side of that, look at why B implemented the "no newbie" rule in the first place: newbies ignoring the Forum Rules and/or people signing on to use the forums for pitch bogus/fraudulent complaints. Those are real issues! And proliferation of that type of posting damages the forums for all concerned.

The bottom line is that the fraudsters and the lamers are a serious threat to the integrity of what we do here.

B has responded to that threat as he thought best. You may agree with him, you may not, but whatever suggestions you may have very much need to take the real problem into consideration.

When a player pitches a bitch, Max or Bryan posts it in a sticky, locked thread, that only they can post to? That way we're aware of what's going on, as PAB's come in?
I believe that Max just mentioned that he was going to start doing that in his new "Blog" ....

Um, not really, no. I see there being a real problem simply posting the raw PAB info without some mechanism in place to indicate later how those issues panned out. To date I can't think of a fair and balanced way to do that without creating unacceptable busy-work for me in the process.

And I think someone suggested that we should moderate the posts from newbies in Complaints: unfortunately that's not a workable solution either because (a) many if not most of these issues have to be investigated before we can determine the validity of the issue, and (b) going through all that is more or less what the PAB process is about which means we'd basically be doubling our work.

The bottom line is this: when a significant percentage of newbies are posting crap that damages the site we need to seriously curtail such postings. How exactly one does that is the central issue here.
 
Maxd,

Moderating the complaints from newbies does not concern the validity of the issues at stake but rather the tone of the posts to ensure they dont go overboard. If you had to go through a thorough verification process I doubt whether you can afford the time and energy for it. Actually, I was hoping for a balance to be struck somewhere between allowing newbies to share their thought with us while at the same time to deter others from trying to take advantage of this forum. Never mind, if this doesnt work, we can always think of something else.
 
Moderating the complaints from newbies does not concern the validity of the issues at stake but rather the tone of the posts to ensure they dont go overboard.

Moderating for "tone" is standard procedure, then and now. Unfortunately that doesn't cover the problems we were having in the Complaints section.

My point is that the high degree of troll, lamer and fraudster activity -- seen throughout the industry I might add, including the casinos, the PABs, here on the boards, you name it -- needed to be curtailed.

We were becoming the troller and fraudster's first weapon of choice against the casinos -- or whomever they might have a beef with -- such that we not only host their lies but waste our time and effort on their bogus issues?!? That's just plain wrong and something needed to be done about it.

The bottom line is you either curb the bad dogs or they'll curb you, and there are a lot of bad doggies out there these days.
 
Is there some way that newbies could be allowed to start a new thread unrestrictedly, but that thread would then be made accessible only to the poster and to senior members? That would resolve the problem, wouldn't it?
 
Is there some way that newbies could be allowed to start a new thread unrestrictedly, but that thread would then be made accessible only to the poster and to senior members? That would resolve the problem, wouldn't it?
No not really. And I don't think that would solve the problem.

The real problem we're having is that most of the new members who sign up disregard the rules - especially when it comes to posting complaints. This forum has guidelines and procedures. How many newbies post a complaint and never PM the casino rep. I'd say about a 100% of them. Many of the old-timers do the same btw. It's frustrating and time consuming to say the least.

For some reason, a number of members here are under the impression that posting public complaints is the norm - it's not. Most players never have to complain because they don't have any. And those that do have their issues dealt with by customer service.

Newbies have to earn the right to post public complaints. It's a privilege ,and I would think that fully registered members and above would feel the same way.

We're still looking at solutions and always open for suggestions btw.
 
Then, as Chuchu suggested, maybe moderate new posts in this section and check that the poster has followed the correct procedures before being allowed to go public with his complaint?

Would this really be a lot more work for the moderators? They already have to be very active in this section. It would just require action before the event rather than after it.
 
... moderate new posts in this section and check that the poster has followed the correct procedures ....

So, how would that work?

  • Newbie posts and the post gets dropped in the moderation queue.
  • We see the post and then try to chase the OP down in order to determine that they have both contacted CS and the rep if there is one, but ...
  • Emails fly back and forth for a while 'cause people don't answer right away, etc, and ...
  • Half the time people use bogus emails or never answer or they've got spam filters that block us out ...
  • tap tap tap, we're wasting a lot of time here and the post hasn\t even made it out of the queue yet!
  • Ok fine, turns out the OP has contacted CS but not the rep ... they want to know who the rep is, we point them to the rep list ...

Am I making my point yet? It doesn't work! Too much time is blown hand-holding and baby sitting for folks that are simply too damn lazy to read a little and follow some basic procedures.

The bottom line is that folks that are willing to read the rules and spend 5 minutes absorbing them are going to head to the PAB section, as instructed, and get their show on the road ... if it needs to go that way.

Nobody is saying that the current system is perfect but as I pointed out above there is a real problem here and the solution is not to simply heap more work on the Mods.
 
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