[dmsJack]

I was pleased to see a thread that began with a question from a person who had been banned and had repeatedly sent email to the address he thought was appropriate to inquire about it, but was totally ignored, which was why he started the thread, and then to see that the thread was terminated (I guess by a moderator) with a statement that the reasons (presumably for an individual case of banning) are not disclosed or discussed publicly, and that the proper way to deal with it was to send an email to abuse@bridgebase.com.

I recently sent an email to the same address about an instance of abuse, and was likewise ignored.

What good does it do stifle any discussion and direct people to send all such reports to that address if the BBO staff will simply ignore those messages? Is the abuse policy enforced at all?

My complaint, which was ignored, involved having been labeled with a vulgar appellation by a BBO user who, I found out from friends later, is apparently notorious for repeated offenses of frivolous director calls, badgering opponents to speed up play or bidding when there is plenty of time, and also vulgar namecalling of the type I had to endure.

I thought there was some kind of "zero tolerance policy" for that stuff. If so, how can the person in question still be allowed to play on BBO, given a history of repeated offenses?

[mink]

I have written to abuse several times, and was not ignored. Did you receive an automatic message that ask you to answer it? If you do not to that, your original message does not make it through the spam defense lines.

If you do answer the automatic message, someone in the abuse department will do something about you request. However, they never say what they do; you will only get a message that the case is opened and another one when the matter is closed. One of the possible actions they take is ban that user for an appropriate amount of time.

Karl

[Aberlour10]

You may find several answers to your questions in this topic:

http://forums.bridgebase.com/index.php?sho...=30285&hl=abuse

Robert

[dmsJack]

I am familiar with the instant automatic spam-defeating message sent back if you send mail to support@bridgebase.com. I DO receive those every time I send a message there.

You are implying that each message sent to the abuse address is somehow determined to be spam or not even before they send the immediate spam-defeating automated response to which a person must reply so that the message can be determined to be spam or real. That doesn't seem to make much sense.

Even if that is truly the case, then the hypothesis presumably is that each of the two very different messages I sent to the abuse address were both independently somehow determined to be spam immediately, even before sending the automated response. That could only mean their spam filter is severely flawed, if it categorically threw out two different messages, both of which were legitimate, and not spam at all.

[babalu1997]

I have contacted abuse many times.

I have also learned that, in a few instances, i should not have contacted them, and am now expert in which battles to choose. :-))

I do not complaint to find a resolution to my problem, i complain about behaviours which will affect other players.

Privacy is a big item for bbo, so their policy of not revealing which specific action was taken is understable, ie, there is no public trial of offenders.

Some may even correct their ways and fit into some corner of the bbo community.

But you will not be successful if your aim is to start some kind of public trial.

you have done your part to report the abuse.

consider yourself lucky you are not the one who has to process these complaints.

play bridge, be happy.

[Jacki]

It is true that we are very careful about our player's privacy. This can make it appear that complaints are not read or acted on because the complainer doesn't get feedback from us.

The fact is, all Abuse complaints are read by at least two people, one of them is me and the other is the head of our Abuse department. We take the action we feel is justified by the reported abuse. This can vary depending on what the abuse is all about - a one-time slip in courtesy or at the other end, something from a habitual abuser who has been warned before.

There are times when we (Abuse and I) feel we need advice from the big guys - Fred and Uday. They are always happy to give us their input and advice - and trust me, we use it.

The actions we take can range from a reprimand, either personally or by email from one of us, to the most severe being an 'off with his head' meaning we don't want the person to ever darken our door again.

I know that not getting feedback from us can often equate to 'they don't do anything' but I hope you can take my word for it that this is not the case at all. And I hope that you will feel as we do, that protecting our player's privacy is more important than letting you know that Nasty Nick got his comeuppance.

Because, really, he does.

Jacki

[dmsJack]

Well, Jacki, if what you say is true, wouldn't it be appropriate to AT LEAST send a reply to the complainant that acknowledges receipt of the complaint and says something akin to "we got your complaint, and will take whatever action we deem appropriate"?

Because after the comment suggesting that emails sent to abuse will receive the same automated spam-defeating instant reply (which didn't happen for either message I sent) that a person gets after sending an email to support, I'm STILL not sure you guys even received my complaints. As far as I can tell, there WAS some problem with you receiving them, so perhaps you never did!

I can live with not knowing exactly what you did to the person in question (though it seems very odd that such a person is still around actively playing in BBO after hearing she is, apparently, notorious for bad behavior), but not even being sure you even RECEIVED my complaint is another thing altogether.

[diana_eva]

Right after the anti-spam automatic reply from abuse department, each complainer receives another mail, informing them that a ticked has been opened regarding their issue and the complaint is being investigated.

[Chas_P]

It is also a big help to abuse if you attach some visual proof to your complaint....a screensnap if it's abusive language or links to suspicious boards if it's suspected cheating. That doesn't mean the complaint is not investigated if there is no visual proof; it is. But the old saw about a picture being worth 1,000 words definitely holds true here.

[dmsJack]

I sent two very different messages to the abuse address, one with a screenshot attachment (as the director advised me to do) and one without. I got nothing back from either one, either automated or otherwise.

[RedCat08]

dmsJack, on Jun 3 2010, 04:02 PM, said:

I sent two very different messages to the abuse address, one with a screenshot attachment (as the director advised me to do) and one without.  I got nothing back from either one, either automated or otherwise.

So, sounds to me as if your spam filter is catching the automated replies, since they are, ..., automated! Next time, check your spam file.

My two cents from a total newbie.

[dmsJack]

Nope. I use a gmail address. If the replies were considered spam, they would have gone into the spam folder and I would have seen them. That didn't happen.

[H_KARLUK]

It all depends action and reaction. The matter is trying to untie a knot or just cut it.

One day there could be a serious need to examine with scientific methods how anger has influenced thoughts, feelings, and attitudes, then wasted valuable time of online bridge game.

When that day comes I guess online seminars issued by professionals about anger management group treatment plan might work well.

I believe many people in need of learning to analyze, how to identify an anger episode.

Any form of online ban could not serve psychological first aid for stress disorders.

[Tola18]

Talking about lacking working communications with the abuse dep, I too had a rather curious example some year ago.

One of my very young junior friends did get a three year ban. His friend got two year, for lending his computer to the abuser. Reason? He said "You bloody beginner" or something like that, to a wellknown expert player.

Of course nothing proper nor thrue, but three years was of course rather juicy for that.

Afaik there was no other incidents, and the boy also definitely denyied there was any, when I talked with him. I believe him, as he never had any bad manners when I played with him nor kibitzed as I often did at that time

So I, being one of BBO´s junior mentors - and his too, did wrote a polite letter to Abuse asking what happened and if something could be done. (yes, I got through this spam-defence mentioned above).

No answer. No answer to the copy either.

Although more of us mentors did acted. One heavy weighter, an US National( i think), did talked with Abuse (Uday?), and did got this ban on them youngsters lifted. I presume against a promise to talk seriously with them boys. As they did told me they had in fact such a serious talk with this mentor.

All in all, they did get in the end one week ban each when the ban got lifted after everything was said and done. Which is just about a harsh, but proper and good lesson.

But our BBO lesson is. One big shot can get you three year ban practically just like that, and another big shot - can see to get it lifted, almost with the same ease.


I do love BBO and the people online, and I do love the staff which is usually doing a great job helping us enjoy. Im online almost every day since several years.
But some of my heart did sunk down here...

[dmsJack]

Ok, well, there is definitely something wrong when I try to send a message, cuz I sent another one to test it and see if I'd get the automated response, and I didn't get it this time either.

Jacki is working with me to try to figure out why the messages don't get through.

I am willing to take their word for it that abuse complaints are taken seriously and are dealt with, albeit in a covert way. But first I gotta figure out why my complaint didn't get through to them in the first place.

[Bbradley62]

Clearly, you don't want to be publishing the names of players who received warnings, reprimands, etc. However, it might give players a warm fuzzy feeling about Abuse@, and bad apples might behave better, if there were a periodic report in the "BBO Today" area to give a summary of actions taken. This could be as simple as: "Last week we received 200 reports of unsportsmanlike behavior; 20 players were issued warnings, 4 received short-term suspensions of their BBO privileges and 1 was banned for life."

[barmar]

It might be a good idea to provide a place for that information on the web site, but I'm not sure you want to put it up front in BBO Today.

[peachy]

barmar, on Jun 16 2010, 07:13 PM, said:

It might be a good idea to provide a place for that information on the web site, but I'm not sure you want to put it up front in BBO Today.

Why would a a direct link from the "News" be not a good idea if this information is in some manner made available to members? I think it is the perfect place, once a month maybe.

[matmat]

ever read the weekly police blogs in local newspapers? they're hilarious!

[barmar]

peachy, on Jun 17 2010, 12:32 AM, said:

barmar, on Jun 16 2010, 07:13 PM, said:

It might be a good idea to provide a place for that information on the web site, but I'm not sure you want to put it up front in BBO Today.

Why would a a direct link from the "News" be not a good idea if this information is in some manner made available to members? I think it is the perfect place, once a month maybe.

The news is mostly used for upbeat stuff: hyping new features, player of the month, meeting Yellows. Talk about abuse doesn't really promote anything.

I'd just put a permanent link in the Help menu. So the information is easily reached, but not in your face.