Thread that was removed today

--- I'm gonna re post Dave Stewart's reply concerning his actions regarding the dealer question thread. Makes sense to me.

Please don't bash the moderators or any body else on the board. It just leads to more bashing and wasted time for everybody. If you don't want your post deleted please stay within the limits. If you feel unjustly treated call me in lieu of bashing on the board. Thanks. Peter 502-584-5512

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by Dave below

Explanation and Clarification:

A few folks here seem to have gotten in an uproar because I posted that I was contacting Day's Boat Sales about this post on this site. The following is how and why we normally take this kind of action on this type post:

1. If a post is made that is just asking folks here on the forum about their experiences (good or bad) with a certain business, there is no problem with that kind of post. Certainly it is a good idea to get input on a business from others that have dealt with that business prior to your doing business with them. The problem here is that the question was asked but it was also followed up in the post with a number of complaints that Michael has about this business. Since complaints were aired in the post about the business, this type post requires that the individual making the post include their name and contact information. This is required because there is no way this site knows whether or not the complaints in the post are being made by someone that may be in competition with that business or someone that may just be mad at someone and is posting false information that is slanderous in an attempt to harm that business' reputation.

There have been a number of law suits against web site owners and some newspapers over recent years for allowing this to happen. Obviously this site does not want to be named in a lawsuit for allowing that to happen. So, what we do here when this type post occurs, is to use that name and contact information that is required with the post to verify that in fact, this individual is a customer of that business and that the business is aware of the complaint. Again, this is done to protect this site from future litigation. Whether or not you or we feel that naming a website or newspaper or other public forum in a lawsuit in this case is valid, the fact is that it has happened in the past and does happen so this site must take steps to protect its interests. Normally we do not post on the boards here that we are going to contact the business and or individual to verify this information. I did post on this thread that I was going to do so and some folks feel that I was overstepping my bounds and made posts complaining about the moderator. This is why I am making this post so that you understand why we take this action as a normal course of business.

I did contact Day's Boat Sales and did confirm that Michael is a client and that he had complained about some problems with the boat and that they were trying to work with him to get the problems resolved. I was not able to talk to Bill Day personally as he was out of town. The person that I talked to ensured me that he would contact Bill and make sure that Bill personally was aware of Michael's complaints. This action verified for us here at the website that this was a valid post so we have done what we needed to do to insure that this was not a bogus post.

For Michael: My actions as a moderator was in no way intended to bash you or to try to belittle your problems. If you or anyone else felt that way, I apologize.

Since you mentioned in a later post that you had informed someone at the business that you were going to get on this site and make this post, it is obvious that was your way of letting them know you were not satisfied and you were going to let everyone know publicly of your dissatisfaction. That certainly is your right if you feel that is how you wanted to handle this situation. Again, my only intent was to verify that your complaining post was not a bogus post.

DELETED POSTS: I deleted a number of posts in this thread. Every post I deleted was complaining about the moderation of this site. The rules of this site clearly state that any and all complaints about the adminstration of this site are to be sent by email to [EMAIL="[email protected]"][email protected][/EMAIL] and are not to be posted on the boards. Peter is the owner of this site and he makes the rules. We as moderators only try to insure the rules he makes are followed. The rule about complaints posted on the site about site administation is pretty plain and simple. It will be enforced. If you have a complaint about a moderator, follow the rules and email Peter. He will decide if your complaint is valid and will take the actions or non actions he feels necessary to correct the situation. It is his site.

Further posts on this thread need only address the question/complaint at hand about Day's Boat Sales. Any comments or complaints about the way this site handles posts concerning complaints about specifically named businesses or the way the site is being administrated are to be emailed to [EMAIL="[email protected]"][email protected][/EMAIL] .

End of Message.