I find it very unfortunate that it has come to this point. However, I was pondering if I wanted to stay here over the last few weeks before this whole fiasco about banning a member occurred. That was kind of the last straw for me.
I have spoken my mind about my disapproval of how the situation was handled. Just to be clear, I AM in support of banning a member if they are disruptive and breaking the rules. However, this "transparency" EF's speaks of is just a cover. If they were truly transparent, it would not take 4 days to respond to the community which is quite obviously outraged. The vagueness of the banning announcement, coupled with the lack of response, and even seeing an EF's employee make light of a serious situation through a joke in my My Poll about the situation just left a bad taste in my mouth. Its clear to me now that the staff at EF's really doesn't give a crap what I think or care to keep my business. They think its a joke.
I absolutely refuse to continue to support a company who treats me this way. I will not offer my opinions or endorse products I review for them anymore. I too am indirectly an EF's employee through the review program, and I feel like my boss ignored an unsatisfactory working condition complaint. I do not shop at Walmart, even though they may be the cheapest place to purchase certain products because I don't believe they are socially responsible and treat employees, suppliers, or local community fairly. Likewise, I will not support or give business to EF's anymore as they have shown me they too are not a responsible business when it comes to their customers.
I joined this site in late December 2009. In 5 months, I have climbed the ranks from 0 to 6.3 and in the top 50 contributors. I have worked hard and put a considerable amount of time into supporting this site. I thought this site was a great one from the start. That was until I started to see the truth.
I noticed the "clique"s fairly early as certain members really only supported their friends and ignored others. I have had a member harass me and try to tell me that just because I am 25 that I am more or less stupid when it comes to experience in all walks of life. Which was ironic as this member had extremely poor grammar and sentence structure. When I reported this member to management, they did nothing to resolve the issue, rather settling for a "both you and the other member have been warned" response. I asked this member to not contact me anymore, which did not stop for 2 weeks. Now with this member bannishment issue, these problems have confirmed to me that it is a long withstanding problem here at EFs and that they just don't care. A new problem has even begun as some people now think EF's is dating site and are treating it as such. Even more funny is yet again an EF's employee comically commented on this post, not trying to correct the idea that this isn't a dating site and posting your phone number is not only unsafe, but foolish. A responsible moderator would have picked up on this and not allowed the post. It has just become too dramatic here and is no longer objective. Frankly, I am a bit afraid to know how my personal and private information that I have shared with the community is handled by EF's. In short, I no longer feel safe here, even more so with the intimate details of my sex life.
So, I am leaving. I am removing my reviews that were not sponsored by EF's or manufacturer as I voluntarily posted my thoughts on these products. I am deleting my personal store, The Newbie Nook, which had great potential to welcome NEW members to a positive and educational community. I will not be an affiliate, and I am deleting my blog which was solely created for this site.
I may be the first to publicly announce my exit here, but I am for sure to the first who has left for the very reasons I am leaving for. EF's has clearly lost its way, which is just too bad.
If EF's wishes to get my full feedback about my experiences, they can email me through the email I registered with. If these problems are fixed and I can be shown I am appreciated here, I will be more than happy to come back. But I will not settle for something less than exceptional.
I want to thank one contributor specifically who I feel exemplifies what this site SHOULD be, ~LaUr3n~ . She not only has helped me with my reviews, but has been one of a few who have made my experience here positive.
Goodbye,
JustYourAverageGuy
I have spoken my mind about my disapproval of how the situation was handled. Just to be clear, I AM in support of banning a member if they are disruptive and breaking the rules. However, this "transparency" EF's speaks of is just a cover. If they were truly transparent, it would not take 4 days to respond to the community which is quite obviously outraged. The vagueness of the banning announcement, coupled with the lack of response, and even seeing an EF's employee make light of a serious situation through a joke in my My Poll about the situation just left a bad taste in my mouth. Its clear to me now that the staff at EF's really doesn't give a crap what I think or care to keep my business. They think its a joke.
I absolutely refuse to continue to support a company who treats me this way. I will not offer my opinions or endorse products I review for them anymore. I too am indirectly an EF's employee through the review program, and I feel like my boss ignored an unsatisfactory working condition complaint. I do not shop at Walmart, even though they may be the cheapest place to purchase certain products because I don't believe they are socially responsible and treat employees, suppliers, or local community fairly. Likewise, I will not support or give business to EF's anymore as they have shown me they too are not a responsible business when it comes to their customers.
I joined this site in late December 2009. In 5 months, I have climbed the ranks from 0 to 6.3 and in the top 50 contributors. I have worked hard and put a considerable amount of time into supporting this site. I thought this site was a great one from the start. That was until I started to see the truth.
I noticed the "clique"s fairly early as certain members really only supported their friends and ignored others. I have had a member harass me and try to tell me that just because I am 25 that I am more or less stupid when it comes to experience in all walks of life. Which was ironic as this member had extremely poor grammar and sentence structure. When I reported this member to management, they did nothing to resolve the issue, rather settling for a "both you and the other member have been warned" response. I asked this member to not contact me anymore, which did not stop for 2 weeks. Now with this member bannishment issue, these problems have confirmed to me that it is a long withstanding problem here at EFs and that they just don't care. A new problem has even begun as some people now think EF's is dating site and are treating it as such. Even more funny is yet again an EF's employee comically commented on this post, not trying to correct the idea that this isn't a dating site and posting your phone number is not only unsafe, but foolish. A responsible moderator would have picked up on this and not allowed the post. It has just become too dramatic here and is no longer objective. Frankly, I am a bit afraid to know how my personal and private information that I have shared with the community is handled by EF's. In short, I no longer feel safe here, even more so with the intimate details of my sex life.
So, I am leaving. I am removing my reviews that were not sponsored by EF's or manufacturer as I voluntarily posted my thoughts on these products. I am deleting my personal store, The Newbie Nook, which had great potential to welcome NEW members to a positive and educational community. I will not be an affiliate, and I am deleting my blog which was solely created for this site.
I may be the first to publicly announce my exit here, but I am for sure to the first who has left for the very reasons I am leaving for. EF's has clearly lost its way, which is just too bad.
If EF's wishes to get my full feedback about my experiences, they can email me through the email I registered with. If these problems are fixed and I can be shown I am appreciated here, I will be more than happy to come back. But I will not settle for something less than exceptional.
I want to thank one contributor specifically who I feel exemplifies what this site SHOULD be, ~LaUr3n~ . She not only has helped me with my reviews, but has been one of a few who have made my experience here positive.
Goodbye,
JustYourAverageGuy
