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How to stop all negative reviews
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How to stop all negative reviews

yoursunnyyoursunny Member, IPv6 Advocate

A provider, who shall not be named, has included this section in their ToS:

We have a zero tolerance policy for posting negative feedback on any public locations about our company and/or our employees before submitting a ticket to our "Suggestions & Complaints" Department to discuss your issue, this will result in immediate account termination without any refund.

Although it is your right to post feedback without discussing your issue with us first, it is undoubtedly unfair and unprofessional not to, which is not the type of client that we want to deal with. We have the utmost respect for all of our clients, and are more than fair with all of our clients. We will do anything and everything possible to keep all of our clients satisfied. But in the unlikely event you are not satisfied, all that we ask is to discuss your issue with our Complaints Department first. For example, if you are the type of person to run to the forums at the first chance you get to complain, please DO NOT SIGNUP with example.com Inc in the first place.

Furthermore, all of our policies that pertain to keeping information given to us confidential including but not limited to our privacy policy, confidentiality agreement, non-disclose agreement are nullified once you discuss your experience publicly. For example, if you make a negative post in public, then you are waiving your protection of privacy at example.com

This is a brilliant way to stop negative reviews.
If anyone creates a drama thread with negative reviews, their account password, credit card number, API keys, MySQL password, WordPress admin password, etc, could be publicized.

Note:

  • I will not name the provider.
  • This post is neutral.
  • If someone else names the provider or writes negative feedback in the comments, punish them.
«13

Comments

  • NeoonNeoon Community Contributor, Veteran

    Yea, ends up in a shitstorm, brilliant idea.
    Even if the argument is valid.

  • brueggusbrueggus Member, IPv6 Advocate

    Phew.

    According to Google, these terms seems to be copy&pasted quite often between providers' ToS..

    Thanked by 2yoursunny BlaZe
  • corbpiecorbpie Member

    Name them. I hope I don’t have a service there

  • Mr_TomMr_Tom Member, Host Rep

    I assume it's not an EU based host from the last bit.

    Thanked by 3Falzo sgheghele Ympker
  • JoeMeritJoeMerit Veteran

    the best way to stop negative reviews is to engage with all negative reviewers and secretly give them more resources and/or remove limiting off their cores/storage etc in exchange for switching to a positive review.

    Thanked by 2yoursunny bulbasaur
  • too many with this terms.

  • FalzoFalzo Member

    @Mr_Tom said:
    I assume it's not an EU based host from the last bit.

    this. only because you write something in your ToS doesn't make it valid or legal. threatening to break data privacy regulations/laws is utter BS, upfront blackmailing.

    heavily doubt that this would hold up in court anyway (not limited to european), but I also don't think that this is any kind of bigger/reputable host or provider anyway.

    name and shame!

  • kudukukuduku Member
    edited May 2021

    But the funny part is I haven't seen any major negative reviews or drama about the provider in last 5 months but they cant publicize financial details about anyone by just writing in their updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Updates

  • jbilohjbiloh Administrator, Veteran

    Wow that is outrageous.

  • LowEndDetectives?

  • LeviLevi Member

    @kuduku said:
    But the funny part is I haven't seen any major negative reviews or drama about the provider in last 5 months

    It's not summer yet.

    Regarding negative reviews - customer has right to complain. This does not grant provider right to expose personal details. Yet, this needs a proper, long and very expensive court decision.

    This sounds like virmach ToS on blackfriday...

  • kudukukuduku Member
    edited May 2021

    Well If the provider was not ready for the basic negative reviews also then should not have done all the promotions he did in April

  • BinaryBinary Member, Host Rep
    edited May 2021

    Seems like DigitalBS is actual "bs".

    (could also be WHW, looks like they're either ran by the same company, or straight up stole ToS)

    Thanked by 2lentro bulbasaur
  • _MS__MS_ Member

    This actually promotes making more (and even fake) negative reviews about hosts using these terms.
    Because now the reviewers have a reason to hide their true identity (unless they are using their real name as their username), and not share the support tickets on these forums when asked by the community or host reps.
    They (the reviewers) can just say that if I shared my ticket or if I post screenshots, the host would find my true identity, and do all those things (account termination, data leak, no refunds, etc.)

    Thanked by 1rcxb
  • i mean doesnt seem to unreasonable? As i read it before ive had my coffee this morning its just asking for people to try to give the provider a chance to remedy the issue with a separate department before complaining elsewhere that their problems weren't fixed. Seems fine to me?

  • lentrolentro Member, Host Rep

    @Binary said: DigitalBS

    Wow, absolutely "bs" provider. Good thing they aren't on LET

  • @james50a said:
    i mean doesnt seem to unreasonable? As i read it before ive had my coffee this morning its just asking for people to try to give the provider a chance to remedy the issue with a separate department before complaining elsewhere that their problems weren't fixed. Seems fine to me?

    "You say something bad about us - we gonna expose all your personal information" doesn't seem bad enough?

  • jadenjaden Member

    @james50a said:
    i mean doesnt seem to unreasonable? As i read it before ive had my coffee this morning its just asking for people to try to give the provider a chance to remedy the issue with a separate department before complaining elsewhere that their problems weren't fixed. Seems fine to me?

    Wanting to hear complaints directly seems reasonable. Doxing a client for complaining, not so much.

    Thanked by 1rcxb
  • yoursunnyyoursunny Member, IPv6 Advocate

    @brueggus said:
    According to Google, these terms seems to be copy&pasted quite often between providers' ToS..

    Nobody has copied my terms so far:

    • Leave No Trace.
    • Turn Around Don't Drown.
    • Face covering is required.
    • Do 22 push-ups.

    @LTniger said:
    This sounds like virmach ToS on blackfriday...

    VirMach doesn't care about drama threads.
    The most they would do is charging $15 service fee, if you open a ticket that they don't like.


    @kuduku said:
    they cant publicize financial details about anyone by just writing in their updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Updates

    If you paid with PayPal or Stripe, the provider wouldn't have the full credit card number.

    PayPal would send full billing address to the provider though, which is likely your home address.
    For this reason, when I buy virtual goods, I select my office address on PayPal.
    It's in the same city as my home address so that it would not cause credit card declines.


    @james50a said:
    its just asking for people to try to give the provider a chance to remedy the issue with a separate department before complaining elsewhere that their problems weren't fixed. Seems fine to me?

    Except when the provider doesn't have a "Complaints Department" in the ticket system.

  • brueggusbrueggus Member, IPv6 Advocate

    A hoster with these terms shouldn't be used, even for your personal labs.

  • deankdeank Member, Troll

    Historically, trying to control human emotions has never worked.

  • xetsysxetsys Member
    edited May 2021

    I have a very good experience with hosterlabs so far

  • MannDudeMannDude Host Rep, Veteran

    The type of customer who would go straight to posting a negative review publicly before even asking their service provider for assistance is also very likely to have never read the TOS to begin with.

    I'm not defending the TOS clause, it's a ridiculous notion that customers can't or shouldn't post their honest reviews and the 'get even' with them by immediate termination if they say something unsavory is just insane.

  • Just serached the terms mentioned on Ecosia and found a bunch of hosts doing this.

  • brueggusbrueggus Member, IPv6 Advocate

    @MannDude said: I'm not defending the TOS clause, it's a ridiculous notion that customers can't or shouldn't post their honest reviews and the 'get even' with them by immediate termination if they say something unsavory is just insane.

    You wouldn't even have to post a negative review. Right above the paragraph about "Public feedback" this can be found:

    We reserve the right to terminate any account without previous notification and no refunds.

    But apparently that's kind of an industry standard. And in the last 4-5 years I never had to argue with a provider based on their ToS. Most issues could be resolved with common sense and the Paypal dispute department dealt with the small rest.

  • I've read those terms from a provider who's making ads on LET. I don't recall which one, but this contributed to make me not buy service from them. In 2021, some "players" didn't understood that whatever they do we will talk...

  • raindog308raindog308 Administrator, Veteran

    @Falzo said: heavily doubt that this would hold up in court anyway (not limited to european), but I also don't think that this is any kind of bigger/reputable host or provider anyway.

    Agree. You can't make a contract that says "if you don't pay on time, you agree that I get to break your legs". This is the digital equivalent.

    Hmmm, a "most outrageous TOS" would be a fun YouTube video :-)

    Thanked by 2PandoGulf TimboJones
  • jsgjsg Member, Resident Benchmarker
    edited May 2021

    @JoeMerit said:
    the best way to stop negative reviews is to engage with all negative reviewers and secretly give them more resources and/or remove limiting off their cores/storage etc in exchange for switching to a positive review.

    Wouldn't work with me. My reviews are based on series of data, end of discussion.


    Generally speaking, every provider I review can rely on me being fair. As a normal paying user I'd always bring any problem to the providers attention first anyway. But in case a provider decided to dox my data the legal steps against them would be the nice and cozy part of my reaction ...

    TL,DR Users/customers, always report problems to the provider first and give them a fair chance to resolve it.
    Providers,never, no matter what dox users/customers data. Never! Unless you want to start a war with your victim having virtually all of LET in his back (and (not only) my skills against you).

    @yoursunny Please, let me know, if needed via PM, which provider it is.

    Edit: If I'm not mistaken digitalBS.co.uk is the provider (not) mentioned. He seems to float belly up anyway though.

  • PandoGulfPandoGulf Veteran
    edited May 2021

    Well, a provider can put whatever he wants in its own TOS and the customer is equally free to skip it to the next competitor, who happen to provide better service and TOS.

    Even if the provider has good intentions with these type of TOS it show lack of confidence at the level of service it provide. So no thanks to those TOS.

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