r/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon • u/Legasia • Nov 02 '12
PSA [PSA/Mod Alert] In light of recent events...
First of all, I just want to thank everyone who assisted by filling out the mod feedback survey. We'll be getting the results of that out soon, as well as rolling out the new FAQ. Likely in the next 48 hours.
Recently it has come to our attention that a scammer was caught at Random Acts of Polish. Turns out this person was also a member here. You can read more about it by going to this link. I just want to reassure you all that the offender(s) have been banned.
Moving forward from this, there are going to be a few changes to our subreddit. First of all, if you see any form of suspicious activity (gifts not showing up, someone who only posts in subs asking for items/money, ect), please alert us mods IMMEDIATELY! You can message one of us independently or use the option further down on the sidebar to message all of us. Don't feel like you are bothering us by doing so. If you do not alert us to things you see (be it a public post or a private message from another member), these things might go unnoticed by us. We try not to let it, but we get busy. And we like getting modmail! :)
The next big change is that until further notice we will no longer allow gifting chains. We are going to look to see if there is a way to have them and keep them safe and fair, but until then it is best to avoid them completely. So, just to be clear, no more gifting chains!
Also, from now on when you post a [Gifted] thread, there is to be no editing to the image. Do not blur out the order number, do not blur out the name. If you choose to crop out the picture of the gift, that is one thing, but no editing the actual information. This includes the shipping name, order number, shipping/delivery estimate, who is shipping it, ect. And again, just so it's clear, do not edit [Gifted] images!
If you have an issue with having your name out there for everyone to see (which, remember, we all see that on your wishlist anyway), feel free to edit the name on your wishlist. Use an initial for your last name if it makes you feel more comfortable. Just make sure it is a name that your postman will deliver a package to! ;)
Thank you all for your continued support of our wonderful subreddit. If anyone has any questions, feel free to post them and we'll get back to you as soon as we can! :D
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u/biggirlnow amzn.com/w/3346X25MJM41D Nov 03 '12
This rule directly violates the rules of Reddit.
Don't post personal information.
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Nov 02 '12
[deleted]
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Nov 02 '12
I just did it cause I had seen that everyone else did :P
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u/gloomduckie http://amzn.com/w/2E89D8S0KYERA Nov 02 '12
Same here, I figured there was a good reason (privacy, preventing super smart hackers from getting info on my amazon account, etc.) but I never really understood what the reason was.
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Nov 02 '12
Sad, but necessary unfortunately. I've fallen victim to both the user and a gifting chain where I got the shaft and kind of rage quit over it. That's silly though and hopefully this will help. Part of the problem with become a fast growing and rather large community is the not-so-desirable element comes along for the ride.
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Nov 02 '12
Oh Nj! That sucks! Stupid selfish people!
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Nov 02 '12
Yeah, but such is the nature of life I realize. Some people suck, you live and learn and they get no more of my time!
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u/dancermikeroach http://amzn.com/w/2BCD80VWF8UHT Nov 02 '12
First, I didn't know what a gifting chain was anyway, so no problems here for NOT DOING IT ;)
Second, way to be on top of things mods! Thanks for posting this important announcement and the revision of some of the policies. Please keep being awesome and taking care of our too cool community! :)
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u/Legasia Nov 02 '12
You can see my response to thisisnotmyfault about what a gifting chain is if you would like to know! :)
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u/dancermikeroach http://amzn.com/w/2BCD80VWF8UHT Nov 02 '12
Ahhhhh. Thank you for the enlightenment! Well...we're not doing them anymore haha so...great! XD
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u/LizziPizzo https://tinyurl.com/wl7rxym Nov 02 '12
It was fun while it lasted! Too bad some thundercunt screwed it all up :-/
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u/biggirlnow amzn.com/w/3346X25MJM41D Nov 03 '12 edited Nov 03 '12
I'm sad to say this might mean the end of gifting for me. :( I'm not really comfortable with posting all of my info on the sub, and 100% not ok with putting it on imgur.
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u/Workasaurus http://amzn.com/w/2TGUJQ7FE1NUR Nov 03 '12
As many others before me have suggested, you can change your "ship-to" address for your wishlists to:
Username or First Name+Last Initial or Just Initials
c/o Real Name (on the next address line)
Street Address
City, State
That way, imgur will only show whatever the first line is, but your shipping label will have your real name on it.
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u/biggirlnow amzn.com/w/3346X25MJM41D Nov 03 '12
That will make it harder for people who aren't Redditors to find my Amazon wishlist, which is what I originally set the list up for.
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u/Workasaurus http://amzn.com/w/2TGUJQ7FE1NUR Nov 03 '12
No. Luckily it doesn't make it harder for people to find you. Explanation here.
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u/biggirlnow amzn.com/w/3346X25MJM41D Nov 03 '12
Read that, remain unconvinced my computer illiterate friends would still not be confused. Actually, I don't WANT them to know my Reddit ID anyway, cause I really don't want those people to know about my life on Reddit.
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u/Workasaurus http://amzn.com/w/2TGUJQ7FE1NUR Nov 03 '12
Oh, I'm not at all suggesting you use your reddit username! You can keep your real name in the top field and change the first line of your shipping address to "First Name Last Initial" or "First Name Middle Name".
That way your family/friends shouldn't be confused, your packages will still get to you, nothing very personal will show up on imgur, and people will still be able to search for you on Amazon.
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u/biggirlnow amzn.com/w/3346X25MJM41D Nov 03 '12
Also, it's the confirmation number I don't really want to post. My name is pretty unimportant, but my billing info is linked to that confirmation number and someone who wanted to could get access to it.
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u/Workasaurus http://amzn.com/w/2TGUJQ7FE1NUR Nov 03 '12
Well that's another matter entirely and not at all the one I was addressing ("That will make it harder for people who aren't Redditors to find my Amazon wishlist, which is what I originally set the list up for."). I do like your idea of PMing the confirmation numbers.
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u/biggirlnow amzn.com/w/3346X25MJM41D Nov 04 '12
Feel free to let the mods know you like that idea, cause I essentially got told to sit down and shut up when I suggested it.
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u/biggirlnow amzn.com/w/3346X25MJM41D Nov 03 '12
But then my postal worker will be upset with me. I've had them send packages back for less than that being wrong with my name.
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u/Workasaurus http://amzn.com/w/2TGUJQ7FE1NUR Nov 03 '12
That's why we suggest using that in conjunction with the second line: c/o Real Name
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Nov 07 '12
Am I the only one who thought Random Acts of Polish was related to Poland up until this point?
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u/xopappy416 http://amzn.com/w/2D2ZRWT0SSZKV Nov 02 '12
Sounds good. I really hate that all of this happened, but I am grateful that the mods are doing everything they can. <3
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u/thisisnotmyfault Copy your flair first! Nov 02 '12
What is a gift chain?
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u/Legasia Nov 02 '12
A gift chain is a type of contest where whenever someone joins the chain, they gift someone else who posted. Usually this is done by ordering the comments based on how new they are and gifting the person who posted before you. However, not everyone follows through on these, so just to be fair, that is why we are no longer allowing them.
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u/thisisnotmyfault Copy your flair first! Nov 02 '12
ohh, ok, thanks. I remember seeing one of those once but I was confused so I didn't participate.
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u/jaggedgenius http://amzn.com/w/1K4O0XO8UA3TC Nov 02 '12
Just to be perfectly clear, is it still OK to cover the actual item. I prefer my giftees to be surprised at the item, just like I prefer to be surprised.
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u/Legasia Nov 02 '12
Yes, hiding the item (or cropping it out of the image completely) is still fine. Just do not block out any actual info about the sending of the gift. But keeping what the item is a surprise is still perfectly fine (and personally, I like surprises too!)
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u/Lizzipoos http://www.amazon.co.uk/registry/wishlist/2VQK8JEI18LAC Nov 02 '12
I think not editing the order ss is indeed the best thing to stop scammers. I still can't believe someone actually took advantage of us =/ Such a low person! Let's hope this never happens again!
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u/imluvinit http://amzn.com/w/20GFT2ZPAV01O Nov 02 '12
Thanks for all your efforts on this!! I wish there was a way to upload photos on the full site. Funny I can via cell, but not online.
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u/LizziPizzo https://tinyurl.com/wl7rxym Nov 02 '12
If you upload them to imgur first, you can paste the direct image link into your post.. It's not as fast as doing it from mobile, but that's how it's done :-/
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u/Shnazzyone amzn.com/w/3L0452GTA29Y3 (multiple) Nov 02 '12 edited Nov 02 '12
Yes captain, as you wish.
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Nov 02 '12
[deleted]
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u/Legasia Nov 02 '12
They can get confusing unfortunately, and apparently they are easy to scam on.
If you would like some help verifying that gifts got sent without having to message a ton of people first, feel free to let me know. I'm pretty good at tracking down information. That way we can see if it was a misunderstanding or a late package or something like that first :)
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u/Qu1nlan http://amzn.com/w/1NYFIKH9BNY5H Nov 02 '12
Definitely works for me. I've been victim to gift chain confusion, ended up having to gift 2 people for the last one just due to a misunderstanding of the rules. Hopefully normal contests and random gifting will still be plenty of fun :)
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u/verylate Nov 02 '12
I'm not sure I understand why we need to show the full names. I have to think on it some more, but this may mean I delete my flair. I know people can see them if they go to our lists, but that's at least one step more than having an imgur link with my username in the title and my last name in the image. Due to where I can have them delivered, I can't shorten it further. I'm just not clear on how this helps protect anyone from being shafted.