I received a rather nasty email from Sheryl after posting on FT that I've been banned on biddingfortravel. She is obviously monitoring this board. So watch what you are saying or be banned also!
I use a throwaway alias on BFT, vs my real name here. I post when I get a winning bid, don't mention whether or not I use the A-B link (I have never even bothered to figure out where it is), and haven't had a problem. If that's not enough and I get banned someday, oh well, the loss of other users.
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I am banned from bft as of this morning. I had no idea why until reading this thread. But now I'm guessing it's because I posted a winning bid last night and failed to use the A-B link.
I thought the whole idea of the site is to help other people that are looking for a deal. I know it has really helped me over the years to get the most bang for my buck.
According to common Internet lore, the BFT Administratrix finds sybriatic pleasure in a well-formed sushi roll - she delights in the sensuous sensation of nibbling nigiri, masticating maki, and of course chomping California Roll (but only when cut into a specific number of pieces).
As for non-fishy fun, well .........
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Last edited by jabez; Feb 28, 09 at 6:25 pm.
Reason: quote was deleted
I am banned from bft as of this morning. I had no idea why until reading this thread. But now I'm guessing it's because I posted a winning bid last night and failed to use the A-B link.
I thought the whole idea of the site is to help other people that are looking for a deal. I know it has really helped me over the years to get the most bang for my buck.
Welcome Piratefan to a very exclusive club...although lately there seems to be more and more of us. Based on your post, my best guess would be the fact that you did not use "the woman's" link. Do what most of us do. Lurk her board when needed using a proxy site. (PM me if you need more info).
And then post your bids on betterbidding.com The guys running that board are ever so much friendlier and are happy for your post whether you use their link or not.
on the site she says theat if you put priceline in the subject line she will open the e mail but if not it will be ignored. Now I'm not saying to tell her anything damning but a few e mails expressing how she is treating people may do something. Please promote
on the site she says theat if you put priceline in the subject line she will open the e mail but if not it will be ignored. Now I'm not saying to tell her anything damning but a few e mails expressing how she is treating people may do something. Please promote
betterbidding.com
as a better option.
While I sincerely wish you all the best in your endeavors with BFT management, I can tell you, after a number of years experience on this subject, her rules are simple and easy; After 3 or 4 failures to bid through her links, you will be banned. Period.
Remember, you are dealing with a person who is staunch in her beliefs and rules. And you're certainly not scoring any points with her by referring people to the competition. As I said earlier in this thread, there is another similar FT thread that started back in 2003 that essentially discusses the same subject matter. So this 'mistreatment' of others is nothing new, nor is BFT management naive to this allegation.
BFT provides a valuable service. The owner asks that you use her link to provide the revenue to run it. If you use BB then the owner asks that you use his links for the same reason. If that's how they work and you like their service, the "tip" from using a link is a fair exchange. I think Sheryl in recent years has been very courteous in her posts and is making a real effort to do so. I've seen a real improvement, so she has the message.
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Come on..... do you work for her? There is NO way that she is listening to people... or changed her behaviors in any way.
Many of us have gotten banned for not using the link ONCE.... that is absurb... in my case... it was someone I was helping who did not use her link... AND I GOT BANNED.
She certainly has the right to run her site any way she sees fit, but there is no way she is courteous.
William
Quote:
Originally Posted by B1
BFT provides a valuable service. The owner asks that you use her link to provide the revenue to run it. If you use BB then the owner asks that you use his links for the same reason. If that's how they work and you like their service, the "tip" from using a link is a fair exchange. I think Sheryl in recent years has been very courteous in her posts and is making a real effort to do so. I've seen a real improvement, so she has the message.
No, the owners of BFT and BB are aggregators. The real value in these sites is being provided by the traveling public, who are taking time out of their busy days to post winning bid information in the hope of helping fellow travelers save money.
Quote:
The owner asks that you use her link to provide the revenue to run it....If that's how they work and you like their service, the "tip" from using a link is a fair exchange.
Fair enough. But if the site visitor chooses not to use the proffered link, there should be no reprisal.
Quote:
I think Sheryl in recent years has been very courteous in her posts and is making a real effort to do so.
This is, of course, a subjective judgment. But it is the punitive bans issued by the BFT Administratrix, not the tone of her online postings, that is at issue.
Can anyone cite an instance of a user being capriciously banned from Better Bidding because they chose not to use the Administrator's affiliate links?
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B1...I beg to disagree with one point of your post. The fellows at BB ask you to use their link, but if you choose not to, they do not ban you.
I have posted many times to their site. I don't use their link. But they are always kind and welcome my winning posts. Unlike BFT and "that woman" who runs it.
Maybe if it was so important to the site and her users that she be held in such high regard then perhaps she shouldn't have been rotten to so many people.
You reap what you sow.
She has had her website removed from popular travel guides because of how she treated the people who worked for them.
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I've used her site as a resource for many many years. Have I ever posted there? No way. I get satisfaction knowing every time I use her website to learn about a Priceline deal, I bypass her and book it through Ebates so I get the 2% commission, not her.
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Last edited by MileageAddict; Mar 1, 09 at 7:36 am.
I did use her link and explained everything to her, but she banned me cause she said I didn't answer her e mail fast enough.
So there you have it. You didn't answer her fast enough, but in the meantime she did a mysterious vanishing act for a number of months a few years ago without notice or announcement. One minute she was actively monitoring the site, the next gone. Poof. I believe she was gone for something like 9 months before mysteriously returning as quietly as she vanished.
So you get banned for not returning an email soon enough, but she can abandon her website (and loyal supporters) for months without notice. Take my advice and don't spend another minute trying to get back into her good graces and/or getting your posting priviledges reinstated. It just isn't worth the time or effort.
