Ban on offering of Argos codes in bargain alerts

keano25

There's people offering Argos codes on items they've no intention of buying in bargain alerts.

If a poplar item becomes available people are block booking this item to get a pat on the back over in the bargain alert threads from other members.

I'm all for a bargain so I proposing a blanket ban on the offering of codes so that a bargain can genuinely go on a first come first served basis.

Thank you.

Ruu

Have you sent a PM to any of the BA moderators? They might not all check here.

keano25

Ruu wrote: »

Have you sent a PM to any of the BA moderators? They might not all check here.

I was told post it here by one of the other mods.

keano25

I have PM'd Davy today - awaiting reply.

Davy

keano25 wrote: »

There's people offering Argos codes on items they've no intention of buying in bargain alerts.

If a poplar item becomes available people are block booking this item to get a pat on the back over in the bargain alert threads from other members.

I'm all for a bargain so I proposing a blanket ban on the offering of codes so that a bargain can genuinely go on a first come first served basis.

Thank you.

Their is nothing we can do that will stop users or non-members from reserving items. Even if their was a ban on sharing codes on thread it doesn't mean it will stop it from happening. I don't think their is many people reserving blocks, some might reserve one to pass on to a fellow boardsie that might return the favour another time. If it wasn't for the site and the users their wouldn't be any bargains their in the first place. You might argue that they prevented you from getting the JPG item, but remember you wouldn't have know about it without the site.

If their was a ban in place for this, you still may not have got a code.

Overheal

There* (sorry but it was really noticeable)

I would still enforce on a ban on it for the simple fact that BA is a relatively influential, well-traveled forum; the end goal doesn't have to be stopping the behavior from happening off-site, just as stopping talk of piracy doesn't stop piracy. Granted there is no legal danger of letting it happen unlike the latter, but there is nothing wrong with taking a stance on the issue. Boards has taken a couple subtle stances on issues in the past and they have held very well: stopping people from throwing around the words gay and retard as derogatory, or the big lovely discussion on depression in AH.

DoYouEvenLift

Is it not better for a boards member to get a "pat on the back" than have the bargain otherwise go to some randomer? A lot of the time it's actually people who reserved the items but just don't have the chance to pick them up so they can either leave it go and a random person can get it when it's available or another member on a forum they spend considerable time on can get it instead

keano25

It's very simple, any offering of codes be given a weeks ban. That would put an end to it.

I've lost count the amount of times in the past few weeks that people are on offering codes for all over the country with no intention of buying the item.

It should be first come first served, end of story, this is the fairest way.

keano25

Davy wrote: »

You might argue that they prevented you from getting the JPG item, but remember you wouldn't have know about it without the site.

Sorry now Davy, but it wasn't via this site that I learned about it.

Davy

Overheal wrote: »

I would still enforce on a ban on it for the simple fact that BA is a relatively influential, well-traveled forum; the end goal doesn't have to be stopping the behavior from happening off-site, just as stopping talk of piracy doesn't stop piracy. Granted there is no legal danger of letting it happen unlike the latter, but there is nothing wrong with taking a stance.

Does a stance need to be taken though?
A lot of users are being helped by other users.

keano25 wrote: »

Sorry now Davy, but it wasn't via this site that I learned about it.

If you knew about it before you seen it on the site and couldn't get one does it not mean the issue was not created by boards users and stock was already the issue?

keano25

Davy wrote: »

If you knew about it before you seen it on the site and couldn't get one does it not mean the issue was not created by boards users and stock was already the issue?

Just because I seen it before I seen it on this site does not mean a thing. I could of seen it days after this site did.

Just like your original statement you presuming things again, very unprofessional for a mod to be honest Davy.

keano25

Davy wrote: »

Does a stance need to be taken though?
A lot of users are being helped by other users.

Well judging by the likes in a short period of time on a relatively quite part of the forum it looks like there is people in agreement of stance been taken.

DoYouEvenLift

keano25 wrote: »

Well judging by the likes in a short period of time on a relatively quite part of the forum it looks like there is people in agreement of stance been taken.

7 thanks vs 'x' amount of people in the bargain alerts forum who would disagree. Make a poll within bargain alerts for comparison.

keano25

Well Davy how do we go about getting this motion passed?

Davy

keano25 wrote: »

Well Davy how do we go about getting this motion passed?

Quote from the charter:

Feedback is not trial by popularity:

If your thread gets 1000 supporters it will still be up to the mods of the forums, the cmods of the category and the admins of the site to decide if it has merit. This is not because of any ideas of power or control, it is because the mods/cmods/admins may have a perspective that extends beyond a single forum and have access to information that users do not or cannot have that lends weight to an argument or show it to be impossible. Similarly, decisions taken by mods should be discussed with co-mods and possibly category mods before being enacted. If a moderator agrees with you, that does not necessarily mean your ideas will definitely be actioned.

Considering you are currently holding a ban from the forum for a related issue I think its best to wait it at least that time has passed.

keano25

Holding a ban for having a sense of humour, but we won't get into that.

Calhoun

Not in favor of this, as the reserving of items by members has been quite helpful in the past and saved some Christmases.

degsie

Argos should apply a small charge for reserving items. This might curtail this activity. Maybe give them a shout and explain what is going on.

punisher5112

imagine if lets say I had a code for a frozen doll the site would shut down ha ha.

Why is it a big deal sometimes people book something and change their mind or something comes up and they won't make it to buy reserved item.

Bored_lad

I'd agree with this as sonethimes when something is all sold out every where people are coming on and saying they have codes for shops all over the place for no apparent reason other than to look good on bargain alerts or else they have multiple codes they never planned on using.
If you stopped offering codes people from boards would still get the deal except they'd just be reserving it for them self's rather than posting in threads asking the posters like above for codes.

DoYouEvenLift

Bored_lad wrote: »

I'd agree with this as sonethimes when something is all sold out every where people are coming on and saying they have codes for shops all over the place for no apparent reason other than to look good on bargain alerts or else they have multiple codes they never planned on using.
If you stopped offering codes people from boards would still get the deal except they'd just be reserving it for them self's rather than posting in threads asking the posters like above for codes.

Doubt it. Ask people who got codes for the crazy PS4 deals in the last few weeks.

keano25

DoYouEvenLift wrote: »

Doubt it. Ask people who got codes for the crazy PS4 deals in the last few weeks.

Ya I reserved my own via Argos, people on here started block booking and that's how they provided the codes.

WittyName1

I am extremely in favour of this ban.
There are so many posts on bargain alerts where the one user states they have reservation codes for a number of places around the country that they had no intention of using.
I believe boards should make a stance on this. People are reserving items purely for the pat on the back they get when passing the code on.

Calhoun

Why is it a boards problem to police a poorly designed reservation system on behalf of argos.

I wouldn't mind but the only reason for the complaint is due to the op not getting one of the codes offered. Great system until you don't get what you want.

Celly Smunt

Calhoun wrote: »

Why is it a boards problem to police a poorly designed reservation system on behalf of argos.

I wouldn't mind but the only reason for the complaint is due to the op not getting one of the codes offered. Great system until you don't get what you want.

I wouldnt say that tbh. I'd support The ban as if it started to get out of hand it could get very clique-ish between users and destroy The forum. Sure we had a lad trying to sell reservation codes about 2 days ago.

A ban would deter The practice as for The Moment its a kind of clap on The back response The Person reserving is seeking. Rule out The practice with a ban and there will be no More.

I understand The argument that its keeping The deals for boards users,though i dont think its best practice as it completely removes stock from everybody including other boards users for a Little morale boost for a user.

Calhoun

Again though this is a flaw in the argos system, if folk dont do it here there are other means in which they could do this.

Why is it a boards problem?

WittyName1

Calhoun wrote: »

Again though this is a flaw in the argos system, if folk dont do it here there are other means in which they could do this.

Why is it a boards problem?

Well then let them do it elsewhere.
Boards.ie is one of the most popular websites in the country. Banning it here would stop a lot of people from seeking that virtual thanks and pat on the back.

Also your argument is a bit pointless. Why have any rules on boards then if people are just going to break the rules elsewhere? That's basically what your argument is.

Calhoun

My point is why should boards police a flaw in an ordering system for another site.

I personally don't agree with what people are doing but I don't agree that it's a boards problem.

keano25

Is it a flaw, or abuse of the system?

Calhoun

Design flaw that any reservation system can have an unauthenticated reservation process in place. Even if it did some IP tracking or forced some level of sign up it would nip this in the butt.

I bet however the reservations that are going out in most cases are being used so at the end of the day they probably dont care as they are making their money.

jamesbondings

people helping people.... good, sour grapes when one doesnt get what they want..... "lets shut boards.ie down"

if you would like something held for you do it yourself, if not, then ask politely in the BA forum perhaps someone may be able to help you out!? I see no issues here at all

qt3.14

I don't see why the re is a problem with the practise in the first place

WittyName1

jamesbondings wrote: »

people helping people.... good, sour grapes when one doesnt get what they want..... "lets shut boards.ie down"

if you would like something held for you do it yourself, if not, then ask politely in the BA forum perhaps someone may be able to help you out!? I see no issues here at all

But it's not really people helping people and there are no sour grapes on my part.
It's comparable to being in a queue for a free item and the people ahead of you in the queue taking multiple items just for the sake of it and to give away to people who never bothered or tried to queue themselves at the time.

WittyName1

jamesbondings wrote: »

people helping people.... good, sour grapes when one doesnt get what they want..... "lets shut boards.ie down"

Also...who suggested shutting boards.ie down?? A tad sensationalised there.....

jamesbondings

WittyName1 wrote: »

Also...who suggested shutting boards.ie down?? A tad sensationalised there.....

My point exactly....I exaggerated just like you did...anyways happy xmas

beauf

keano25 wrote: »

There's people offering Argos codes on items they've no intention of buying in bargain alerts.

If a poplar item becomes available people are block booking this item to get a pat on the back over in the bargain alert threads from other members.

I'm all for a bargain so I proposing a blanket ban on the offering of codes so that a bargain can genuinely go on a first come first served basis.

Thank you.

I hadn't noticed people block booking multiple items in the same location. You'd expect then to do this in busy locations of it was a drive for popularity.

I mainly saw people posting the odd code for singular items. I wasn't looking at it too closely. I often reserve multiple items which I end up not getting. Isn't that the nature of impulse buying. Not posted any codes though.

If someone is running a popularity contest on BA couldn't they simply be given a warning. They must stand out lot a sore thumb. Kinda an odd hobby.

littleblackDRS

Celly Smunt wrote: »

Sure we had a lad trying to sell reservation codes about 2 days ago.

That was OP

keano25

littleblackDRS wrote: »

That was OP

Taking the piss actually. Read the post again. If you can't see its a joke, well never mind.

littleblackDRS

keano25 wrote: »

Taking the piss actually. Read the post again. If you can't see its a joke, well never mind.

I never said it wasn't a joke, I was simply replying to the poster who brought it up, as it was unclear whether they knew it was a joke.

WittyName1

From the Argos Reservation Codes thread in Bargain Alerts :

crayon80 wrote: »

I reserved the JPG last week when I had no interest in the world in it because I knew someone here was bound to need that hard to get reservation. And they did.

People are clearly reserving items just so they can post the reservation code on boards.

beauf

What did the user get out of it?

qt3.14

WittyName1 wrote: »

From the Argos Reservation Codes thread in Bargain Alerts :



People are clearly reserving items just so they can post the reservation code on boards.

And again, so what?

keano25

beauf wrote: »

What did the user get out of it?

A virtual high five.

C.K Dexter Haven

From what I've seen of BA and codes, users are very generous giving out the codes when asked and regulars book codes simply to pass on to boardsies when then eventually log in- -1 from me.

Cabaal

keano25 wrote: »

A virtual high five.

So nothing then, so there's zero meaningful benefit at the end of the day

Dravokivich

Davy wrote: »

Does a stance need to be taken though?
A lot of users are being helped by other users.

The Admins on Boards.ie have generally kept curtailing what users do on boards.ie to a minimum and for the most part only do so (in no particular order):

- When it impacts Boards.ie with possible legal issues
- When it impacts public perception of Boards.ie
- When it impacts the general usage of Boards.ie by/for it's userbase

If this is something that becomes prevalent, it is associated with the last 2 of those 3.

It's not a matter of users being helped by other users, when someone is posting here that they've reserved an item solely to provide the code to the first person that enquires here. All that does is stop someone who actually wanted it, from being able to get it directly.

So, as another poster alluded, Argos don't have anything implemented to prevent this and for the most part all you need is the code to tap in at a self service kiosk to purchase the reserved item. So why should this be something for boards to consider to take action on? I think there's a possibility that there can be an impact to public perception of Boards.ie as a result of the actions taken by users to reserve items and ring fence the codes with the main intent being to provide those codes to other Boards.ie users.

As it is now, this is more noticeable to other users here because we see it happening. The general public for the most part would be in the dark.

I honestly think this should not be how bargain alerts is used at all. Similar to how sales are regulated, there needs to be a reasonable expectation that the bargain alert offer posted is available to other users for how ever that retailer has the bargain set up. Limiting things to a trickle of reservation code handouts for any retailer, not just Argos alone does not provide this.

degsie

This issue is due in part to Argos having a 'weak' reservation system. What is to stop someone going onto the Argos website and when an item is in short supply (but they don't want to order immediately) for that person to reserve all the items using random phone numbers and email addresses and then wait a couple of days for the items to get back into stock and then reserve again for themselves.

beauf

Retailers having almost nonexistent stock for sale items is very common these days. It hardly a sale at all if there's no stock. It's just a marketing gimmick.

If boardsies are reserving dozens of the same item then it should be stamped out. But from a casual observer it looks like a the odd items. So why the fuss?

pleasant Co.

Over moderation comes to mind, hopefully it doesn't come to pass.

degsie

Why not create a poll on this? Can the OP add?

Blade

Perhaps we could put a note on the Reservations thread asking people not to reserve codes for the sole purpose of distribution on Boards and only offer codes they genuinely don't need any more. Or something along those lines.

I'm not in favour of completely banning the practice as I really don't see a problem with people passing on codes they no longer need. Even if it's true that there are some people reserving codes for a virtual pat on the back, I don't see why they should ruin it for everyone else and force a complete ban on it.

Personally I'm not prepared to over moderate it as I feel this is more of an Argos problem than ours and I don't think it's fair to start dishing out bans over it.