Asparagus Queen wrote:
Quote:
NeoPets, Inc needs to stop freezing accounts. The majority of the time an account gets frozen, it is because of a mistake on NeoPets’ behalf. A good idea was started when NeoPets began suspending accounts for a period of time, however this only happens occasionally. Stopping the freezing and making long-term suspensions would prevent accounts that should not have been frozen to be unlocked in the future automatically. Too many accounts get frozen each day for the staff at NeoPets to investigate whether the freezing was warranted or not. Many frozen accounts stay frozen, whether the user deserved it or not.
Examples of accounts being wrongly frozen:
1. A user takes advantage of a glitch in the Neopets computer system, duplicates some items, and sells them to unsuspecting users. The users who bought these items end up frozen, without knowing they were buying illegitimate items. (3 months suspension)
2. A user puts a cookie grabber on a Neopets page, and other users visit that page. The first user gets into all those accounts they cookie grabbed, and posts words against the Terms of Service on the NeoBoards, getting the innocent user’s account frozen.
3. A user has a new top of the line computer, with extremely high speed Internet connection, and plays some games. That user gets frozen for cheating on games, even though no cheating program was used.
4. A user again uses a new top of the line computer and high speed Internet connection to restock in the NeoShops. That user gets frozen for using a bot, even though the user was not.
5. A user gets frozen for posting on the NeoBoards just because another user does not like the first user. Nothing was said out of line of the Terms of Service, or wrong at all, other than the second user got enough people to report the first to get them frozen immediately.
6. A user is in school, and a dozen users play NeoPets from the library computer. All of the users playing on that computer get frozen for using too many accounts.
7. A family of four all play Neopets on their home computer, and each have two accounts. The family gets frozen for having more than five accounts.
OK, having been around the summer there were mass freezings for "cheating at flash games" and people not getting their accounts back, I agree some of the games need to be looked at (#3). Some of the games are timed and people have been and continue to be frozen for cheating when all they have is either a fast computer/fast internet or a slow computer/dial-up or other slow connection and then a program is suspected to slow the computer down.
#4, well, I don't know. I think there needs to be absolute proof someone's using an ab program, but I guess that can be hard to do, especially if someone's really fast. There's also a good degree of finger pointing on the site - people see something good, don't get haggle and start yelling AB'ER! and post on the boards or start mass reporting.
#5 - Mass reporting in general. Adding that "report this message" on the boards has caused alot of problems - that should be taken away I think. People are reporting for everything and anything.
Numbers 6 and 7 I also agree with - there's too many people who've either been frozen or fear being frozen for sharing a computer - not accounts - that IS against the rules with IMHO good reason - but just the same IP. Especially if things are sent to another of the accounts (like a gift) via the TP or Send to Neofriend.
Numbers 1 and 2 - whoever perpetrated said duping/putting something somewhere on or off the site to gain access to accounts - they should be frozen and banned. Cheating/using programs, bots, etc. should not be tolerated. So I would change the wording of 1 and 2 - right now it reads as though the actual cheaters should only be suspended which would be unfair to the rest of the users and would encourage cheaters. They'd be like, so what if I cheat and get caught, I'll just get a suspension. Not that freezing really stops them either. That's got to be a huge problem for the staff and I give them credit for the work they do to try to at least curb the cheating.
Now if your point in #1 is that innocent people being given/buying a duped item getting frozen, then I agree - they should not be frozen or suspended. Take the item, fine. Better to lose the item and the np than your account.
The main reason people are frozen re: #2 is usually to protect the scammed/hacked/cracked account from any more damage being done. In that case, maybe a suspension of the account would be better. At the same time, if the baddie changed the email and/or password, a suspension wouldn't do any good - they'd just wait till it was over then go back into the account and clean it out.
What do I think is needed? More staff, maybe separate sections to deal with specific reasons for being frozen. That way things could be looked into more closely. And a more timely real response, not waiting for weeks, months or sometimes never and in that response what exactly is happening.
#2 speaks more to whatever just happened on the site with the whole script/cg/however this was done to gain access to others' accounts. And I hope anyone affected does get their account back, and back quickly.
Petitions don't work 99% of the time, from what I've seen. Most of the addresses you're looking for probably can be found online, doing a google search. Or try the BBB, they usually have an address, phone and fax number. The advertising agencies (the banner ad people) probably wouldn't care one bit to be honest. Avenue A I know is considered spyware, so ...
I really just came here and to this topic to see if there was any more information/if the problem had been taken care of.
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I still don't think that you should be frozen forever, I think a year suspension would be bad enough to make hackers give up, but hope for people who it shouldn't have happened to.
