Hi Theo,

Yes! We use the Hall of Fame and Shame (HFS) for that. If you are a Master member you have access.

Welcome to TC.

Nanna

Theo, I think there are legal reasons why we can't just start naming people in the main forum.  In regards to the HFS, I do not see it as a "shaming" place or even a place for blacklisting.  Often it turns into a private place for solving misunderstandings and untangling things that were badly arranged.  I, personaly, have learned some things about better business practices and "dumb things never to do that I might do" by seeing some issues coming to the fore.

But those who are truly shameless in exploiting others are also brought to everyone's attention.  It has to be done in the HFS, though.

Maxi

Hi Maxi, Nanna too, by the way,

Here's my problem: (as a non-paying member) I have no access to the Hall of Shame and Fame. Should the fact that I am a non-paying member of sites as TC and other, similar sites, mean that I am more exposed to the customer that did a fast one on Andreas? There are, as I suspect, a lot of non-paying members and while I fully agree to the principle of correct professional behaviour, what methods are available to people like me to protect us from recognised fraudsters? There are reasons I don't want to become a paying member (yet, as it still feels as if I pay to get paid) and, as I said, I doubt I am the only person with this sentiment.

Please advise.

Regards,

Theo, Dutchman in France

Theo,

A master membership is one way.

As a registered member, you can see the stars allotted to an agency or a service provider.  

If you have a "situation", you can submit a request to the moderator, Musab, for temporary access.

Registered members who are active members of the community are given access, eventually.  

If I collaborated with you and wanted to leave feedback, you would, irrespective of your membership status, be notified automatically and also given access to that thread.

HTH,

Nanna

A personal view to that - The stars are quite unscientific.  Anyone can allot stars for any reason according to any criteria or for any personal purpose.  The comments, however, are important.  It is important to know how service provider and client interacted and what the story actually is.  Otherwise the statistics are relatively meaningless.

That's a personal view.

Maxi

The stars are an indication. They're better than nothing and can give you a wink in the right direction. That some people allot stars and what not in a frivolous manner doesn't mean that everyone does it. It's a tool like any other. How you use is what matters.

Nanna

The stars are an indication. They're better than nothing and can give you a wink in the right direction.

We'll have to agree to disagree. 

Maxi

About what, dear Maxi? I was merely replying to Theo's question.

Nanna, drinking Sleepy Time tea