Studio

[jlm]

Internet Nazi got my post so I'll try to be a little more politically correct
Wife went today to ask about purchasing some of the proofs from our sons senior picture from a local photographer here in Princeton "no name mentioned" . Found out how high he was and that he wouldnt sell a few but you had to buy a package, well some of the pics didnt turn out that great but that doesnt matter. Oh well its his business and he can do what he wants but you would think that selling some would be better the nnothing! My wife asked him how long he would have the proofs on hand and his reply was " DONT know". Well here what we know there are more then one places in Gibson county to get pictures taken and have already got an appointment with one. What is it about the small businesses in this town anymore, have they forgot what customer service is and how to be friendly??

[Pynk Fairy Wyngs]

Internet Nazi got my post You got sniped, but by who?

[HoosierHuney]

I dont understand why your post would be deleted. You were making a statment about a local business. The threads about WalMart and other businesses are still floating around.

People have a right to know how a local business is treating people or running their business. So we as consumers can decide to use that company or move on to a diffrent one.

As far a photographers, for all the sports teams *little kids* and the elementry schools use Graper out of Ft.Branch. They do a wonderful job *IMO* and I would use them for our family photos as well.

[jlm]

Thats the problem with this site, they have their favorites and pick and choose what they want to pull. some one must be buddy buddy with the place in question. I dont like knocking a local business but when they treat the public so badly I think people should know!!

[theshellguy]

Internet Nazi got my post so I'll try to be a little more politically correct

Mabe your Nazi can share with us why your post was cut? Save everyone the trouble of having to wonder about it?

[Administrator]

Long time rule about not bashing local businesses, whether they deserve criticism or not. Walmart is a huge mega corporation, and is often the subject of political discussions. A local mom & pop shop is not. As I always say...I have to meet these people in public and up at Heritage Days. It isn't a good feeling when my website has cost them business.

On the other hand, if there is a true scam - like the asphalt business that operates locally (but is not from here)...or the out-of-town group that holds out buckets at the Walmart intersection, exceptions can be made. Unlike these two examples, that local photographer is not a scam and a fraud.

[Administrator]

And if a local business gets bashed and the post isn't yanked, it does not mean that there are favorites. It means a mod didn't catch the post.

[Pynk Fairy Wyngs]

Admin, There are always going to be people who complain about this forum. Your the one who has to deal with these people when a business is hurt by this board, or when they call you at home. You offer this site free to members and without many rules. How can anyone complain? You did the right thing.

[jlm]

these local business men should be the ones worried about walking around Heritage days after the way they treat prospective customers. Maybe they are unaware of how rude they are and reading about it may open their eyes.

[Ford_Man]

sounds like this local businesses are cutting their own throat. when people ask you about a certain post, say i haven't seen it or you should discuss that with whoever wrote it. what happened to freedom of speech? you should not have to take blame for something that someone else wrote. topic deletion makes no sense to me unless the thread starter messed up and wants it removed.

[UncleBob]

So, it's not okay to discuss a local businesses when you feel they're not treating their customers fairly, but it's okay to diss Wal*Mart? Admin - Wal*Mart may be a mega corperation, but all of the employees are local. There's just as much of a chance as a Wal*Mart employee coming up to you as Mr. Studio - why's it any more fair to talk negativly about one vs. the other?

If it were my business that had treated a customer badly, I'd *prefer* for the customer to come onto a forum and make a public statement about it. Then, if I felt the need, I could come on here and defend myself or, at least, I could be aware of what the complaints are. If the customer, instead, simply talks about it with their friends and family, I'm probably never going to find out why my business is failing.

If you're afraid to hear negative comments about your business, then you shouldn't be in business.

[Ford_Man]

very well spoken, uncle bob.

[Administrator]

1. There is no such thing as freedom of speech in a privately-owned setting.
2. A pretty good strategy for a competitor would be to come onto a non-moderated forum and criticize a local mom&pop shop, wouldn't it? What then?
3. Since discussions about Walmart are always in the news, it is a political issue. A local photographer is not a political issue.
4. I am a supporter of Walmart. Especially after hearing all of the vitriole that is aimed at Walmart in Oregon, nobody defends them more than I do.

[jlm]

This will be in the news, working on a letter to the editor

[jlm]

I'm a BIG supporter of buying local when possible but these mom & pop places need to learn how to be a little more friendly and courtious. Any business big or small sohuld be held accountable for their action and called to the carpet if they dont treat the public with respect. You can either stand up to them or coward away, I choose to stand up ! There are some wonderful small businesses that have great customer service here in town.

[Nosparxsse]

1. There is no such thing as freedom of speech in a privately-owned setting.
2. A pretty good strategy for a competitor would be to come onto a non-moderated forum and criticize a local mom&pop shop, wouldn't it? What then?
3. Since discussions about Walmart are always in the news, it is a political issue. A local photographer is not a political issue.
4. I am a supporter of Walmart. Especially after hearing all of the vitriole that is aimed at Walmart in Oregon, nobody defends them more than I do.



Just in your defense, if Indiana has anti-slander laws, like a lot of states do, you are better off keeping company names(being bashed) off of here. If it is proven in a lawsuit, you could be fined, along with the person doing the typing. since it is a personally ran site....(I'm not a lawyer, but that is the way I understand it...)
I think if everyone on here is a gib. co. person, and someone drops hints, without names everyone will get the picture.....;) without names.....

[Administrator]

Obviously, you did have a bad experience. It is just a long-standing rule we've had here and you probably joined the forum after the last time it was discussed.
I hope you get satisfaction...

[jlm]

just since this started we have heard from several others having the same issues, thats why the High school made it that a senior can go anywhere for their picture. It's a shame, I would rather spend my money local.

[Ford_Man]

man, uncle bob, you are butter...cause you are on a roll.

[cjwo57]

More than likely, we can find someone who can say something bad about every business in town. However, by posting anonymously (in most cases) on the internet, the one doing the badmouthing does so at no risk to his or her reputation. If someone has a legitimate gripe with a local business, then that person should inform the business--write that business a letter or call and let the business owner know why he or she will not be patronizing the business. It may involve something the owner was unaware of or possibly be a misunderstanding.

In all likelihood, many of the business owners are not trolling the internet to find out what their customers think of them--they're too busy trying to run their businesses, keep the books, pay the bills, manage inventory, and in their spare time, have a life.

[UncleBob]

If that's the case, then Admin doesn't have to worry about being accosted by the local business owner.

However, and I said this before, if a small business owner was wise, they would prefer for people to air their gripes out in public - so they have a chance to hear them and address them.

Otherwise, the OP is simply going to tell all of their friends and family how bad of an experience the OP had at this studio and the owner will never have a chance to defend himself or know why he (or she) is getting less business.

Again, Ignore it, address it with the customer, or address it with the community. Attempting to shut down avenues of communication isn't going to help things - as you can see by this post, the OP is now more determined to get their story out there, as they're writing into the newspaper and such.

[cjwo57]

Why imply that a business owner would accost a site administrator or a customer, for that matter?

Perhaps that is the reason for not having business-bashing--too many unsupported insinuations are presented.

This is a privately administered site. Those who do not like the site's rules are not required to post here, and those who do not like a certain business are not required to patronize it.

[UncleBob]

Why imply that a business owner would accost a site administrator or a customer, for that matter?

As I always say...I have to meet these people in public and up at Heritage Days.

Perhaps that is the reason for not having business-bashing--too many unsupported insinuations are presented.

Again, the OP is going to talk about their dealings with the business. They can do it among their friends and family - where the business doesn't get a chance to defend themselves against the "unsupported insinuations" or it can be done on a community forum that *gasp* is designed to talk about issues that effect the community.

This is a privately administered site. Those who do not like the site's rules are not required to post here, and those who do not like a certain business are not required to patronize it.

Although, I guess it comes down to if you want to post here, you have to post by the rules - no matter how asinine and poorly thought out they may be.

Man, is there an echo in here, or what?

[Administrator]

New rule. Don't ever say I don't listen to reason.

You may say bad things about local business, BUT THERE HAD BETTER BE A REAL NAME AND PHONE NUMBER ON THE POST. (Because my real name and phone number are easily available as owner of this site AND I don't want anyone posting harmful things under an anonymous handle.)

Thanks for complying.

[cjwo57]

Again, the OP is going to talk about their dealings with the business. They can do it among their friends and family - where the business doesn't get a chance to defend themselves against the "unsupported insinuations" or it can be done on a community forum that *gasp* is designed to talk about issues that effect the community.


When someone is griping to friends, that person is doing it as a known individual, not hiding behind an alias on the internet. It may eventually filter back to the business that "so and so" is upset. How is a business owner supposed to correct a problem for "xyz" posting on the internet?

Assuming that the business owner has a chance to "defend" himself is a joke when anonymous accusations are made, and theatrical gasping adds nothing to credibility.

If this thread is supposed to be about issues affecting the community, then perhaps it should be moved to Current Events, where members need to be certified (names on record) to post.

[Nosparxsse]

[QUOTE=Administrator]New rule. ................QUOTE]
wow sounds like the Bill Mahr show.....:D :D




kidding;)

[UncleBob]

New rule. Don't ever say I don't listen to reason.

You may say bad things about local business, BUT THERE HAD BETTER BE A REAL NAME AND PHONE NUMBER ON THE POST. (Because my real name and phone number are easily available as owner of this site AND I don't want anyone posting harmful things under an anonymous handle.)

Thanks for complying.

Well, I never had a problem with that idea in the first place. :)

When someone is griping to friends, that person is doing it as a known individual, not hiding behind an alias on the internet. It may eventually filter back to the business that "so and so" is upset. How is a business owner supposed to correct a problem for "xyz" posting on the internet?

Assuming that the business owner has a chance to "defend" himself is a joke when anonymous accusations are made, and theatrical gasping adds nothing to credibility.

It doesn't matter if the person is anonymous or not. If the small business owner *did* happen to run across the post here on the net, he/she could easily post a reply that says "Hey, call me tomorrow and I'll see what I can do to fix this" or "I'm sorry that you feel my prices are to expensive, however as I'm a great photographer and actually went to school for photography and I use some of the highest quality film equipment (which, in and of itself is expensive and hard to get now-a-days, with everything going digital and what-not) - combined with the number of people who simply illegally copy my work as it is - I have to charge to cover my costs. If you want quality, you pay for it. Otherwise, go to Sears." or something of the like. *gasp!* I just solved the issue against an anonymous post and *gasp* I'm not even the small business owner! Amazing!

If this thread is supposed to be about issues affecting the community, then perhaps it should be moved to Current Events, where members need to be certified (names on record) to post.

Perhaps you need to look at this site more. While the idea of limiting the Current Events board to certified members only was tossed around, it was never put in place. Anyone can *gasp* post on the Current Events board.

Additionally, the Certified Members thing... Has anyone actually received a phone call to confirm their number/name? I mean, I know I haven't... Anyone could easily have sent in a fake number/name in order to get certified... :)

[cjwo57]

I was apparently under the false assumption that the Current Events forum was restricted to certified users. That was the premise way back when, so I never bothered to check it and just went on what I was told when I became certified. I've often believed I was certifiable........at least this way I'm legit.