Skyride Issues - How to Deal With Them on DZ.com

[Meso 38]

Alright, so my original idea was to revive an old Skyride thread and just post in there, since the last thing anyone wants to see is ANOTHER Skyride thread, but I think I'll make this one sticky for a bit to make sure people understand.

I'll begin by stating what we have stated many times before: We at dropzone.com do NOT support Skyride as a business in any way, we are completely against what they do. As such we have been diligent in removing all Skyride related google ads from the site, we want to try prevent the ability for Skyride to scam the unaware out of their money.

With this said, we do not take action against dropzones who are affiliated with Skyride. While we are obviously disappointed that dropzones decide to take this route and support a 'company' like Skyride, this is a decision that they make, and we're not going to bully them because of what we deem bad decisions.

When I say that we do not take action against, I mean we will not remove a dropzone listing from our database because they operate in affiliation with Skyride, we will also not allow vigilante attacks on the dropzones through means of dropzone.com.

We understand that there are many of you who feel strongly against the removal of anything Skyride related, though one should note that while a dropzone may cater to Skyride, the dropzone itself is in many cases much larger than just the Skyride related section of the business.

I've received numerous e-mails from both dropzone owners and from those trying to fight the Skyride business scams. I'm going to highlight some of the questions that have been brought forward, as well as the best way of handling them.


Q: There is a Skyride related google ad on dropzone.com, what do I have to do to get it removed?
A: If you see a Skyride related google ad on the site, please take a screenshot of the advert and contact an administrator or moderator requesting they bring the issue up in the team room. We will then work at getting it blacklisted from the site as soon as we can.

Q: There is a Skyride advert in the classifieds section of the site?
A: If you come across a direct Skyride related sale on the classifieds, you may flag this as a scam. NOTE: This does not mean you may flag classified sales from Skyride affiliated dropzones. The ad has to be for a direct Skyride sale.

Q: A Skyride affiliated dropzone has a history of negative reviews regarding some of their ethics used in sales or otherwise, can I flag their classifieds as scams?
A: No. It is vital that only true scammers are flagged as such in the database. If you received an item that was in slightly different condition than was interpreted via the ad this would not warrant a level 5 scam report. While we understand that it is frustrating for users to receive items that they may have had misunderstanding on, we request that any flagging is done with the intent of the flagging system in mind, and to use common sense. If you are unsatisfied with your purchase for whatever reason, it is best to communicate directly with the seller about this issue.

Q: A Skyride related dropzone has a history of mistreating their staff and they have a classified ad up looking for TIs, may I flag this as a scam?
A: No. Again, hearsay about what has happened between any dropzone and it's employees does not warrant a flagging as a scammer in the classifieds. You can discuss issues with a dropzone in the forum to allow other users to understand the risks involved, but flagging them as a dropzone will not be allowed.

Q: May I post a warning message in the classifieds to alert people as to a dropzone's negative actions.
A: No, while we understand the desire to help others avoid some of the misfortune others may have had, this would not be allowed.

Q: I'm a dropzone owner who currently operates a Skyride affiliated dropzone, I'm being abused by the anti-Skyride crowd and have my listings flagged or fake negative reviews made, what can I do?
A: We suggest that you contact the dropzone administrative team and explain the situation. We will do what we can to ensure that the measures taken by the anti-Skride members are not over the line. If they are, we will reverse the effects and send out warnings to the parties involved.


Note: I am considering bringing up the idea of a separate area in the forums where users can discuss in a forum environment certain aspects of negative business within dropzones. This would allow a special place for skyride related topics of conversation as well as those related to employee issues. At the same time it would free up some of the 10000 Skyride threads from the General Skydiving section.

The bottom line being, that while we are willing to help fight against scams and taking advantage of those unaware. We are not going to personally get involved in every issue everyone has regarding a dropzone. We are not here to play mediator between two parties. Please use logic and discretion in matters of this concern.