In reply to wayno265:
> (In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com) I do, yes. Just wondered why you let people criticise Outside, but not Creation Climbing Wall in B'ham?
Wrong yet again. We do. The forums are full of threads giving criticism, some maybe even justified and often businesses respond.
Often it is people fulfilling their need to to have a moan - we get lots of those and most sensible people can recognise them.
Sometimes we have to make a judgement call on whether to pull a thread or censor some posts in it, especially when the mob mentality takes over. Some threads are started by rival companies or friends of other businesses, we have to make a judgement there.
Take this thread, it's essentially about BMC discount, not about Outside. Many shops don't necessarily join in the BMC discount scheme as they give their own discount as they see fit. See all the positive posts about Outside, their prices, expertise and service.
You can't please everyone and we have learnt over the years that anyone who is involved in the business of climbing comes in for criticism as some climbers don't like the fact of life that some people make a living - quite fairly - from climbing. Many like Outside also provide much employment for people over many years. They are an essential cog in the commerce of climbing that we are all involved in be it the manufacturers of gears, distributors, gear sellers, media or the end user, the customer which is all of us are as we need gear to play on rocks.
One thing we look out for is personal attacks and when threads descend into a frenzy of negativity. They either get closed or deleted.
We have pulled many threads about complaints about gear, usually about warranty issues, after we have investigated and found out that the gear in question has been used for ten years. Some people threaten to 'out' businesses at the UKC forums after some problem, sometimes it is not a fault of the business but an indignant customer who just expects too much.
Nothing is straightforward at face value and we dear friend take the brunt of it at the UKC forums, daily. Moderating can be hellish job. It's complex, time consuming and mentally exhausting. Sometimes it is just easier to pull the thread than get involved in the complexities of the argument or the complaint.
We always try our best.
Thankfully, those who support our UKC pleasure, both advertisers, readers and contributors understand this.
Mick