Hello everyone,
I’m posting here because I’m struggling to understand a recent permanent Wayfarer ban.
Niantic informed me that I was banned for participation in a voting ring and for multiple accounts on the same device. However, I have never participated in any coordinated reviewing, review manipulation, or voting ring activity.
I am part of an active Swiss Pokémon GO and Wayfarer community. Together, we have helped create more than 100 new Wayspots in our area. While we discuss criteria and nomination quality, we have never coordinated how specific nominations should be reviewed.
One thing that may have appeared unusual is that I often skipped nominations from countries I was unfamiliar with and mainly reviewed Swiss nominations, where I felt I could make informed decisions. My intention was always to improve review accuracy, not influence outcomes.
My Wayfarer account had a very high agreement rate, and I earned the Platinum Wayfarer Medal through thousands of reviews. This is why the accusation of intentionally reviewing incorrectly is particularly confusing to me.
Regarding the multiple account claim: we are a family with two parents and two children, all of whom play Niantic games. As a result, multiple accounts may occasionally be used on the same devices or home network, but each account belongs to a different family member.
What is most disappointing is that this resulted in a permanent ban without any opportunity to correct my behaviour or better understand what specifically triggered the enforcement action.
Has anyone experienced a similar situation or successfully obtained a manual review after receiving this type of ban?
I’m going to ask other members of the community not to comment on this situation. Only a Wayfarer staff memebrr can help you. Someone will probably be along shortly to open up a DM with you.
Well, the primary experience is that only Niantic staff can overturn this. We know that they have in some cases, but have not in others. It all depends on the evidence and seriousness of the offense.
Hello and Welcome @Shatter97
I appreciate you are posting here under stressful circumstances.
If you haven’t already done so you should submit an appeal
This link takes you to the whole policy and at the bottom is a place to submit an appeal.
Do note that although it is a ladder of sanctions, depending on the severity of the offence you can be placed on any point on the ladder. If you have gone straight to permanent ban then there will be evidence of a severe infringement.
Staff from the wayfarer team will often initiate a forum Direct Message
It looks like this on your forum avatar.
The staff do consider any evidence provided but it does need to be evidence. My advice is to be open and honest in those discussions.
We do get a regular flow of people in circumstances like yours. Some have reported after discussion and presenting their case that the sanction has been removed. It doesn’t happen often but it has happened.
Thank you for your answer.
Yes i already opened a case, but I wasn’t really heared and just got very short and cold answers.
I spent hours of submitting new stops and reviewng others. I even earned myself the platinum medal and grabbed myself a Wayfarer bottle at the recent Go-Fest in Denmark.
So it kinda hit me, that i was permabanned for something I did not do.
It is good that you have made that appeal.
I understand the response from the appeal often gets described as an auto response. It isn’t, a human will have reviewed. It was just not the answer you were hoping for.
It is worth taking time to reflect on the points you made in that appeal.
My advice is to concentrate your case on directly and honestly addressing, with evidence, the points that triggered the sanction.
Please be patient it might be some time before a team member is available.
