A few months ago, I tried to update a Point of Interest in my city that was outdated. On Niantic’s map, it was still listed as a business that had closed months earlier, but in the same spot, a completely different establishment was already operating. I submitted the update once and it was rejected with the excuse that the place wasn’t what I was describing. I tried again with better photos and a clear explanation that the location was outdated. There was no further response, and a few days later I received a ban on my account—which also caused me to lose access to my Pokémon GO account. In other words, I wasn’t trying to create a new waypoint outside the rules, I wasn’t trying to move an existing one, I was simply trying to update the name and photo to reflect what’s actually there today. Yet this pathetic system from this mediocre company (or unprepared employees) didn’t have the intelligence to do even a basic investigation before making such a drastic decision. I invested a huge amount of time and money into my Pokémon GO account just to lose it all because of this ridiculous company’s incompetence. It’s sad to see the Pokémon Company entrust such an important name and franchise to such an unprepared company like this.
So sorry you found the forum this way, but I hope you can get some answers here.
While it makes sense to us that the Wayspot should reflect what is actually there in real life, that is not how the Wayfarer system works. The Wayspot goes with the point of interest that was submitted, not with a physical location. If the point of interest that was originally accepted is gone, the Wayspot needs to be reported for removal. Trying to change the Wayspot to reflect what is at the location currently is considered “repurposing,” which is a type of abuse.
Often staff will start a DM with someone after they have posted here, where you can have a frank conversation in private.
Hello and Welcome @leopupp0505
Cyndie has already explained that this is termed repurposing and is why you have found yourself in this situation.
If you haven’t already done so we always recommend you submit an appeal. You should have a link in one of the emails. These are reviewed by staff.
It might also be useful to familiarise yourself with the enforcement policy.
Are there any further details you wish to share about the location or the ban?
Niantic staff are unlikely to be around for several hours and they normally do start a DM if there are points you wish to query
I understand, but if “reusing” isn’t allowed because it’s considered abuse, then they shouldn’t leave the modification option active in the first place. That’s literally leading people into making mistakes, which is already a serious and fundamental failure right from the start. The company can’t punish a user for using a tool they themselves provided. If using the wayspot modification option is against the rules, then they should just remove that feature instead of harming people who are doing a “FREE” service for this mediocre company.
I completely get your frustration, and hope you get to explain this to staff. Please do explain what you were thinking in an appeal as suggested by @elijustrying whether they DM you on the forum or not - but I do see NianticAaron most active in the morning hours for me, so it may be quite a while before they address this post.
We do need to have the possibility of editing after the fact. Typos get through, more information is uncovered, a remodel changes the appearance but it is still the same point of interest, just sporting a fresh coat of paint, etc.
I understand the anger, but I don’t think insulting the company is the way to establish good will.
The trouble with this is that they don’t know that this place no longer exists. Wayspots don’t get automatically removed when the object they represent no longer exists. I’m not even sure how such a thing could be automated to be fair.
Instead, they rely on people like us to use those modification options to report the removal of wayspots that no longer exist. That’s the option you should’ve used instead. Then they’d check it and let you know whether your report was accepted or not. If the report came back with the wrong decision, then you’d come here to appeal it with evidence that the wayspot no longer exists.
In that case, the option should be to report a Wayspot that no longer exists, not to edit it. As it is now, it misleads users into making mistakes. It doesn’t make sense to have a feature that cannot actually be used. It’s like Apple trying to forbid iPhone owners from using their phone’s cameras—it simply makes no sense.
And saying that Niantic is incompetent because of this is not an insult, it’s an observation. The facts are there, and they leave no room for doubt.
In that case, the option should be to report a Wayspot that no longer exists, not to edit it. As it is now, it misleads users into making mistakes. It doesn’t make sense to have a feature that cannot actually be used. It’s like Apple trying to forbid iPhone owners from using their phone’s cameras—it simply makes no sense.
The reason a POI should not be re-purposed is that the original business was voted on and the consensus was that it should accepted.
The new business has not been voted on so nobody has had the chance to state whether it should be accepted.
Example: Original business is a “geek store” that had evidence that it held regular gaming events so this passed as “Social”. This was replaced with a “Vape Shop”, this should not be accepted.
In regards to a ban, IMO and with what you have stated this does seem heavy handed if it was due to a mis-understanding. Are you sure the ban could not have been due to something else and this was just a co-incidence.
We can only make assumptions that this is the reason for the ban and your are giving all the facts so I would wait and hopefully a member of staff will open a DM with you to explain.
Good luck.
I fully understand the reasons why it was not accepted. However, if they are not capable of evaluating and verifying that a given point no longer exists, then they should improve their tools or remove the Wayspot editing option altogether. Users should not be punished for the company’s lack of investigative capability.
They depend on us to create these Wayspots, and when they try to do it on their own, they end up creating absurd results. In my city, for example, there are numerous Wayspots that don’t even have photos or titles, clearly created automatically.
So if they are not capable of doing their own job efficiently without relying on us to work for free, then they should at least value and respect us, and make sure their tools are actually effective—not a trap for those who are trying to help.
Can you share the suspension email? We can see if that nomination is what trigger the suspension or no
The email will look like this
I never received any email informing me about the ban. I only found out one day when I tried to log into my account and was met with a message stating a 10-year ban. The last email I received from Niantic was the one about the rejection of the edit I submitted.
Then the suspension may not come from wayfarer. but only staff can confirm this if you didnt receive any email. Please wait for niantic staff to initiate DM
It’s the only explanation, since I tried to edit that Wayspot four times, and on the last submission I received the ban right afterward. It would have to be an incredible coincidence otherwise, since that was the only thing I did that could, in theory, have violated the company’s policies without me realizing it.
Try checking your old email. Maybe your game account got linked to different email in the past
Hey @leopupp0505 ,
These are some really strong words based on an incorrect hypothesis. Nevertheless, we respect your sentiments.
I looked into your account, and I can confirm that Wayfarer had nothing to do with the suspension of your account. Your account was suspended for in-game violations.
Please reach out to Pokémon GO support for any further information.
Best,
Just when I was about to answer that I have never seen someone receive a 10-year ban for a single instance of repurposing, Aaron confirms that Wayfarer had nothing to do with the ban. To everyone else, please keep examples like this in mind. People never want to admit that they broke the rules. They will almost always build a narrative around the system being broken or bad and that it’s not their fault. Reader beware.
I just want to speak up for @TjoeMi who regularly posts on the suspension threads showing the emails that get received and says that they were correctly suspended a while back.
I absolutely love that you will share this with people, and I love even more how important a part of the community you have become! ty!
I was ready to feel quite sorry for @leopupp0505 for getting a ban or suspension for repurposing because I do feel very strongly that the topic of repurposing is really difficult to understand and goes against basic common sense - it would be extremely easy to get into trouble for genuinely trying to tidy up and correct things. However it seems like that had nothing to do with what happened. I do think its worth raising though that the repurposing rules should be written down clearly into criteria and publicised so that people understand how to update anything that isn’t a mural to niantic’s satisfaction