I received a warning for making an edit to a pokestop that moved 10 meters in reality. I sent the google map image that shows the park sign moved but they are accusing me of moving it to a location it isn’t. Anyone one is actually here can see the change. Many park signs are being replaced in the area and they put the new sign on the opposite side of the path in the location I sent in. They clearly did not investigate or they would see it has moved. It was over a year ago but now shows in maps.
This is totally unfair to be threatening to ban me from the game for a legit move.
Appeal the decision with images and videos of the new location and also of the old location confirming that the object has moved.
I responded to their email with GPS coordinates and Google maps images but they gave the same response saying they investigated. If they had they would see the change to the location. It’s very frustrating because they just slap a warning on me without investigating.
They would have investigated it based on the evidence provided by the person who reported this edit. Provide evidence in support of your edit and they would reconsider. File an appeal, don’t just respond to the same email.
Where do you go to file an appeal? I haven’t been able to find any way to rectify this.
You get two appeals, each with a 20 day timer. If you have an appeal available, it will show on your contributions page. I hate that you have to use an appeal now instead of just going to help chat, and I don’t know how you are supposed to upload a geotagged photo with an appeal that way. @NianticAaron can you help with that question?
OH you mean appeal the warning? This was not a warning. This was an “educational email.”
I’ve been using Wayfarer for at least 4 years and have a great rating but I’ve recently received a warning for editing a location that has legitimately moved. How do I appeal this because the person that gave the warning is not even looking at the information I provided.
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Try not to post the same question twice as it is confusing. I saw your other post.
But here is how their policy works and where you could find a suspension appeal if you did need it:
It says in the email “note that any further violations can lead to permanent suspension.”
So that means they won’t review the edit and I am risking permanent suspension if I use wayfarer again?
I’m not trying to pull a fast one and do something that’s not actually in its proper place but I have no way to show them since I sent images and gps pins from google maps. I think if I’m going to get threats for making changes that are there then it’s not worth using wayfarer anymore.
I’ve done a lot of reviewing and adding wayspots so I understand the rules. I’m just baffled at this one where they are accusing me of lying.
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Yes sorry I just found this forum yesterday. Was trying to understand where to go to get help with this situation.
I hate these emails. I have received them myself. I have been personally assured by Niantic staff that this is not a strike against my account. I saw on the other post that you followed up the email with an email of your own, which is what I would have recommended. They are just using a template when they send these out.
I feel much the same way. I used to try to correct the game board to reflect reality. I have mostly given up.
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This whole situation made me think twice about spending anymore money on Pogo if they are just going to ban someone when it’s a proper edit. I posted the location and info in my local discord group when people have been to the location and they are all shocked I got my account threatened when everyone knows the park sign actually moved. Several people said don’t spend your money on the game.
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This is something I really hate about wayfarer. You can only do your best, you are basically trying to improve a game board for everyone while also helping Niantic build there map for free and instead of thanks you risk losing your game account.
I could understand a suspension off wayfarer or even a complete ban off wayfarer if someone is blatantly using false edits to manipulate the game board in their favour and let’s be honest it is well known it happens.
But for anyone that is just doing their best to improve wayspots already in existence, adding details, correcting or adding photos etc, it is really off-putting to get a mail like that.
Personally it hasn’t happened to me yet and realistically shouldn’t but the threat of a malicious report is always in the back of my mind. I actually back up any evidence for every submission I make now just in case it is ever needed down the road. I started doing this after reading a post from someone who got one of these emails years after the fact. I know, sad but true.
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There was a time when abuse meant multiple cases of misrepresented or totally false information. Fakes. Spoofed locations. Blatant stuff.
Then they began saying a few attempts at nominations that in retrospect they deem incorrect are abusive. You nominated it and we approved it then, we changed our mind about it: abuse!
Now they’re saying that patterns of behavior that they never spoke ill of, and had approved, because they were within the written rules, might be called abusive at any point in the future.
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Ya, this is exactly why I started keeping everything. I could submit the best wayspot in the history of Wayspots today and in a years time it could be classified as the worst of all time (granted maybe an exaggeration) but you get what I mean.
Preaching to the Choir here. Most of the players in my area don’t even open wayfarer for this reason.
The risk of losing something you have spent hours, days, months even years of your time and whatever amount of your hard earned cash building up, to risk having it taken off you for trying to improve something for everyone is too much of a risk.
Personally I think suspensions and bans should be from wayfarer only.
Anyway, this thread is getting off topic, hopefully one of the Niantic Reps will jump in with some advice or give some clarity on your situation.
I know they have in the past and as @cyndiepooh mentioned above, although the wording is threatening, any of these I have seen here are normally “educational emails” and don’t effect your account but a clarification to put your mind at ease would also be welcomed.
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I agree with all of you. The problem with the supporting information is that when the city came and put up a new park sign in a new spot 10 meters from the old one I took a new picture (the old picture was ugly) and put in an edit to the location as well. It says I edited the description as well but I thought I was just describing the reason for the location edit. At that time it was newly moved and not updated in google maps. Fast forward one year and the photo edit finally gets approved and the location edit gets me a warning. So I emailed back because now it’s been a year and it does show in google maps the image of the park sign so they could easily drop a pin and check the gps themselves but instead I get threatened. It feels like I have no voice when trying to work through it with the wayfarer staff. After all the time I spent reviewing and adding wayspots to the game as well as improving a lot of ugly photos this is the thanks I get!
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Oh now this makes sense. The location edit was not the issue, telling the reviewers where to move the pin through the description edit was. Just don’t do that again, and you will be fine.
If you still want to correct the location, you could use help chat from the help menu instead of submitting an in game edit. But I understand if you don’t want to keep trying at this point.
What a truly unhelpful educational email when you didn’t even see what you were being educated about.
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That’s the crazy thing. It asked for a description so I thought that’s what I’m supposed to do…describe why I am editing it. But no way I’m going to try again. I’m scared off of wayfarer now.
Thanks for all of the insight with this. It really upset me so at least I had an opportunity to talk through it with people who can help <3
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