Theft from a fellow allotmentee

[Chopper]

Chopper, are you saying someone had the nerve to steal from you??? Brave or stupid or both

Yes mate. It was a rather unpleasant experience having people invade my property, cause damage and steal my property. Not to mention trying to run me over. Mrs Chopper and my daughter were in bed at the time. Really really upset them. Mrs Chopper panics everytime she sees them. Its horrible and makes me so angry that these riff raff can do these things and the police do nothing.

There is a seious local problem with one family of them. Anything that is not bolted down is likely to go walkies. Several local people have been beaten up by them. One old lady had three of the kids break into her home, roughed her up, held a pillow over her head and stole everything they could carry away. Poor woman is terrified to go out now.

I know what you mean about contributing more on non-gardening topics than gardening ones - I'm a novice and I feel I post more non-gardening stuff. But I READ the gardening threads thoroughly.

Me too. I spend ages reading all sorts of things on here. There are a lot of very helpful and knowledgable folk here. So much to learn.

Chopper.

[timethatthetaleweretold]

If this is the exchange that got Chopper banned, then I consider him rather hard done by.

[Jeanied]

What you are seeing is an edited exchange TTTTWT. It got a little worse before it got better!

[Hilary B]

In general terms (as opposed to being about a specific instance), I would assume that if a poster gets banned, the specific posts that led to the banning will also be removed, so that after the event, it is no longer possible to see quite why it happened.

[FionaH]

If this is the exchange that got Chopper banned, then I consider him rather hard done by.

There are often more reasons for a ban than are immediately obvious. As mods we don't discuss the whys and wherefores of individual bans.
However I can say that bans only occur when there has been an infringement of forum rules.

[Dottie]

He should count himself very lucky that it was not me that he stole from. The amount or value of the missing materials is irrelevant. Stealing is wrong. Stealing from your own kind is a very low down trick. Sorry this has happened to you, I admire your self restraint.

Chopper.

Yep I think Chopper was jumped on and unfairly attacked for the above response. I didn't view the above as him being aggressive, he just gave his view in an acceptable way. So because he was then told off for what was deemed to him being overly macho and not needed on here, was what set off a bit of do with him and the mods. Seemed more like a mod was just peeved with him maybe from another thread and decided to attack him on this one, but as I've already said, I didn't feel his first comment needed a dressing down in the first place.

[SarzWix]

As has been stated, people are often banned for reasons that are unseen by the majority, because we work hard to keep the forums clear of anything that may upset people. The reason this forum is so popular is because we don't tolerate the sort of behaviour which is common-place on other forums.
As unpaid volunteers, we will continue to work hard to keep the forums a friendly place to be, as agreed with the forum's Administrators. If anyone prefers the argumentative, and sometimes downright nasty, atmosphere allowed elsewhere, then....?

[di]

Seems to me,one minute the Mods are being thanked for keeping the Vine a happy place where everyone feels comfortable...the next they're being attacked for a decision to ban someone whom they view as not keeping to the values of the place.
I don't particularly see the need to get involved but would like to point out there was a far more aggressive post from said person on another thread(Noisy Neighbours)...maybe we just need to trust that the Mods had their reasons,had possibly already warned them to tone it down a bit and leave it at that?

[Seahorse]

This correspondence is now closed.