tPF authenticator discussion

[missbanff]

There is a gal or two in the ATLV who does that - she will respond that a sale link is required, that we don't authenticate from FB, and stuff like that - it is very helpful.

 

[Rarity]

Hello,

I've been a member of TPF for about 4 years and I have been trying to help out on the Chanel AT thread in light of CB taking a break. I am not an authenticator and have not commented on any bags with the exception of one bag with a fake serial number etc which I did say was not authentic. In that case, I did say I was not an authenticator. Yes, I agree it is harmful to comment on anything you are not certain of for many reasons.

It is amazing to me the amount of people who just post very incomplete info and are waiting for some magic to happen.....I have been responding to many of the posts with a simple two line response telling them which outside authenticators may be able to help them. Many times, I mention they also need better pics or more info so they aren't wasting their time. Most of the requests in fact, are like this.

It seems to me that on the AT threads if there was a support person to weed thru these- (at least on the busier forums) until there is a way for a better system, that it would free up the authenticators time, and they could move more quickly. Most of the people I have messaged are just glad for a response and it moves them along.

It would be great if there were a way to be a authenticator in training or something where one could mentor under someone, and help monitor the incomplete info requests. Over the few years that I've been a member, I've tried to educate myself but know I have lots to learn.

Just a thought....

This is a great idea. I always feel bad for authenticators having to repeat themselves over and over regarding info that's missing from someone's post. It's exhausting reading it again and again, never mind having to respond.

 

[cdtracing]

People not posting in the format is a small part of the issue. So problem not solved if only that is addressed.

The nasty behaviour we see cant be fixed with a program or form, and you can only ignore so much. The other forums I belong to have a VERY low threshold for bad behaviour by newbies and there is a lot to be said for that.

I'm late to the party but have read this whole thread. I have joined TPF because I wanted to learn more about designer bags & am currently interested in Michael Kors. I was asked by the 2 regular authenticators on MK AT thread to help with the authentications. I do have a little more time on my hands currently so I agreed. If I'm not 100%, I will ask the other 2 to have a look at the request & give their opinion. We decided to have a 3 way consensus when we have an authentication request because we like to all be on the same page. If we have questions, we will PM each other our thoughts & concerns. I only do Michael Kors.

My problem is how rude people are. They don't read the first post in the AT thread before they post for authentication, so we put the requirements in our sig line. They don't read that either. We are constantly repeating ourselves telling them to either read post #1 or post the required pictures. These people don't want to follow any format. They just want their free authentication. They get pissy if we request the necessary format & pictures. And we have newbies that will come on out of the blue & start giving their opinions & insinuating that they are authenticators. When we ask them to stop, they say they are entitled to give their "opinions". Well, their "opinions" give new posters the wrong impression & can cause them to either buy a fake bag or miss out on an authentic one. These are also the newbies that think because the own a bag or two from a designer, that they know the brand. They will give their "opinion" on an authentication then turn around & request an authentication of their own. I've seen these same members on AT threads across the board doing the same thing they do on our thread. It's nice that someone may want to help, but a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous.

It might help is there was a form that an OP has to fill out before they can receive an evaluation but it would also help if the rudeness & combativeness of some of these "legends in their own minds" was curbed. This is where the Mod/ Admins can really help us.

I would also add that a lot of the members who come on the AT threads DO NOT do any research for themselves whether it's about a bag or a website they've found. They expect us to do their research for them. They expect us to not only authenticate their bags but also authenticate websites they want to buy from. Some of these sites require you to log into them. Sorry, but I'm not going to open a profile on a website because the member is too lazy to check out the legitimacy of a site themselves.

 

[whateve]

I'm late to the party but have read this whole thread. I have joined TPF because I wanted to learn more about designer bags & am currently interested in Michael Kors. I was asked by the 2 regular authenticators on MK AT thread to help with the authentications. I do have a little more time on my hands currently so I agreed. If I'm not 100%, I will ask the other 2 to have a look at the request & give their opinion. We decided to have a 3 way consensus when we have an authentication request because we like to all be on the same page. If we have questions, we will PM each other our thoughts & concerns. I only do Michael Kors.

My problem is how rude people are. They don't read the first post in the AT thread before they post for authentication, so we put the requirements in our sig line. They don't read that either. We are constantly repeating ourselves telling them to either read post #1 or post the required pictures. These people don't want to follow any format. They just want their free authentication. They get pissy if we request the necessary format & pictures. And we have newbies that will come on out of the blue & start giving their opinions & insinuating that they are authenticators. When we ask them to stop, they say they are entitled to give their "opinions". Well, their "opinions" give new posters the wrong impression & can cause them to either buy a fake bag or miss out on an authentic one. These are also the newbies that think because the own a bag or two from a designer, that they know the brand. They will give their "opinion" on an authentication then turn around & request an authentication of their own. I've seen these same members on AT threads across the board doing the same thing they do on our thread. It's nice that someone may want to help, but a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous.

It might help is there was a form that an OP has to fill out before they can receive an evaluation but it would also help if the rudeness & combativeness of some of these "legends in their own minds" was curbed. This is where the Mod/ Admins can really help us.

I would also add that a lot of the members who come on the AT threads DO NOT do any research for themselves whether it's about a bag or a website they've found. They expect us to do their research for them. They expect us to not only authenticate their bags but also authenticate websites they want to buy from. Some of these sites require you to log into them. Sorry, but I'm not going to open a profile on a website because the member is too lazy to check out the legitimacy of a site themselves.

I'm sorry you are having this experience. On the Coach AT thread, often we have people that don't read the rules but it is rare that someone is rude or combative. When they are, other posters tend to reprimand them and they either apologize or disappear. As an authenticator, you can ignore the requests of anyone you choose. You can also put a poster on your ignore list so you won't even see their posts.

I'm an authenticator but I'll also request authentications for items I'm not familiar with. It is one of the ways I continue to increase my knowledge. The fact that I'm asking for authentications doesn't mean I'm not qualified to authenticate the items I do.

Again on the Coach AT, we don't mind that members come to us completely uninformed and refuse to do research on their own. In fact, most of the problems we've had are with members who've done some research on their own. There is a ton of false information on the Internet so members who have read some of these guides are those most likely to argue with us. If they come to us without doing any research beforehand we can point them to the correct information and guides. We see our roles as authenticators to also be educators. That is how I was able to become an authenticator - the other authenticators shared their knowledge with me.

Again, I'm sorry you are having this experience. It sounds like the three of you working together is a great idea. I've noticed that the atmosphere is different on different AT threads. I'm sorry I don't know how to make the atmosphere friendlier.

 

[Prada Psycho]

I'm late to the party but have read this whole thread. I have joined TPF because I wanted to learn more about designer bags & am currently interested in Michael Kors. I was asked by the 2 regular authenticators on MK AT thread to help with the authentications. I do have a little more time on my hands currently so I agreed. If I'm not 100%, I will ask the other 2 to have a look at the request & give their opinion. We decided to have a 3 way consensus when we have an authentication request because we like to all be on the same page. If we have questions, we will PM each other our thoughts & concerns. I only do Michael Kors.

My problem is how rude people are. They don't read the first post in the AT thread before they post for authentication, so we put the requirements in our sig line. They don't read that either. We are constantly repeating ourselves telling them to either read post #1 or post the required pictures. These people don't want to follow any format. They just want their free authentication. They get pissy if we request the necessary format & pictures. And we have newbies that will come on out of the blue & start giving their opinions & insinuating that they are authenticators. When we ask them to stop, they say they are entitled to give their "opinions". Well, their "opinions" give new posters the wrong impression & can cause them to either buy a fake bag or miss out on an authentic one. These are also the newbies that think because the own a bag or two from a designer, that they know the brand. They will give their "opinion" on an authentication then turn around & request an authentication of their own. I've seen these same members on AT threads across the board doing the same thing they do on our thread. It's nice that someone may want to help, but a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous.

It might help is there was a form that an OP has to fill out before they can receive an evaluation but it would also help if the rudeness & combativeness of some of these "legends in their own minds" was curbed. This is where the Mod/ Admins can really help us.

I would also add that a lot of the members who come on the AT threads DO NOT do any research for themselves whether it's about a bag or a website they've found. They expect us to do their research for them. They expect us to not only authenticate their bags but also authenticate websites they want to buy from. Some of these sites require you to log into them. Sorry, but I'm not going to open a profile on a website because the member is too lazy to check out the legitimacy of a site themselves.

THIS!!

 

[cdtracing]

I'm sorry you are having this experience. On the Coach AT thread, often we have people that don't read the rules but it is rare that someone is rude or combative. When they are, other posters tend to reprimand them and they either apologize or disappear. As an authenticator, you can ignore the requests of anyone you choose. You can also put a poster on your ignore list so you won't even see their posts.

I'm an authenticator but I'll also request authentications for items I'm not familiar with. It is one of the ways I continue to increase my knowledge. The fact that I'm asking for authentications doesn't mean I'm not qualified to authenticate the items I do.

Again on the Coach AT, we don't mind that members come to us completely uninformed and refuse to do research on their own. In fact, most of the problems we've had are with members who've done some research on their own. There is a ton of false information on the Internet so members who have read some of these guides are those most likely to argue with us. If they come to us without doing any research beforehand we can point them to the correct information and guides. We see our roles as authenticators to also be educators. That is how I was able to become an authenticator - the other authenticators shared their knowledge with me.

Again, I'm sorry you are having this experience. It sounds like the three of you working together is a great idea. I've noticed that the atmosphere is different on different AT threads. I'm sorry I don't know how to make the atmosphere friendlier.

Most of the time, the atmosphere on our thread is friendly & fun. We do point out where the new members can find the correct information on the internet; one of our authenticators even started a thread about false rumors & info on Michael Kors. We try to help the new members when they have trouble posting pics & giving us the necessary info for an evaluation. We've asked them to participate in other areas of the forum so they can familiarize themselves. We've recommended they go to other forums & read the posts of others especially if it's a brand/designer that they like. But we have had some lately that will tell an OP their bag looks great to them or there's a red flag, then turn around & ask for an authentication of the exact same style bag. We had one who posted a bag was authentic on a post over a week old & it had already been authenticated by the 3 of us. When asked why she was posting on a bag that had been authenticated a week prior, her response was she was just scrolling through the posts, not reading them, & posting on the ones with pictures. WTH??? We finally had to report her.

I've had PM's from regular members asking what the deal is with these new so-called authenticators. My response was to just look at their post count/what they say & if they need something evaluated, to post the request & wait til the 3 of us responded. Our biggest problem has been when one of these newbies try to authenticate & we ask them to refrain unless 100% sure, they become argumentative & start back peddling claiming they never actually said the item was authentic or fake because they would comment things like "Looks good to me" or "red flag". The problem is the OP thinks they're being replied to by someone who actually has the experience/knowledge to evaluate. We were actually told by one such newbie that "we authenticators are entitled to our own opinion", insinuating she was an authenticator & claimed she authenticated professionally outside of TPF. When we inquired, privately, where she professionally authenticated, she refused to respond & continued to give out misinformation. We finally had to report this one, too.

Forgive me for the long post. It's very frustrating dealing with someone who refuses to stop giving misinformation after they have been asked to stop. And it's not that we wouldn't appreciate help. But help in the form of reminding new members that are wanting evaluations to read the 1st post of the thread for the format or evaluations can't be done without links & the necessary pictures. So far we haven't had the thread cluttered with people bumping their posts. We make a considerable effort to respond to every request but I'm thinking with the way things have been going lately, it's only going to get worse.

 

[anitalilac]

Most of the time, the atmosphere on our thread is friendly & fun. We do point out where the new members can find the correct information on the internet; one of our authenticators even started a thread about false rumors & info on Michael Kors. We try to help the new members when they have trouble posting pics & giving us the necessary info for an evaluation. We've asked them to participate in other areas of the forum so they can familiarize themselves. We've recommended they go to other forums & read the posts of others especially if it's a brand/designer that they like. But we have had some lately that will tell an OP their bag looks great to them or there's a red flag, then turn around & ask for an authentication of the exact same style bag. We had one who posted a bag was authentic on a post over a week old & it had already been authenticated by the 3 of us. When asked why she was posting on a bag that had been authenticated a week prior, her response was she was just scrolling through the posts, not reading them, & posting on the ones with pictures. WTH??? We finally had to report her.

I've had PM's from regular members asking what the deal is with these new so-called authenticators. My response was to just look at their post count/what they say & if they need something evaluated, to post the request & wait til the 3 of us responded. Our biggest problem has been when one of these newbies try to authenticate & we ask them to refrain unless 100% sure, they become argumentative & start back peddling claiming they never actually said the item was authentic or fake because they would comment things like "Looks good to me" or "red flag". The problem is the OP thinks they're being replied to by someone who actually has the experience/knowledge to evaluate. We were actually told by one such newbie that "we authenticators are entitled to our own opinion", insinuating she was an authenticator & claimed she authenticated professionally outside of TPF. When we inquired, privately, where she professionally authenticated, she refused to respond & continued to give out misinformation. We finally had to report this one, too.

Forgive me for the long post. It's very frustrating dealing with someone who refuses to stop giving misinformation after they have been asked to stop. And it's not that we wouldn't appreciate help. But help in the form of reminding new members that are wanting evaluations to read the 1st post of the thread for the format or evaluations can't be done without links & the necessary pictures. So far we haven't had the thread cluttered with people bumping their posts. We make a considerable effort to respond to every request but I'm thinking with the way things have been going lately, it's only going to get worse.

I did report a new member authenticating on one of the premier designer thread. But I see she is still authenticating, so I assume this new member is allowed to be an authenticator.

 

[BeenBurned]

I did report a new member authenticating on one of the premier designer thread. But I see she is still authenticating, so I assume this new member is allowed to be an authenticator.

Did you report because the new member was making mistakes? Or did you report just because she's a new member?

It's possible that she can be expert in the brand but just new here.

 

[anitalilac]

Did you report because the new member was making mistakes? Or did you report just because she's a new member?

It's possible that she can be expert in the brand but just new here.

Because she is new and has less then 50 post. I have no clue whether her authentication is is right or wrong, that is why I did not mention which brand.

I agree , she might be an expert and currently that brand does seem like it needs a dedicated authenticator. I hope she is what that thread needs , the real deal cause I am starting to like that brand...

 

[lshcat]

Because she is new and has less then 50 post. I have no clue whether her authentication is is right or wrong, that is why I did not mention which brand.

I agree , she might be an expert...

If it's who I think it is, through many uninformed comments so far I can be 100% certain the one I'm thinking of is not.

*sigh* here we go again too.. authenticating without even any hardware pics. Contradicting an authenticator's opinion that was already posted, etc. I am not sure if she has been proven flat out wrong yet, but it is still confusing/dangerous. So maybe no one has stopped her because these are not proven incorrect "offenses" worthy of interference by mods/Megs, but imo, it probably should be.

 

[cdtracing]

I did report a new member authenticating on one of the premier designer thread. But I see she is still authenticating, so I assume this new member is allowed to be an authenticator.

Did you report because the new member was making mistakes? Or did you report just because she's a new member?

It's possible that she can be expert in the brand but just new here.

Because she is new and has less then 50 post. I have no clue whether her authentication is is right or wrong, that is why I did not mention which brand.

I agree , she might be an expert and currently that brand does seem like it needs a dedicated authenticator. I hope she is what that thread needs , the real deal cause I am starting to like that brand...

I will go on other designer's forums & read the threads, especially the AT threads. I don't post but I will read in order to familiarize myself. Premier as well as Contemporary designers. I did post a couple of links on the Fendi AT thread for my SIL. The authenticators there were gracious enough to respond to my request so I could pass the info along & I greatly appreciated it since I was not a regular on that thread. Now, I own a few Fendi myself but I, in no way, consider myself an authority of that brand hence my post for their evaluation.

I have seen some of the same new members posting authentications on those AT threads as well as ours, giving out their opinions & I've even seen some argue with the regular authenticators when they are cautioned or questioned. We had reported one & when she stopped posting, another immediately popped up & began posting her opinions in the exact same manner, same wording using the exact same phrases as the first. We were convinced it was the same person just under a new member name since the second one joined 2 days after the first stopped posting. Either that, or they're identical twins. Both made the claim that as authenticators, we were all entitled to our own opinions. And both were rude & condescending. This is the problem we are having lately. I've seen the problems some of the other AT threads have...LV, Chanel, Balenciaga, ect. and they are far worse than ours. But the problem will escalate & move through the entire forum if something isn't done about the behavior. I'm old school & have little to no patience for drama & ill manners. We now live in a society where manners are apparently obsolete because these new members have no concept of using them. They are demanding & entitled like spoiled 5 yr olds. And they take no responsibility for their actions or words.

 

[gail13]

I have noticed ever since CB left the Chanel thread, members asking for authentication have gone out of their way to say thank you-even tho most of the time we are just forwarding them onto the outside authenticators. There are still many who don't have the right info, but I don't see that changing.

Someone mentioned here that very few do their own research before asking for authentication. That's true, and ideally if TPF wants members to become involved, it would be nice to encourage just that. Not because anyone expects them to auth. their own purchase, but maybe they would contribute more?

There is a mention to search the Ebay number for prior authentication, but I notice that CB would also check to find out more info-I think she searched the auth number etc. It wouldn't hurt to include some of that in posting info would it? A few self help tips without giving away too much info to help the scammers. I can't believe how many ignore seller feedback or don't understand it.

 

[missbanff]

I did report a new member authenticating on one of the premier designer thread. But I see she is still authenticating, so I assume this new member is allowed to be an authenticator.

Did you report because the new member was making mistakes? Or did you report just because she's a new member?

It's possible that she can be expert in the brand but just new here.

Because she is new and has less then 50 post. I have no clue whether her authentication is is right or wrong, that is why I did not mention which brand.

I agree , she might be an expert and currently that brand does seem like it needs a dedicated authenticator. I hope she is what that thread needs , the real deal cause I am starting to like that brand...

If it's who I think it is, through many uninformed comments so far I can be 100% certain the one I'm thinking of is not.

*sigh* here we go again too.. authenticating without even any hardware pics. Contradicting an authenticator's opinion that was already posted, etc. I am not sure if she has been proven flat out wrong yet, but it is still confusing/dangerous. So maybe no one has stopped her because these are not proven incorrect "offenses" worthy of interference by mods/Megs, but imo, it probably should be.

I PM'd Megs as well, this afternoon, including her posts. I didn't report them, as I thought we were told to just PM Megs and she would take care of it.

A helper in our thread questioned her replies and stated an opinion was already given.

Her reply included no apology and stated "i think there is nothing wrong with a second opinion".

Well OK then.

 

[BeenBurned]

We had reported one & when she stopped posting, another immediately popped up & began posting her opinions in the exact same manner, same wording using the exact same phrases as the first. We were convinced it was the same person just under a new member name since the second one joined 2 days after the first stopped posting. Either that, or they're identical twins. Both made the claim that as authenticators, we were all entitled to our own opinions. And both were rude & condescending. This is the problem we are having lately. I've seen the problems some of the other AT threads have...LV, Chanel, Balenciaga, ect. and they are far worse than ours. But the problem will escalate & move through the entire forum if something isn't done about the behavior. I'm old school & have little to no patience for drama & ill manners. We now live in a society where manners are apparently obsolete because these new members have no concept of using them. They are demanding & entitled like spoiled 5 yr olds. And they take no responsibility for their actions or words.

If you see someone posting who appears to be using a second ID, you can report the posts with a comment that (fill in blank with id #1) and (id#2) seem to be different IDs for the same member. The mods will check them.

 

[Bratty1919]

I'd like tol add my 2-cents worth.

I think there are rude and entitled posters across the board. The differences I see on the brands i authenticate vs. the brands you've been discussing (Prada, Chanel) is in the mod/admin for that subforum. If the subforum has a mod who lets the authenticators take the lead and set the tone, everyone is a lot happier.

Some mods (who don't authenticate) allow their authenticators to set the pace so to speak. They allow the authenicators to apply their own guidelines, the authenticators can comment on seller histories, feedback, selling practices, etc.

With that freedom to post semi-OT discussions, the subforum is a lot friendlier, easy going and educational but rarely leads to the frustration and departure of authenticators as I've personally witnessed on other subforums.

When a mod isn't an authenticator, it's hard for them to understand and see things through the eyes of an authenticator. They view it as "rude" when an authenticator calls out a non-expert on an inaccurate opinion. They don't get why we ask for what we need to see and aren't fully aware of the amount of money involved (both to buyers and sellers), damages to reputations and the damage misinformation can cause when allowed to be posted unabated.

It comes as no surprise to non-authenticators that NOT anyone can step in an provide good accurate information. Authenticators have years of experience buying, selling, studying, fondling, carrying their items and they have electronic libraries with thousands of images. They have word documents up the wazoo with notes on exceptions to rules, date codes, factory codes, years that certain items were made, fonts, etc.

One can not just log in to TPF and start as an authenticator and give accurate information.

If TPF admin want to keep their knowledgeable experts and continue to have a reputation that members can get accurate information re authenticity, those unpaid volunteers need to be appreciated for the time and expertise they provide.

Excellent points!!