tPF authenticator discussion
- Thread starter missbanff
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This exactly, thank you for saying what I have felt about the AF for quite some time. That's why I don't use them anymore, I would rather pay for a professional authentication. Much less drama and you know you'll get an answer on your bag.
I will say in defense of the authenticators however that there are some members who DO act entitled but that's no different than working in any service industry. From the amount of complaints and unhappiness on their parts one wonders why they still do it. When I got burned out on retail I QUIT retail and that was a paying job! I had to be nice to everyone despite not being treated well on many occasions, and of course that was face to face.
I agree with you that the authenticators should just ignore those who demand (or even ask nicely) questions that they aren't supposed to answer. By engaging they just look combative and it doesn't make for pleasant reading and makes the forum look like a contentious place.
I work from home and pop onto these forums occasionally to take a break from my work. I like to find happy, helpful people, not snark......it doesn't reflect well on these forums.
Luckily I have found some boards that seem like a breath of fresh air compared to others on here and those are the ones I choose to frequent....I love the variety here!
They do it because they want to help people
At the same time, they are NOT being paid, so they don't have to put up with as much crap, as somebody who is paid for a company
people come here for FREE advice yet, some come with an entitled attitude, and
that is not something that people should put up with.
fact is, this is a forum with people from ALL over the world, and sometimes
some people from some countries can be more blunt than others Cultural differences can sometimes come into play, also some people are communicating in English when that is not their primary language.They could be Swedish, or Norwegian.. By the way, I mean that in general,
NOT always.. for example, I LOVE the way Australians comment, I notice hat sometimes, they tend to be very blunt and straight forward,
I LOVE their Bluntness, in that I don't have to TRY too figure out what they are trying to say . It is all right there
However, I do see that sometimes people tend to get offended rather easily
EVERY forum is going to have some snark that is just the internet
It is how people respond to that snark, that makes a difference.
I've had people get snarky with me, I try not to take it personally, and
I TRY to remain diplomatic.
I can NOT control how other people act, I can only control how I ACT.
The Trick is, if somebody gets snarky with you, kill them with kindness
It is hard to be snarky with somebody who is being extremely polite .
and of course, NEVER take anything personally
When certain paid "professionals" are wrong (at least) 25% of the time and at worst, more often, I will certainly avoid recommending them for the brands I know they're wrong about!
I saw a comment concerning the fact that one of the authenticators here also has their own business. I find it extremely generous that someone is willing to help for free when it is their livelihood. Very kind. Yes, it may encourage those who have been helped to go to them for required documentation in a case. In the meantime, they are giving away their time and expertise. I say a big thank you!
BB, yes, I agree, if paid authenticators are known for making mistakes, folks should not be recommending their services.
BB, yes, I agree, if paid authenticators are known for making mistakes, folks should not be recommending their services.
There are a FEW Authenticators in business that have made TERRIBLE errors
Errors that cost people A LOT OF MONEY Buyers as well as sellers..
Just because somebody says they can authenticate and charges for this service,
does NOT mean they are GOOD at it..
This is true of EVERY profession
Plastic Surgery Dentists Doctors etc etc
I know that I once suggested ******************, BUT I would not EVER suggest them NOW .
Same with Carol Diva I would NEVER go to either of these authenticators
now
MANY of the people who GIVE their FREE time to the Authenticate This threads
are PAID authenticators either with their own business Or, with
other authentication businesses .
Personally, I would only use Authenticate 4U..
they are VERY GOOD.. have a spotless reputation and their prices are
a LOT better than most .
Because of the brands I buy, when I use an authenticator, it is because
I am pretty sure of whether the bag is authentic or not .
I only use them if I need to help confirm for a buyer
OR, because I accidentally bought a fake and need a letter
By the way, ALL authentications are opinions..
This is true of handbag authenticators, autograph authenticators
and art authenticators
I agree They are offering to help people with their free time
That is cause for respect, in my opinion..
I agree with you but just because they aren't getting "paid" they still have to come off as professionals......I never said it was easyThey do it because they want to help people
At the same time, they are NOT being paid, so they don't have to put up with as much crap, as somebody who is paid for a company
people come here for FREE advice yet, some come with an entitled attitude, and
that is not something that people should put up with.
fact is, this is a forum with people from ALL over the world, and sometimes
some people from some countries can be more blunt than others Cultural differences can sometimes come into play, also some people are communicating in English when that is not their primary language.They could be Swedish, or Norwegian.. By the way, I mean that in general,
NOT always.. for example, I LOVE the way Australians comment, I notice hat sometimes, they tend to be very blunt and straight forward,
I LOVE their Bluntness, in that I don't have to TRY too figure out what they are trying to say . It is all right there
However, I do see that sometimes people tend to get offended rather easily
EVERY forum is going to have some snark that is just the internet
It is how people respond to that snark, that makes a difference.
I've had people get snarky with me, I try not to take it personally, and
I TRY to remain diplomatic.
I can NOT control how other people act, I can only control how I ACT.
The Trick is, if somebody gets snarky with you, kill them with kindness
It is hard to be snarky with somebody who is being extremely polite .
and of course, NEVER take anything personally
but by the same token because this isn't a paying job there's no real incentive for them to continue unless they love it.And from what I've been reading here some of them obviously don't.
The complaints are ongoing, even though the mods have indicated that they're working on re-vamping the AT forums. If I were an AT (and thankfully I'm not) I would ignore those who pose questions that shouldn't be answered in the first place.....simply don't engage and just move on to your next AT.
It can probably be like being the 'Complaint' department in a store (if they had such a thing).
That's how I would handle it personally unless the AT's have been told that they HAVE TO respond to each person, which I don't think they're required to do but correct me if I'm wrong.
I responded to a comment from vlad that none of the authenticators work as paid authenticators on the side.
A little transparency would be nice.
May I ask why this is a issue? If someone doesn't trust this person because if their business then use a paid service. To be on TPF and give advice to so many people out of their time for free is something I am very grateful for.
They do it because they want to help people
At the same time, they are NOT being paid, so they don't have to put up with as much crap, as somebody who is paid for a company
people come here for FREE advice yet, some come with an entitled attitude, and
that is not something that people should put up with.
fact is, this is a forum with people from ALL over the world, and sometimes
some people from some countries can be more blunt than others Cultural differences can sometimes come into play, also some people are communicating in English when that is not their primary language.They could be Swedish, or Norwegian.. By the way, I mean that in general,
NOT always.. for example, I LOVE the way Australians comment, I notice hat sometimes, they tend to be very blunt and straight forward,
I LOVE their Bluntness, in that I don't have to TRY too figure out what they are trying to say . It is all right there
However, I do see that sometimes people tend to get offended rather easily
EVERY forum is going to have some snark that is just the internet
It is how people respond to that snark, that makes a difference.
I've had people get snarky with me, I try not to take it personally, and
I TRY to remain diplomatic.
I can NOT control how other people act, I can only control how I ACT.
The Trick is, if somebody gets snarky with you, kill them with kindness
It is hard to be snarky with somebody who is being extremely polite .
and of course, NEVER take anything personally
There is blunt and then there is rude. This is the Internet and sometimes/often comments can be misinterpreted.
I love a bit of snark, but not when it is directed at a person asking or answering a question.
Certainly some of the people requesting authentication may have a sense of entitlement -- "authenticate my bag NOW, or you don't know what you're talking about.." -- but I would go so far to say that authenticators can get very condescending and patronizing -- "how dare someone question my judgement OR when you've been around the forums a bit longer then you'll understand."
Mutual respect goes a long way.
Perhaps there could be some way that could prohibit people from posting in the AF until they have read and acknowledged they understand the rules, and that if the request format isn't followed your item won't be authenticated nor will your post be acknowledged.
Sounds good to me, I agree about mutual respect. And quite frankly I'm so over excusing rudeness because it's "the internet", as if that give one carte blanche to act like a jerk whenever they feel like it.
Manners are manners, wherever you are and however you're trying to communicate. I never feel entitled to be rude just because I'm typing on a computer.
I wonder if we all got together for dinner (this could only work if people's photos weren't in their avatars of course) if we could figure out who was who from this forum just from having conversations with them?
It would be an interesting experiment.
Why does someone who's doing a service out of the goodness of her heart have to "come off as professionals?"I agree with you but just because they aren't getting "paid" they still have to come off as professionals......I never said it was easy
And from what I've been reading here some of them obviously don't.
There's a huge difference between being rude and being straightforward. What you seem to consider as rude or non-professional isn't necessarily rudeness. It's just not coddling someone who considers that they're "owed" a response to their authentication request.
It's not a matter of "loving it." Every authenticator I've seen does what they do NOT because they love authenticating but because they HATE seeing buyers get ripped off by sellers who peddle fakes and they hate seeing sellers having unwarranted accusations of having sold fakes.
The reason the complaints are ongoing is because the issues are ongoing. Posters who don't follow the required format demand responses to their requests, continually bump their requests when they've been ignored and argue that they deserve certain information.
As long as rude and/or entitled posters post, authenticators will complain. And that's not really something that revamping the AT threads will fix.
I'll ask the question again then, why not simply ignore those who can't seem to follow the rules?
Or those who come back with rude or "entitlement" questions? Why engage at all, I would think that the AT's time is more important to them than to waste time with that kind of back and forth since there are so many who need AT's and DO know how to follow the rules.
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