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Accepted Appeal Review for 76561198007698230 (thejellydude)

Discussion in 'Archived Appeals' started by thejellydude, Feb 7, 2019.

  1. thejellydude

    thejellydude Banned on SteamRep

    Messages:
    9
    Steam:
    STEAM_0:0:23716251
    Appeal Review Request
    Reminder: Appeal reviews are not appeals!

    Reason for Appeal Review: SteamRep's policies have retroactively changed, and my offense is no longer taggable
    Past Appeal: https://forums.steamrep.com/threads...-thejellydude-banned-by-sr.97040/#post-267558

    Steam profile: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198007698230 (thejellydude)

    Make your case:
    Hi all,

    My case is an old one and one that I think a lot of veteran admins may be familiar with. It's been a while, and I was hoping to see if I could get my tag removed. I haven't tried to avoid the tag and have dealt with the consequences of it for over seven years now.

    In a nutshell, this is what happened: Around seven years ago, back when TF2 was pay-to-play, I had an account I would let friends use to play. One of them used one of these accounts to run on a Spycrab. It must have been for a low-level item as I only had default items on that account. Regardless, as soon as I heard about it, I tried to reach out to SteamRep to find the person and give them whatever item they were scammed for. I wasn't in trouble initially, but rather I reached out to the admins. After spending a significant time searching, we couldn't find anyone, and it was deemed that since I was unable to find them, I would be held accountable for the ban. I think the ban by this community was eventually overturned by said community (It's referenced in my 2012 appeal here), but as the links are dead, I am admittedly not entirely sure if that's the case, as I don't remember.

    As mentioned, a little over three years ago, I attempted to make a "third" appeal. (My first appeal was invalid, and I fixed the info in my second, so this was my second "real" appeal.) This was due to the fact the Noobinator (The admin that looked at my case) suggested that I follow up if it looked like things had changed in a few years from my ban. Since my ban, the SteamRep community has changed significantly. Things such as the "Change of heart, won't scam again" option, as well as caution tags with a probationary period were added to SteamRep. I attempted to make my second appeal, but it was immediately denied due to the "Only one appeal rule," as second appeals were not allowed at the time. (Even though Noobinator gave me permission to try again, but that I understand that admins here are under a heavy load.)

    I'm just trying to see if I can have the ban removed at this point. I've used my main account, never attempted to use an alt, and have had no problems. I found a number of cases similar to mine back in 2015 when I last appealed that I think are still relevant, but this one in particular seems to be the exact same as my situation and was approved.

    I know this is technically my third appeal, but as the second one wasn't really looked at, I'm hoping one more exception can be made to look at this. My ban happened at a time when SteamRep was a lot more strict. Things seem to be a bit more lax now, it's been seven years, and I can promise you I've learned my lesson about letting others have access to my account(s). I'm actually friends with some of the admins that I met through this process, and while the tag has been a headache, I'm glad to have met people like Hammie and Mattie. I know it might not mean much, but I think it says a bit that they're both still friends with me. (Even if we admittedly haven't talked or played games together in a while.)

    Thanks for any and all time put towards reviewing this case.

    In addition, I apologize for the random file that I attached. The appeal wouldn't process without it, and I was unsure what attachment it wanted. I'd be more than happy to provide whatever you guys would like.​

    Attached Files:

    thejellydude, Feb 7, 2019
    #1
  2. You Are The One

    You Are The One SteamRep Admin

    Messages:
    144
    Steam:
    STEAM_0:1:41038663
    Appeal reviews are only granted under limited circumstances.

    New evidence not produced in your original appeal.
    Unfair or mishandled appeal (outside policy). Note: A different appeal admin will review your original appeal and decide if their is enough to grant you a new appeal.
    SteamRep's policies have changed since the time of your denied appeal, such as trading with scammers.
    Other extenuating circumstance at admin's discretion.
    ​
    You have not picked or explained any reason.
    You Are The One, Feb 7, 2019
    #2
  3. thejellydude

    thejellydude Banned on SteamRep

    Messages:
    9
    Steam:
    STEAM_0:0:23716251
    Hi, I'm sorry about that. I think I might have messed up, but I thought I chose the option "SteamRep's policies have retroactively changed, and my offense is no longer taggable." I can see it on my post, but perhaps I selected the item incorrectly. It's not 100% a match, but it's the option I went with. It's more that SteamRep's policies have softened and allowed for different options (Both in the initial appeal and how to handle it) since my ban was put in place. I'd be happy to talk to you about it on Steam or something if that's easier, but I also understand that you must be very busy. If you deny my appeal, I understand, but I was hoping that I could make my case since it's been 7 years.

    Thank you for your work, I know how hard it is to be a mod/admin. The quick response was very much appreciated.
    thejellydude, Feb 7, 2019
    #3
  4. Lava

    Lava Public Relations SteamRep Admin

    Messages:
    5,859
    SteamRep Admin:
    STEAM_0:1:46187366
    Let me clarify some things.
    That would not give grounds for a new appeal. Our policies changed to account for situations that we can't properly investigate, or we end up doing more harm than good by issuing new tags. The only retroactive de-tagging situation is trades with scammers.

    Our policies haven't really softened, but rather our evidence requirements have gotten stricter. If you've noticed a bunch of appeals being granted, that's because their cases did not hold up to the stricter requirements we adhere to today, and we don't feel we can provably demonstrate their scam. Not that we think they're innocent.

    We still consider running from a spycrab to be a scam. We simply don't issue new tags for it, which is why reports for that subject are invalidated. It's even possible some spycrabbing reports may still be granted in rare exceptions. Just like any other offense, you have to submit a regular appeal - no special breaks here. Only exception to that is if you were marked for trading with scammers.

    That said, our internal policies on how appeals are handled have changed a little over the years. Not drastically enough to disqualify previous decisions, but some internal handling protocols have been clarified, or mostly gotten stricter, just like evidence requirements. Without making any judgement on your original case, reasons it was denied, or whether or not you should be marked in the first place, I found a single issue that I felt gives you grounds for a new appeal.
    This admin should have recused himself from your case. Appeals are only to be handled by someone who has had no prior involvement with the case. Our commitment to handling appeals is that everyone gets their case re-reviewed by a fresh set of eyes, which the admin was not. Since your appeal with UTC was lost to time, and your case is a SteamRep tag instead of a defunct community tag, we do not have a "first" appeal properly on file for you. As such, I'm granting you permission to make a new appeal. Per policy, it will be handled by a different admin, who has had no prior involvement with your case. Use it wisely.

    Note: I'm not passing any judgement on your case itself. As has been said multiple times, appeal reviews are not appeals, but assessments of whether previous appeals were properly handled. Having an appeal review granted does not invalidate your original offense. Commenting on the merits of your tag would be outside the scope of an appeal review.

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    Lava, Feb 7, 2019
    #4