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Locked: RedFlagDeals should be unbiased, right?

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Banned
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Mar 4, 2011
660 posts
493 upvotes
Surrey

RedFlagDeals should be unbiased, right?

Is red flag deals affiliated with any site or something? Or are they truly unbiased?
Hypothetical: If Alibaba bought out the mods, they can make the mods move the threads of their competitors off of Hot Deals.

Also, what is a verified rep? Who gets to decide who is a verified rep and who isn't?

Just a thought.
Fulfillment: 1930, 1966, 1975, 1980, 1981 9.20 14:00, 1984 3.14
14 replies
Deal Addict
Dec 16, 2011
3097 posts
1514 upvotes
QC, Canada
they are not unbiased. They don't have to be unbiased. This is a private company offering a service, they must get their money somewhere.
That said, I think they try to be unbiased (or at least look like) because they don't want to piss us all ;)
Deal Expert
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Jul 5, 2004
27438 posts
6807 upvotes
RFD is affiliated with Yellow Pages. If there's some other affiliation, I'm not aware of it. I can tell you this, the administration expects us to moderate all threads the same, regardless of the companies involved. We have never been told to favour one company over another nor do I think that would ever happen.
Administrator
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Jun 17, 2013
18224 posts
36611 upvotes
Scarborough
RFD is owned by Yellow Pages which is why you'll often see some form of advertising coming from them on our website. We work with many retailers to post deals, flyers and other content. If you're asking if it's possible for a mod to be approached and paid to shill for a company? I suppose it is. It would become quickly evident that they're doing so through and when we discovered this we would put a stop to it. As far as I know this has never happened before.

A verified rep is a representative from a business which we've verified to work for that company. They are allowed to post in a customer service fashion but cannot post their own companies deals. I am the one who currently adds and removes users from this group.
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Deal Expert
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Sep 19, 2004
26762 posts
9330 upvotes
where I belong
RFD is as un-biased as you can find really online nowadays

Only "conflict of interest" is against other cashback websites/affiliates, like GCR/eBates/SmartCanXXX/etc... which I totally understand as RFD needs income like everybody else
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Moderator
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Sep 30, 2001
30160 posts
10147 upvotes
Toronto
jerryhung wrote: Only "conflict of interest" is against other cashback websites/affiliates, like GCR/eBates/SmartCanXXX/etc... which I totally understand as RFD needs income like everybody else
Even there the rules have been relaxed somewhat. The Admins now allow for GCR and eBates to be mentioned. SC is still considered a competitor which is why it remains blocked.
Be kind and civil with one another
Deal Expert
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Aug 18, 2005
21223 posts
5939 upvotes
Burlington-Hamilton
Try finding a sponsored thread and then posting a competitor's superior deal in the same thread. Considering that sponsorship money is on the table, it's not hard to guess what will happen next... :razz: This is not a complaint but rather an acknowledgement of pragmatic behaviour in this particular aspect of site management.

I'm pretty sure that NCIX also complained about people posting "Fail Sale" threads for the NCIX weekly sale
- casual gastronomist -
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Jun 17, 2013
18224 posts
36611 upvotes
Scarborough
Jucius Maximus wrote: Try finding a sponsored thread and then posting a competitor's superior deal in the same thread. Considering that sponsorship money is on the table, it's not hard to guess what will happen next... :razz: This is not a complaint but rather an acknowledgement of pragmatic behaviour in this particular aspect of site management.

I'm pretty sure that NCIX also complained about people posting "Fail Sale" threads for the NCIX weekly sale
Very rarely will any thread in the forum be "sponsored" and usually it's just a contest giveaway. NCIX has not complained to us about any members criticizing their promotions within our forums.
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Deal Expert
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Mar 1, 2008
19151 posts
9079 upvotes
Toronto, Ontario
Tom YGPM
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Aug 18, 2005
21223 posts
5939 upvotes
Burlington-Hamilton
Thanks for the response Tom. The deletion of competing deals in a sponsored thread has happened before, for example in the SimplyTire thread. As for NCIX, I could have sworn I saw moderators warning people to stop creating "Fail Sale" threads but I can only seem to find people who got infractions based on other users' complaints.

Once again, this is not a criticism of RFD, but rather an acknowledgement of pragmatic behaviour in this particular aspect of site management.
- casual gastronomist -
Administrator
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Jun 17, 2013
18224 posts
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Scarborough
Jucius Maximus wrote: Thanks for the response Tom. The deletion of competing deals in a sponsored thread has happened before, for example in the SimplyTire thread. As for NCIX, I could have sworn I saw moderators warning people to stop creating "Fail Sale" threads but I can only seem to find people who got infractions based on other users' complaints.

Once again, this is not a criticism of RFD, but rather an acknowledgement of pragmatic behaviour in this particular aspect of site management.
Simply Tire could be an exception given we have/had a different set of rules for Sponsored Posters while the program was still in full operation.

Also it's possible a moderator did say that about a NCIX thread but I imagine it was only because creating a thread like that is usually only done so to troll. Why would someone create a "Hot Deals" thread when they themselves think the deal is a "fail"?
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Deal Expert
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Dec 19, 2001
31347 posts
2025 upvotes
Fernando Poo
RFDs is the North Korea for forums...they're clearly the most biased forum I've ever used, and I've had 15 years of experience here so I know what I'm talking about.
Deal Addict
Jul 23, 2013
3038 posts
1059 upvotes
A small town north o…
hagbard wrote: RFDs is the North Korea for forums...they're clearly the most biased forum I've ever used, and I've had 15 years of experience here so I know what I'm talking about.
I dunno if I'd go that far, but they sure are selective about who gets to shill. Blatant violations of the no-shilling rule go on every single day, yet some poor sap got warned 'cause he posted an Aukey product he thought was a good deal. It's baffling. One thing is for sure, the rules don't apply for some people. What makes them special? Beats me.
Deal Expert
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Aug 18, 2005
21223 posts
5939 upvotes
Burlington-Hamilton
There's no question that biases exist in whom is allowed to break the rules and when, but I wouldn't go so far as to compare the site to North Korea.

I guess if you don't agree with it, then don't post deals.

Due to some disagreements between myself and site management, I had actually taken a 1 year hiatus from posting deals at one point. But you can't hold grudges forever, especially over some online forum that is just a piece of software running in a server room somewhere. Life is just too short for that. :lol:
- casual gastronomist -
Moderator
Sep 27, 2003
11122 posts
3367 upvotes
Newmarket
Those of you that spend enough time on this site to even try to compare it to North Korea probably need to get outside and enjoy the fresh air some more. The OP's question has been answered by Tom, so at this point, I will be closing it.
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