You might be able to title this post “Why I’ve Been Banned From Gowalla” or even “Why Does Gowalla Ignore Me?”.

I’ve hinted at my recent issue with Gowalla on Twitter. Many have asked what’s up, but I haven’t brought forth any details as to what’s going on since it is a long story. Now, here it is:

About a week and a half ago, the Red Bull user on Gowalla started picking up the new Red Bull can item from locations. I asked them if this item was everywhere and they said “yes”. I mentioned the new item to a friend of mine on Gowalla and we started to try to locate the item locally. Around the same time, my friend noticed another person in our state checking in to Gowalla spots across the country. This is what Gowalla & their users consider cheating. Yes, it is. We watched him for a day or too. My friend inquired with him on how he was doing that and learned how to also. I was also sent the information on how to cheat, but since I was at work, I couldn’t try it out (all blocked by a nice firewall). I contemplated the idea of trying it out, but didn’t know if I really would. I mean, come on, it’s cheating. So, still at work, my friend tells me to check into a local spot and that there’s something for me. I do and what do you know, a Red Bull can sitting there. So I picked it up and placed it in my vault.

After a few hours later, maybe after work, my friend texts me and tells me that he & the other guy can’t get into Gowalla. I try and I can get it, so it wasn’t an issue with their website, our wireless carrier, or the app. Both of them are thinking that they’ve been busted by Gowalla for checking into spots 3000 miles away (i.e. cheating).

So they next day I do my normal thing, go to work, check in at a few places, etc… Later on I try to check into a spot and notice that I’m unable to log into the Gowalla app. Well, it seems I got banned too by association. I won’t mention the rude STE (Street Team Elite) member that started tweeting to me earlier on about the item I recently picked up. By coincidence I made my Gowalla account private around the same time, due to many people trying to friend me on there that I didn’t know at all. Yeah, I’m not a friend-whore online. If I know you in real life, via Twitter or Facebook, fine. It seems this rude STE probably yapped to Gowalla that I picked up the Red Bull can, which seems to be a restricted new item, & my friend’s suspicious check-ins… Funny, the person using Gowalla for Red Bull said that the item was everywhere.

So, I email Gowalla. At the same time my friend emailed them too. After a few hours he received a response back from them saying don’t be a bad boy & cheat and he was able to log back in again. By the next day I still haven’t heard back from Gowalla. Now, I didn’t cheat by checking into a spot 3000 miles away. I just picked up an item at a local spot. A few days pass and still no reply from Gowalla. I emailed them again and still didn’t get a reply. I also don’t get replies back from them on Twitter. Now, I believe, if you don’t respond to someone’s email, return their phone calls, or reply to a text or tweet, that’s just fucking RUDE. So, I thought I’d take this matter up to the head of Gowalla, Josh Williams, and I emailed him the story of what I just described above, after 7 days. He responds back saying that he’s traveling to a wedding and will have someone take care of this. So, I’m thinking that this will be done & over with, but 4 days later I still can’t log into Gowalla nor have I received any other reply besides Josh’s. Maybe that it’s the weekend. Maybe if I just give them a few more days & be patient. Wait, I’ve heard that before.

But this isn’t the first time Gowalla completely ignored me. I emailed them in January of this year to become a STE member. No reply. In April I sent them another email, but all I get is an automated reply. On Gowalla’s GetSatisfaction forum there are a few threads about becoming a STE that people are stating that the day after they emailed Gowalla to become a STE they were made a STE. Yes I was pissed. Damn fucking straight I was pissed! I emailed them again and still no reply. And in between those times, people just said be patient and wait. Now, in July & before I was banned, I gave up the idea of becoming a STE, even though I know a few STEs (via Twitter & met one while in Las Vegas) and had many saying that I would make a great STE since I am so diligent in finding local spots that I travel to with issues & getting them corrected. Even when I was in Las Vegas I posted 4 long lists of spots that needed to be merged, name changed, spot location fixed and more. I’ve probably submitted close to 500+ spots via GetSatisfaction.com to be fixed. But Gowalla thinks for some reason I shouldn’t be a STE. Yeah, what-fucking-ever. I still enjoyed helping out people by answering their questions on GetSatisfaction.com and helping out friends find items that have eluded them that I keep finding. I was a very dedicated Gowalla user since last year. I got many people that follow me on Twitter to use or try out Gowalla and definitely made a name for them in my state. If you look through this site you’ll find many posts showing how much I do love them. Well, let’s say “loved” them. Yes I was a bit hard on them during the item drought in March while SXSW was going on, but many people were too. I wasn’t the only one upset that Gowalla did not communicate to their users what was going on and that they didn’t take the issue seriously at first. That was water under the bridge after it was fixed. I forgave them since I loved them so much.

But after I get banned for just picking up an item at a local spot placed there by another user that cheated to get it and they were unbanned after only a few hours while after 1.5 weeks I’m still banned… “WHAT THE FUCK?” is really all I have to say. Why am I still banned for just picking up an item. I didn’t cheat, checking into a spot 3000 miles away.

So, to curb my geolocation fix, I’ve been using Foursquare (Remember when I was bashing them? They have fixed things since.) and SCVNGR, but also toying around with Loopt (the basic one) again. Brightkite I tried to get back into, but for some reason I’m not digging it as much. stickybits is an interesting app. You use your iPhone’s camera (I think it’s available for Android too) to scan the bar code of an item and it finds it, displays your location, and lets you add comments or pictures to the bar code in their system. Neat idea, but I haven’t used it much.

Now, the only reason that I can think of for having my emails & tweets ignored by Gowalla is that someone there does not like me and has it in for me. Now, I never called anyone names during any contact with Gowalla. I might have hurt their’s or someone’s feelings there back during the item drought, but come on. Get over it. If you run a company that has end users using your product expect not everyone to be in love with you.

I’m hoping Josh Williams is back on Monday and I’ve been debating if I’ll reply to him stating that I’m still banned for just picking up an item at a local spot. And for the record, I DID NOT CHEAT AT GOWALLA. I picked up an item at a LOCAL spot. I DID NOT CHECK INTO A SPOT 3000 MILES AWAY. Now, if you find a rare/location or event exclusive item, are you to leave it there, run to Gowalla and say you found it and get them to remove it from the spot?

I’ve also come to realize, while being banned, that playing Gowalla is fucking dangerous if you’re driving!

So my friends, look me up on Foursquare for now. Show your solidarity and stop using Gowalla until they unban me. But the question is, if they do unban me, will I use them again. I don’t know right now. There is a strong sour taste from all of this.

[UPDATE 07/28/2010 00:35] Well, 2 days after the weekend and no reply from Gowalla at all. Josh Williams said he’d have someone take care of my account while he was traveling, but nothing. Still banned. AWESOME USER SUPPORT. No email replies. No sticking to their word. I think I am done with Gowalla. They’ve mostly treated me like shit by ignoring my emails since January and leaving me banned for almost 2 weeks while a cheater (I’m not bashing you buddy. I know you tried to help me.) is unbanned after a few hours. I’m debating if I should email Josh Williams again. Maybe I’ll just walk away. I don’t like to walk away. I like to fight.

The funny thing is that Red Bull requested to be my friend on Foursquare. HA HA HA HA!!!! FUCKING HYSTERICAL!

[UPDATE 07/29/2010 07:10] Sent the final email I’ll probably ever send to Gowalla’s Josh Williams stating how I’ve been ignored by them since January when I first emailed about becoming a Street Team Elite member. Being ignored by a company is very bad customer service/user support. You should never ignore your customers or users. The email had a tone of sadness (not anger) about how I’ve felt about being ignored by them especially in this situation most of all after all of the support I’ve given them since last year. I’ll see if Josh replies to it. I’ve also submitted this all to Mashable.com and so should you. It would be cool if this story got picked up by them. Please take a minute or two to submit this to Mashable.

If I don’t hear back from Gowalla later today or tomorrow, I’ll be done with them for good. In solidarity, so should you! This situation is just ridiculous and should have never gone this far. You don’t treat your users this way when they didn’t cheat.

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