[foxy1]

Can there be some sort of way that people can only post just one advert when advertising services that they offer. For instance people that are advertsing man & van or even girl & van. Why do these people feel the need to post 4 or 5 adverts instead of just the 1. My only conclusion is that they can't be doing very well so need to put as many adverts on as possible to try and get customers. Not only is it very annoying for other people that just put on the 1 advert that also offer this service (and only need to put on 1 as they are doing very well) but it must be very frustrating for people that are ringing round for quotes to find that they have just spoken to that person advertising girl and van for example, as on 1 advert she was called anna & then on another she was called dianne but was the same telephone number. Even the adverts themselves were completely different so you couldn't tell that way.

I'm sure that I'm not the only person that is getting fed up with this, so come on gumtree sort it out and find a way that people can only put on 1 advert.

[bra girl]

Hi there

Thank you for your comments!

We really don't like this either.

In categories such as these we only allow 1 ad per user per day- and most people stick to this, but unfortunately as you have stated there are exceptions who break the rules.

If you do see multiple or duplicate ads please go to the bottom right hand corner of the ad and use the "report this ad" function to let the Gumtree Support staff know about the ad and they can then take the appropriate action.

Reporting ads will help to keep the Gumtree a friendly, community site!!

Thanks

[foxy1]

I don't see how you can say in catergories like these you only allow 1 ad per user per day when if you go through it you will see that everyday the same people put on loads of adverts all the time. So really you don't allow 1 ad per user per day as if you did then this wouldn't happen everyday.

[foxy1]

I can guarantee that the couple of ads I have just reported as being duplicates will all be back on there the next day as normal.

I have got better things to do than sit there and go through all the ads to report them.

You need to get some sort of system set up where either by people putting in there telephone number again or the same email address for another ad then it automatically puts a stop on that 2nd ad.

I don't expect a 2nd reply from you as when reading other peoples comments you reply to there 1st comment but never to there 2nd comment.

[abey_wisehead]

[pippa2301]

It should be quite simple for an Ebay programmer to install a peice of software that recognises IP addresses and dates and flags up when more than one ad in one category on one day has been made from the same computer.

My complaint is when an ad is reported for review you delete it even if there is nothing wrong with it. My husband has twice had his ad removed and had an apology and a reinstatement when he complained. Meanwhile he lost 3-4 days work. I too don't have time to check his ad every single day.

When an ad is reported surely you check to see if it is a true complaint before you remove it.

Mods? Can you please clear up that external links to other adverts is not OK but links to a website to show your own prices is OK.

[londoner]

Hi there,

Yes, links to an external website (one per ad) are acceptable as long as they are not to an advert on another site or something inappropriate. However, links and/or phone numbers are not allowed in the title of the ad.

All reports are checked.

Cheers

[foxy1]

I agree with the person that said you should charge for advertising as then it would stop all these duplicate adverts. I can guarantee you that then if you were to charge £100 per month to advertise, all these usual offenders wouldn't want to put on there usual 4 or 5 adverts. Myself and my boyfriend wouldn't mind paying a monthly fee.

I was also told that if I reported these adverts as duplicates then they would all be sorted out. What a load of rubbish that was as the same offenders were back on there the next day. I also don't agree that I should have to sit there and go through and report all these same offenders.

GUMTREE IT'S YOUR WEBSITE SO YOU SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!

[balaclava]

Why are all these people getting so worked up over a few multiple ads? Have they nothing better to do than spend every day looking for naughty men and their vans putting an extra ad or two up. Some of us are just struggling to make a buck. Get off our backs. Go out and demonstrate about the war in Iraq or Darfur or go visit some lonely old people. Hmmm, maybe not, leave the poor old codgers alone!

[Top Gum]

Good point - if they are "so busy" with one ad - how do they get the time to report all the others !

T G

[therealcleo]

[therealcleo]

Foxy, you haven't replied, and yet 'ban multiple ads' posts are still going up - there's a chance these are you or your boyfriend or your friends.

Is your boyfriend's company registered?

[angry_of_london]

What difference does it make if her boyfriends company is registered.

The real issue is that one man and a van and big companies are posting multiple ads which is in breach of gumtree rules and nothing gets done about it.
Its unfair on the service providers who put up one, two or maybe even three ads as they just get lost down the board in the endless multiple posts.
It also must piss off people looking for a quote or two who have to sift thru the endless repeats from the usual suspects.
The other problem is that the site updates a lot quicker than it used to, so your ad falls off the front page much quicker. A few months ago it would only apdate 3 or 4 times a day, now it must be at least double that.

[therealcleo]

As far as I can see, it makes two differences:

a) he can't claim, as has been otherwise claimed, that other companies are behaving in anticompetitive ways, and have them stopped by law

b) if he's not a registered company then I have a problem with him advertising as if he is, for various reasons like paying business rates on any properties involved and associated costs, as well as the fact that some of his competitiors may well be registered companies, in which case I don't think he's in the same category, because then he's just a bloke who owns a van and makes cash in his spare time.

Aside from the point that if he is making cash and isn't declaring it, he's evading tax, which I have a problem with, because I have to pay mine and so do lots of other people. I also would find it highly hypocritical if he's evading tax and then whinging about unfair ads - that really would be out of order.

[foxy1]

A message for therealcleo (of should I say PC Cleo)

For your information my boyfriends company is registered and he does everything by the book, not that has anything to do with what I was complaining about.

I just think that gumtree should charge for advertising in the service section as it would stop all these duplicate adverts. It's alright them saying that you should report them but even when you do that the same offenders still do it.

A girl that calls herself bragirl who works for gumtree has made a comment to someone else saying "that if people continue to post multiple ads then there access will be restricted". My point is why say something like that when it obviously can't happen as the same people are still posting 5 or 6 ads.

If something so simple like restricting peoples access can be done then why doesn't it happen.

[therealcleo]