Bullied/pressured by Discord

Venko Hri

Hi,

I've been using discord for a while mainly to keep in touch with a small group of friends. I'm not very socially adept and this helped me be included in the world. I have not had any issues for years.
 
2 days ago my account was locked out by discord and forced me to verify it with a phone number. I did.
 
Then I removed the phone number from my profile and my account got instantly locked again. 
 
Resigned to put back the number due to discord pressure, i verified the account again except this time it wouldn't let me use my phone number saying it was already used.
 
Under the screen that shows the account is locked out, it gives a link to help files incase we are seeing this by mistake.  and the help files just say there is nothing that can be done. it is really frustrating to be taken in circles and continuously put through bots every time you try to get help.
 
As a result I have been cut off from my friends for over 2 days, i cannot use discord on my computer or on my phone.  If discord was designed to bring people together and allowed them to have meaningful connections, why are they doing this?  If they were able to tell me like 'hey your account was flagged because of x y z and we need to verify you are a person' or whatever the issue is.  and once verified, i should be able to go about my day, yet after the verification when i removed the number it locks me out again.  It makes it feel like it isnt about verification, but about having a phone number in the database.  why even allow me to remove my number if it is a requirement to have the discord account?  I just wish they took better care of the 'people they care for'. maybe stop providing misleading links and unhelpful bots that tell you the same thing as those misleading links.  If you look at some of those help articles, the amount of people that found them helpful is sometimes less than 50%, it should be an indication for the discord team to get their stuff in order, but they don't seem to have it at heart.
 
truly unfortunate.  one day there will be a company similar to discord and people will have a choice to stay or go for something else. Like someone trapped in a toxic relationship, i'll keep my hopes that a better option comes along
 
3

Comments

30 comments

Date Votes
  • Annonamous

    Ever since the rebrand Discord has stopped caring at all about their users. I have been unable to verify my own account for over five months. I've been waiting for a response to my current support ticket for 2 weeks, and Discord is not accepting my login password, requiring me to sign in via 'reset password' emails two days in a row.

    3
  • TarıkR

    Hi Venko Hri,

    We are sorry for the trouble you are experiencing.

    If you DM too many people or send too many messages, you will be stuck with "Self-Bot" protection.
    You are given 2 options to verify that you are human.

    If you reset the information you verified, it will be perceived as never verified, and the phone number and email you use will be blacklisted for Discord due to self-bot protection.;

    Submit a request

    Best regards,
    TarıkR

    0
  • Annonamous

    So what you're saying is that he will never be allowed to verify his account again, because you blacklisted his cell number, just like you blacklisted mine.

    1
  • KingSyphilis

    > You are given 2 options to verify that you are human.

    May you elaborate: What are the two given options?

    0
  • TarıkR
    • Edited

    Hello,
    KingSyphilis

    Verify by Phone Number
    Verify by E-mail

    If you withdraw these transactions after applying these two options, the number/email you pulled will be blacklisted.

    Try again to create an account with another phone number or email.

    Best regards;;
    TarıkR

    1
  • Annonamous

    > Try again to create an account with another phone number or email.
    How many cell phones do you expect your users to own? Or do you expect us to change our phone numbers just like that? My phone number is tied to several other accounts and my bank. Why do I need to change my whole life because you have terrible security practices? And how many phone numbers are on that blacklist, permanently unusable?

    0
  • TarıkR

    Hello Annonamous;

    I'm sorry for the problem you're having.

    You will not be prompted to verify your phone number when creating a new account.
    An email login will suffice.

    Discord warns you before it gets stuck in Self-Bot protection.
    Deactivation of your account is at your own risk.

    Best regards;
    TarıkR

    1
  • Annonamous

    I never got any form of warning about the blacklist, yet I am now unable to verify my account because magically my cell number isn't accepted. I am unable to talk in the communities that mean the most to me because I've been unable to verify my account for over 5 months.

    0
  • Annonamous

    For a "user-focused" platform, it really shows how little you care about your users when they can only use their credentials once and then forever be locked out.

    1
  • KingSyphilis
    • Edited

    > Verify by E-mail

    I believe my account may have innocuously triggered "Self-Bot" protection, yet I was not offered this option. My account has always used the same email address. How can I access it?

    0
  • Annonamous

    If you were put on the blacklist, you cant.

    0
  • TarıkR

    Hello Annonamous;

    Can you send your username along with the tag?

    Sample:
    TarikR#0000

    Best regards;
    TarıkR

    0
  • Annonamous

    Annonamous#3243

    0
  • TarıkR

    Hello KingSyphilis;

    If your account has already been verified by email, this option will not be available to you.

    You can try to create an account again with another email.

    I can't help you from here. :/
    How about sending us a request? : Submit a request

    Best regards;
    TarıkR

     
    0
  • TarıkR

    Hello Annonamous;

    Thank you for your response.

    If there is an invite link of a server you are in, don't forget to let us know!

    Best regards
    TarıkR

    0
  • KingSyphilis

    > If your account has already been verified by email, this option will not be available to you.

    Huh, so one could just make an unverified account, then trigger "Self-Bot" protection, then essentially get granted a "get out of jail free" card just because they didn't bother to verify their account in the first place? What kind of logic is this?

    I've had my account for 6+ years, signed in from a single, consistent IP address, no email address changes, email verified, and a coherent explanation for my account erroneously being flagged for "Self-Bot" protection. Indeed, I had already made a support ticket; it two weeks of fruitless effort. I just don't understand.

    0
  • Annonamous

    TarıkR I DID appeal! MULTIPLE TIMES! After everything I explained you just drop the conversation with a canned response that explains nothing!

    0
  • Annonamous

    How am I supposed to know what I did wrong if I was never at any point given an opportunity to ASK!?

    0
  • Annonamous

    Even more corporate bullshit that shows Discord does not care at all about it's users. This mod contacted me in DMs, and after I explained everything I could about the account that was taken away without explanation, his response was "Too bad, you're not getting the account back" and then unfriended to close the DM. Never once was I told why my account was taken away. And when I tried several times to appeal the permanent disable, the only response I ever got was from a bot. No person in customer support ever said a word to me, and then the account was locked. Even with a different account, support refused to ever explain why my account was locked.

    1
  • TarıkR

    Hello Annonamous;

    This is not the place to complain.
    Please submit your complaints by creating a request.

    This is the suggestion section for the future of discord.

    How do I create a request?
    Click this request! (TarıkR)

    Best regards
    TarıkR

    0
  • Annonamous

    I have created multiple tickets as I have already explained to you, I have an ongoing ticket that has not been answered in OVER 2 WEEKS. Why should I expect anyone to answer when, as I have already explained to you, they have refused to tell me ANYTHING. Again you treat your users like garbage, expecting me to beat my head against a wall for eternity while you hide behind it and explain nothing about why I'm being treated like this!

    1
  • Annonamous

    For the brief time you talked in DM, I actually thought Discord support would treat me like a human being for once. And then when I explained how going through the proper channels like you suggested did not work, you shut me down with a canned response and ran.

    0
  • Annonamous

    This is the feedback forum, that's the link that brought me here. Not suggestions, feedback. So I'm giving you feedback on how this platform has treated me after over 7 years. Stabbed in the back and shit on. Ever since the rebrand that is all Discord has ever done. You won't even give me the dignity of knowing why. I've been wrongfully accused of something and I'm not even allowed to know what!

    0
  • Venko Hri
    Hi TarikR,
     
    First, thank you for responding and providing some insight. 
     
    I hope Discord reconsiders their method of dealing with flagged accounts because there is a flaw in their logic. 
     
    Apparently I don't need a phone number to create an account, yet at any moment i can have my account flagged and required to provide a phone number. If I remove the phone number I get blacklisted and the only option available is to make a new email and new account. Basically making 'alternate' accounts to bypass the native Discord protection.
     
    I understand very well the reasons why Discord wants to protect itself, it is not the problem. The problem is that there is no transparence for example I have no idea what I did to trigger my account getting flagged, you mentioned that i might have messaged too many people. I honestly thought Discord was designed to bring people together and to meaningfully connect with others around common interests. It is counter intuitive to get flagged because someone is trying to connect with others, it seems like you get punished for using discord the way it was intended. 
     
    I understand someone spamming or sending huge amount of messages could be seen as an issue and would need to be verified to protect others, I am not a very social person and doubt I would have sent 'too many messages'. It is easy to get metrics about how many messages a User sends on average, I feel these false flaggs would be taken care of easily.
     
    If there is such a thing as messaging too many people or posting too much, it should be explained as well as the verification options and the consequences of what would happen if the verification phone number is removed from the account afterwards.
     
    I have had the same email address, phone number, computer, etc.. for many years, and because of how flawed this process is, the only option I have now is to create a fake email to make a new account to use discord and later when I get flagged to put a phone number again, since I cannot reuse my real phone number, I will have to make a new fake email and restart the process of making another account.  
     
    As a result of this process, Discord is gaining many new Users on the surface, it does well for stats. But doesn't go well for the reality: accounts being discarded and new ones made. It encourages people to find ways to bypass or exploit the way discord operates rather than live peacefully within the world it creates.
     
    I understand this is not the place to complain or argue, I hope what I wrote reaches someone who actually wants to fix issues in the workflow.  I went through just about every guide or help article on the website and none provided relevant information that could have saved my account, email and phone number form being blacklisted. 
     
    From the eyes of a basic user, I've been getting pushed in a corner into complying with orders i didn't understand. When I obeyed, I was returned access. When I took off the number thinking it wasnt needed since I already verified and discord doesnt require a phone number, I was removed and blacklisted. 
     
    When I sought help, the tickets I opened got answered by Bots, telling me the same thing I read in the help articles.
     
    In the end, like it was mentioned:
    I can make a new email and new account.
    I can pay to change my phone number and verify my original account.
     
    Both options leave holes in my life:
    A new account would mean I lose all the friends I connected with over the years from various games. Friends I don't have other way of contacting except that original account. Also lose some chats containing emotional value from very important moments in relationships which happened on discord.  
     
    If I change my phone number to save my original account, I would have to reset just about everything in my real life and also online life.
     
    I get it that it is not easy to deal with unhappy clients due to various policies in place to protect the company.
     
    But sometimes policies can applied with a more 'human' touch rather than a 'yes/no' condition. These are actual human lives that are impacted and being moved around, not just 1s and 0s on the screen.
     
    For what it is worth, you are the first person to answer so for that I thank you and wish you a nice day.
     
    Original text:
     

    Hi Venko Hri,

    We are sorry for the trouble you are experiencing.

    If you DM too many people or send too many messages, you will be stuck with "Self-Bot" protection.
    You are given 2 options to verify that you are human.

    If you reset the information you verified, it will be perceived as never verified, and the phone number and email you use will be blacklisted for Discord due to self-bot protection.;

    Submit a request

    Best regards,
    TarıkR

    2
  • Annonamous

    I really wish your time an effort wasn't wasted here. Your words are very moving but Discord has succumbed to greed. The only thing that has successfully made Discord stop and think was when a majority of their users cancelled their Nitro subscriptions and caused the company to start bleeding money. That was due to Discord trying to implement NFTs so they could make a quick buck, and apparently they didn't understand the first time because they have started showing hints at wanting to implement it again.

    1
  • TarıkR

    Hello! Venko Hri;

    We understand the problems you are having.

    Discord does not restrict you to chat.

    However, it imposes a limitation on the message.
    This limitation does not apply to someone who is not a bot.

    Your account may not have been closed for this reason.

    It may be a Community Guideline violation.

    You will receive a detailed email when your account is closed.

    Best regards;
    TarıkR

    0
  • Annonamous

    "detailed email" my ass. The email is extremely vague and you know it!

    0
  • seikoser

    Gerçekten discord'un güvenlik politikaları çok can sıkıcı. Sade bir kullanıcıyım, yıllardır facebook, twitter, ingstram gibi platformları sorunsuz bir şekilde kullanıyorum. discord ise iki de bir hesabımı devre dışı bırakıyor, sinir bozucu bir şey. Başka bir mail, telefon numarası ile hesap açmaya çekiniyorum, çünkü yine tam açıklama yapmadan devre dışı bırakacak. Bu da beni discord'tan uzaklaştırıyor. Yaşadığım sorunu anlatayım belki katkı olur.

    Devre dışı bırakıldığında hesabımın silinmesini talep ettim ve 40 gün sonra silindi. Ben de aynı mail ile yeni temiz bir hesap açtım. Yeni açtığım hesabıma silinen hesabımdaki telefonu ekleyemedim, discord geçersiz olarak belirtiyordu. Ben de başka bir numara ekledim ancak bir gün sonra bu hesabım da devre dışı kaldı. İşin ilginç tarafı bu sayfada bir profilime de discord'un geçersiz saydığı telefonumu ekleyemiyorum. Hadi uygulamaya bir başka bir numara ekledik sorunu çözdük ama kendime ait olan profilime neden numaramın eklenmesine müsaade etmiyor. 

    Bir ilginçlik daha var. Benim buradaki kullanıcı adım silinen hesabımdaki kullanıcı adım. Yeni açtığım hesabımda başka kullanıcı adı kullanmıştım. Acaba discord uygulaması ile discord.com internet sitesi birbirinden bağımsız mı?

    Sonuç olarak discord'u kullanamıyorum. Başka bir mail ve telefon ile de denemek istemiyorum. Discord'un bu sıkı güvenlik politikalarının sade kullanıcıları ayırt edebilecek şekilde değiştirilmesin umuyorum.

     

     

    1
  • Venko Hri

    Hi TarikR,

     

    Thanks for your response, I appreciate you took time and effort to do so.

     

    My account was not closed, rather it was locked for verification.  Like I mentioned before, I verified with my phone number and then removed it from the profile resulting in my account getting locked. Being unable to reuse my real phone number to reverify, I was locked out. Just making sure we are not getting off topic with a 'closed' account.

     

    I would welcome any information as to what I did to trigger this 'anti bot verification', like I said I am not a very social person and usually talk with the same small group. I don't think I ever messaged someone that I didn't share a server with. It would be easy to verify the metrics.

    When I got locked out of my account, I made 7 support tickets, 6 of them got marked as solved shortly after being opened. I used the 'follow-up' option to re-open one of the closed tickets and got an automated reply from a bot telling me the same thing as the previous email and closing the ticket again. It is funny to be given an illusion of having options.

    One of the ticket that was opened got responded to 3 days later with:

    ********

    Sorry to hear about the trouble with the verification!

    To help our team look into this further, please attach a screenshot of the specific phone verification error message that you see on your end when you have put in the exact phone number.

    Additionally, please explicitly tell me the registered email address and the Discord tag (username and 4 digit discriminator) tied to the Discord account where you see this error.
    *******

    I honestly wish this was clearer, everything I do ends up being the wrong way to go about it since the instructions are not there for the end-users.

    I understand you cannot take the time to stop and talk to every person that has an issue, please make this clearer and straight forward and i most likely would not need to reach out. Since I created my discord account, this is the first time i've had an issue... same computer, same smartphone, same phone number, same email. if you look at the metrics of how m any messages i send, i am sure you can see I am not a bot.

    Laws in reality are there to protect people and institutions from those trying to harm or exploit them. It is reasonable for an innocent person to go through a check if they seem suspicious, happens all the time in traffic stops. Majority of times if the innocent person has done nothing wrong and is cooperative, the traffic stop concludes fairly quickly and life goes on.

    I feel the same should be true for Discord:

    It is reasonable to want to verify a user if they seem suspicious. It should be pretty easy to determine if they are a bot or not, mainly by the metrics of messages or the use of the account. If that is not the cause of the flag, the user should be asked to explain whatever it is they have done which makes them look suspicious. If the user has done nothing wrong and is cooperative, it should be reasonable to assume that the discord version of a 'traffic stop' would be concluded and life would go on.

    I solved my issue without the help of discord support or any help files available for the end user. 

    If you truly understand the problems I am having, can you tell me have any steps been taken to mitigate the problems or improve the user experience?

    Have a great day!

     

    Response to:

    Hello! Venko Hri;

    We understand the problems you are having.

    Discord does not restrict you to chat.

    However, it imposes a limitation on the message.
    This limitation does not apply to someone who is not a bot.

    Your account may not have been closed for this reason.

    It may be a Community Guideline violation.

    You will receive a detailed email when your account is closed.

    Best regards;
    TarıkR

    1
  • Annonamous

    The sad truth is that Discord is not making any effort to fix their incompetence. They've reached a point where they think their platform can't die, despite it being in flames right now, so they are content to let customer support burn and pretend everything is perfect.

    1

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