Last night, after redeeming points for a gift cardfor the very first time, I received a message saying that my account is temporarily blocked, with points deducted from my account, and that I can’t earn any new points for downloads, boosts, etc., for a week.
The reason given was that I supposedly engaged in activities deemed unfair for accumulating points, though I genuinely can’t think of anything I’ve done wrong.
About half a year ago, three friends and I, each purchased a P1S printer within a week, and we’ve all been enjoying working with them. A friend and I also create designs that we publish here, though most don’t gain much traction—probably because I’m still learning and improving as a designer. I even posted here once about the challenges I face in getting visibility on MakerWorld.
So now, I’ve been penalized in three ways:
- A temporary block
- Points deducted
- No new points for a week
The only possible reason I can think of for these penalties is that my friends (three of them) like my models and occasionally download and print them. Or, alternatively, that I download my own models from my other computer, though this is always from the same account. I design my models on a laptop in the living room and print them from a computer in the attic.
Another possible reason could be that there are two MakerWorld accounts registered at my address (same IP) since my wife also has one for her 3D printer. We don’t interact with each other’s accounts out of principle, but since we share an IP address, I mentioned her account in my appeal. They will not find likes between our accounts, maybe just one or two downloads since she printed one of my models once.
I can understand if MakerWorld finds it unusual that there are two accounts at one address, but these accounts don’t interact. And it would be odd to prohibit my 3 friends from liking or printing my models, right? After all, many people share their models on social media and encourage others to print them, which seems more prone to misuse than my friends simply enjoying and supporting my work.
I’ve appealed the decision, though I haven’t received a response yet. But be cautious if you’re in a similar situation—MakerWorld can take points, issue temporary blocks, and suspend points earning, even if you feel you haven’t done anything wrong and are entirely unaware of any issue.
And one more odd thing… according to MakerWorld’s community guidelines, a block should only happen after repeated warnings for attempting to earn points in unapproved ways (see guideline 10). I’ve never received a warning, a reprimand, or anything of the sort, yet here I am, feeling a bit like I’m in the Bambu jail without a lawyer and unaware of the reason they locked me up.
I’ve created a ticket for an appeal… will see how they answer.
