Recently, a Leasehackr member had difficulty obtaining a response from a broker on this forum, regarding a request for a refund, until the issue was brought to the attention of the broader community by way of a public complaint.
Through public pressure, the matter was resolved and the refund was issued. However, this incident highlighted the need for changes that hold businesses accountable and responsive to the Leasehackr community.
Accordingly, the following language has been added to the Marketplace Guidelines, effective immediately:
Should a forum member bring to the community’s attention a dispute involving a business that is being unresponsive to the member, and the business has collected payment from said member, Leasehackr in its sole discretion will close and unlist all Marketplace topics by the business, until the business has responded to the incident and/or the matter is deemed resolved. The business will have 24 hours from the posting of the public complaint to respond before their topics are closed and unlisted. Repeated incidents will result in a permanent suspension.
Additionally, there have been calls for the site to play a more direct role in the transactions between users and the businesses that advertise here, such as verifying transactions, investigating complaints, and adjudicating disputes. While such a change has the potential to ensure the integrity of every transaction, it would also fundamentally change the nature of this platform, from a community-led knowledge base/marketplace to a centrally-administered car buying service. This endeavor would not only require us to raise significant capital but would also deviate from the current spirit of the site. Given the tight-knit nature of this community and the relatively small pool of brokers on the forum, we do not believe such a change is right for the moment.
We continue to believe in the strength of open discourse and community monitoring to keep parties accountable and will continue to monitor the forum closely. We acknowledge there is more that can be done to raise awareness on how to navigate the Marketplace and its limitations; in the next few days, we will publish a globally pinned banner advising users on how to conduct due diligence before working with any business on this forum.
We want to thank all of you who have been part of Leasehackr’s growth. This community is constantly evolving and we too are learning along the way. We will continue to work hard to serve the needs of this community.