Need Some Advice

[+Sonoran Privateers]

I found a cache yesterday that was in very poor condition. Of the 5 people that had tried to find it, only two found it because the coords were so far off. I only found it by pure luck. The cache also contained a shotgun shell, a knife, and a mixed CD...all original cache items.

 

In my log entry, I made meantion of my concerns about the coordinates (just like the four people before me), and that I had removed the prohibited items.

 

This morning a received a scathing e-mail full of profanity labasting me for my log input. The guy even went on to say how the gun shell (live) and the knife should be fine.

 

What should I do? I've never had another cacher go off like that, and to use such language. I think it was totally inapproprate. Should I forward his e-mail to the local reviewer?

 

Thanks

[+Mopar]

Like it says at the bottom of the email you got....

 

Forward abuse complaints to: contact@geocaching.com

[+Sonoran Privateers]

Oh...hee hee hee...it does say that at the bottom. Well, what-d-ya-know.

 

Read the fine print!

[Keystone]

You should forward it to the reviewer because the presence of the knife and the ammo is a violation of the listing guidelines. If the cache page doesn't include a list of the contents, reviewers have no way of knowing about problems. Often an e-mail to the geocacher, alerting them to this guidelines provision, is enough to correct their behavior.

 

As for the profanity/abuse, ask the reviewer to please forward the message to Groundspeak if they agree with that characterization. Abuse of the site's e-mail feature can be a violation of the website's Terms of Use. That is for Groundspeak to decide, though, since it has nothing to do with the cache.

 

As for the reaction to your log, my personal opinion is to just let it pass. If he deletes your log, just let it pass. Concentrate on having fun and not letting the jerks get you down.

[+Team Cotati]

Never mind.

Edited January 2, 2006 by Team Cotati

[Tahosa and Sons]

Return to the Cache and clean it out and put the cache in your pack and when you get to the trailhead find a dumpster. Then when you get home do a SBA log.

Edited January 2, 2006 by Tahosa and Sons

[+jlday70]

[+Olar]

In my log entry, I made meantion of my concerns about the coordinates (just like the four people before me), and that I had removed the prohibited items.

 

This morning a received a scathing e-mail full of profanity labasting me for my log input. The guy even went on to say how the gun shell (live) and the knife should be fine.

 

You did exactly the right thing. Absolutely no doubt about it.

 

Yesterday I received a find log notification on one of my caches and the finder stated that he could not list the items traded because he had 4 kids with him that were all anxious to find something neat and he couldn't get near the container. I'm sure we've all seen that happen. What if one of those items was a "live shotgun shell"? There could be a child walking around today with it in his pocket and playing with it with other kids around and the parents none the wiser. I shudder to think of the possibilities.

 

Yes, forward the email and details to your reviewer. He/she and Groundspeak will do the right thing.

 

Olar

[+Deliveryguy428]

Sadly there are a few bad apples out there in every aspect of life, don't feel bad I've had my run-ins with one before, you did the right thing, let the reviewer handle it and if it warrants TPTB stepping in, then they do. Trust me, you don't wanna make Signal mad, you should see what he did to that little Crazy Frog dude

[+Timber_Wolf]

The Cachowner is lucky that it's in the US. Here in Germany i would give the ammo to the police. Because Ammo is nothing you should left somewhere.

 

And you did the right thing.

[+Deliveryguy428]

Forum reload messed up and posted twice...edit...sorry

Edited January 2, 2006 by geoholic28

[+Kit Fox]

In my log entry, I made meantion of my concerns about the coordinates (just like the four people before me), and that I had removed the prohibited items.

 

This morning a received a scathing e-mail full of profanity labasting me for my log input. The guy even went on to say how the gun shell (live) and the knife should be fine.

 

Thanks

If you can't say anything nice...etc..etc. Well, anyway, like ShadowAce, our GPS took us nowhere near the cache. I didn't climb over any boulders, or stand in an arena. We did find the cache but, it was dumb luck. We just turned over EVERY rock in about a 90' area.

Then came the next surprise, the contents. We removed the KNIFE...and the SHOTGUN SHELL....good grief. The cache listing says: A disk of mp3's (copyright piracy?) and other trinkets. The listing failed to meantion that among the other trinkets were lethal weapons for crying out loud. (I think those are banned items) We left a couple of pirate coins in a effort to spruce things up a bit, and made the hide location a little more finder friendly.

 

Here's a better hint: Think about 40 feet north of the coordinates.

 

We signed what we think was the log...a copy of the U.S. Constitution. That's pretty wierd.

 

P.S. The location was pretty.

 

P.S.S. The day after this log entry, the cache owner sent me an obcene and abusive e-mail.

 

While I 100% agree with the issues you had regarding this cache, I think you could have been a bit more tactful.

[+sTeamTraen]

It sounds like the owner has "an agenda"... the log book is the US Constitution, and his e-mail address starts "azextremist@". Of course, either of those could be naive or coincidental. Or not...

 

As for "Sharing music files is not illegal if you trade or give them away", I hope he has a good lawyer. Or maybe he will exercise his second amendment rights to protect his home from those pesky intellectchal property people sent by the evil federal gubmint.

 

Oh yeah, and on one of his three finds (on a multi), he wrote that he didn't actually find the final box, so "I only get half credit". I don't think he's got all the way through the fine print yet...

[+Sonoran Privateers]

In my log entry, I made meantion of my concerns about the coordinates (just like the four people before me), and that I had removed the prohibited items.

 

This morning a received a scathing e-mail full of profanity labasting me for my log input.  The guy even went on to say how the gun shell (live) and the knife should be fine.

 

Thanks

If you can't say anything nice...etc..etc. Well, anyway, like ShadowAce, our GPS took us nowhere near the cache. I didn't climb over any boulders, or stand in an arena. We did find the cache but, it was dumb luck. We just turned over EVERY rock in about a 90' area.

Then came the next surprise, the contents. We removed the KNIFE...and the SHOTGUN SHELL....good grief. The cache listing says: A disk of mp3's (copyright piracy?) and other trinkets. The listing failed to meantion that among the other trinkets were lethal weapons for crying out loud. (I think those are banned items) We left a couple of pirate coins in a effort to spruce things up a bit, and made the hide location a little more finder friendly.

 

Here's a better hint: Think about 40 feet north of the coordinates.

 

We signed what we think was the log...a copy of the U.S. Constitution. That's pretty wierd.

 

P.S. The location was pretty.

 

P.S.S. The day after this log entry, the cache owner sent me an obcene and abusive e-mail.

 

While I 100% agree with the issues you had regarding this cache, I think you could have been a bit more tactful.

Yeah, I could have been. I think I was just frustrated, and I was echoeing the frustration others had in looking for it.

 

But, at the same time...shotgun shells? That does defy common sense a little bit. Perhaps my comment wasn't completely rosy, but it was accurate.

 

I went back in and edited the log entry to make it a little nicer.

Edited January 2, 2006 by Sonoran Privateers

[+Sonoran Privateers]

It sounds like the owner has "an agenda"... the log book is the US Constitution, and his e-mail address starts "azextremist@".  Of course, either of those could be naive or coincidental.  Or not...

 

As for "Sharing music files is not illegal if you trade or give them away", I hope he has a good lawyer.  Or maybe he will exercise his second amendment rights to protect his home from those pesky intellectchal property people sent by the evil federal gubmint.

 

Oh yeah, and on one of his three finds (on a multi), he wrote that he didn't actually find the final box, so "I only get half credit".  I don't think he's got all the way through the fine print yet...

I didn't even notice the 'azextremist' thing! Jeepers, maybe I better close my GC.com account, start a new one, and move to another state!

 

Oh, by the way, the cache page has been completely re-done since this morning. What used to be a couple of vague references to boulders is now a rakish swing the other way with exact measurements from rocks and trees. hahaha. I bet people will be able to find it now!

Edited January 2, 2006 by Sonoran Privateers

[+Bill & Tammy]

I looked over the cache page as well. It ended with: "there will be other trinkets that come and go which I have no control over". It made no mention of the prohibited items that were included but perhaps the cache description was edited later. Seems a very odd disclaimer anyway. The cache owner put quite a bit of time and consideration into writing the descrption so I guess it suprises me that the cache itself was so apparently thoughtless. Maybe as stated before the owner has an agenda. It should probably be disabled by the approver until some of the issues are resolved (bad coords, placement permission if that is an issue and contents etc.)

[+Sonoran Privateers]

I looked over the cache page as well. It ended with: "there will be other trinkets that come and go which I have no control over". It made no mention of the prohibited items that were included but perhaps the cache description was edited later.

It was edited this morning. Yesterday, there was really not much of a cache discription at all. It just said there was an area like an 'arena' among the boulders, and that the cache was in the middle of it. But the coords took you someplace else.

 

He got really mad at me for my log entry, and in his e-mail made the remark:

"Just for you I have changed the information on the cache page so that the blind could probably find it."

 

Now he's just over-compensating with a rediculous discription. It's quite childish, I think.

[+Shifty]

I personally have zero tolerance/patience for arrogence when it comes to hiders and their caches. I know a few people that if it had happened to them the hiders cache wouldn't live long, but then again they beleive in street justice....

 

You handled yourself using admirable actions. Don't let it ruin your day. Just know that you are a better person for making the game safer for all.

 

S

Edited January 2, 2006 by Shifty

[+Deliveryguy428]

I personally have zero tolerance/patience for arrogence when it comes to hiders and their caches. I know a few people that if it had happened to them the hiders cache wouldn't live long, but then again they beleive in street justice....

 

You handled yourself using admirable actions. Don't let it ruin your day. Just know that you are a better person for making the game safer for all.

 

S

Where is an "amen" face when you need it!

 

I totally agree you have done all the right steps, move on and just don't bother with it anymore.

 

For fun you can always log

 

T-great ammo can the cache was in

l- nano

 

TFTC

 

Most of the time people know I am kidding when I do that

[+Sonoran Privateers]

 

T-great ammo can the cache was in

l- nano

TFTC

Now THAT'S funny!

Edited January 2, 2006 by Sonoran Privateers

[+Confucius' Cat]

Return to the Cache and clean it out and put the cache in your pack and when you get to the trailhead find a dumpster. Then when you get home do a SBA log.

Good Grief!

I hope this post was meant in jest.

 

As to the OP ?

 

The shotgun shell was VERY inappropriate and could be dangerous if played with irresponsibly, but otherwise quite harmless if handled responsibly.

 

Knives, although restricted from caching are not "deadly weapons" just waiting to kill someone, they are very valuable tools which everyone should have in their pocket at all times.

 

The CD probably violated copyright laws, but up until you took it, only the person who made it had any responsibility- now YOU are in possession of "stolen property" if indeed it is so adjudged. (My brother in law picked up a stolen credit card off the highway once and voluntarily GAVE it to a cop, who proceeded to arrest him. However STUPID the possession charge might be, it might NOT be a trivial matter, sad to say. Father-in-law spent several thousand on lawyer to get the bogus charge dismissed.)

 

If you were invited to sign the copy of the constitution as a log book, and there was space to do so, it certainly qualifies as a log book.

 

Coordinates can be off quite a bit sometimes; bummer about the "scorched Earth" search; happens occasionally; a searcher can quit at any time if he/she thinks their search is destructive- I am sure you are very responsible in that respect.

 

This is all getting overblown, as things tend to get around here.

 

IMHO You did the right thing removing the shotgun shell, should have traded for the knife and CD, and you should oughta forward the email to TPTB. And now you should destroy the CD without ever playing it or you will have a hard time justifying your upsettedness with it.

 

At this point it is probably best to let the whole thing go.

[+Sonoran Privateers]

Return to the Cache and clean it out and put the cache in your pack and when you get to the trailhead find a dumpster.  Then when you get home do a SBA log.

Good Grief!

I hope this post was meant in jest.

 

As to the OP ?

 

The shotgun shell was VERY inappropriate and could be dangerous if played with irresponsibly, but otherwise quite harmless if handled responsibly.

 

Knives, although restricted from caching are not "deadly weapons" just waiting to kill someone, they are very valuable tools which everyone should have in their pocket at all times.

 

The CD probably violated copyright laws, but up until you took it, only the person who made it had any responsibility- now YOU are in possession of "stolen property" if indeed it is so adjudged. (My brother in law picked up a stolen credit card off the highway once and voluntarily GAVE it to a cop, who proceeded to arrest him. However STUPID the possession charge might be, it might NOT be a trivial matter, sad to say. Father-in-law spent several thousand on lawyer to get the bogus charge dismissed.)

 

If you were invited to sign the copy of the constitution as a log book, and there was space to do so, it certainly qualifies as a log book.

 

Coordinates can be off quite a bit sometimes; bummer about the "scorched Earth" search; happens occasionally; a searcher can quit at any time if he/she thinks their search is destructive- I am sure you are very responsible in that respect.

 

This is all getting overblown, as things tend to get around here.

 

IMHO You did the right thing removing the shotgun shell, should have traded for the knife and CD, and you should oughta forward the email to TPTB. And now you should destroy the CD without ever playing it or you will have a hard time justifying your upsettedness with it.

 

At this point it is probably best to let the whole thing go.

The point of the post was what to do about someone sending you an obscene e-mail full of profanity because they didn't like my post. The point was not about dealing with the cache itself.

 

Oh, and I didn't take the CD...I just took the knife and the shotgun shell, which are prohibited items.

 

Would you, ChurchCampDave, appreciate an obscenity laced e-mail as a result of a log note you left?

Edited January 3, 2006 by Sonoran Privateers

[+Quiggle]

From the Forum Guidelines, posted at the top of every forum page:

 

Some things to keep in mind when posting:

 

Respect: Respect the guidelines for forum usage, and site usage. Respect Groundspeak, its employees, volunteers, yourself, fellow community members, and guests on these boards. Whether a community member has one post or 5,000 posts, they deserve the same respect.

 

Foul Language and obscene images will not be tolerated. This site is family friendly, and all posts and posters must respect the integrity of the site.

 

Personal Attacks and Flames will not be tolerated. If you want to praise or criticize, give examples as to why it is good or bad, general attacks on a person or idea will not be tolerated.

 

Please refrain from personal attacks and flames.

 

Thank you.

[+Sonoran Privateers]

Okay, this has probably run long enough. I got the advice I needed, and I thank all that chimed in. I'll take said advice, and forward the nasty little e-mail those that should have it.

 

Thanks again