Temp Disabled caches

[+drdick&vick]

I think it might be time for Groundspeak to set a maximum time that caches can be 'Temp Disabled' for instead of it being left to the cache owners interpretation of the relevant section.

You may temporarily disable your cache to let others know not to hunt for it until you have a chance to fix the problem. This feature is to allow you a reasonable time – normally a few weeks – in which to arrange a visit to your cache.

I have recently commented on a cache that has been 'Temp Disabled' for 10 months with no further comments from the owner when the cache was actually disabled. I had stated a while ago that I thought that it was time to replace or archive and recieved a stern email from the owner stating that my comment was not appreciated. After that I simply removed my note from the cache page. As I have been in the area and am now going down to the Sth West for 3 months I made a note today stating that I would have to wait now until I returned to find the cache and that I still thought 10 months was to long.

This time the owner did not bother to email me but simply removed the log.

There seem to be too many caches that are left disable for far to long.

 

What do forum members think about this subject.

Edited November 16, 2009 by DrDick&Vick

[+*mouse*]

Sounds like it's time to log a needs archive on it. That way they are forced to sort it out or a reviewer will remove it.

[+Gushoneybun]

Either stick a needs archiving log on it or if you do not want lots of sharply worded emails in your inbox, email your local reviewer, I have done both in the past.

 

I added a note to a cache recently that was disabled a while back, the owner emailed me and said due to long term sickness that it was doubtful he would be able to get it (or the rest of the series) back much before Christmas. I felt guilty, for a moment; then checked a few of his recent finds and one from a week prior was an early morning FTF on the way into work.

[+Jaz666]

A quick bit of research in gsak has yielded the cache in question (complete with the deleted logs).

 

By all means bring it to the attention of a reviewer, but I would do it privately so as not to wind the cache owner up any further.

[+drdick&vick]

I will always do things openly if I do it. Will now give them a week or so to see if I have promted them and if not I will enter a needs archive.

[+The Blorenges]

I think that 10 months of temporary disablement is far too long with no attention from the owner, unless there's some very exceptional circumstance involved.

 

I vote for you putting a Needs Archive on it

 

Reviewers don't get notifications of Needs Maintenance logs but they will if it's a NA.

 

(and they'll be able to see all the previous logs including the ones deleted by the cache owner.)

 

MrsB

[+PopUpPirate]

I will always do things openly if I do it.

 

Hear hear!

Edited November 16, 2009 by PopUpPirate

[+drdick&vick]

After a short discussion with mu OH (the lovely Vick of the combination) we have decided that we will hold fire for a couple of weeks in the hope that my 'now deleted' post will maybe spur the cache owner into some kind of action. If not then it will be a 'Needs Archiving' job.

[+DigitalJim]

What cache is it? *angelic face*

[+drdick&vick]

use copses as a keyword

Edited November 18, 2009 by DrDick&Vick

[+MartyBartfast]

use copses as a keyword

 

Looks like an SBA would be fully justified, they had one other cache that was temp disabled for 6 months, and was then archived.

[+Just Roger]

Isn't this forum wonderful? It works just as well as an SBA log, thanks to our UK reviewers

[+PSHAX]

What do forum members think about this subject.

 

Personally I can't see what the fuss is all about.. Unless you want to hi-jack the cache site for one of your own caches? And maybe kick off "cache war I" with the original cache placer..

If the lack of activity re temp disabled caches narks you so much, then why not suggest, to the owner, that you adopt the cache?

 

I have 2 caches that are temp disabled, one is waiting for the foliage to grow back after some SERIOUS pruning by the land owner, and one needs some quality daylight time to find a suitable replacement site, but other comittments (work, kids, work, kids etc etc) mean I can't do much in the dark!

[+drdick&vick]

You, as a cache owner, commit to carry out any required maintainance work on your cache within a reasonable period of time. I honour my commitment, wherever my caches are, I make all attempts to have them re-enabled withing 4 - 6 weeks maximum but normally within 10 days.

One of your caches has not been disabled for that long a period and on the other one you have at least posted a note to say that you have not forgotten it and stated a reason why.

If we all adopted the attitude of ignoring these long term disabled caches then there would soon be a mass of GeoTrash out there and many of the good places would be out of bounds for new caches.

 

I stand by my original statement that 10 months is to long a period especially without any follow up comments.

I have in the past done major repair work and even complete replacements where a chace owner has requested on the cache page because they cannot do it for some reason and if the attitude had been different I would have even volunteered to go out and replace the box and contents.

[Steve_P]

Have to agree that it's a tad on the long side. It doesn't matter if it's a cache or something else, a simple note saying what's going on or asking for help goes a long way.

[+sssss]

 

without any follow up comments.

 

That is the thing. If a note is added every so often then people know what the issues are and also that the cache will come back at some stage and is not unloved. Then just little updates which means people are less likely to put a SBA log on and make the reviewers work. Regular information is good.

 

If a difficult cache has lots of DNF logs on, then it is nice to see a owner maintenance log on the cache to show that the owner does pop by once in a while to check all is ok. This again gives reassurance to others to go find it and all is well.

[+Haggis Hunter]

Just to broaden the topic a bit, I also dislike to see caches sitting disabled without any follow up on them, but what I also dislike seeing is events being left listed for months on end.

At the time of typing this the UK has 77 different types of listed events, out of that 77, 50 events have now taken place, out of that 50 events I reckon at least 35 of them should have been archived by now. The earliest events date back to February & May!! Surely if someone hasn't logged them by now then they don't intend to log them at all?

 

When I hold an event I usually have it archived within 2-3 weeks after holding it, the exceptions to this have been the events which I have listed to fall in with mega events, which I have left for over a month.

[+Pharisee]

Just had a quick shufty through my GSAK database to see just how much of a problem (if any) this is. There are currently 1,910 caches that are showing as 'temporarily disabled' from a total of 52,742.

Of those, only 135 have a 'last log' (mostly the 'temp disable' log) dated longer than 6 months ago so in the great scheme of things, it's not a huge percentage (7% of disabled caches or 0.25% of total caches) although annoying, if they're on your doorstep.

The reasons for disabling those 135 are many and varied but nearly all of them state that they will be up and running again soon!! Some obviously need to be archived as the cache owner says that the cache has "been removed, will archive soon". Guess they just forgot!

Should someone with time on their hands go through them and put SBA logs on them so that our underworked reviewers can do the right thing and archive them? That would make them popular

[+The Blorenges]

Should someone with time on their hands go through them and put SBA logs on them so that our underworked reviewers can do the right thing and archive them? That would make them popular

 

If you, as an experienced geocacher, can look through your local ones, read the past log histories and conclude, "Yes, these ones look as though they NA" then, yes, do it!

 

One of those "underworked reviewers" will get to check them, at some point.

 

MrsB

[+dave-harris]

There are so many caches out there that has been disabled for too long. Owners should put them back up as soon as possible, personally i find it annoying missing a cache as its disabled, and then having to go back some time later to grab it. If people are active there is no reason not to get it sorted. If you cannot get back then archive it. You can re-set agian another day when your able to. If the owner hasn't been around for a month or its pretty safe to assume he's emigrated, or got new girl/boy friend