Post: #1

Plentyoffish is giving me the most ridiculous problems with creating an account. I've spent hours on this, googling it, looking at other forums, and nowhere is this type of thing listed.

El Mechanico made me a generous offer to commandeer a POF account for me to get me started on some dates/lays. And I can't take advantage of his kindness because POF isn't letting me register!!!

Here's what happened:

1. A few days ago, I registered. I got an email confirming my registration. They even sent me the results of my personality test, and my first set of matches. When I went to log in to view the matches, it said "this account does not exist." Funny, I thought. So I tried resetting my password - and it told me that the EMAIL address isn't registered with them either. Ummm... ok.

2. I registered again. Got an email confirming registration. Got results of personality test. Logged in - it worked! I uploaded pictures. I filled out my profile. I started browsing matches. Then a few hours later, I went to log in again, and bam - same thing as before: no account. No email address. Disappeared.

3. I registered again. Made profile, uploaded pictures, etc. Went to log in a few hours later, and it was gone.

4. Today I tried registering with a different email address. Now it won't even let me register at all, because it keeps saying "This username is already taken." I try entering random characters, like "slkfh487" and it says the same thing: "This username is already taken." No matter what random combination of letters I put in, it says "This username is already taken."

Apparently I cannot register on plentyoffish. I have no clue WHAT the fuck is going on. I tried with different email addresses, addresses that have never ever been used on plentyoffish before. And same thing. It just doesn't want me. It's actually starting to spook me, to the point of wondering if there's some kind of conspiracy going on. I can almost imagine an NSA dude sitting there fucking with me - that's how weird this is.

WTF do I do? Has anyone heard of this?

Post: #2

I tried going on the POF forum to post this question - but I can't post on there because I don't have an account - and I can't register an account!!! AAAAAA!!!!!!

Post: #3

That is spooky, difficult to believe. Did you try all of this on one computer and the same wifi source? I doubt that's the issue, sounds like it's the site but wouldn't hurt to try.

Not sure it is worth multiple hours just to make an account. There is a reason some call it plenty of whales...

Post: #4

Yea I did make it all on one IP address, so it's possible that they just have me on an "automatic ban" thing. But I don't get why. I didn't upload any inappropriate pictures, I didn't say anything inappropriate - I didn't even send any messags! I didn't interact with any other users in any way, shape or form.

I did manage to find a post on another dating forum where a guy talked about this, but he said his profile had been up for a while, and had sent lots of messages. Maybe a girl got mad at him and flagged him... but how could that happen with me, I was only registered for 20 minutes!

Post: #5

(06-12-2014 04:54 PM)thegreenman Wrote:  I tried going on the POF forum to post this question - but I can't post on there because I don't have an account - and I can't register an account!!! AAAAAA!!!!!!

Have you tried clearing cookies / private mode browsing? Markus is pretty aggressive about deleting profiles he doesn't like but if you haven't been messaging people and haven't used the site before, I don't know why you'd have an email ban on a new account or an IP address block. You tried retrieving / resetting password on these accounts, right?

Try emailing [email protected] and see if they can shed some light

Post: #6

It's quite possible they are making updates to the site and broke some stuff. It happens way more often than you think. I agree with the others posters on trying another IP, clear cookies, try another browser, etc.

Post: #7

Try a proxy-server to hide your IP before registering.

Quote:It's actually starting to spook me, to the point of wondering if there's some kind of conspiracy going on. I can almost imagine an NSA dude sitting there fucking with me - that's how weird this is.

What is more likely to you? Some government spy dude is deliberately-setting out to fuck up your chance at online dating with some dismissive-avoidant secret internet fatties? Or that the server running POF is currently-glitching and having some issues with registration of new accounts? Shoot them an email, and ask them what the issue is.

This is more evidence of your negative attitude I talked about in the other thread. You're 'catastrophizing' - this is thinking irrationally about a current situation and turning it into a bigger drama than it actually is by viewing it in a negative light - in this case, you're reaching for conspiracy that might just as equally be explained by human incompetence. Also, that there isn't a potential positive outcome to the situation - "I can't ever make an account", rather than "I can't make an account at this moment in time".

Thinking this way creates the sense that you are a failure, which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. In this case, you only had to shoot them an email, be patient, and see what the issue was. Instead you come to us with a sense of persecution.

You have been trained to think like this about yourself, for whatever reason, but know that you can also be self-aware of this process and untrain yourself from what is self-sabotaging thinking. Please, honestly consider therapy for this. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Without it, you will be anticipating rejection from the girls on POF, and probably create the rejection to feed your self-image as a loser. The unconcious human mind is very good at that.

What most likely will happen:

A girl might say she's not ready to meet you "just yet... let's talk a little longer."

You'll think: "She doesn't find me attractive. She doesn't like me. I don't stand a chance with her. I'm worthless. No-one will ever love me."

What could be just as likely:

"She recognises I'm a high value man, and is about to go on a two week crash diet before being willing to meet me."

Mindset dude. You need to fix this.

Post: #8

I had this problem too. Multiple times. So weird. I had better luck with OKC and HowAboutWe anyway

Post: #9

Yeah, proxy server, or put your phone on 3G (turn off wifi), and register through its browser.

Post: #10

(06-12-2014 04:49 PM)thegreenman Wrote:  WTF do I do?

Approach women in real life?

Post: #11

This has happened to me every time, except the first time.

I would register a username, then by the time I'm finished my account is suspended. I could avoid this with a new email 5 times, then got IP banned.

I moved to another apartment, my first account was fine for 4 days then got banned. So I gave up.

POF probably has an image detection program, whenever I posted the same pics the account would be banned by the time I was done registering. When I uploaded different pics, the account would last longer.

Charge it to the game and move on.

Edit: POF used to be the greatest placed with the most success for me.

Post: #12

What does it take to get banned the first time?

Post: #13

POF is by the most try-hard admin abused dating site you can coema cross.

I have figured their system out on what relates to a crime on there.

1: Same email address as a previously deleted profile
2: Same pictures unless you change something. I believe they have image recognition software which flags things up or automatically deletes your profile

3: IP address recognition
4: Admin recognises your profile and deletes it.
5: You get flagged by another user for hate/lewd comments

OP is not paranoid. POF quite literally is a huge timesink with little to no reward if you want to be aggressive in your approaches.

The only reason it still exists is because women are on there and it is easy to set up for them. More men get deleted off that site than women.

Post: #14

(06-13-2014 02:39 AM)Suits Wrote:  What does it take to get banned the first time?

A girl reports you for messaging her, it doesn't even have to be a valid reason. I got reported for messaging MILFs, one of them was a "conservative christian mother" who thought it was "inmoral" for me to message her.

Also:
Lying about your age
Spam messaging.

Post: #15

You have to use a different browser and IP address at the minimum.

I forget how to do it, but with chrome you can make multiple instances on the same computer. (I have about 20 set up for craigslist use) Basically what some guys think they are doing is looking at your browser settings and detecting what plug ins and such you may have as a unique footprint. Meaning that clearing cookies doesn't work. With a fresh browser you don't have that footprint.

To get a different IP I just use the hotspot on my phone. If you are using a desktop unplug your router for a while. That usually gives you a fresh one. Check what IP you have before and after at whatsmyip.com (I think thats it. Otherwise just google it) to make sure it changed.

The above should work. They do this due to all the spammers they have had in the past.

Post: #16

Maybe that whitest of white knights Marcus saw I logged in and out of fear he deleted your account.

Post: #17

Whew!...Was starting to think it was just me, or that I exceeded my lifetime pussy alottment

Post: #18

(06-13-2014 08:34 AM)el mechanico Wrote:  Maybe that whitest of white knights Marcus saw I logged in and out of fear he deleted your account.

If you both logged in at same time that will definitely raise a red flag.

Edit-Or if you have been banned while on the IP in the past.

Post: #19

You're not missing anything by not being on POF

Get off online and get out in IRL!

Post: #20

(06-12-2014 09:59 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  POF probably has an image detection program, whenever I posted the same pics the account would be banned by the time I was done registering. When I uploaded different pics, the account would last longer.

Their image detection is just a simple match, if you upload the same file it'll match. Use a simple graphics program, GIMP is free if not the easiest thing to figure out, simply crop a few pixels off the edge of the photo, or add a filter and I bet it'll work. It's not something sophisticated like Google image search or tineye that can actually recognize the simple modifications.

Markus is super lazy. It's just like the "spam detection". You add a space to the end of the message and it passes right through.

I'd say that's right though, if el mech's been banned before and logged in, it might have associated those IPs and banned him. I can't imagine how that works. There's only so many IPs in the world and most ISPs switch up your IP address every so often.

Post: #21

(06-13-2014 08:25 AM)Hotwheels Wrote:  You have to use a different browser and IP address at the minimum.

I forget how to do it, but with chrome you can make multiple instances on the same computer. (I have about 20 set up for craigslist use) Basically what some guys think they are doing is looking at your browser settings and detecting what plug ins and such you may have as a unique footprint. Meaning that clearing cookies doesn't work. With a fresh browser you don't have that footprint.

To get a different IP I just use the hotspot on my phone. If you are using a desktop unplug your router for a while. That usually gives you a fresh one. Check what IP you have before and after at whatsmyip.com (I think thats it. Otherwise just google it) to make sure it changed.

The above should work. They do this due to all the spammers they have had in the past.

IS POF seriously worth all the trouble?

Don't know about you guys but the last 18 months POF has gone to shit in my area especially since Tinder has become very popular, sadly OKC sucks ass but POF is a cesspool for bottom of the barrel ugly chicks that I wouldn't even approach at 3 am

Just not worth it.....well not in my area anyway

Post: #22

I'm too lazy to go through all that shit. However, it is the best place where I get the higest reply rate so I'll do it

#drunk #turntup

Post: #23

You only need to do the above if you have been banned from POF. It's really not that difficult.

I have two profiles myself. One that I have had for probably 10 years and one I set up more recently. The newer one I never open on the same browser as my old one and use the hotspot on my phone to have a diifferent IP every time.

Post: #24

The reason is because your account was banned.
There was a girl that was obsessed with me after i broke it off with her.

Every time I'd make a new account it would be fine until she saw mine...then it was usually the next day and my profile would be deleted without any warning.

If i wanted to make another account, I'd crop or alter my pics, make a new junk email address. Also i turned off my router and computer for the day while i was at work. My ISP told me they will release your IP after 30 minutes without a connection to the modem.

Deleting your cookies is a must as well.
The banning system is very very robust. This site is favors female land whales and attention whores so greatly a guy will never get a fair shake so just game girls in real life instead.

Post: #25

(06-14-2014 08:33 AM)Hotwheels Wrote:  You only need to do the above if you have been banned from POF. It's really not that difficult.

I have two profiles myself. One that I have had for probably 10 years and one I set up more recently. The newer one I never open on the same browser as my old one and use the hotspot on my phone to have a diifferent IP every time.

What's the difference between your two profiles?

Impressive, holding one profile on lock for 10 years.