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Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 9:44 am Post subject: Cheers
Well thanks for the info, at least now I know that one of the submissions should qualify and that as it is a mobile site it may take some time to verify. To give me more hope it has been seen again.
I appreciate that you took the time to go through my submissions and would like to re-iterate that i waited for the year before asking questions. As has already been mentioned some way of knowing if you stood a chance of qualifying without having to ask the question would be of benefit, but it would take time and resources too.
I am surprised that i was beaten to the submission of the removal of two cameras in Shrewsbury, perhaps i was beaten by someone who pre-empted the actual removal due to the news story in advance. Oh well, not to worry, the database is more accurate as a result.
I think i will probably just sit tight and wait for my lifetime membership. I use the database as a 'backup' to my eyeballs and don't often get caught out, and try to stick to the limits (on anything other than motorways) anyway. With the proliferation of mobile sites and the fact that my last ticket was from a mobile site that got me more than 680m away that pretty much means that the whole network is covered. Yes it's depressing and I would prefer an upto date database but not for £19 in my opinion. This is due to me currently being on interest only mortgage and struggling for food / heating / bills and fuel etc.
Anyway, enough of the sob story, i'll be positive in that this site has developed enormously well over the years. Clearly a lot of talent has gone into the database contribution method, design and protection. I think the system is right in that those who contribute towards it should get it for free and those who want or can pay for it can also do it that way.
As i always say, keep up the good work, thanks for the dedication and the great site.
Joined: 11/07/2002 14:36:40 Posts: 23848 Location: Hampshire, UK
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 9:49 am Post subject: Re: Cheers
jonokimber wrote:
As has already been mentioned some way of knowing if you stood a chance of qualifying without having to ask the question would be of benefit, but it would take time and resources too.
That's not in the spirit of the offer. The idea is that people report to improve the quality of the database, many do just that and continue to report even after they become lifers.
What we don't want is users who report until they get the magic camera and then stop and wait for their lifetime sub to appear.
if you qualify you'll know when we email you to confirm your upgrade, until such time you haven't. That's how it works. _________________ Darren Griffin
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:41 am Post subject: And that's how it should be
I fully understand and agree with your comments. For instance last night I confirmed a mobile camera as 'seen again'.
Just because i am wanting lifetime membership so as not to have to pay the fee for another years membership doesn't mean i will stop contributing to the database.
The sole point of this thread was to find out the status of some of my contributions so as to better understand my current situation.
Currently i can't afford £19 to renew my membership and as one of my submissions should qualify me for lifetime membership i am happy to wait.
I will continue to log 'seen again' and any new camera info as and when i see them as not only does the database benefit but it makes one feel rather smug doing so, especially if you get to pull into the layby where the van is parked in order to log the position, take notes and possibly a photo for posterity. Even better if the operator gets to see you do it!!!
Joined: 11/07/2002 14:36:40 Posts: 23848 Location: Hampshire, UK
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:48 am Post subject:
Fingers crossed. We want as many lifers as possible because evidence shows that the vast majority of those are keen to continue reporting and do so more accurately than others.
Many are happy to subscribe but don't want to be bothered with reporting so its in our interests to set terms that are as inclusive as possible without opening our system up to fraudulent reports.
Don't forget to post back when you get awarded but £19 is less than 40p per week! _________________ Darren Griffin
Joined: Aug 31, 2005 Posts: 15138 Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:09 am Post subject:
Hi Jon,
I'm not denying that you may be having financial difficulties with the interest-only mortgage but the way i always saw the cost of the database was like this:
annual costs of running a car:
car maintenance (mot, service, tyres etc): £400
fuel: £1300 (at a very conservative £25 per week!)
road tax: £120
i'd say you need at least £2000 per year to run a car, so an extra £19 (1% of the running costs) isn't actually that much more to pay?
on the flip-side of that though, if it's got to penny-pinching stages then yes, there will be things we need to do without... we had this for 9 months when my wife was on maternity leave - she only got money for the first few months then it dropped rather suddenly...!
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:31 am Post subject: Maternity - the route of all problems
Hi MaFt
It's funny you should mention maternity as this is exactly the problem i am in right now.
I hold a decent job, earn a good salary but my wife is currently near the end of her maternity period. Her money has stopped and every bill and the cost of living has gone up. Having a baby certainly brings new priorities to your spending such as a £200 extra month last month for new baby seat (shes now 9 months old and very very adorable) and new pram which frankly were essential and not cheap.
Then there's food for all, heating oil this time last year was 35p, it peaked at 65p (last time i purchased) and now it is 50p approx.
I have a company car so my costs are pretty fixed on that side, other than private mileage which i pay 13p per mile which was previously 10p per mile. take that as an example, 30% increase yet my salary certainly hasn't increased that much.
I used to think in this job that my basic salary would cover the cost of running my family and any commission would do for holidays (wouldn't one be great) and 'nice' things. Not so any more. Commission is required in order to cover the basic cost of life and if i don't earn any, that's my tough luck.
The strange thing is i probably could spend the 19 quid and it would go un-noticed in the grand scheme of things but i know that i have to penny pinch right now in order to stay afloat.
The real stick in the ointment is that there's another one on the way, due next May. (I know, i know, what was I doing?!!)
I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me and i'm not going to pretend i don' buy the odd 4 pack or slightly unnecessary item but for me right now the 19 quid is off the radar as a 'luxury' item. There are, i'm sure, a lot of people a lot worse of than me and if things get so bad i'll sell my tomtom and then won't have a need for the database!!!
For the record i am in complete accordance with the reasons for charging, the reasons for not indicating the state of a submission and all the other much debated rules and regs etc.
I'll continue to contribute in my small and accurate way, if you multiply up the numbers its the small and frequent submissions that make the difference i'd imagine.
Big up all of us and thanks for the replies to my thread.
hope that helps. please note that that took about 10-12 minutes to compile to report back to you - if we had to do that for 30-80 submissions every day then there would be one database release a year (if you were lucky!) - hence why we don't report back for every single submission.
MaFt
Is there a way you could automatically list submissions awaiting confirmation, status and original (i.e. first) submitter's ID?
Then we could look it up without bothering you.
I'd rather like to know whether the two recent submissions I made (one for a new mobile site and one for a fixed camera) were actually first, but I don't want to make work for you personally when the site's database engine can do it for free. _________________ --
Joined: Jun 20, 2005 Posts: 1096 Location: Solihull, UK
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 7:30 pm Post subject:
Fenris wrote:
Is there a way you could automatically list submissions awaiting confirmation, status and original (i.e. first) submitter's ID?
I suspect the problem here could be that several people will submit slightly different locations for the same camera, and it's impossible to tell which of these are accurate until either they get verified, or enough similar submissions are made to prove the accuracy.
Is there a free subscription if you wait for twenty years after submitting a camera that would be valid for lifetime membership after verification? If so i'll hold on.
I do 27,000 miles per year, but mostly and motorways and paths very well trodden. I'm always on the lookout and don't really see too many mobiles these days either which is weird.
Anyway, not for a want of trying, i'm just holding on for a verification so i can get my life membership. In the meanwhile if i spot a cam i've not seen before i'll be straight here, no doubt never to find out if i was beaten to it by one of the large army of PGPSW contributers, just like me!
If i'm sounding bitter, i am slightly. I'd like to contribute more but don't get the material to do so, I know i have a valid life membership pending a verification and so far it has taken almost a year if not a year already!
Joined: Mar 05, 2007 Posts: 1058 Location: The green bit between the M40, M4 and M25.
Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:08 pm Post subject:
Hi jono,
Read this last year and had some sympathy, because I have been waiting about 12 months myself. However the lads and lasses here have given a very good account and response to your queries.
Like you I don't get to see many mobile cameras, used to see them nearly every day where I travel in South Wales, now I can honestly say I haven't seen a single one in about 10 months or more.
Dennis (can't remember which one) travels the M4 regular and always warning about the mobiles, but again, the only one I get to see regular is the one at the Toll bridge, and not seen that in about 5 months or so.
Basically, i am saying you are not alone. I'm not here for free membership - nice if it comes along sure, but not the be all. I submit POIs (ask the lads because I nearly always get it wrong) on a regular basis, and reply to posts when i can. I have only been able to make about 6/7 camera submissions etc.
Just generally muck in really. _________________ Triumph Tbird 1700. And now a Bonnie T100.
Just be patient my friend,I have just recieved mine after a 12 month wait and having just renewed my subscription !,must admitt you do begin to wonder "when",but eventually it arrives.keep looking and submitting _________________ Square2024
TomTom 520
Christmas Draw 2010 Grand Final Winner Garmin Nuvi 1490TV
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 14892 Location: Keynsham
Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 2:29 pm Post subject:
253 wrote:
Dennis (can't remember which one) travels the M4 regular and always warning about the mobiles, but again, the only one I get to see regular is the one at the Toll bridge, and not seen that in about 5 months or so.
I think there are about nine separate overbridge sites on M4 between J17 and east of Swindon J15 and I've seen vans on them all but two. I've seen the one at the toll booths once. I'm not all that regular along the M4, just depends what deliveries come up for me, sometimes I'll not go that way for a month, then I'll go twice or thrice in a single week.
May I gently remind you of this...
MaFt wrote:
52191 - april 08 - new mobile site - has been seen again but not verified - awaiting further independent sighting or verifier confirmation before lifetime given
hope that helps. please note that that took about 10-12 minutes to compile to report back to you - if we had to do that for 30-80 submissions every day then there would be one database release a year (if you were lucky!) - hence why we don't report back for every single submission.
My bold - we really do have to be careful about this in order to be satisfied we have a live site, not just a one off. There are reportedly THREE mobiles clustered in that area (52191, 67133, 50168) covered by a spread of little more than a couple of hundred yards, PLUS a fourth one (46505) only about 500 yards north of them. _________________ Dennis
Yes, i completely agree with all comments to be honest, there's never been any doubt in that.
Thinking further it may well have been a one off and if my desire for an up to date database surpasses my opinion on the value (based on many many factors) then i''l probably subscribe again.
As you can see i'm a forum poster of about 6 years but my count isn't huge. What with a job on the road a 14 month old, another on the way and a new house that requires major renovation still i'm not a forum frequenter.
Oh well, thanks or the comments, i'll stick with it and see how i go.
Did i read correctly that non subscribers submitting valid cameras are now also elligible for lifetime membership? If so there may well be hope for a new submission for me yet?
I'll not stop submitting just cos i'm not a subscriber or a lifer, i just dont get to see that much in the way of new stuff or mobiles seen again these days, oh well.
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 14892 Location: Keynsham
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 1:02 am Post subject:
Quote:
Criteria for Free Lifetime Subscription*:
You MUST be a current subscriber at the time of submission to benefit from this offer.
There was a time when non-subscribers submitting cameras located outside UK were eligible, but I don't know the present situation.
Presumably you are aware that if you let your subscription lapse, you won't be able to download camera database updates. The longer you leave it without updates, the less accurate it becomes and the more vulnerable you become. _________________ Dennis
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