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poppy123456

I've been a member here since August 2017 and a community champion for just over 2 years of that time (i think)  and i've made more than 22,000 posts, spent long hours helping thousands of people because i care!. Made some lovely friends in that time too!

However, it comes with a very sad heart that i've made a decision to leave the community for good. I just can't sit here and read some of the replies from some members. Mis-information and contradictions followed by changes in story half way through, questions asked, no answers given and information that really doesn't make a lot of sense. Vulnerable people rely on forums like this to advise them when they have no one else to turn to and to think they could read such comments makes me cringe.

The past couple of weeks have been the worst i've ever known the community to be in over 3 years of being a member and it feels like nothing at all is being done to put things right. Instead we are told to report such comments and they will be dealt with, we are told to walk away and let admin deal with such comments yet things never change.

If any of my friends here would like to keep in touch please do send a private message and i'll be more than happy to give you my personal email address so that we can remain friends. I will of course return to answer any messages i receive.

Take care everyone and stay safe!

woodbine

@poppy123456 I am so sorry to read that but I fully understand and i for one will keep in touch. The awful thing is that scope will lose one of , no make that THE  most knowledgable benefits advisors who knows more about benefits than the rest of us know combined
This forum will be worse for your loss than many people might realise, and it's a great shame that a small number of posters are driving others away.
I hope in the not too distant future you come back and take a look at us and hopefully see that things have changed, and decide to come back.
But in the meanwhile I will wish you and yours all the very best.
Stay well stay safe and keep in touch
John
x

Oxonlady

Hi @poppy123456, I'm sorry to hear of your decision, I will certainly miss your wisdom, compassion and expertise.
I'd love to stay in touch but I don't know how to send private messages... If you could advise me how to do this, I would be most grateful. 

Take care xx 

Cher_Scope

@poppy123456 I'm sorry to hear about your decision.  Your contribution to the lives of people on the forum over the last two years has been unsurpassed, and that's something we are very thankful for.  I understand however if you feel it's right to take some time out and our door is always open should you re-consider.  Take care of yourself and know that you always have friends here.  

leeCal

I’m sorry to see you go @poppy123456, thank you for your invaluable advice and input.

Cress

So sad to hear this, but understandable.
Your benefit knowledge, understanding and patience has helped so many people, myself included, literally putting money into my pocket with advice about premiums I had no clue of.
Spend your time with your family and enjoy your little grandson.
All the best, Poppy and thanks 

janer1967

Sorry to hear this @poppy123456 but I do understand why 

It will be a sad place without you it was a challenge last time you took a break as nobody has your extensive benefits knowledge 

Take care of yourself and your family 

I will send you my personal email if you want to stay in touch 

X x 

Cressida

@poppy123456 I'm so sad to read this. Its such a shame for the Scope community. When I joined this forum you gave me really helpful advice and I have never forgotten that.  You must feel very hurt by the lack of support recently but please be aware an awful lot of us will miss your sage advice.  We've already lost the Spiceman and now you. I will certainly keep in touch and will pm you. ☹☹☹

woodbine

Bumped just because poppy deserves a decent send off for all the help she's given, and all the hours she has given so freely.

Cressida

@woodbine I agree, she will be irreplaceable. 

chiarieds

I only came on the forum very late last night, & when I read a comment from @woodbine, & realised Poppy had indeed left, it's left me feeling incredibly saddened. I know how much Scope means to her, so it won't have been an easy decision..... I know how much she cares from the depth of her being.

I do understand where you're coming from Poppy, & why. With the best will in the world it really has been difficult on the forum recently.

As you know Poppy, I've also found it hurtful that, altho a thread will be closed, some comments remain even after they've been flagged (& with the reasons why). It's difficult to go past these & carry on. Without the support from such kind people as yourself, @woodbine & @Cressida in particular I'd be floundering. There are so many other lovely people here, & I include @Oxonlady @cupcake88 @leeCal @66Mustang @Cress....the list could go on, & all of Scope's volunteers. Yet sadly a very few posters have led to this feeling of great unease, & driven Poppy away.

You know I'll stay in touch too.

poppy123456

Thank you everyone for you lovely messages. I truely have made some wonderful friends since i've been part of the community.

Sadly, i haven't changed my mind and i won't be coming back. I practically gave 3 quarters of my time to help others here on the community but now it's time to step down and let someone else take over. I'm sure someone will come along and step into my shoes and continue to give the advice that others need.

As promised i will reply to all my private messages and send my personal email address to you. @Oxonlady i will private message you and send my email address to you, it will be easier than explaining how to PM someone.

I will return over the next few days to answer any further private messages i receive.

Take care everyone!

66Mustang

Sorry to hear you are going Poppy. I can imagine it took a lot of your time so will be a bit of a relief for you, I wonder what you will do with all the time now! Anyway I do hope you will pop back just to say hi every so often even if you don’t post on any threads asking for help.

Thanks for all the help you gave me, I really appreciate it!

Adrian_Scope

Your contributions over the years have been immeasurable @poppy123456 and you've always been well-known throughout Scope, so I know we will miss you immensely. The responses here show just how well-regarded you are and how much you'll be missed. But I do appreciate that you feel you need to move on and it's important for you to put yourself first. I wish you, your daughters and your little grandson all the best and thank you for all that you've done.

Adrian

encaser

Sorry to hear you're leaving, @poppy123456 .
I was, and am, appreciative of your quick, truthful, knowledgeable and respectful experienced answers.
Forums definitely can be a minefield of untruths and people posting when they either don't know the relevant answer or, just throw up off-putting opinions. You never did this and although I've only been here a relatively short time, I saw some of the posts you were battling with, with original posters not being fully open and honest or, disruptive comments from others who may think they're helping but were again venting their beliefs and not factual help.
Perhaps the mods and bods who work on here; can take a more active approach in monitoring posts on factual threads and make a sticky in a dedicated benefits thread, asking people to please refrain from offering opinions and just post current factual and verifiable benefits information?

Cressida

@encaser I totally agree about the monitoring of threads. You have echoed my thoughts exactly and you have highlighted a major problem in your second paragraph. Thank you. 
@woodbine @poppy123456
@chiarieds


I have tagged in Poppy in the hope that she is sticking around for a bit to read the comments.  

Cressida

@chiarieds it's nice to see you posting on here. I was a bit worried that you had also left the forum and that there was going to be a mass exodus with you and @woodbine both leaving  I'm pleased to see that that is not the case. I always enjoy reading your 'wise' posts. Unfortunately unless there is some more serious moderation on the posts I'm sure things won't change any time soon regarding the runaway threads. 

cupcake88

@poppy123456 well this makes me very sad I must say but I understand and respect your decision . But you will be missed I will message you with my personal email address so you can keep in touch . 

You have really helped me on this forum along with others . The help and support I have recieved off this forum has been amazing . I struggle making friends and keeping friends because of my illness I know it sounds stupid but if I make friends with some one and I message them and they don’t reply back I think they hate me automatically it’s part of my illness so I tend not to make friends . 

@poppy123456 I will miss you very much the advice and support you have given so many people on here in my opinion has been the best . I have noticed lately that people have been quite negative towards your self and others on this forum which I don’t understand I’m going to put it down to people just being stressed . But I can imagine it’s hard not to take it personally . 

I think people forget that we are all either disabled or have a love one who’s disabled so we come on hear for support . 

I was very sad last night to hear my friend is leaving the forum I know how much you care for the forum and how much effort and time you put into answering every ones questions . The advice on here I have received not only from your self but from others is the reason why I have got threw a pip application and was successful , I got a settlement from my work who bullied me for being disabled and I feel less alone . Before this forum I felt constantly suicidal and since being on hear I feel less like I want to die each day because I have friends .  

I really hope the forum gets back to how it was so that no one else starts to leave . I wish you all the best and keep in touch xx 

@[email protected]
thanks so much for your kind words that means so much to me you have no idea . I appreciate all the support and advise you have given me and for being a good friend . Xx

chiarieds

Again, thank you for your very kind words @Cressida . I'm a bit lost for words for a change. I always supported Poppy where I could because she's also a member of the community; we all have feelings & can get both upset & hurt. It's lovely to see the warmth & respect for Poppy shown her by those that saw how much she gave to the community.

@cupcake88 -  also a dear friend, thank you for your kindness, & lovely words; we all need them.

janer1967

@chiarieds you missed me off the list of lovely people lol only joking 
🤣🤣

chiarieds

chiarieds said:

.....There are so many other lovely people here, & I include @Oxonlady @cupcake88 @leeCal @66Mustang @Cress....the list could go on, & all of Scope's volunteers.

@janer1967 - look, of course you were included but I'll quickly add @OverlyAnxious (how could I forget you )

Cressida

@chiarieds you got yourself out of a tight spot there! Lol. 

Cress

encaser said:

Sorry to hear you're leaving, @poppy123456 .
I was, and am, appreciative of your quick, truthful, knowledgeable and respectful experienced answers.
Forums definitely can be a minefield of untruths and people posting when they either don't know the relevant answer or, just throw up off-putting opinions. You never did this and although I've only been here a relatively short time, I saw some of the posts you were battling with, with original posters not being fully open and honest or, disruptive comments from others who may think they're helping but were again venting their beliefs and not factual help.
Perhaps the mods and bods who work on here; can take a more active approach in monitoring posts on factual threads and make a sticky in a dedicated benefits thread, asking people to please refrain from offering opinions and just post current factual and verifiable benefits information?

So true @encaser
Much as I think the scope team are lovely people doing a hard job, I dont think they supported @poppy123456 as much as they could have.
I noticed someone saying along the lines of people can have different opinions to Poppy, Poppy didn't give opinions she gave factual information, backed up with links.
And that's what people needed.
I know support said that they would leave any posts up that may be bad advice, as people could then read on to where that advice was debunked, but what if people dont read further? It should have been removed.
Proud member of the Poppy fan club! Lol

Cress

Deleted.

Cress

Can I ask support why is this thread not moved up at all after commenting?

Cress

@Chloe_Scope ?

66Mustang

@Cress I was wondering the same, seems to be a glitch?

Cress

@66Mustang
Sadly, I dont think it's a glitch...
Which would be a shame...

Cress

Just wanted to ask why is Poppy's thread not being bumped when people have commented on it?
I'm sure there are others who will wish to thank her for her help.

Cress

Ha! Sorry for the puppy!

Adrian_Scope

Hi @Cress, thanks for pointing this out.
I've merged both threads and that seems to have refreshed the display order.

Cressida

@Adrian_Scope . @Chloe_Scope

Hello Adrian and Chloe can you help with this? It would nice for Scope to show Poppy the appreciation she deserves for all her hard work 

Adrian_Scope

Hi @Cressida, we must have posted at the same time. It's been reported a couple of times and now seems to be fixed after I merged threads on the topic together. 

mikehughescq

poppy123456 said:

I just can't sit here and read some of the replies from some members. Mis-information and contradictions followed by changes in story half way through, questions asked, no answers given and information that really doesn't make a lot of sense. Vulnerable people rely on forums like this to advise them when they have no one else to turn to and to think they could read such comments makes me cringe. 

The past couple of weeks have been the worst i've ever known the community to be in over 3 years of being a member and it feels like nothing at all is being done to put things right. Instead we are told to report such comments and they will be dealt with, we are told to walk away and let admin deal with such comments yet things never change. 

Disappointing to see @poppy123456 leave. It creates a gap which will not easily be filled. I do think however that it’s inevitable. 

Allowing a benefits related forum to be led by claimants is a great theory but can never really work in practice. Scope staff don’t have the depth of knowledge. Companies brought in to answer queries simply couldn’t keep up with the volume amongst many other issues. An instant void is created and expert claimants are the only ones capable of stepping into that void else it becomes like Facebook. By that I mean it remains an unregulated Wild West of advice where people believe that their one off experience is the same as fact or evidence or something that someone told them must be true so they are an expert and can tell it to someone else. When someone comes along and says otherwise, the lack of hands on administration becomes really exposed and the abuse and insults start. Claimants advising claimants can never end well and whilst Poppy is exceptional she remains a one off. The volume is too much and the outcome inevitable. 

Having been here 4 years I too thought there was a void to be filled and then quickly realised it cannot be filled. I’ve been abused; had people threaten my career; had people assume multiple identities so they could come in and attack after a ban and carry on an attack; had people get others to join in an attack and, best of all, was exposed (wrongly) as a sex offender. All of this was by people who I was trying to point in the right direction. Mostly, those people are still members. I’m aware Poppy was on the end of much that was similar to my own experience. 

The reason I say all this below a quote from Poppy is that she has nailed the issue in those two paragraphs, it’s something I’ve been saying to Scope for 4 years and it needs saying again. I’ll summarise below:

- a forum where claimants adviser each other is a disaster waiting to happen. When people lose money because of poor, inaccurate, incomplete or misleading advice that has very real consequences for them and none for the claimant who caused that or the forum which hosted it. It’s very easy for Scope to avoid responsibility for that but this is their forum. They host it and morally it is simply wrong. Well-meaning but demonstrably wrong. Point people towards accurate advice and representation but don’t leave them to fend for themselves. 
- forum administration is poor. I make no apologies for saying that. I’m on a vanishingly small number of forums and this site is bottom of the pile for administration. That’s not intended as a slight on the individuals who do that. The way the forum has been set up and the instructions they’ve been given make the outcome inevitable. They are as much victims here of poor site management as anyone else. Scope’s priority appears to be to enable people to have a voice but that should never be seen as permission to have a voice at any cost and, frankly, too often that appears to be the case. People are given warnings; people are put in moderation. There is a sense in which Scope staff give the appearance they would bend over backwards to keep an abusive poster with an impairment on the forum rather than simply ban people for serious and often repeated breaches. Ultimately you need to protect people on the forum else they leave. Closing threads; suggesting people use the ignore button and issuing generalised warnings simply doesn’t cut it. 

- community champions are powerless in the face of the above. It’s a nice title and creates free admin for Scope but it’s part of the problem not the solution. 

- Scope persist in standing by the idea that there’s nothing wrong with people asking questions which have already been answered because asking allows people to be heard and feel heard. To an extent I admire the ethos but the downsides are so obvious by now...

1 - the few expert posters struggle with the volume and tire of answering stuff with stock responses. They also tire of the abuse.

2 - it becomes harder to search for anything when there are 500 “I’ve been turned down for PIP so what do I do now?” threads to trawl through. Far easier to create 501 then 502 when someone doesn’t answer immediately and 503 when you don’t like the accurate answer you’ve been given. If you do bother to search and 50 threads appear to have the answer are you going to read all 50 to check or are you just going to post 504 to make sure someone answers your question!

3 - there is a world of difference between people “feeling heard” and simply asking a question. They are not exactly the same and allowing people to feel heard is a poor excuse for allowing hands off administration; endless repetition and the spiral into abuse. 

Not sure what you’re all going to do for accurate benefits advice from someone with seemingly endless reservoirs of patience now Poppy has gone. My personal view is that a rethink of this specific section of the forum is long overdue.

woodbine

I totally agree with every word you say mike, poppy has been a close friend of mine for some time and I have known she was getting more frustrated as each day passed, she put everything she could into this forum, as she also does on another one.
You have hit the nail on the head, this forum is ready for a massive reset, it cannot be all things to all people for much longer.
Time will tell.

chiarieds

@woodbine - you took the words right out of my mouth, 'this forum...cannot be all things to all people for much longer.' We all have disabilities & support each other, but when the very small minority can be abusive, give misinformation as they're not objective, or come back with another 'identity,' & seem to be always given the benefit of the doubt, etc., even when reported to the Scope team, it becomes increasingly difficult for the majority of members, & has most definitely caused an awful lot of unease recently, & resulted in Poppy leaving. You can only take so much.

I've not been here that long, & I'm dreadfully sorry about the terrible abuse you've suffered, Mike.....what little I've had nearly made me walk away from here 3x already. Much of what you say resonates with me, but I always felt Poppy had the patience of a saint in replying endlessly to 'the same questions,' but she also suffered a lot of abuse as she posted so much also only trying to help. Abusive comments remain, as well as misinformation, not just about benefits.....tho I've seen the Scope team thankfully address that yesterday (about medical info).

[Deleted User]

[Removed by moderator, please remember to be kind - Adrian]

poppy123456

I'm actually a little lost for words at the support i've had here and want to thank all my wonderful friends for such lovely words. 

There was a time in the past several months that i've thought, is it me? Am i just being too picky? am i just taking things to heart too much but reading the replies here, i realise that it's not just me. Several of my dear friends all think exactly the same and i won't be surprised if more of you leave before long.

It's incredibilily sad that it's ended this way, that i've been forced to leave because of everything that's happened. Mike was spot on, it was inevitable. I feel very let down down by scope, yet i gave everything to them, gave everything to many thousands of people that posted here. Already after just a couple of days i see members questions unanswered and no doubt there will be more to come. I say this with a huge lump in my throat and tears rolling down my cheeks and it takes a lot to make me cry. Maybe some day someone else will come along and have the benefit knowledge i have.

I've had private messages off my friends wanting to keep in touch, i've emailed a few yesterday and i'll email the rest before the end of today. I'm sorry for the delay in replying but i needed a little time to gather my thoughts.

Take care everyone!

Ibelive2020

@poppy123456 i just want tóo say goodluck only known you a short time takecare staysafe 

woodbine

Poppy you were extremely well respected by the vast majority of people here to put it simply you are a legend and will be impossible to replace. x

WestHam06

@poppy123456, I really am sorry to read that you have decided to leave the community, what a huge loss to us all. Though I personally didn't have much communication with you, I know how valuable your support to many people has been. People like yourself are what make this community and with you now not being here, it will no doubt be a lesser place. I would like to wish you the best of luck. Thank you.