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Frequently asked Questions

General

Does it cost anything to use penpals.phk.at?
No, the service is completely free.

I've encountered an error. What can I do ?
Please use the "Error-Report" link at the bottom of the site and include a description of the problem you encountered.
Alternatively you can also send us a message here or an email.
Please include the exact error message if any.

Account

I forgot my password/username. What can I do?
Fill in the password reset form or alternatively: Email us the username or email-address used and we'll send you a password reminder.
penpalssupport20@phk.at

How can I deactivate my ad/my account?
If you just want to deactivate your ad, but you still want to be able to send and receive messages: Log in, click on "Edit ad" in the menu on the left, change Status to "Inactive" then click "Send".
If you want to delete your account and all data: Log in, click on "Account" in the menu on the left, then click "Remove" from the top row.

Can I change my username ?
Changing one's username is not supported - too much potential for confusion. You can deactivate the account and create a new one.

Can I have multiple accounts/ads ?
It's ok to e.g. have a second account for a different audience. However if you keep creating account after account, we will consider that abuse - especially if it is an attempt to circumvent various site restrictions.

My ad doesn't show up yet? What's wrong ?
For an ad to become active you have to set it as active on the "Edit ad" - "Activate" page, or enter a description and it will autoactivate after some time.

How do I get my ad to show up on the first page again ?
An ad will get sorted to the front if the user updates the description (and the last update has been some time ago (~18 days atm). The site would get stale fast if the same few people could clog the front page and that would be bad for everyone - so any attempts to circumvent this restriction will be considered abuse.

Message Delivery

I tried to answer a reply with an email address but all I got was a complaint that the email address is invalid? What can I do to contact that person?
This is most likely the result of a mistyped email address. There is unfortunately little we can do against that. If the person sent the reply via their account you can reply them via their ad's page. Make sure your email address is correct when sending a reply or joining.

For how long are messages stored?
At the moment for at least 5 months.

I accidentally deleted a message - Is there any way to restore it?
Messages are usually only really removed a few days after they were deleted by the user, so email us and we might be able to restore it.

Is it possible to delete multiple messages at once?
This is not possible at the moment. An overhaul of the message system is pretty high on our todo list though.

Notifications

I got an email notification that I have new messages, but when I log in it says I have none. Why is that?
That can happen if we delete a user and his messages for a violation but the notification has already been sent. Sorry for the inconvenience - it shouldn't happen very often.

I don't get email notifications for new messages
Email isn't what it used to be. Overreaching spam blacklists and filters make automatic notifications increasingly unreliable (unless you are a big name website). Make sure to check your spam folder.
Some providers block our notifications altogether (AOL, At&t) - they will even block replies to mails sent to us from their own customers.
There is little we can do there. Our RSS-Feed provides a reliable alternative notifications mechanism.

Moderation

What's up with that "Rate this ad: positive or offensive" links?
It is part of the moderation system that hopefully allows us to weed out unwanted ads and replies faster. Just click it whenever you think someone is offensive or violating our Terms. You can read more about it here

I received a reply disregarding the requirements set forth in my ad. What can I do?
Use the "Rate this ad: offensive" link to the top right of the message to flag it.

I get spam and scam replies. What can I do?
Flag the message via the "Rate this message: offensive" link to the top right of the message and we will block the internet/email address used.

I saw an ad or got a message that seems sketchy. What can I do?
You can use the ratings system to bring the item to our attention. You can also send as a message about it.
We also recommend reading our Safety page which lists various things to look out for.



Home View Help Extras Not logged in: Join Login		Help Replying Joining Safety Questions Privacy Policy Terms of Service News Frequently asked Questions General Does it cost anything to use penpals.phk.at? No, the service is completely free. I've encountered an error. What can I do ? Please use the "Error-Report" link at the bottom of the site and include a description of the problem you encountered. Alternatively you can also send us a message here or an email. Please include the exact error message if any. Account I forgot my password/username. What can I do? Fill in the password reset form or alternatively: Email us the username or email-address used and we'll send you a password reminder. penpalssupport20@phk.at How can I deactivate my ad/my account? If you just want to deactivate your ad, but you still want to be able to send and receive messages: Log in, click on "Edit ad" in the menu on the left, change Status to "Inactive" then click "Send". If you want to delete your account and all data: Log in, click on "Account" in the menu on the left, then click "Remove" from the top row. Can I change my username ? Changing one's username is not supported - too much potential for confusion. You can deactivate the account and create a new one. Can I have multiple accounts/ads ? It's ok to e.g. have a second account for a different audience. However if you keep creating account after account, we will consider that abuse - especially if it is an attempt to circumvent various site restrictions. Ads My ad doesn't show up yet? What's wrong ? For an ad to become active you have to set it as active on the "Edit ad" - "Activate" page, or enter a description and it will autoactivate after some time. How do I get my ad to show up on the first page again ? An ad will get sorted to the front if the user updates the description (and the last update has been some time ago (~18 days atm). The site would get stale fast if the same few people could clog the front page and that would be bad for everyone - so any attempts to circumvent this restriction will be considered abuse. Message Delivery I tried to answer a reply with an email address but all I got was a complaint that the email address is invalid? What can I do to contact that person? This is most likely the result of a mistyped email address. There is unfortunately little we can do against that. If the person sent the reply via their account you can reply them via their ad's page. Make sure your email address is correct when sending a reply or joining. For how long are messages stored? At the moment for at least 5 months. I accidentally deleted a message - Is there any way to restore it? Messages are usually only really removed a few days after they were deleted by the user, so email us and we might be able to restore it. Is it possible to delete multiple messages at once? This is not possible at the moment. An overhaul of the message system is pretty high on our todo list though. Notifications I got an email notification that I have new messages, but when I log in it says I have none. Why is that? That can happen if we delete a user and his messages for a violation but the notification has already been sent. Sorry for the inconvenience - it shouldn't happen very often. I don't get email notifications for new messages Email isn't what it used to be. Overreaching spam blacklists and filters make automatic notifications increasingly unreliable (unless you are a big name website). Make sure to check your spam folder. Some providers block our notifications altogether (AOL, At&t) - they will even block replies to mails sent to us from their own customers. There is little we can do there. Our RSS-Feed provides a reliable alternative notifications mechanism. Moderation What's up with that "Rate this ad: positive or offensive" links? It is part of the moderation system that hopefully allows us to weed out unwanted ads and replies faster. Just click it whenever you think someone is offensive or violating our Terms. You can read more about it here I received a reply disregarding the requirements set forth in my ad. What can I do? Use the "Rate this ad: offensive" link to the top right of the message to flag it. I get spam and scam replies. What can I do? Flag the message via the "Rate this message: offensive" link to the top right of the message and we will block the internet/email address used. I saw an ad or got a message that seems sketchy. What can I do? You can use the ratings system to bring the item to our attention. You can also send as a message about it. We also recommend reading our Safety page which lists various things to look out for.

General

Account

Ads

Message Delivery

Notifications

Moderation