The Rules
Thank you for following these rules, they help to ensure that all our members have a positive and responsive experience on the forums.
Repeat violators of any of these rules may find themselves subject to loss of posting privileges, after reasonable warning.
These rules are to be considered part of the Vauxhall Astra Mk3 Owners Club Forums' Terms of Use. If you do not agree to these terms, then you must discontinue use of the forums.
Main Rules
1 - Explicit Content - The posting of explicit materials (text, image or video) is strictly prohibited. If it is illegal in the UK, then it is illegal on here too. Please bear in mind that the message board is open to all members of the public of all ages. If you consider something to be 'borderline' then either PM a moderator in advance, or have a content warning in the title, although it may still be closed.
2 - Copyright - All text, images, and script content within the Mk3OC.com website are property of the Vauxhall Astra Mk3 Owners Club, and should not be copied without advanced permission from one of the administrators.
3 - The Mk3OC is a place for you to discuss and voice your personal opinion, not argue!
4 - Useless or unrelated posts may be edited or deleted without warning.
5 - Signatures are limited to 3 lines of text, and no images. If it is considered to be large, then you may be asked to edit it.
6 - Mild profanity is acceptable, but regular excessive swearing is not. Although there is a swear filter in place, please do not try to test its limits!
7 - If any user used abusive language, albeit racial, sexual-related, or other, you will either be gagged or banned.
8 - If you wish to advertise with us, please PM one of the administrators. Spammers will be immediately banned.
9 - Moderators are here to keep the board running smoothly, help resolve minor disputes, and so on. A moderators decision is final.
10 - Please do not revive old threads as they will be immediately closed.
11 - You are welcome to use avatars, but as mentioned before, any explicit content will be removed.
12 - Abuse against Mk3OC staff or other members will be dealt with accordingly. If you have a problem, please do not hesitate to contact one of us.
13 - Some individual forums have their own specific rules, please adhere to these.
14 - Private messages are just that - PRIVATE. Please use them instead of FAOs.
15 - When posting images, please resize them to a maximum of 800x600.
16 - MK3OC does not tolerate or encourage the promoting of any illegal activity such as Street Racing or Illegal Cruises, anyone posting such topics will have them closed/removed without warning and persistant offenders will be dealt with.
Buying and Selling
Classified Forum Rules & Guidance
If you are buying or selling goods on MK3OC, here are just some rules and guidance to ensure no confusion takes place and everyone can trade happily.
Posting Rules
1. If you are selling, wanting or swapping an item, please ensure you post in the correct forum.
2. Please give a clear description of what you are selling and include your location. To help everyone, try to give as much detail as possible and include pictures of the actual item if available. Sellers are also not allowed to request payment via PayPal to be made as a 'gift' or to send cash by any means in their ads as this offers no protection to buyers.
3. If you do not plan to return to the forum for a while, make sure you enable PM's, or leave an email address or phone number so that people are able to contact you.
4. Any goods that you have for sale must have a base price; this has been introduced because people are getting fed up when making offers only to be told the offer isn't enough. Having a base price will stop time wasting for all involved.
5. Links to personal items for sale on e-bay will be accepted, in the correct forum. However items posted for "general discussion" purposes will be deleted or moved at the moderator's discretion.
6. When people are selling goods only reply to them if you are interested in the goods that are on offer. The classified section is not the place for general discussion; please PM the respective member with your query/comment instead, any comments like this will be removed.
7. Please do not make comments towards others who are selling Astra or non Astra related goods, especially with regard to the asking price. By all means make an offer to see whether the person will accept or not. Should you make a comment that is deemed not acceptable to this rule, one warning will be issued then a infraction points will follow should you continue.
8. Fake, Replica and Copied goods - Any person trying to sell items of this nature will have their adverts removed from this site and may also be banned from selling on the Forum again.
MK3OC does not condone or permit the selling of any item that contravenes copyright law, whether it is Vauxhall related or not: this includes DVD's, Clothing, Jewellery or copyright material of any nature.
TIS and EPC Are Not To Be Advertised On This Forum
9. Multiple for sale threads for similar 'class' items will be merged. e.g. There is no need for 12 threads from the same seller advertising ICE goods when it could all be done in one post.
10. Traders (Commercial Profit) - The classified forums are for the use of private individuals to buy and sell their own personal property. Commercial Trading, i.e. buying and selling of items specifically for profit, is strictly prohibited within this forum - please ask the a member of the Admin team for details on how to sell/advertise your products in the Traders Forum.
11. Please use the PM system for exchanging details when finalising the deal, see advice below.
12. The use of the classifieds is for actually selling, no "gauging interest", or "looking to sell in a month" etc.
The item is either for sale or it's not, please keep it simple, if it's not for sale yet, then don't advertise it.
13. To post and advert in the Items For Sale forum you must have a minimum of 40 posts or be a 'Paid Member' this is to stop people signing up to try and rip people off. You are only allowed to advertise items you own, advertising on behalf of a friend or anyone else is prohibited
Transaction Advice
MK3OC is in no way responsible for the non-completion of any transaction whether you are selling or buying goods. YOU DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK
Make sure you get as many contact details as possible - we would recommend you get the following information:
- Full Name.
- User Name.
- Full Address and Postcode.
- Telephone Number (Land line).
- Mobile Number(s).
- Preferred and/or alternative email addresses.
- Payment Method.
Keep all details whether they are e-mails or private messages, do not delete any messages until you are both happy that the deal is fully complete. These are essential pieces of evidence should the deal go wrong e.g. not sending out goods/money.
This is especially important as the original thread may no longer exist so it is up to you to keep any necessary records of the transaction.
It's also advisable to use some form of traceable carriage method, such as recorded or registered post, so that items lost in transit can be easily identified and possibly compensated for.
Dealing with Problems
If you are experiencing problems concerning the buying or selling of an item, such as not receiving goods or money, then consider the situation very carefully before taking your next action. Please DO NOT POST ON THE FORUM with a complaint regarding a member, but please do the following:
- Allow sufficient time for money or goods to arrive. Personal circumstances can sometimes get in the way of a perfect transaction, once you are confident this is not the case and have genuine concerns please inform one of the Admin team.
- When informing Admin (preferably using the HelpCenter) of your situation/complaint please provide FULL information concerning the trade, the other party, what was agreed and any contact from the other party.
The Admin team may be able to help, but nothing can be promised and if they do get involved it will be at their own discretion. Nevertheless, it is most important that you advise Admin of any problems, you may not be the only person experiencing such problems involving the other party.
Should we get complaints about people who sell goods and not send items out on more than one occasion we may block their access to all the classified forums. This decision will be final and your access will not be re-instated.
Any problem sellers will have their details shared with other forum owners to prevent them from trading again. All details are logged and kept by MK3OC and all information will be handed over to police or trading standards for recovery of goods or money. Please be aware of this when placing an advert.
Anyone who is banned from selling goods and attempts to re-register or sign in using another user name will automatically be banned. This decision will be final and without warning.
Any complaints about having your access removed should be directed to Admin only. Moderators cannot alter user's forum access, so any complaints made to them will not be tolerated.
Rules may change without notice.
Commercial Trading
i.e. buying and selling of items specifically for profit, is strictly prohibited by forum members who are not members of our Approved Traders scheme, without seeking permission from the Admin Team.
Any kind of promotion or advertising for any 'for profit' trading/business is not allowed. This includes any promotional/advertising material or links in posts, signatures, avatars or profile pictures.
Applications to Join our Approved Traders scheme are welcome. Applications should be made by email or PM to one of the Admin Team, stating the nature of your Business and what offers you are prepared to offer our members.
Official Club Merchandise
Anything that has mention of the club domain or associated club logos must be approved and authorised by contacting the Admin Team before they will be allowed to be sold on or off the site. Any member found breaking this rule will be permanently banned.
