Site Abuse Issues
There is a problem which has been ongoing for a while here. It is to the point where I feel like quitting as a listener and leaving the site forever. It is no secret that there are certain repeat members here who are misusing the intent of this website. They block immediately upon a chat being accepted, because they are trolling hoping to find a certain type of listener who they can manipulate with their made-up stories. Sexual-oriented screennames keep popping up in the que, men looking to have an inappropriate chat with women. This is not a dating chat site! I also get many members begging me for my contact info outside of the site. They don't want to talk to me unless I go off-site. Also the same very similar screennames keep popping up in the que with the same problem every day. Obviously accounts that got deleted, so the same person comes back again and just makes a similar screenname. Why doesn't the site start blocking IP addresses so these trolls can't keep coming back and wasting our time? So what is the site doing to deal with these problems that are dragging down the reputation of 7cups? It is really making me lose my faith in humanity.
First of all, it's great to meet you! 😊
I'm sorry to hear that you've been experiencing issues with this site, particularly with repeat users who misuse this site for inappropriate reasons.
I agree with you on this emotional support site not being a dating chat site. It's meant for people to seek support for their emotional and mental health. I myself have seen numerous such usernames popping up in General Request queue, as well as inappropriate users.
The site has taken many steps towards addressing such issues. For instance, we have Safety Patrol, a team of members and listeners, who check for inappropriate or sexual-looking usernames and profiles daily and flag them so that they can be removed from the site. If you come across one such username, you're free to message any member on Safety Patrol :) https://www.7cups.com/BrowseListeners/?badge=405
About members begging you to go offsite, or being inappropriate with listeners, we can gently remind them of the site guidelines. If they persist, we also have a reporting system. You can take screenshots of the relevant parts of the chat, and report them through helpdesk: https://help.7cups.com/hc/en-us/requests/new (Choose 'Report a member' option in the dropdown list)
And finally, about IP address blocking, I believe the site has already been doing that for a while. Still members can come back and use a VPN - virtual private network - to create a new account ☹️
If you have any suggestions for boosting this site's safety, you're free to submit a ticket: https://help.7cups.com/hc/en-us/requests/new (Choose 'Provide Feedback (About 7 Cups, a change etc.)' option)
Happy listening! 😊