# If I pay to subscribe to SDMB, can I be banned? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 20, 2004, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-pay-to-subscribe-to-sdmb-can-i-be-banned/235332 "2004-03-20T02:05:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Biere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biere)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-pay-to-subscribe-to-sdmb-can-i-be-banned/235332/1 "2004-03-20T02:05:14Z")
If I pay to subscribe to SDMB, can I be banned? Will I get my money back? ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-pay-to-subscribe-to-sdmb-can-i-be-banned/235332/2 "2004-03-20T02:09:35Z")
From Ed’s original message announcing the change: > [@](#): > > **If I subscribe, does that mean I can’t get banned?** > > No. All rules remain in effect. If you misbehave so badly that you get banned, you forfeit your subscription money. We like that part. ---
**Author:** ![Biere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Biere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biere)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-pay-to-subscribe-to-sdmb-can-i-be-banned/235332/3 "2004-03-20T02:27:57Z")
> [@Uvula Donor](#): > > From Ed’s original message announcing the change: If I subscribe, does that mean I can’t get banned? > > No. All rules remain in effect. If you misbehave so badly that you get banned, you forfeit your subscription money. We like that part. Who likes that part? You would take someone’s $ based on another’s opinion to ban that user. I can’t imagine any human, unless an out patient, liking that … ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-pay-to-subscribe-to-sdmb-can-i-be-banned/235332/4 "2004-03-20T03:50:48Z")
> [@Biere](#): > > I can’t imagine any human, unless an out patient, liking that … The only ones who are ever banned without warning are those who return after being banned before, i.e.: sockpuppets. Everyone else gets at least one warning, sometimes two or three. Other times, a banning is caused by a glitch in the system and can be easily fixed. Don’t want to forfeit your (general your) subscription fee? Change your (general again) act after the first warning because it just might be your (and again) last. Quite simple, really. ---
**Author:** ![SwingWing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SwingWing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwingWing)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-pay-to-subscribe-to-sdmb-can-i-be-banned/235332/5 "2004-03-20T16:44:10Z")
> [@Biere](#): > > If I pay to subscribe to SDMB, can I be banned? Will I get my money back? Hey Biere, lucky you didn’t pay SDMB to subscribe! ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-pay-to-subscribe-to-sdmb-can-i-be-banned/235332/6 "2004-03-20T19:05:14Z")
🆒 What a deal. He got banned for free! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SwingWing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SwingWing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwingWing)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-pay-to-subscribe-to-sdmb-can-i-be-banned/235332/7 "2004-03-20T19:08:57Z")
> [@rsa](#): > > 🆒 > > What a deal. He got banned for free! > > 🙂 It was a great deal! Got banned for free and is still counted as a SDMB member! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-pay-to-subscribe-to-sdmb-can-i-be-banned/235332/8 "2004-03-20T22:05:53Z")
> [@](#): > > The only ones who are ever banned without warning are those who return after being banned before, i.e.: sockpuppets. Everyone else gets at least one warning, sometimes two or three. Not quite… Someone who registers solely to spam or to commit illegal acts will also be banned immediately. But in my experience, I’ve never seen a person with even one non-banworth post get banned with no warning at all. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-pay-to-subscribe-to-sdmb-can-i-be-banned/235332/9 "2004-03-20T22:24:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Not quite… Someone who registers solely to spam or to commit illegal acts will also be banned immediately. Ah, yes. Forgot about those. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-pay-to-subscribe-to-sdmb-can-i-be-banned/235332/10 "2004-03-21T12:38:17Z")
Let me try an analogy. You buy a ticket to a concert. While at the concert, you are selling illegal drugs. The cops arrest you and haul you out before the concert is over. You think the concert hall is going to refund your ticket money? ---
**Author:** ![heresiarch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@heresiarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heresiarch)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-pay-to-subscribe-to-sdmb-can-i-be-banned/235332/11 "2004-03-23T05:31:46Z")
> [@Biere](#): > > Who likes that part? _I_ like that part. If the mods couldn’t ban trolls, imagine what a cesspool this board would turn into. And forfeitng the subscription fee is just more incentive to avoid being banned.