There's a difference between free speech, and courtesy.
The expression is something like the right to swing your fist ends where another man's nose begins.
The mods felt you took an issue that would normally be handled by you and the manufacturer, pretty much as you had done...but, w/o making a thread about it.
As the point of the thread WASN'T poor customer service, or slamming them for making a light and advertising it deceptively, or even saying you would not buy another one, etc...it really only existed as what the mods consider an inflammatory thread. What you SAID in it, ironically, wasn't even that inflammatory other than the opening gambit. You took responsibility for your oops on the UI checking etc, and, really, I thought you were pretty open minded after you had a chance to cool off.
They do the same for surefire threads, even though they are not an advertiser...because about ALL the SF threads turn into flame wars.
As your thread contained no real info a person searching/researching would likely wade through, was subjective, and had a title that would be expected upset an advertiser and supporter of the forum, there was no real need to keep it open. They did NOT delete it..its THERE. Its just closed to FURTHER comment....as MANY threads are when they have grown to a a stagnation point, etc.
So, 8 years in the AF wasn't wasted...your words will live on forever.
CENSORSHIP would have been deleting it.
So what lures are you getting?
