Author Topic: Demand Adobe Stock to Reinstate Contributor Support and Fair Treatment (Read 3202 times)

designer093 · « **on:** September 18, 2024, 14:42 »

Hi all contributors,

I’m starting a petition against Adobe Stock for their unfair treatment of contributor relations. They’ve removed contributor support from the main website(they send only auto template email), leaving us with only this survey link (https://survey.adobe.com/jfe/form/SV_74fM1z4DvUPyPlk) where no one actually addresses our cases. This situation is unacceptable and may even be illegal.

Matthew Smith, Mat Hayward, and Diego R. Gómez seem to no longer care about contributors. We need to raise our voices—this can happen to any of us! Let’s not stay silent.

Please sign this petition, share, as this can happen to any of us: https://chng.it/Yc2WNkqzvH

I already started daily post on twitter to publicly post about this until my case get reviewed: https://x.com/findrepeatwords/status/1836482552523034817

Let’s come together and address these issues more publicly!

Atomazul · « **Reply #1 on:** September 19, 2024, 07:26 »

I wish we lived in a timeline that something like this would work. But best of luck, regardless.

blvdone · « **Reply #2 on:** September 19, 2024, 09:12 »

Honestly, Adobe Stock has been pretty fair and good for contributors. I don't know where your anger is coming from. I'm happy with Adobe Stock and Pond5.

Stillsands · « **Reply #3 on:** September 19, 2024, 10:11 »

The ability for contributors to contact Adobe is still there on the site.

zeljkok · « **Reply #4 on:** September 19, 2024, 19:34 »

Chances this will have any impact is less than "Boycott Shutterstock" some years back.

Second the above, Adobe has been overall quite fair to contributors. Only real issue probably recent unreasonable review time without any explanation.

Her Ugliness · « **Reply #5 on:** September 20, 2024, 00:30 »

Quote from: blvdone on September 19, 2024, 09:12

Honestly, Adobe Stock has been pretty fair and good for contributors. I don't know where your anger is coming from. I'm happy with Adobe Stock and Pond5.

Did you ever have a problem where you actually needed to contact the non existing support at Adobe?

Atomazul · « **Reply #6 on:** September 20, 2024, 08:54 »

Quote from: blvdone on September 19, 2024, 09:12

Honestly, Adobe Stock has been pretty fair and good for contributors. I don't know where your anger is coming from. I'm happy with Adobe Stock and Pond5.

Good you're happy I suppose. But anger is much more appropriate of an emotion for what they are doing to us. Adobe might be as "fair" as they get, but that's compared to the others that are unashamed in their greed and hatred for their contributors. Like getting kicked in the face with steel-toed boots compared to being bisected with a chainsaw. I definitely cannot agree with "good" though, as the whole point of this AI Firefly model is to replace us, as much as they can (editorial "real" content of actual places/people in a moment of time ~~can't~~ shouldn't be replaceable, but I'm sure they'll try). They don't offer an opt-out, that's not "good". And their review times are inexcusable.

Pond5 in the meantime, while still the "best", has been gutted by Shutterstock. Nearly all human staff eliminated. Reviewers are now "review_system" instead of human names (AI?). And those reviews are incredibly inaccurate at that, ie, incorrectly flagging for logos and trademarks in clips that clearly have none. Contributor support inquiries now only goes to other contributors who have zero ability to help and just give bs excuses, like in the companies very obvious drop in sales, ie "It's your titles, that's why clips that sold great consistently for years don't sell today". They don't promote the site. They don't sell our clips. Don't believe me? Check your lifetime views, it's depressing. Mine are as low as they were the first month I started on Pond5 in 2010 with a handful of SFX. It's being run by a skeleton crew (at best) and possibly fully automated. Shutterstock bought them out to eliminate them, and is running them into the ground, either intentionally or through incompetence.

"Good" and "Fair" are not the four letter words that come out of my mouth every night when another day of zero sales comes and goes.

blvdone · « **Reply #7 on:** September 20, 2024, 09:59 »

Quote from: Atomazul on September 20, 2024, 08:54

Quote from: blvdone on September 19, 2024, 09:12
Honestly, Adobe Stock has been pretty fair and good for contributors. I don't know where your anger is coming from. I'm happy with Adobe Stock and Pond5.

Good you're happy I suppose. But anger is much more appropriate of an emotion for what they are doing to us. Adobe might be as "fair" as they get, but that's compared to the others that are unashamed in their greed and hatred for their contributors. Like getting kicked in the face with steel-toed boots compared to being bisected with a chainsaw. I definitely cannot agree with "good" though, as the whole point of this AI Firefly model is to replace us, as much as they can (editorial "real" content of actual places/people in a moment of time ~~can't~~ shouldn't be replaceable, but I'm sure they'll try). They don't offer an opt-out, that's not "good". And their review times are inexcusable.

Pond5 in the meantime, while still the "best", has been gutted by Shutterstock. Nearly all human staff eliminated. Reviewers are now "review_system" instead of human names (AI?). And those reviews are incredibly inaccurate at that, ie, incorrectly flagging for logos and trademarks in clips that clearly have none. Contributor support inquiries now only goes to other contributors who have zero ability to help and just give bs excuses, like in the companies very obvious drop in sales, ie "It's your titles, that's why clips that sold great consistently for years don't sell today". They don't promote the site. They don't sell our clips. Don't believe me? Check your lifetime views, it's depressing. Mine are as low as they were the first month I started on Pond5 in 2010 with a handful of SFX. It's being run by a skeleton crew (at best) and possibly fully automated. Shutterstock bought them out to eliminate them, and is running them into the ground, either intentionally or through incompetence.

"Good" and "Fair" are not the four letter words that come out of my mouth every night when another day of zero sales comes and goes.

My advice to you is that getting angry doesn't increase your sales/downloads. I think the vast majority of Adobe Stock contributors are happy with doing business with Adobe Stock especially compared to most other agencies. Instead, you should focus on creating new contents. Many are reporting better sales on Pond5 too since they started the mostly $149 and some $39 2 tier pricing system to eliminate thousands of $25/HD $27/4K clips. So, I'm happy with both of them. Good luck.

designer093 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 21, 2024, 03:14 »

Quote from: Stillsands on September 19, 2024, 10:11

The ability for contributors to contact Adobe is still there on the site.

Every time I contact using that form, I receive a template response as attached. Basically no one checks my case. It means this contact form is useless.

blvdone · « **Reply #9 on:** September 21, 2024, 05:43 »

Quote from: designer093 on September 21, 2024, 03:14

Quote from: Stillsands on September 19, 2024, 10:11
The ability for contributors to contact Adobe is still there on the site.

Every time I contact using that form, I receive a template response as attached. Basically no one checks my case. It means this contact form is useless.

Did you fill out that form from the link?

designer093 · « **Reply #10 on:** September 22, 2024, 02:58 »

Quote from: blvdone on September 21, 2024, 05:43

Quote from: designer093 on September 21, 2024, 03:14
Quote from: Stillsands on September 19, 2024, 10:11
The ability for contributors to contact Adobe is still there on the site.

Every time I contact using that form, I receive a template response as attached. Basically no one checks my case. It means this contact form is useless.

Did you fill out that form from the link?

Of course! 2 weeks ago but still got no response. This is so embarrassing to see how Adobe doesn't respect to its business partners - contributors.

Injustice for all · « **Reply #11 on:** September 22, 2024, 06:33 »

my experience is different,I am so satisfied with Adobe that I have abandoned all the other agencies.

For me,when I've contacted Adobe in any way,using any avenue,I've always gotten a quick and consistent response.

those who have suffered copyright violations have been reimbursed by Adobe and the offending accounts have always been closed,while the other agencies don't care.

The best royalties,bonuses throughout the year,free software,lots of interesting emails on various creative topics and detailed explanations of everything,constant presence here in the forum too...

then I see that many are complaining that Adobe intends to replace us contributors with AI,this is truly nonsense!

Adobe needs us like we Adobe for our work,I see this clearly and I don't know how anyone can think otherwise.

we are lucky that Adobe is there or this industry would have already half dead!

designer093 · « **Reply #12 on:** September 22, 2024, 13:19 »

Cmon man, take off the mask... We know you're Mat Hayward just using different nickname

HalfFull · « **Reply #13 on:** September 23, 2024, 03:09 »

While Adobe have problems with their reviewing process in terms of speed of reviews and some errors in declining content incorrectly, I've always found they respond quickly when you contact them via the form about such problems.

The last two occasions I had to contact them was either on the Friday or Saturday and by Tuesday the following week at the latest they'd already replied and corrected the problem. While I wish these errors never occurred, mistakes do happen and hopefully they are working towards refining the system to prevent them and the lengthy queues... which at present aren't acceptable. But I've always found the Contributor Support team to be very helpful and responsive. They do a great job and no need for a petition.

Injustice for all · « **Reply #14 on:** September 23, 2024, 04:25 »

Quote from: designer093 on September 22, 2024, 13:19

Cmon man, take off the mask... We know you're Mat Hayward just using different nickname

hahaha!

very funny,thanks for making me laugh,and I think Mat finds it very funny too!

Injustice for all · « **Reply #15 on:** September 23, 2024, 04:38 »

Quote from: HalfFull on September 23, 2024, 03:09

While Adobe have problems with their reviewing process in terms of speed of reviews and some errors in declining content incorrectly, I've always found they respond quickly when you contact them via the form about such problems.

The last two occasions I had to contact them was either on the Friday or Saturday and by Tuesday the following week at the latest they'd already replied and corrected the problem. While I wish these errors never occurred, mistakes do happen and hopefully they are working towards refining the system to prevent them and the lengthy queues... which at present aren't acceptable. But I've always found the Contributor Support team to be very helpful and responsive. They do a great job and no need for a petition.

Exactly,is Adobe perfect?Nothing is perfect,but the Adobe Stock team certainly works hard to try to make sure that everything works in the best way and with respect for everyone.

Shuttershock · « **Reply #16 on:** September 23, 2024, 04:55 »

Adobe is a private business, they owe contributors nothing. It is your choice whether you contribute or not and it is their business to do as they please with, within law. I'm just not keen on the long wait for payment and long review time but it wont stop me contributing, oh and the Adobe forum is a waste of space, full of fanboys.

NeonRobot · « **Reply #17 on:** September 23, 2024, 07:11 »

Quote from: designer093 on September 18, 2024, 14:42

Hi all contributors,

I’m starting a petition against Adobe Stock for their unfair treatment of contributor relations. They’ve removed contributor support from the main website(they send only auto template email), leaving us with only this survey link (https://survey.adobe.com/jfe/form/SV_74fM1z4DvUPyPlk) where no one actually addresses our cases. This situation is unacceptable and may even be illegal.

My account is blocked with more then 3000usd of earnings. I do not use any AI trickery.
Link to appeal form is blocked, chat is switching between operators with no answer, copy-paste template "answers" in tickets. They simply dont care.

i wish you the best with petition project, but hate to regret you that you won't change vector of movement of huge corporation which simply dont care about contributors even for old timers.
greed.

designer093 · « **Reply #18 on:** September 24, 2024, 15:12 »

Quote from: HalfFull on September 23, 2024, 03:09

While Adobe have problems with their reviewing process in terms of speed of reviews and some errors in declining content incorrectly, I've always found they respond quickly when you contact them via the form about such problems.

The last two occasions I had to contact them was either on the Friday or Saturday and by Tuesday the following week at the latest they'd already replied and corrected the problem. While I wish these errors never occurred, mistakes do happen and hopefully they are working towards refining the system to prevent them and the lengthy queues... which at present aren't acceptable. But I've always found the Contributor Support team to be very helpful and responsive. They do a great job and no need for a petition.

There may be individual cases where no petition is needed, but that's not the reality for everyone. There are thousands of people whose accounts have been blocked automatically due to system errors, and Adobe Support isn't helping. My account has been blocked for 18 days now. I've contacted them multiple times, but I still haven't received any update or help. I trust my own experience and that of others who are facing similar issues, not someone for whom everything seems to work perfectly. This is frustrating and unacceptable!

Atomazul · « **Reply #19 on:** September 25, 2024, 19:31 »

Quote from: blvdone on September 20, 2024, 09:59

Quote from: Atomazul on September 20, 2024, 08:54
Quote from: blvdone on September 19, 2024, 09:12
Honestly, Adobe Stock has been pretty fair and good for contributors. I don't know where your anger is coming from. I'm happy with Adobe Stock and Pond5.

Good you're happy I suppose. But anger is much more appropriate of an emotion for what they are doing to us. Adobe might be as "fair" as they get, but that's compared to the others that are unashamed in their greed and hatred for their contributors. Like getting kicked in the face with steel-toed boots compared to being bisected with a chainsaw. I definitely cannot agree with "good" though, as the whole point of this AI Firefly model is to replace us, as much as they can (editorial "real" content of actual places/people in a moment of time ~~can't~~ shouldn't be replaceable, but I'm sure they'll try). They don't offer an opt-out, that's not "good". And their review times are inexcusable.

Pond5 in the meantime, while still the "best", has been gutted by Shutterstock. Nearly all human staff eliminated. Reviewers are now "review_system" instead of human names (AI?). And those reviews are incredibly inaccurate at that, ie, incorrectly flagging for logos and trademarks in clips that clearly have none. Contributor support inquiries now only goes to other contributors who have zero ability to help and just give bs excuses, like in the companies very obvious drop in sales, ie "It's your titles, that's why clips that sold great consistently for years don't sell today". They don't promote the site. They don't sell our clips. Don't believe me? Check your lifetime views, it's depressing. Mine are as low as they were the first month I started on Pond5 in 2010 with a handful of SFX. It's being run by a skeleton crew (at best) and possibly fully automated. Shutterstock bought them out to eliminate them, and is running them into the ground, either intentionally or through incompetence.

"Good" and "Fair" are not the four letter words that come out of my mouth every night when another day of zero sales comes and goes.

My advice to you is that getting angry doesn't increase your sales/downloads. I think the vast majority of Adobe Stock contributors are happy with doing business with Adobe Stock especially compared to most other agencies. Instead, you should focus on creating new contents. Many are reporting better sales on Pond5 too since they started the mostly $149 and some $39 2 tier pricing system to eliminate thousands of $25/HD $27/4K clips. So, I'm happy with both of them. Good luck.

Didn't ask for advice. I don't care what "many" are reporting. I know my own numbers and history. My point was simply that anger is the appropriate reaction to having your livelihood stripped away from you by these massive companies enriching themselves off our years of work, rather than defending it and praising it. They're dismantling everything we've spent countless hours, a significant amount of our lives, building up. Whether it be intentionally or through mismanagement. And while, yes, anger in itself won't change anything at this stage of the game, it was those that were "happy" and complicit 10+ years ago when iStock/Getty, Shutterstock, etc. took us down this path that led the industry to where we are today. It hasn't been "fair" for a long, long time. No one is telling you not to be happy while it all burns down around you. But, in turn, don't tell those if us that are lucid enough to recognize what's happening to just accept it and smile like imbeciles while it happens. Calling them out for what they are and doing, attempting to bring awareness to it, and the slight cathartic relief in venting frustration, as trivial and pointless as it seems to you, is all we have left.

stoker2014 · « **Reply #20 on:** September 26, 2024, 05:02 »

Adobe takes a very long time to transfer money to authors. This is not normal!

NeonRobot · « **Reply #21 on:** September 26, 2024, 06:56 »

Quote from: stoker2014 on September 26, 2024, 05:02

Adobe takes a very long time to transfer money to authors. This is not normal!

It is not the main problem, the main one is that they ban long time contributors with cheap automatic script, without any notification and not replying to contributor requests in a proper way.

designer093 · « **Reply #22 on:** September 30, 2024, 04:05 »

All contributors need to come together, I still need more people to sign this petition: https://chng.it/bvWrQqKtVJ

LizC · « **Reply #23 on:** October 01, 2024, 19:57 »

Just want to say that I recently contacted support using the contact form and I received a reply back a couple days later addressing my issue.

NeonRobot · « **Reply #24 on:** October 02, 2024, 00:58 »

I am banned too, profile name: spacedrone808
Support tickets #00317361, #00314971.
Signed appeal form through vpn (using normal network connection i was faced access denied).
Signed petition, because support is not answering what to do in my case, only auto replies and template answers leading to nowhere.

tried to contact Adobe on all possible platforms to no avail.
twitter, instagram, tiktok, discord, forum, support tickets, on site webchat.

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Author Topic: Demand Adobe Stock to Reinstate Contributor Support and Fair Treatment (Read 3202 times)

designer093

Atomazul

blvdone

Stillsands

zeljkok

Her Ugliness

Atomazul

blvdone

designer093

blvdone

designer093

Injustice for all

designer093

HalfFull

Injustice for all

Injustice for all

Shuttershock

NeonRobot

designer093

Atomazul

stoker2014

NeonRobot

designer093

LizC

NeonRobot

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