News

We would like to post our thoughts about the new site and at the same time answer some common questions asked by our users.

1. Registration and e-mail activation

Q: Why do I have to register?

A: The reasoning behind the registration process has to do with the need to hide some pieces of information from public view - specifically the ring number of pigeons. Instead, we opt to provide it to its legitimate owners through pages accessed by them only. It is indeed a common fact between many lofts, that some pigeons which have good performance and rankings are being captured during races by certain individuals. If every piece of data is provided publicly, these individuals have the opportunity to catch a pigeon, verify its performance through the ring number and hold it for their own intents. This situation is not acceptable. The registration system we employ is a one-time procedure that does not differ in any way from the common practices followed (e.g.  Email / social media account creation). It acts as a protective measure for the assets of our clients (in this case their pigeons) and it provides a two-way means of communication that we consider necessary.

Q: Why do you enforce upon me an email account activation system?

A: The extra step of email activation has been added in order to make the registration even more personalized. A new site account cannot be activated by any other person who happens to possess the email of a user; only the true owner of the specific email can enter his inbox, view the activation mail and click the link provided in order to activate his newly created account.

Q: Registration is too strict. What will you do?

A: We are aware of the situation. Indeed, some of the fanciers find it hard to register with the site. We take seriously into consideration the feedback we are receiving and plan to ease up the registration requirements. We intend to finally provide a reliable, non-intrusive system, where a minimal set of user data will be required (e.g. full name, country, email, username and password).

Q: I can't register. What can be done about this?

A: Please contact us and describe thoroughly your problem. Certainly a solution can be found.

2. Viewing teams and pigeons

Q: Why do I have to login in order to view my teams and my pigeons?

A: You don't! We provide public access regarding FCI teams and pigeons data: anybody can view the participating teams and pigeons through the menu without logging in the site. However, the pigeon rings remain hidden due to the reasons described above. These hidden details (and so much more - such as full history regarding bids, pigeon ownership and statistical data from past years that we plan to implement) can be viewed only by the owner, through his personal profile.

Q: I still don't see my teams or pigeons! What's going on?

A: This is an issue that plagues only the users that have not yet created an account. We have already studied a number of workarounds in order to resolve the situation. We can assure everybody that within the next few days this data will be universally accessible through the site menu ("THE RACE" -> "FCI PARTICIPANTS"). Also, race results and any other related information (such as Aces, Team rankings etc.) will be publicly available when provided. However, please note that in order to view pigeons' ring numbers as well as access any extra features included in the user profile section, you still have to create an account!

3. User information and auctions

Q: Why do you need information such as my address and my phone numbers? Why is SMS validation needed?

A: This information as well as SMS validation is needed for the auctions. We have to prevent situations where individuals create fake accounts and raise bids for the auctioned pigeons without the intent of truly purchasing them. If we have the contact information of the participating users, we can prevent such practices and add extra credibility and security to the auction process. This feature practically enables us to act at our clients best interests. Please note that such situations in the past were handled with the utmost respect towards the fanciers: even when the purchasers proved to be fake, the fanciers still received their payments as defined in the "Terms of Participation" section.

4. About the new site

Q: Your new site is too complicated compared to the old one. Why did you change it?

A: In fact, quite the opposite is true! In contrast to the old site, the new one has a crystal clear and simple layout that corresponds with the modern web design principles. Additionally, it employs a responsive template which enables visitors to view it in an optimal way from any device connected to the web (pcs, laptops, tablets, smart phones, etc.). Another important reason for the site refresh is the fact that we eventually had to move away from older / obsolete technologies; instead, in order to best serve our customers' needs, we continuously try to focus in modern design and implementation techniques. In this regard, we also plan to release an app for smart phones in the future.We realize that often the adoption of new things is bound to bring a certain amount of discomfort to everyone. However, the path we choose is heading towards innovative and pioneer solutions such as the live scoring system we have introduced in the past years.