Wikipedia:Abuse response/Schools aren't the only networks who respond to abuse reports

Ever since the formation of WP:ABUSE, many editors have believed that the project mainly only accepts reports about school vandalism. These users have been misinformed.

There is a world of ISPs, businesses, organizations, public networks, schools, and universities that will respond to abuse reports. There are an equal amount of networks that will not respond to abuse reports. There is no way of knowing what networks will respond to a report; all one can do is try.

The fact that a network does not provide a human reply does not indicate that they have not taken action; it is quite common for a very strict ISP to take very strict actions, yet they might not have the time to send a human reply since they receive billions of complaints every day. Most network AUPs do not allow users to violate third party network policies. This means that a person could technically get into trouble for adding uncited facts or violating the 3RR, but we generally only contact ISPs when an IP address becomes known for committing malicious acts such as vandalism.

Another issue is deciding whether to call a network administrator, or send an email. Some ISPs and organizations refuse to accept complaints in any fashion other than email. Others prefer phone calls, faxes, and letters. Probably the best method is to attempt to contact an administrator over the phone, and send an email or fax if that fails.

Postal mail is an effective option, but it's often not as effective as making a phone call, and is sometimes more trouble than other methods. If an ISP will not respond, the Better Business Bureau is an organization who would be glad to assist when dealing with ISPs and organizations in the United States or Canada. However, complaining to the BBB is a last resort, and it should only be done if the vandalism is extreme. So remember this next time you see some vandal who has been blocked several times, regardless of what kind of network they're using. You just might help us get rid of one more long term vandal.