Delete, edit, and organize
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Anyone else experiencing files and folders being deleted from Dropbox without human intervention?
I know that I'm going to get the stock Dropbox answer here that it can't happen, but I can explicitly tell you it does.
What I saw was random deletions of over 10,000 files/folders in the space of less than 33 seconds. Even with the best will in the world - not to mention the fastest fingers - this just isn't possible. Especially considering that some complete folders, and in some cases just files within folders, disappeared at 13:30 BST yesterday, all within 33 seconds (according to the event log).
The kicker is that the only person who has access to these files/folders is me - and I know for sure that I didn't delete them.
I guess there may be 2 explanations:
1) I entered a fugue state and decided to delete all my work on a number of cases
2) Something is happening with the Dropbox software that either Dropbox don't know about or can't fix
Been trying to get Dropbox support to assist, but got the usual default customer service answer of "it's not us it's you". Well, I know it's not me - so by extension it must be the software!
Next step is to request a refund of my yearly plan as I cannot have something that intervenes in my workflow like this and then wastes half a day (and counting) trying to figure out what's missing. I guess the only silver lining is that I have a Dropbox business account, so files are kept forever. Small benefit, but a good one at this stage.
So, after my long winded moan above, anyone have a resolution to stop Dropbox from deleting things from my folders? Or is it just time to move on to another provider?
Finally, don't let anyone from Dropbox tell you differently (especially the "Super Users") as I can categorically say it happens. They'll tell you it can't, but I know for a fact that it can.
Best of luck and hoping you don't fall foul of the same problems I've had.
We are in the same boat. Dropbox "help" has consisted mostly of canned chats and email responses and refusal to give a call back. I've been very disappointed. Our mass deleted docs were also restored randomly and out of place. Once we tried to move them all around appropriately on a desktop version, caused another mass deletion online. No satisfactory explanation from dropbox. Service used to be much better. I hope they acknowlege the cause and get everyone assisted that is having this problem.
Exactly the same happened to me this week. Hundreds of files, all Word + Excel docs vanished into thin air!! The folders are all there, other files extensions like PDF or jpeg are there but they don't concern me there's maybe 20-30 files of that kind, the W +E files are the ones I used for my client work.
I am absolutely fuming that I keep getting responses that have nothing to do with solving the issue and taking responsibility.
If a person is a single user of a folder of course the events log will say "You added or You deleted" but I well know I did not do anything, I wasn't even at my computer at the time it happened and I was home so there's no chance someone sat at my computer and started moving things, plus it all happened in a few minutes....apparently in 1 minute alone "I" moved and equally deleted over 100 files...that's physically impossible!!
Now I see others experienced the same, so I too would like for Dropbox to start taking responsibility, but first off they need to restore all the files where they were, this is despicable!!
And thinking I was even considering moving to Dropbox for work.
Not after this experience!
Hey SKBJ,
Jane
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support
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Yes, Dropbox help totally useless, to the point of being comically bad: multiple emails from different "customer service" staff insisting they would help, with NONE of them responding to the very clear details I laid out and requests made for their help. Literally, after weeks of correspondance, NOT ONE DROP BOX STAFF MEMBER responded in any coherent way at all.
At some later point, all of the folders that had been moved/altered then "mysteriously" dissappeared from my dropbox root folder. HUH? (dropbox staff going in to "clean up" screw up? -- no idea...)
My lesson here: Dropbox CANNOT BE USED FOR CRITICAL BACKUP: the system will corrupt, relocate, and potentially delete or alter files by itself, and they have no ability to research, confirm, reverse, monitor, or protect against such events. Because this is a "mirroring" system, these faults in Dropbox will potentially result in permanant loss of important data.
Hey Watts H,
I'd be glad to investigate this with you.
Would you mind opening a new ticket and let me know once you have done so, in order to follow-up and look up the piece of information you'd like to know more about on our system?
Jane
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support
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Did this post fix your issue/answer your question? If so please press the 'Accept as Best Answer' button to help others find it.
Still stuck? Ask me a question! (Questions asked in the community will likely receive an answer within 4 hours!)
No, had enough "help" from you and your colleagues, thanks.
Totally incompetent.
Can't help with follow that up with a: "are you joking?"
If you are so determined to help -- do the research and send me answers to my original requests, which you should be able to find in correspondance logs related to my account (if not, that is not my problem, so don't bother me with that excuse either...).
And, make a BIG NOTE in my account to your colleagues: DO NOT SEND THIS CUSTOMER ANY MORE MESSAGES OFFERING TO HELP.
Either respond to original requests, or don't waste any more of my time.
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