45 Messages

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874 Points

Tuesday, March 24th, 2026

Solved

It's going in circles - we always end up in the same place.

It's unbearable, simply frustrating. IMDb has once again rejected entries as "Unable to verify" that have been demonstrably verified:

#260320-221844-966000

#260321-134609-161000

#260321-140153-748000

#260321-140953-359000

#260321-141902-581000

#260321-142650-072000

#260321-143922-614000

#260321-144802-339000

#260321-150049-80700 0

#260321-152639-038000

#260321-153454-533000

#260321-155659-104000

#260321-162515-847000

#260321-163854-528000

#260321-164653-548000

#260321-165557-704000

#260321-170937-883000

#260323-163451-214000

for The following entry hasn't been rejected yet, but it certainly will be:

#260324-154420-880000

I've added entire episodes of a new video podcast series here (today's episode is 18). All the data was accepted, except for the plot outlines, which were rejected with the aforementioned flimsy justification. Here's the situation:

1) For the plot outlines, I used the descriptions the creators themselves used, but I shortened them slightly due to character limitations. The content is the same. This is verified via the provided YouTube video URL.

2) You can also verify the accuracy of the text by watching the video itself. The link is there!

3) Point 2 was obviously omitted because the person almost certainly doesn't speak German. So I could have stood on my head, the change would never have been accepted because apparently there's no one at IMDb who speaks German and can approve it. Then stop offering that as a possible alternative. What makes it even more frustrating is that this is the one addition that sometimes takes days to even be reviewed—and then only in a way that clearly demonstrates that nothing has been reviewed at all.

This blind rejection of addition or amendment suggestions, which I unfortunately experience so often here, is not only frustrating but also makes you constantly question why you even support IMDb. I've written it a few times already: a commercial platform that relies so heavily on unpaid, volunteer contributions shouldn't treat these people this way.

If additions or amendments aren't adopted for understandable reasons, I wouldn't say anything. But you can really see how arbitrary these decisions are. It's not the rejection itself, but the way it's handled. I understand that something from Germany isn't really relevant to a US-based website. Even though the view counts for a significantly smaller country in such a short time are quite remarkable for the episodes of this series. That's why I refuse to accept this arbitrary treatment. I'm fed up! I demand respect for my contribution, and that means I don't get a generic rejection just because the reviewer doesn't understand it. Ignorance is no excuse.

I don't know if this is the fourth or fifth time I've written something like this. Nothing ever changes. We contributors are always treated in a way that shows us we're worthless to IMDb. In the end, there's always an apology from the poor person who has to read my rant—but nothing ever changes. As I said at the beginning, we're just going in circles.

I don't want an apology. I want a change.

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Employee

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18.4K Messages

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322.8K Points

2 months ago

Hi MarcusCyron -

Thank you for taking the time to share this in detail, I understand how frustrating it is to feel like you’re going in circles, especially after the effort you’ve put into these contributions.

 

I want to assure you that I have escalated the issue, and our team is reviewing the specific submissions you’ve mentioned here to better understand the pattern of why this is happening and whether they were assessed correctly.  If any were declined in error, we’ll take steps to address that.

To clarify, submissions are reviewed against our guidelines, and “Unable to verify” typically means the reviewer could not confidently confirm the information based on the sources provided.  That said, we recognize there are cases, especially with non-English content, where verification can be more complex, and we’re looking into whether that may have been a factor here.

 

I also want to acknowledge the time and care you’ve put into contributing.  Contributions like yours are an important part of keeping the database accurate and up to date, and they are genuinely valued.

 

While I understand your frustration with past experiences, please know that your report here is being actively reviewed, we’re not dismissing it.  I’ll follow up once our team has completed our investigation and I have more clarity.

Employee

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18.4K Messages

 • 

322.8K Points

1 month ago

Hi MarcusCyron -

After reviewing your submissions, I wanted to provide you with an update on their status.

The following submissions have been resubmitted on your behalf and are now approved:

  • 260321-134609-161000
  • 260321-152639-038000
  • 260321-153454-533000
  • 260321-162515-847000

Regarding the remaining contributions, these were declined because they do not comply with our plot guidelines.  Specifically, we do not accept plot summaries that begin with phrases such as “This film is about…” or “This is a story about…,” or that start with the title name (for example, “Star Wars is about…”).

Please feel free to revise and resubmit these entries in line with the guidelines.

I hope this helps, let us know if you have any questions!

(edited)

45 Messages

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874 Points

#260416-231517-074000 Reply by IMDb:

 
Declined (1)

Plot OutlineDeletion

Eine schuldige Göttinnenmörderin wird endlos bestraft und muss für immer gegen Wellen von Feinden kämpfen. (German)
Your Comment
1st: Gender matters in German langiage! It is not a female, but a male person! 2nd: this is not the episode description, but the series description. When IMDb will stop these nearly always wrong automated translations? But when I want to add a description, they mostley are regretted. This is so frustrating.
ReasonUnable to verify.

Your contribution has been declined.We have been unable to verify your contribution. Unfortunately, we were unable to accept your submission as we were unable to verify the information provided. If your submission was placed via the IMDb.com Desktop title or name page submission form, you now have an option to provide evidence with your additions, as well as corrections or deletions. Please go to your Contribution History, re-load the submission reference and tick the box “provide an explanation to assist in processing this submission” and “check these updates”. The field will become available in the submission form. Please include evidence, or provide a URL which contains supporting evidence within this field. For all other submissions, please see our Help Site for further information or details on how to contact us.

-----------------------

"Unably to verify"? What the hell I need to do more, than exactly explain it? And I explained it precisely. Why it's factually incorrect and why it's linguistically incorrect. You don't care. Fine, then leave the factually and linguistically incorrect text as is. Be my guest. But at this point, I have to draw the line. I will no longer support IMDb regarding synopses and plot errors. At some point, the cup simply overflowed. When people without any knowledge of content or language decide they can't verify what people with that knowledge are suggesting, then the system is broken. And I don't want to be damaged by it. I will continue to support IMDb where it still works. But where, as here, it's just frustrating and the volunteer contributors are treated in this shabby way, all I can say is: embarrass yourselves with this nonsense as best you can. Unfortunately, it's also a blatant display of cultural disrespect. IMDb clearly demonstrates that they don't care about other people's languages. Only English. So I say quite clearly: then just don't do it at all! Do everything in English! That's better than this abuse of other languages. 

Employee

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18.4K Messages

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322.8K Points

Hi @MarcusCyron​ -

Thanks for posting all these details and for sharing your feedback so candidly, I can say emphatically that your passion for plot accuracy, both factually and linguistically, is genuinely valued.

I've reviewed this recently declined submission and have processed the removal of the plot entries for the episode as you initially requested, these changes should be live on the site shortly.

Additionally, I do want to acknowledge your frustration.  Feeling unheard, especially when you've taken the care to explain the issue in detail within the submission is discouraging, and that experience should never be the takeaway for a dedicated contributor like yourself.

What I will recommend going forward, whenever possible, I'd encourage you to submit a corrected plot version rather than a deletion.  This matters because...

  • A correction keeps the episode content alive and accurate, which ultimately serves the fans of the show and other IMDb users.
  • Deletions leave a gap that may be filled by someone with less expertise than you.
  • Your linguistic and cultural knowledge is an asset that's difficult to replace.

Like your other recent similar complaints about translations on IMDb (specifically, in the German language), your feedback has been escalated to the appropriate team for visibility to explore where the system needs to improve.

I do hope you'll continue contributing in the areas where you feel supported, and we remain open to your input wherever you're willing to offer it.

Thank you again, and please do let us know if you continue experiencing situations similar to this one so our staff can investigate.

(edited)