This week has been annoying, I love playing minecraft with my BF and my coworkers, but we seem to keep comming across problems with the management of each server.
The first server we went to, the management often used their powers to their own advantage, and gave explicit advantages to those who donated money. Now, don't get me wrong, those who donate should get a reward, but it shouldn't make it so that they jsut donate money and BAM ahead of everyone else. Also, they decided with the new 1.8 release they will wipe the slate clean with new everything. So everyone will be starting from scratch. My friends and I were almost done with our buildings, and now we wouldn't even be able to enjoy them. When I voiced this, the admin insisted they'd be losing more as they'll be losing entire towns they've built. I don't think they undersand that, my friends and I will never get to enjoy our work, while these admins have let alone enjoyed their work, but several of them got bored of their towns and built other ones, abandoning the old ones. So, again, it's not that much of a loss for them since they've had the experience of enjoying their work, and we have not.
The second server we went to was a bit better. The admin were going to transfer individual structures over to the new 1.8, but warned us that they will probably not be in the same layout any more, since there will be different terrain. They also strictly do not use their adminpowers to give themselves anything that they could go out and find. It was also a great idea with protected zones and free-for-all zones!
But then, this server we're now comming across several instances of admin abuse. While the first server,t he admin did what theyw anted and not cared about what their players wanted, this server has admin that don't seem to care that their powers are for upholding the rules. Four times we've encountered such things. The first encounter was when an admin locked a chest in the free-for-all zone. There is supposed to be no protections out there. And none of the regular players can lock their chests, it was unfair. The admin got reported, and then the admin retaliated by yelling at my BF, the one who reported it.
The second incident was witht he same admin. This time using a tracing system to see what had happened to their own place in the free-for-all area. None of the players can check the tracing system to see who did what to theirs. The admin quickly put a bounty on the head of the person who did it (my coworker). This destroyed his reputation and the huge secret it had been. Mind you, there are stories (Role Play) written into everything that's done on the server. My coworker had been working on being a reputable memebr of society that secretly takes "hit jobs" on built areas of the free-for-all zone.
The third incident was much like the first, something protected in the explicitly non-protected area. This time, since I found it,I was a bit more discreet in reporting it.
The fourth incident, though, was nearly a complete rehash of the second incident. I'd gone out in the free-for-all area, found a place that looked abandoned, poked my nose around and found loot! So I looted it. Three days later, an admin is screaming about it. He decides to abuse his powers and peek at who did it. None of the other players can do this. The power to look at records (or lock chests) is strictly for admin use, and meant for enforcing the rules. In the free-for-all zone, it is exactly that: a free-for-all. Nothing is protected or locked, and if you leave no evidence, then there is no way to track you. All of these admin have ample area to put their things where they can be protected, and needn't build in the free-for-all zone. (or, at the very least, STORE their stuff in the protected area!).
We really like the story and theme to this server, and we have so much we want to do there, but comming across four instances of admin abuse is really…. well, not welcoming. 
