Volusion Feature Requests

When setting up your web presence/e-commerce site in Volusion, you're paying for a tool to help make your business run smoother, right? At least isn't that the idea? To hire a service (Volusion, in this case) to help you and your business run more smoothly, make more money, etc., correct?

In that event, wouldn't it make sense for the service (Volusion, in this case) to be concerned with how you need to run your business? And shouldn't it make sense that the service (Volusion, in this case) should listen to their customers to see how they can make this service (Volusion, in this case) easier and more productive for their users?

In theory, the answer to all of these questions is a resounding Yes.

Unfortunately, Volusion apparently doesn't see it that way.  At least not judging by their actions.

After years of being saddled with, errrrrrrr, having the good fortune to work with Volusion, I've come to the conclusion that Volusion feels that their customers are using their service (Volusion, in this case) to help VOLUSION make money, not the other way around.

Case in point: If you're using the service (Volusion, in this case) and really need a feature to help your business run smoother, one would expect that you could request such a feature, and they would consider the value of such a request as it relates to the the effectiveness of the service (Volusion, in this case) and either recommend a third-party add-on or build it in to the software. Right?

Well, that would just make too much sense.

Sadly, Volusion doesn't accept feature requests directly. Instead, one has to get a username/password to their user forum and submit the request through the forum, after which, other forum readers would read and vote on the validity of the idea as to whether or not it makes sense to their needs, and then, theoretically, based on those votes, Volusion would consider whether to put manpower toward said feature request.

Now, for the moment, let's set aside the fact that, as customers, we're in need of a service (Volusion, in this case) that is supposed to make OUR online business run smoother.  That's not really important to you, the potential user, is it?  So let's just set that aside.

Instead, let us focus on the really important factors of an enhancement request (designed to make our service run smoother and make us more money). That being the FORMAT OF THE WORDING OF THE ENHANCEMENT REQUEST in the forum.

Seriously. 

I've had at least 20 very descriptive enhancement requests deleted because they weren't in the proper contextual format. And that's after trying to follow the format template, which everyone is required to read before submitting a request. 

The only thing I can think of is that the forum administrator (or "Forum Nazi" as I call him), is so hung up on the subjectivity and semantics of the request that if he simply doesn't like you or the request, well then, your request isn't in the proper format buddy.  REQUEST DENIED.  Never mind if the request is the greatest thing since those topless photos of Scarlett Johanssen (allegedly) hit the web, it doesn't matter if the enhancement request isn't in the proper format.

I have one question for any business-person out there: How long would you be in business if you ran your company in this manner?