Wish Upon a Hero!

FAQ’s

General Questions:

Do I have to register to use Wish Upon a Hero?
Only those who would like to make a wish or grant someone’s wish are required to register, otherwise, visitors may browse the website without registering.

Is there a fee for posting or granting wishes?
Wish Upon A Hero is a free community website. There are no costs to make wishes, or grant wishes.

What can I do when I see an inappropriate wish posted?
Every wish posted contains an icon that allows viewers to “flag” a wish that might be considered inappropriate or offensive.

I didn't receive my confirmation link email, what do I do?
If you didn't receive the confirmation link email you can have it resent to you by going to the resend confirmation link page. Also you should make sure wishuponahero.com is in your "safe" list so that the email doesn't get blocked by your spam filter. You may also want to check your spam/junk mail folder to see if the email was put into there.

How does the rating system work?
We use a variation of a bayesian estimate formula to calculate wish ratings. Each rating is weighted based on how many times a wish has been rated and what the rating is. The more ratings a wish has the more its ratings count towards pushing it to the top rated (note: if you are the first to rate a wish it will not show the rating as what you clicked it as. It will show the rating based on the calculated score from our rating formula taking into consideration your rating).

How do I know if a wish is a "real" wish or if I am being scammed?
It is the responsibility of the granter to research the wisher before granting a wish. Most scammers will not give you much information. They withhold information such as: last name, address, a phone to contact them, and personal details. Where as most "real" wishers are happy that someone is helping them at all and will provide you with almost any information. Try to send gift cards or items instead of cash. If you feel that someone is trying to scam you or the Wish Upon A Hero website, please notify us at: admin@wishuponahero.com.

How do I identify scammers?
1. Read over our “Known Scammer” list periodically. If you receive an email from one of them, DO NOT reply to them at all. Instead, let us know immediately at admin@wishuponahero.com

2. Never give out personal information such as credit card and bank account numbers… not even to people that you feel that you “know” from the site.

3. Never cash a check from someone who writes it out for more than the amount that you expected and asks you to send him the change. This is ALWAYS a scam!

4. If you receive an email that makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, forward it to us immediately. Do not reply to the message! Engaging in conversation will just encourage them.

Wish Upon A Hero is doing everything we can to block scammers from our site, and we appreciate you letting us know about any suspicious activity.

What do the colored stars represent?
The Star rating represents different levels of member certification. Star rated members have shown dedication and support for the site. They have abided by the rules and netiquette for a minimum of 30 days.

verified icon Bronze Star : A member who has supplied us with all required information located in the My Account area under Profile Info.
Silver Star : A member with Bronze Star status who has successfully granted many wishes.
Gold Star : A member with Silver Star status who is recognized by administration for their acts of heroism, site leadership, and trustworthiness.

verified icon Black Star : ONLY official site administration have a black star. If anyone claims to be a representative of the site and does not have a black star next to their name, please report them to admin@wishuponahero.com.

black x icon Black X : A member account that is under investigation for violation of the rules or an account that has been official closed.

Questions About Posting Wishes:

How many wishes can I post?
Once registered, you may post up to three wishes at a time. Wishes may also be edited or deleted anytime.

Can I post a wish that doesn’t involve money, or anything of material value?
The power of Wish Upon A Hero is its ability to connect people. For some, that means connecting with a person they’ve never met, a loved one they’ve lost, even a friend who you wish could be more than just a friend. It’s your wish.

Can I post a wish on behalf of someone else?
Yes you may. In fact, parents or guardians are required to post wishes on behalf of children under the age of 18.

If several people offer to grant my wish, can I accept?
Wish Upon A Hero is designed to disable a Wish posting once it has been granted. If a wish is only partially fulfilled--in the case of accepting donations for a family, an organization, or an entire community--a new wish may be posted using the same information.

Should I give out personal information to someone who offers to grant my wish?
Always use common sense. Under no circumstance should you give out personal information such as: social security number, credit card numbers or bank information. If would like assistance to complete a wish, you may contact one of our Wish Ambassadors at WishAmbassador@WishUponAHero.com.

Questions About Granting Wishes:

How can I tell the difference between a legitimate need and a frivolous request?
Other than content that is prohibited by the website’s rules of decency, users are free to wish for virtually anything they like. Some wishes will be based on genuine need, while others might be considered quite extravagant. Wish Upon a Hero is designed to allow those posting wishes plenty of options to provide descriptions, photos and video to support their appeal for a Hero. In addition, the Wish Upon A Hero email system will allow registered users to communicate questions and answers regarding each wish. In the end, users of the Wish Upon A Hero site are encourage to use good judgment and common sense when it comes to posting and granting wishes.

If I grant someone’s wish, can I remain anonymous?
Yes, the choice be a recognized or anonymous Hero is entirely up to you.

As a business, are we permitted to publicize the wishes that we fulfill?
Yes you may. However, you may not publicize the names of individuals to whom you grant wishes without their express written permission.

If I grant a Wish, is it tax deductible?
Wish Upon A Hero’s core differentiator, when compared to charities and other “giving” websites, is enabling people to have complete control over the destiny of their gift by giving it directly to the recipient. Since gifts and donations are given directly to individuals, not filtered through a charitable organization, they are not tax deductible.

IP Address Questions:

What is an IP address?
Each computer or groups of compuers that is connected to the Internet has a clearly identifiable, numeric address called the IP address.

What is an IP check?
The WIsh System automatically runs the IP checks to confirm the number of IP address connected with an account. 1 Account indicates that this is the only user account associated with this IP address. 2 Accounts indicates that there are 2 accounts associated with this IP address. (Or 2 people from the same household). 3+ Accounts indicates that there are 3 or more accounts associated with this IP address. (Possibly friends or family sharing as single computer). Shared IP accounts indicates that there is is an single IP used as a gateway for many computers. (AOL, offices and some ISPs will have shared IP address).

Why are we running IP checks?
Heroes can make a more informed granting decision if they know how many accounts an IP address has. Having only one account per IP address indicates that there is no one else using this computer.

Is an IP check 100% informative?
NO!!! There are several reasons why a person may come back as having multiple accounts on a single IP address. Many corporate networks and online services economize on the number of IP addresses they use by sharing a pool of IP addresses among a large number of users. For example, if you are an America Online user your IP address will vary from one logon session to the next because AOL is assigning it to you from a pool that is much smaller than AOL's base of subscribers. In these cases we will only provide the fact that there are multiple IP address associated with the account. It is up the Hero to decided if they would still like to offer to grant a wish.

Is my IP information publicly viewable
We will never make your IP address publicly viewable. We only use IP address information for internal checking of accounts.