Jarnhamar said:
It might be beneficial if members could self-delete though.
You would think so, but the reality is we would have a spike in impulse deletes that then re-register a new account a few days later, causing challenges for continuity with posts, etc. (All old posts are "unattributed" once the parent account is deleted.)
Worse, the user may expect that their posts would be deleted too. They would not be in that case, which may trigger a request that the Staff hunt down and delete each post individually. Once the parent account is removed, that becomes a manual and time-consuming task. When an admin deletes an account, they have the option of deleting all associated posts by simply checking a box, should the user request that as well.
Bottom line,
any user can request account deletion at any time. They do not need to give a reason, although I typically find it beneficial if they are willing to provide one.
Frankly, if the response to mt.chep's delete request is representative, I can understand why they asked.
We use a 24h cooling off period as SOP because experience has shown that often (anecdotally, a small majority of users in my experience), they change their mind. Sometimes because things have cooled down, and sometimes because they have identified the reason for the request and it could be mitigated via other means.
The other important point, which was touched on above, is that a request to delete is a request to abandon the site. That is, users who delete are not permitted to come back later, under a different pseudonym. This can be a problem where immediate or self-delete is available, as cooler heads prevail and folks may want back in down the road.
Hopefully that sheds some light on the process.
Cheers
Mike
