Sounds like the bat and ball was picked up and half way home before this was thought through. All this thread is and the responses within is some sort of self justification for what has gone on.
I've seen this happen before on other sites and it didn't end well. The horse has bolted a long time ago and if you were serious about all this, it should have been dealt with then. Having inconsistent rules and regulations is going to create a fractured site, if it isn't there already.