One reason there is a tank shortage in group finder

I don't wanna sound like an ******e here, (ok, maybe a bit), but I agree with the OP. And tbh, I've realized one thing. This started AFTER the game went free to play. Many people that don't understand the roles and/or mechanics are now in, because they don't have to pay monthly. And as much as they don't have access to content as much as we do, they still come in, and I seem to find those people most of the time when I'm in LFG. However, I have to point something out: the biggest mistake of most groups imo - trying to skip as much as a FP as possible. This leads to many complications. I've done my fair share of tanking in MMOs tho, and we do get trashed a lot :/

To end: just because I like how it looks :P

LOL people do that all the time OP. I tanked with my BH geared tank in group finder SM EV to help out a few fresh 50s in my guild and we wiped several times at SOA because majority of pug DPS kept standing underneath the floating pillars where SOA was supposed to get hit by. The pugs insisted I was the worst tank for getting them killed and I wasn't taunting the pillars to me. I was like how the hell am I supposed to taunt rocks and laughed it off. The pug DPS left and was replaced with people that knew the fight and we moved on.

Moral of the story, welcome to the internet...

I play tank on my Shadow and the whole group didn't understand their roles effectively, save one dps (slightly) the healer was wearing Jedi Knight gear >.>.

But the reason I didn't enjoy that group is because I was the only person who was thinking about doing the flashpoint correctly. Hammer Station is a finicky dungeon and you can't have imbeciles plodding their way through it because everyone needs to pull their weight.

So I was thinking of waiting til I got to max level to play with people who knew their class and role better .

Tanks in my experience get treated the way they deserve. Good tanks are loved bad tanks quickly have their rep spread about just as well. I also see alot of tanks feeling like since they get instant queues they run the group and everyone does what they say and if you dont like it theyll just leave. hell its an instant queue for them and 30-60 min wait for dps so they think they can do what they like. Anyways thats my experience Im sure other peoples will vary but thats a reason I almost always run with guildies or friends who I know since they can handle their **** and not pull what OPs healer did. Frankly I wouldve told that ******* healer off too especially if hes dps'ing and wiping the group.

This was an awesome read. I'm still trying to learn how to tank, but i want to be good at it. The guild option is the best option. I have learned so much from grouping with my guild mates. Plus you get to know how the others play, and their habits. It teaches me how to watch and react to their moves as well. It helps to be comfortable so that i can do my job.

Yeah its hard to heal you if you constantly stand on those circles lol! =P

Disagree. This started @ launch in THIS game due to the higher population of first time MMORPG players.

Fortunately I've never had to deal with this kind of problem. Most of the time when I pug it up I've gotten pretty great healers, or at least healers who know what the hell they're doing. The one time I had a problem it was my fault on the Rakghoul boss in Kaon, I couldn't keep aggro on him, but we fixed that right up.
However, I hear you loud and clear OP, I've heard quite a few stories from fellow tanks about this sort of thing.

Well it sounds like you got one of those idiots that ques up as a healer but is really a dps
We on Rep side see it often as well (well I dont as all my 50s healers, but I hear about it constantly from guildies in GF groups).

BUT I been noticeing some really bad tanks out there as well

As I said, I have 4 50 healers
*From most powerful/geared to least powerful/geared*
Sage
Commando
Scoundrel
Merc

I run my GF HMs daily for awhile now but only recently started doing them for Merc

So I get into GF and pop, Battle of Ilum, appearently im replaceing their last healer...not a good sign
So I catch up to them and we at the boss (that you can run past but they refuse to) where there is him and his 2 buddies (one on each side and easy to kill) that stuns the group and adds come from steath to you.

So fight goes like this: Tank is Takeing HUGE damage to the point I have to stay focused on him alone and cant heal anyone else, we wipe and boss not even close to dead.

I ask: Tank, what gear you have on as your taking way to much damage for this fight
Tank: I have done this before
Me: Great but thats not what I asked
Tank: We can do it, you just need to heal more and they have to stop stunning me
Me: *sees tank so inspects and sure enough, Tank in base Tionesse (not augmented)*
Me: Yeah I see why you wouldnt tell me what your gear is and why your last healer dropped. If you want to do HMs, learn the fights and at least augment the tionese at a minimum, better yet get columi by running storymodes for abit
*leaves group*

So I que up and get Battle of Ilum yet again
So we run through Flashpoint and Im showing them all the shortcuts as none of the 3 ever seen them before appearently

We get to terminal before last boss, I mark and say im ccing Maurader, tank leaps to maurader and breaks cc soon as I cc it. Others start running at me and he doesnt taunt them away or try to intercept them at all and we wipe.

Nerxt round I mark maurader but cc medic cause sure enough the idiot leaps to maurader again DESPITE being told its the cc target.
A dpser covers me this time and we get through fight

We get to last boss (remember im playing my merc so my Kolto AOE is small radius and players need to stay togather in this fight because of that
Fight starts and tank runs to far end away from everyone
2 DPSers make it worse by also spreading out (appearently their guns dont work grouped togather)
Sure enough, to much damage to heal with single target heals and we wipe

Round 2
They do as I say and we hit enrage timer and wipe
Tank: Healer, you need to use *single target heal, forget which he said* more, rapid shot not enough
Me: Ummmm we hit enrage, that has nothing to do with my healing, thats about your all dps being to low. You were alive to hit enrage. I did my job.

Round 3

DPSers once again seperate from group and the damage to high to just single target heal (I need to single target and aoe heal togather plus manage heat by utilizing rapid fire)
Tank: Stop using rapid fire and use your big heals healer
*I dont even respond as fronkly hes to freaking stupid to warrent a responce. Its like he doesnt understand the big single target heals create heat and can only do a certain number before over heated. Gawd I hate when bad tanks try to play other players classes*

Round 4

Hit enrage yet again (all alive and over 80% health at time we hit enrage mark) and tank says
"Im done, healer will not healing properly"

I say this experience cause after this group I (by instinct) started treating and explaining every little detail to any tank I got for a few days because of this experience. Even though most tanks after were fine and didnt need such coddleing.

PS: I requed in GF, got Battle of Ilum for a 3rd time that day. This group 1 shotted FP with no issue or drama and when I told them of my last run they just shook heads and sighed at the nonsense.

Yes there is a shortage of tanks.
But imo BAD TANKS amplify the problem 100 so and make people not want to tank because of the drama they see.

PPS: I dont know if I read OP wrong but if hes running from fight to fight not healing between fights. Thats not really the healers fault if your hps get low. I see it so often. Players under 50% health and just run off and engage into next fight, assuming the healer will rush and heal them up.

Gotta admit, I give pug tanks (or dpsers for that matter) ONE WARNING to heal between fights. Then I let them die once to get the message my words didnt get through to. They keep doing it after that, leave group or kick them (kicked a DPSer just yesterday right before Scarface (what ever name) in Malstrom because he got 3 warnings and would not stop to let tank (Vanguard) recover ammo before next fight)

(obviously im talking about when im low energy/force/ammo and need to recover power but tank/dps will not allow me to. Not talking about when im at full power)

I think part of the problem is people see the fall out of bad tanks and just dont want the hassle and stick mostly to guild groups, not GF.

I know I avoid GF like the plague if I can and have skipped hms completely some days when no guild tank online.

I would think the Sorc would realize he was put in as healer incorrectly - especially since he was actually doing a significant amount of healing, I would have at least thought to call out the other supposed healer for not healing, and noticed that I had the group finder healer icon on me.