How Long is a Lifetime?

For the 'lifetime' accounts we refer to as 'lifers', as well as for the basic 'lifetime' access, how long is that lifetime?

Thanks,
Candie

The life of the account? The life of the avatar? The life of the electrons displaying this message?

until ur Avatar dies.. So watch out for Jessie and Raush!

Can someone point me to someplace where it says what Linden agrees to do in return for our money? I can't seem to find anything.

There probably is no such agreement. Twould put the Lindens in a bad position.

Sure, it's (usually) in their best interests to provide the best experience possible for everyone, as that's what keeps people coming back for more, and telling their friends, 'n such, but since everyone's definition of 'best experience' is different, it doesn't always work that way. ("My best experience is one in which I can have complete god-like control over a person in SL!" "Well deal with the fact that you don't"

I can already see where this thread is trying to go though. *sigh* Give it a rest already.

I take lifetime to mean as long as SL exists. It could fold tomorrow and we will have used our lifetime in SL up.

Candie, this thread, taken along with your comments on this thread where you say that "Linden is putting the screws" to you, is making me wonder if you're alluding to something going on with your account. If you know something we don't about the duration of a lifetime account, I'd be very interested in hearing it.

**yikes, edited for grammatical error**

Yes I take it to mean that too, so it behooves each and everyone of us to be nice to the Lindens as they hold our futures in their hands...


ghaaa.... that sure sounds mealymouthed on my part, please delete my post....

Or,,, ignore my ramblings.

Hasn't this been braught up before?

I think its been determined Lifetime means as long as SL is around or as long as LL decides to let us ride on it.

true. they could announce is september that lifetime accounts had existed long enough for their owners to be amply compensated for the $25 worth of allotment granted them since january and terminate that feature thus reducing them to basic accounts.

lifers will have simply prepaid for nine months worth of 4096 allotment. would kicking and screaming ensue? i'm sure it would along with threats of lawsuits and mass exodus. but...

I dont get how the lindens would "put the screws" to anyone. The land tiers are pretty simple to understand, you know what your getting into as far as monthly payment/land holdings go. What is that about anyway?

There's never a wish better than this,
When you've only got 100 years to live....

yes, please get to the point.

There's nothing to find.

They agree to take your money and spend it.

Seriously, if you read the TOS, they very carefully and specifically promise absolutely nothing at all. And then you agree that there's not a damn thing you can do about it, other than cancel your membership.

You won't get your money back.

They can cut off an account whenever they want to, I've read that part of the TOS way too many times on these forums alone...

As for "getting to the point", I don't think Candie has a further point. She doesn't have to spill the beans about whatever reasons she wants this information. Let her ask her questions and get answers, we don't need to dig into her life.

Point? I was curious about a few things. The point was to see if other customers had knowledge I don't, if someone might have seen something on the website I hadn't.

The point was to gain information about SL I've tried to find but was unable to. I had a moment of craziness where I thought that's what the forums were for. I forgot it's just for a few people who need a means of unleashing their pent up hostility by ripping other people's throats out.

Carry on...

Candie,

Sorry to hear about your experiences. I can't comment on them specifically, but it has certainly been brought home to me that some people are prepared to act in a dishonorable way inworld. Perhaps they are among those who think, "It's only a game," and don't consider that the people they are betraying are real people.

"Lifetime" means as long as you are alive and SL is hosted.

However lifetime accounts are still held under the conditions of the TOS.

Ah thank you, Andrew. Didn't expect to hear from Linden.

Good ol' 7.1.

"Linden has the right at any time for any reason or no reason to suspend or terminate your Account, terminate this Agreement, and/or refuse any and all current or future use of the Service without notice to you."

So, more accurately and clearly, "Lifetime" means as long as you are alive and SL is hosted and Linden hasn't decided to pull the plug on you, not needing any reason at all to do so.

A very serious consideration for anyone about to fork over money to Linden with the idea that anything you get in return will last longer than the time it takes you to hit the 'Send' button for your credit card transaction.

Isn't it odd how we agree to the TOS? Even those of us who really do read things like that? We're so willing to fork over our hard earned money for... nothing.

It's like lining up and handing Philip wads of cash every month and praying you don't get an 'Access Denied' message from day to day. Why doesn't stuff like this make us nervous?

I guess I just never really thought about all this before. Or maybe there's something I'm not seeing.

Thanks,
Candie

I think it's a trust thing with the Lindens.

Yes, the TOS says they can terminate your account at any time without reason, BUT, do you think they go around terminating accounts for no reason often? I don't...that would just cause them to lose money....and, IMHO, a lot of trust and respect from their players.

I really think that line is in the TOS exists solely to cover their asses.....unless you're a griefer or someone who is just a pain in the Linden's ass, I don't think anyone has to worry about their account being shut off for no reason.

Anyway...I hope you get whatever issues you're having sorted out soon Candie!

Well, one reason would be that no matter what a company has you sign in order to use their service, if they take your money and don't provide you with service, you still have a very legitimate court case.

We seem to spend hours upon hours of time in the modern world signing this, initializing that, to cover people's behinds. But a signed contract does not mean instant protection in a court of law. Both sides can still have their say and if unfairness and failure or lack of service is evident, that contract can be null and void in the eyes of the law.

I worked for a large insurance company for 18 years and have a decent understanding of how contracts hold up in court. They can certainly give a party the edge, and can even be the only factor that is viewed, but in many cases, if unfairness or wrongful deeds are present, a contract can be set aside, no matter what the wording.

An example: You have someone sign a contract saying that you will not be held liable for any injury that they suffer while on your land, but as soon as they step onto your land, you push them down into a pit of broken glass. Well, chances are, you would still be held liable in a court of law, even though the person had just read, and signed, a contract saying that you won't be held liable for any injury they suffer while on your land.

Anyway..there is my long-winded opinion...

Because it's nothing unusual.

My ISP agreements have it. My contracts with my web host has it. There's something similar in my hotmail account TOS, I'm sure. My other MMORPGs have it.

It's something they *have* to have there to protect themselves.

Hmm, I don't know about everyone else, but I forked over my hard earned money and have spent the last year making new friends, sharing experiences with people, and being incredibly active creatively through building and creating textures.

I'm paying for a little bit of LL's bandwidth, a little bit of LL's server storage (okay probably more than a little with all the 512x512s i upload ), I'm paying for the ability to access LL's services 24 hours a day, I'm paying for new services, updates and bug-fixes.

Yes I pay for basic cable each month, my phone service, my isp, my electricity, etc. but what do I have to show for that money spent?

Could my cable company refuse to sell me access to their cable networks? Sure they could.

The primaryy difference, of course, between SL and basic cable, is that SL may not always be around. The other difference, is that I have an opportunity to be a part of the creation of the SL world.

But, hey, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. We're building something very neat and very new here. But, as with everything, if you feel you are not getting your money's worth, you can exercise your right not to spend it.

..well, first of all it ISN'T like that at all. I think anyone who doesn't have a clearly obvious bag of sour grapes to toss about expects that, as with any other OL subscription title, it'll be around for the forseeable future....

and I'm sure just about no one takes the time to actually wonder if they're gonna have the rug pulled out from under then by LL on any given day, because they're far more involved in doing whatever it is they do regularly and pretty much without interruption in SL, maintenance notwithstanding.

The ToS is pretty clear. It's generic and everyone knows that. Fact is the game can go tits up any time...but if past experience counts for anything; it's just not much to worry about.

so, most accurately and clearly, ""Lifetime" means as long as you are alive and SL is hosted. However lifetime accounts are still held under the conditions of the TOS."...AL

*before* you fork over money?

is there a new lifetime offer on the table? or are the lindens going to allow account (and name) transfers?