Refuse to buy from any new "big" designers again

I bought a new hair from a place that is "top rated" - the hair came no mod - the display and note card that came with it also said it should be mod (no scripts in this version for changing - which I knew buying it)

I sent note card to designer - two short sentences outlining my problem. The designer replies back "oh just put it on your head and edit the style as you want" oO If I could I wouldn't be sending you a note card! Sent a second notecard indicating it was NO MOD and while I could move it on my head I could not stretch it to fit my head (and no I am not changing my head size)

First time - ok, too busy to read fully - everything makes mistakes. I sent the second note card twice - nothing.

So since I can't tell right off who is too big for their customer support - not buying from a "big guy" that I don't already deal with.

Obligatory question: has this kind of thing happened to you before?

did you try to edit it with the edit linked part box checked? sometimes that works..

Never heard of that - thanks. Tried it and it does allow me to stretch it (goes out of porportion - yes I made a back up). *sighs* wishes her notecard just said your one line suggestion. I hate getting bent out of shape.

Thanks.

/me goes of to grumble to herself in a corner

yep. My partner had a very bad situation with the only hair he'd ever purchased. The *popular* designer was such an abusive bitch to him, (and since we sit in the same living room, I saw the whole thing. It isn't as though he deserved such shoddy customer disservice. Oh, and in front of someone else in the shop as well, it was rather disgusting)

I've never bought another thing from her again. Hair shouldn't distort someone's face so badly they do not even resemble themselves while wearing it.

ohhh yes it has, and I posted about it here
at the time I posted the creators name because at the time I did not think I was getting ripped of for the tune of about 10K total, I was concerned that something had happened to the creator

well lo and behold they were still selling, still making money, and still ignoring me (after many attempts at notecards, posting on their forums, im's (spread over a few months so as to not spam)

I know I was not muted by them, because they did respond, and send me a new *yet still broken* replacement.

*shrug*

I did my own hair, which I don't offer for sale. BUT surely, if ever there was anything that should be sold as fully modifiable, it's hair. Even if someone dyes it green and messes it up, when it's being worn another person can't tell the creator since clicking on the hair brings up the wearer's pie chart, not the object details. So hair messed up by a customer is unlikley to result in bad publicity for the creator.

You can actually tell the creator of any prims people are wearing by right clicking and going to 'inspect'. But yes, should be modify as nothing more annoying than buying hair only to find bits of your head poking out and can't alter it.

It sounds like the creator is thinking that you're having the old "shows (no modify) in inventory, but can still modify the model" thing.

This is often caused by a script, inside the object, being no-modify. I know that not too long ago, some hair shops started putting scripts in their hair, and if you altered the hair in any way that the script would detect, it automatically banned you from their shop.

This attempt at copy-protection only resulted in a lot of lost sales, and bad press.. showing the hair makers as paranoid, rather than the customers as theives.

The makers soon realized JUST how many people actually do, routinely modify their hairs. I, for example, always buy in white or silver, because I tend to change my haircolour on the fly. I know that tinting isn't as good looking as the texture colours they offer, but it's good enough for my needs. I've also linked in barettes, hats, goggles, etc.. all in an attempt to save some attachment points.

Many hairs however still come with a script that has an updater in it, or a colour changer, or even a resizer. Or just some script that says "this hair is authentic" when the creator presses a button.. like a proof of purchase. Regardless of their function, many of these scripts will be no modify, perhaps to avoid tampering, perhaps just to make them noob-proof.

But a moddable item that contains a no mod script.. will appear (in inventory) to be no-modify. You can wear it on your head and the model will be modifyable, or you can rez it on the ground to modify it.

Of course.. it may be that the script auto-deletes the hair if you rez it on the ground.. but you won't know that until you try it.

Also important to remember, that the smallest possible prim size is 0.01 in any dimension. So if the hair has any sort of jewelled attachment, it might be that the model just can't get any smaller, because one of the prims is at minimum. Try scaling it larger, just as a test.

It could also be that there's so many hairs, and so many vendors, that one slipped through with the wrong permissions. Just a thought there.

I had an issue just a few days ago. I bought a minidress with a prim skirt. I couldn’t stretch it. It showed up as “No Transfer” in my inventory, but when I tried to edit it, I couldn’t stretch it. It was a sculpted prim, just one prim. I am not sure if the “edit linked parts” trick could work? Anyway, the creator sent me a new prim skirt. I still couldn’t edit it.

SL has been so messed up lately so I waited a day to see if logging off, clearing cache and moving to a new sim would help. It didn’t, so I asked the creator if she could send a friend or an alt the skirt and let them try to stretch it. She found a bug in it, I am not sure what she said, but she could fix it and sent me a skirt I could modify.

Is there a new SL bug that makes things show up as only “No Transfer” in inventory, but that’s still not modifiable?

Talon, from what you describe, there is nothing whatsoever "wrong" with the hair you bought. It simply contains some scripts that are themselves no-mod, but that shouldn't stop you for an instant from adjusting it to your heart's content.

If any component of a prim object, including scripts, is no-mod, then while *in inventory* that item will show as no mod. While you are wearing it, or while it is rezzed on the ground in-world, you can edit it and see it's true permissions, which from what you said IS both modifiable and copyable. So this is a "problem" you would have had with virtually ANY hair that isn't full-perms. Not a problem with what the designer did, but with your misunderstanding how SL permissions work. Breathe, read the following, and learn...

I'm most often a female furry, so I have to modify my hair a LOT to get it to fit various sizes and species of furry heads. Just scaling it up or down is rarely sufficient when you're not wearing a typical Human-shaped head. So here's some advice on how to mod a copy of your hair.

First, as the maker informed you, wear the hair for the initial adjustments. If you're Human, sometimes scaling it larger or smaller is all it will take. Edit the hair, check "Streach" and "Streach both sides", and use the white boxes to scale the hair in general. Having "Streach both sides" checked is important, because it keeps the hair centered on your head. You may still need to adjust the position up and down a bit.

For most Humans, the above is all that is needed. But while you're wearing an attachment (And prim hair is an attachment), you can't rename it. (You can try, but it won't retain the changes after you detach it.) So detach the hair, and rez it on the ground in front of you. You may need to do this in a sandbox, because most of your better-looking prim hair has 100 to 250 prims used in making it. With it rezzed on the ground, you can rename it - for example, "Cutie Poofs Hair - Aventity Vixen fit".

If there are individual parts that need adjusting, that is where "edit linked parts" comes in. Again, wear the hair, then check "Edit Linked Parts", and most often UN-check "Streach both sides", since you usually want to move individual parts one direction at a time. Now you can use position, rotate and streach to adjust the length of your bangs, move a wisp of hair out of your eyes, or even completely restyle the length and position of each prim in the hair.

What you can NOT do at this stage is un-link and remove pieces, or copy and add new pieces. Let's say the hair is nearly perfect, but it has a couple of tufts that hang down in front of your ears, and on you, that just doesn't work. Detach the hair and rez the hair on the ground again, and you can choose the individual prims, un-link the selected prims, and delete the ones you don't want. Or even unlink, copy and relink extra bits, if needed.

I hope this helps you.

When fitting hair to a furry head there are usually some strands you need to get rid of. Usually I don't unlink the set but resize those invidiual strands to minimum size and hide them inside my head.

Or, another tip I got from a designer in the note card that came with a hat I purchased: isolate the parts of the hair you don't want showing (edit linked parts) and use a transparent texture. Works like a charm and now I don't have to resize hats to gargantuan proportions.

I pretty much stick with Analog Dog hair. Overall I have been happier with her hair than others. She has a board that provides note cards with info on how to modify hair, tint, get it to fit, etc. And I love, love, love her tinting huds. Her hair comes in packs so I get about 7 colors to begin with but then I can use the tinting or color huds (there's 2 different ones and each does something a bit different) and get a zillion different colors or shades!

As far as merchants and customer service, honestly, I've generally had the opposite situation: when I've had an issue and contact the designer, not only do they respond quickly and fix it ASAP, but some even send a gift or another product my way. That always blows me away.

Something occurred to me as I write this; it's human nature, and I'm guilty of it as well, to complain when something goes wrong, but often forget to thank a person when they provide a good service.

That won't work on most furry heads because they use transparent textures as well, like on the eyes or lashes, creating the alpha fighting bug. Usually I have to kill all strands in front with alpha textures so the eyes will look right.

If I'm going to buy something from someone for more than a measly hundred or two lindens, I'll consider a few steps first:

1. Look them up on xstreet, look for reviews of products, not just ratings. Especially read complaints - every big producer should have at least one, unless they're cheating or unless xstreet lets you delete them. There's always somebody who's got a complaint - the thing is, is that complaint something I too would be worried about? If they have no complaints, get suspicious. If they're a big producer and they don't even have positive comments, get very suspicious.

2. Look for a freebie or demo they offer. Preferably something that has full permissions but is just a small thing. Try it out just to get a feel for that maker. For example, in building my avatar, I spent an hour walking around with every freebie one author had, before buying their cat tail and ears. Doing the same thing with two other authors told me which of the three was going to get my lindens. A fourth had no freebies or demos - her display products looked the best, but with no sample, she was crossed off my list right at the start.

3. Look for addons and extensions to the product by third parties. If other people are making stuff to support their stuff, you know there's a community that holds them in high regard. This is not a critical step, but the bigger the vendor, the more important it gets. Make sure I'm buying from a real and skilled mega-producer, and not a copy-shop that just hasn't been caught yet.

Alternate solution. Retexture the furry head to not use alpha-textures.

I've done this with several of my Furry avatars. They often use an alpha texture on the prim containing the eyes, so another prim behind that can determine eye color, via a script. Once you know the eye color that you want, there are ways to make a 24-bit version of that head texture, with the eyes locked at one color choice.

This is why the demos should have the same resize script or controls as the actual product.

Or, at least offer 3 sizes in a pack like Sirena does.

I had to change my av a fair amount to fit the dollarbie hair I got just before a certain big hair shop shut down over the holidays - in the end it made my av better but I liked it how it was. Their hair is size 50 and does not stretch.

I've recently noticed that some creators are making many things that need to be adjusted to the avatars body, that they are no-mod, but just to contact them for custom adjustments. Now in this game that is a HUGE pain in the A$$, who wants to use their all but precious SL playing time to chase someone down to "custom" an item.
Some are saying it is because the copy bots cant copy a no mod item, i find that bunk, but then that's just my take on it.
If you as a creator don't plan to be in SL 24/7 or pay someone else to, your sales on these items will go by the wayside.

Most everything that goes on an avatars body, due to the freedom to have the body you want, is not going to fit, unless the customer can fit it themselves. So am soo hoping creators get past this goofy point of view, and give their customers the freedom they need to make your item of value to them.

Oh my that is awesome! I am aware of those "ways" but will ask the creator first. She is usually helpful with those questions. Thanks for that input!

just don't buy from the ones that sell no mod..there are plenty of others out there selling mod..i don't mind having to resize something myself but i'm not chasing anyone around and also paying them so i can get something to fit?
i don't pay someone for me to work..i get payed to work..if i see no mod on prim clothes or hair or anything i am buying to wear then their security just lost them a sale is all..

i won't even click the the item if i know it's prim and see no mod..i'll be clicking my LM for the next store

Bear in mind, everyone, that there's still a glitch that can cause a mod/copy item to turn no mod and/or no copy if you drop it on the ground, even if all its scripts/content are also mod/copy. I have to replace avatar parts for my customers fairly often thanks to that, and my scripts are full perm. I find it's best to do as many modifications as possible on a copy that you're currently wearing rather than rez it.

That said, the "it's mod because it has a resizer script" mentality bugs me to no end! A while back I bought a bridge for my sim, thinking it was mod because the sign said it was. Turns out it was no mod, and had a resize script. (The sign mentioned the script, but I didn't think that that meant it was no mod. I learned my lesson!) I needed to be able to mod the bridge to use it, because it had overly bright local lights AND particles to simulate glow. Neither of these was desirable, especially since the particles had square halos. Anyway I IMd the maker, and he replied that it was mod through the scripts. All my efforts at informing him that a resize script does NOT equal moddable were in vain, he just didn't get it. He did tell me how to disable some of the light effects, but it still wasn't suitable, so that bridge went back into my inventory and has been there ever since.

I still have some no mod stuff in my store that I need to redo the ads and redo the permission to mod/copy

not sure what stupidity made me set them to no mod... *shrug*

oh god I hate when ppl do that, I purchased hair that said it was mod on the sign, bought it and it was no mod, with that stupid resizer script in it
I contacted the creator, they said that it is mod through the script, my comment... no it is not, mod would mean I would be able to also adjust the position, NOT just the size, and that the sign is misleading

last time I checked they now have modify via the resizer script