Get the story straight

Thank you Rosey

@TundraFire. Her avatar was created in May last year, so she's been in at least 9 months and would know how things work.


Aeslyn:

It happens more often that you might think, and I don't recall ever refusing one before. I've never even refused one when they tell me something happened months after buying it, and the item was permenently lost. In those cases I try to help them find it first. It's not paranoia. It's the certain knowledge that some people *will* try to pull a smart one if they think it might work (see Yummi's current thread). They've nothing to lose by trying it on, and everything to gain. But we don't like to be conned like that. It's not that it costs us anything - it's just the principle of it.

You suggested that the goodwill may bring her back to buy more, but the opposite can happen too. She could come back in a few months time and do the same thing. She could come back with an alt or two and do it again, and she could also tell her friends to try it, etc.

In this case, first it was two items, and then it was one item. First it didn't get delivered, and then it got delivered but was deleted by accident, with no suggestion as to what happened to the Trash where it would have gone. And finally, she didn't know if the items were delivered or deleted by accident - and this was only one day after she bought them. There is no ring of truth in any of it and, judging by the change in quantity and delivered/deleted, it sounds like she was trying it on with more than just me and she got confused.

Well... I kind of agree with what you are saying. I'm always nice to costumers. If I or SL did something wrong I usually throw in a gift of some kind when fixing the issue and so on. And if someone sounds sincere I wouldn't doubt them.
But I don't sell 'no copy/transfer' stuff....

If you do sell 'no copy/transfer' stuff you have to draw a line at some point because otherwise you are just stupid.

In SL where people sit in chairs for hours just to earn a couple of lindens - I don't think it's that unusual trying to get an extra copy of something you bought (transfer) then give it to a friend or have two items yourself (makes sense if its furniture...) or SELL it.

Edit: What Phil said! Slow posting as usual!

Here's something that happened last year that illustrates how some people will try it on if they think they can get away with it...

One day, I mistakenly set a 1000L sex bed for sale at the default 10L. The next day I saw that someone had bought 4 of them - it's how I spotted my mistake. Fair enough - it was my fault. But then someone IMed me, saying that he'd bought a sex bed by mistake and asking if I would swap it for a sex sofabed (800L). I met him at the store and it turned out to be the guy who bought the four 10L beds. He might have wanted to swap another bed that he'd bought at the time at the correct 1000L, so I had him rez the one he wanted to swap and, sure, enough, it was one of the four 10L ones. He said he'd bought it by mistake. I told him that he'd bought 4 of them by mistake, and I didn't swap, of course.

He wanted to swap something that he'd paid 10L for, knowing that it was a mistake on my part and thinking that I wouldn't know he hadn't paid 1000L for it, for an 800L item. He tried to pull a fast one because it was there to be done, and he had nothing to lose. Some people will try it if they can.

Phil, I am still chuckling over this last story. That the guy actually rezzed the 10L bed, and asked you to replace it...as if you'd not be able to pull up his transactions!! Sheesh.

I think you give your customers great service and you respond quickly to their IMs/notecards (or, heh..at least to mine ). You were very accommodating when I bought some chairs and needed some help with the sit poses.

Ty, Maureen

Yes, he did try exactly that Maybe many people aren't aware of transaction histories, because they never have a need for them.

I remember once very early in my SL, when I was buying items for my first virtual apartment. I tried to buy this nice grandfather clock. I paid the money to the vendor, and I got the "You paid L$xxx to This Person" notice; and just - JUST - as the blue item-received notification had barely begun to start to appear, the power went out at my RL house. Just - cut. I shouted "NO!!!" and then went upstairs to make a grilled cheese sandwich, which of course I couldn't do because the stove was electric. So I ate an apple (probably better that way) and waited for power to be restored.

When it was, after I eventually logged back on, the first thing I did was look in my inventory for the item, and I didn't find it. So, I sent a note card, explaining the situation to This Person and asking him to resend the clock.

I never got an answer back from him. Ever - to this very day. A week or so after I'd sent the notecard, I was discussing the situation with a friend who let me know that This Person had left SL, to the best of their knowledge. So I put it all behind me.

About three months later, I was doing some inventory management and found the clock. It had ended up, somehow, in my Lost and Found folder (appropriately enough, even if I don't know how it happened). I'm really glad I didn't get all upset initially when I didn't get the clock, or when my notecard went unanswered, because I would've looked like a complete tool.

this is over a 10L bed?
i just can't see someone buying a bed for 10L and even wanting to take the time to contact the creator..

i mean if you are renting or owning a place in SL that you can rez a 10L bed then 10L is nothing to spend again..i mean most people would say..is it worth my time or just buy another real quick..

sounds like some friend liked the bed and wanted a copy and they found out about permissions..
that's all assumption but still..who doesn't have 10L laying around?

I think you've mixed 2 things up, Ceka. The 10L bed was just something that happened last year that shows how some people will try a fast one if they see an opportunity.

i see hehehehe

It does not happen to me often but i did have a customer come into my store and pull a scam...i exchanged items etc. Then she proceeded to to buy more...wanted refunds on those within minutes and then brought a whole fleet of friends in who tried every trick in the book to get free stuff out of me. This went on for hours and resulted in me being harrassed and bugged and stalked. So, at times it is best to nip it in the bud. I was trying to be nice and helpful to this person and she used it against me bigtime. I think you are doing the right thing Phil.

I remember that, Jojo. Some people will try it on whenever they think they might get away with it.

Today I replaced an undelivered item. I've no way of knowing if the person was being honest or not, but I assume they are unless something stands out, as in the case of this thread's topic.

Agreed and it does go two ways, also. I once bought a pool that I got and then realized it came to me free. It wasn't supposed to be free. I sent the money along with an IM to the creator and gave him a head's up that the pricing was set to zero, incorrectly. He thanked me and fixed it. Was surprised at the honesty too, which is sad, that it was surprising.

It could be a scam, maybe it's not, I suppose giving them another copy on good faith depends on how much it costs you in raw materials to make another copy, and how much goodwill trade you coukd gain compared to how much badwill trade could be gained by refusing.

To my way of thinking, the badwill can far outweigh the goodwill if the person tells friends, who tell friends, who tell friends, etc., all of whom have alts, that such-and-such a store is a soft touch for getting extra copies of items. Jojo's post shows that, as does Yumi's thread.

The cost of giving extra copies is nil, as you know, so it's not that. It's the principle of it. I don't do "buy one, get one free" if I can help it.