How stupid do you think we are, LL ?

I strongly disagree. The only idealism that may have been shattered was believing that LL is a well managed business. Their handling of the entire OpenSpace fiasco, from initial offering until its retraction, earns them a big FAIL as a business. The goal of business is to succeed, to prosper, and LL isn't going to do that by treating their customers in such a cavalier and callous fashion. Any bump to their bottom line will be at the expense of future income.

@Porky:
Makes it a lot clearer, thank you.

They did, however, implement the changes without a warning, depending how you look at it. Yes they did warn us about the fact that the price rise is coming in 2 months. But no,they did not warn us about the fact that the OS were not used as they intended.

And there is probably the biggest issue. Void sims were once invented to bring some recreational space in estates. You had to put them next to your regular sims, they could hold 1750 prims, so you could make a nice wood or sea area. So far so good. If people would have bene abusing that one, I could understand the current policy.

But in all their wisdo they decided to double the prims (completely unnecessary for their intended purpose!), and have them placed anywhere on the map (again completely unnecessary for their intended purpose). Plus you could order them 1 at a time instead of 4. Making it very clear that they could be used for more then just a waterway. Who would need a sim where you are not allowed to live, in the middle of nowhere? The message was clearly: these are light use sims (hence the 3750 prims instead of 15000) but you can use them to live on.

And now they are abused. By how many people? How many clubs are there on Open Space sims? How many heavy scripted areas? How many people did not understand the words "light use"?

Irrelevant, everybody is going to pay more. Everybody. Even the people using them for what they were intended for in the beginning, because they get not even half the prims they initially had.

Now they can twist it every way they want, but this has been oe big screwup. And I can understand Steves post. How stupid do they think we are, by giving us fake arguments? Price increases is one thing, pretending your customer base is ignorant another. Really, every Linden telling me they did not know that the OS sims were going to be used to live on, should return to elementary school immediately. And even then I doubt they could get along with their classmates.

I do think a lot of people DID by into the "Shiny Happy People, Hippy Dippy" vision of SL as a"World". We see it here, people talking about "Rights" and ""Freedoms" and wanting "Elected Governments" and all other concepts that are Real World based. "Resident" is just a marketing term for "Customer". I do think alot of people don't see that. It's fine that we treat each other with those ideals, but just don't have any delusions that LL will. Otherwise, your assesment is correct. You in fact have had one of the most intuitive opinons on this situation, I think more peole should look at it as pragmatically as you. *And I don't use pragmatic as a joke, this time.

The crystal ball would have been useful for people who purchased openspaces, particularly those who purchased in October, don't you think?

@Marcel, Marine, Porky:

It doesn't matter how much notice was or was not given. The second that LL announces a change like this, whether it will take effect immediately or in six months, the following is certain to happen:

- The value of the product will change NOW to reflect the new (or upcoming) policy.
- The users of the product will feel shafted, and rightly so. Especially the ones, as you say, that bought the product just before the change.

Note that the TOS we all agreed to allows LL to do stuff like this. They never promised us that their products or their pricing or their policies would not change. It's perfectly legal. That does not make it good business. Both the decision to offer the expanded OS product back in March AND the decision to cripple the product and raise the price were bad ones...although we the customers hailed the one and screamed at the other.

LL: Have you guys ever heard of modeling? You should look into it, and have an economic model that lets you play out the consequences of new policies and products before you spring them on the residents.

I complained about both! I'm a serial complainer I know!

The thing is, there is always going to be some people who are stitched up more than others. Just like the people that went premium the day after they abolished first land, there has got to be a cut off point from when a policy is in effect to when it changes. I know the OS debacle is no where near as cut and dry as that because people feel they have been mislead, but putting that aside, what notice period would you consider as acceptable for this type of policy change?

Where as I complain about cereal....bloody Frosties, they will have someones eye with all those sharp edges!

I don't find this sort of policy change acceptable so I can't answer that. I'm not trying to be funny, a 67% increase should simply not happen unless there's some sort of major world crisis putting prices up and even then it should be a temporary rise.

The 60 day policy for an around inflation level rise I'd find acceptable.

OK, I wrote a lengthy response to justify LL's price rise, it was marvelous and full of logic and all made perfect sense (to me). Then I thought....

Hmmm this is a tough crowd, do I really want to get flamed for the 7th consecutive day in a row?

And you know what....I just can’t be arsed

So Ciaran you are right, totally unacceptable rate of inflation, LL are a bunch of big bastards.

I so wish you worked for Linden Lab!

When I was a boy, fourteen of us lived in a box, and every morning we'd get up before the night before to lick the road clean. And we LIKED IT.

Luxury.

We used to have to get out of the lake at three o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, go to work at the mill every day for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would beat us around the head and neck with a broken bottle, if we were LUCKY!

He became Minister of Defense

Steve I am sorry you're upset. I always thought you were nice and kind person.
I know change is rough but you're smart guy and you will get through this.