Non Region Owning Good Paying Customers of SL

Complain? I think I'd be dead with 15...

Broccoli

but with a smile on your face, brocolli

or is that an animation?

I'm not sure that would be the only part of me wide open with a smile...

Broccoli

Rora,

With the money you are putting into SL, you may wish to concider buying enough Mainland to bump yourself into the Conceirage level.

And if you don't want the headaches of owning land, I'd be happy to manage it for you ^.^

Though seriously, if you can spend the cash, and only want the support, not the land, buy the land and pay for it, and donate the land to be used by some organisation you like in SL. NCI, or somesuch that helps people. Group the land and give someone control (except for selling the land) of the land.

Sadly, spending a lot of money in SL doesn't line LL's pockets. Only Tier Payments (land) does. Buying clothes (or whatever) only helps Residents.

Good luck and I hope you find the niche that works best.

~Jessy

Well, there's the "bottom-up" effect: every time I refresh my wardrobe, some SL haberdasher can pay his tier. (I don't think this is what the OP was actually getting at, though.)

Hey Rha! I'm just getting started! (and they aren't complaining... that I know of)

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On a more serious note: My hat comes off in high respect for the many Sim Region Owner's who have made a lot possible in SL!!! I think they are getting put (incorrectly and unjustly) in a stereotypical dirty light. Let's dispell the myth once and for all...I think there should be a Sim Region Owner appreciation day to hopefully make up for all the greif they are shown by casual posters like the first one in this thread. Maybe we can turn this thing around before it gets out of hand.

(complaining whinners indeed!!!)

I only own a relatively small amount of land and I've always found LL hepful with my queries and most problems have been solved.

Things go wrong and SL has its bad days but the only people I've had issues with are those at my credit card company not wanting to make my small monthly payments to LL.

LL's service is spotty, even for those of us who are concierge-level members.

It's not just a preference for those that directly pay LL, even though we certainly earned it. If you are paying that kind of cash, you should just get your own sim. You'd recoup the money in about a year to 18 months, and have greater security that your landlord will not die or otherwise exit the game.

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US$125 per month for 33608 metres
512m free of tier
+32768m at the 1/2 sim tier level
+3328m being 10% group bonus on the above
Plus your landlord won't take the land off you as long as you pay the tier.

If you go Premium at the US$70 annual rate, the stipend almost pays the cost.

Plus you're on Concierge support at that level if you need it.


There can be downsides, but with that much land you can keep most of them away.

If you have half a region of mainland or more, I think you are concierge level at that point.

If you have 40k m in a private estate, that estate owner better be going to bat for you. I know I take care of people as well as I can, even if they are so much as just a friend.

* * * * *

Sure there are a LOT of millionaires, or people with incredible disposable income for SL. I know a few. But don't believe everything you read in the forums.

Sure, some may say they could pay for 5 sims for a year, but... *would* they. That's either 11,700 USD (old tier) or 17,700 USD (new tier) or somewhere inbetween. In my experience, people who made their own millions don't generally do foolish things, but people who write stuff in forums say all kinds of stuff. For that matter, most of us with almost any kind of income could probably float that amount, if it was a matter of life or death or something. But it simply isn't.

I know what it took to set aside 3 months tier on my account, I've got a lot of land baron friends and quite frankly, most run at 1 or 2 months tier set aside, that's it.

And land barons are the ones who *would* try to save their sims, because they at least have some hope of financial recovery should there be a disaster of some kind.

Rora - with the 690USD or 700USD you spend this month and last month - exactly WHO are you paying it to when you exchange it out for Lindens?

Sorry - but I think your complaint is really bogus. You're buying Lindens to enjoy your online time here in Second Life by purchasing random stuff, right? So why should Linden Labs give you Concierge level when they aren't seeing much of it? The merchants you PAY get that money. They get a very small percentage which goes to the $10 an hour employee. And in all honesty - Sim owners who give you a place to play deserve the support.

If you have an abuse issue - report it. If you have a technical issue - post it in the forums.

Beyond that, what other support do you need? So you're saying that when I have my sim in which houses people, and it's having issues - my people should be homeless or having issues on my sim when you have some complaint about some newb who blasted you with an orbiter....and I'd have to wait behind you in the que for support?..that would just piss me off.

Virtual Ambulance people are all just griefers, they aren't real ambulance people at all, even if they say SL Ambuylance in their titles...................

If you pay concierge level amount of $ in rental fees to a privately owned estate, you should expect the same level of service from the person who you're renting from. And he/she should try his/her best to relay your complaints/issues to LL.

By offering land for rent, a person accepting the $, basically takes on the responsibilities to take care of the offered service from LL on a predetermined service level. Either he/she says: I offer cheap land (cheaper than LL offers), with no service. Or i offer more expensive land with the same or higher level of service and other perks. (And all gradations between this).

Quality of service (icw price) is hardly a matter of the current rental contracts, but could eventually make or break a deal.
If you're not satisfied with the current level of service. Find another place to rent from.

I have money in RL and I've been in SL now for 10 months, so far I've put in around $200 US into the game, though I may put another $200 in before Christmas and only because there are some nice L$35,000 Starax sculptures coming up for sale.

In my opinion part of the game for me is achieving as much as I can for a minimum cost, and that's how rich people get rich.

I'm not trying to be all "buy mainland vs. rent island", or "paying account vs. free account" argumentative here, but technically, in a nutshell:

Paying money to other residents for merchandise or renting land does NOT make one a customer of Linden Labs in the monetary sense - that person is a customer of the people they are buying/renting stuff from.

Doesn't matter how much money they spend. SL is a platform that supports resident businesses, and their higher level of support will understandably go to the residents who pay them the most money directly. Therefore, these residents who receive the customer's money are responsible for going to bat to make things easier for their customers.

GREAT POST. And thanks - I appreciate what you do.

First off I want to say that Even though I have a number of sims, I get NO preferential treatment from LL. Some do. But Those are the ones that have personal relationships with the Lindens.

Secondly, Since Des sees fit to cast some aspersions, I'll be clear, and blunt. He likes to tout the fact that he has 3 months of tier set aside, and thats great. But he's not the only one. And really that was the point I was trying to make with my earlier statements. Would it be wise or prudent to float 6 sims for 5 years, not at all. Would I ever be in a position where I have to? Nope. Fact is I'm so full I need to order another sim on the heels of the one I just ordered last week. But I'm waiting, because I'm at a point where I have to decide, just how big do I want to be? I don't doubt Desmond has the funds he claims, I think it's sad he doubts that I do. Does my success bother you that much?


And to those who thinks it sucks to not have enough money to own a sim, do something about it. Go to school, get a good job. work your ass off for 15 years, and then, you too can own one. I paid my dues.

I'm lucky to be able to spend $800L a month...

kind of a rude statement to make, considering you do not know the real life situations of the folks here

do you think I would not be doing those things if I COULD???
I will not get into details of my personal life, but suffice to say if I could "work my ass off" I would

so please, refrain from statements that imply that those of us not lucky enough, well enough, or rich enough to have the expendable income to buy a sim in SL, are lazy uneducated, unemployed folks who have not or are not paying our dues.

Thank you very much for assuming such things about me (and yes I took it personally because I openly stated I can not afford a sim in SL)

I know that feeling, I cringe when I purchase something that cost 250L

(just got a new game for the arcade, decided that I could afford 250L) heh

good job!

jealousy is an ugly best, no?

Well it was rude to say that people who can afford it are crazy. I'm just returning in kind. And I don't recall naming you by name, so sorry if you took it personally. The point is nothing is accomplished except by hard work. And there's no circumstance that puts anything out of the realm of possibility. I was at one time homeless, and I could have given up and stayed that way. But I chose not to. Life is all about choices, and determination. If you want it, you can have it. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't.

I never thought I would quote myself... but I was actually wrong here!!!

While I agree with just about everything in the original post, the reality of the situation is that Linden Labs has no incentive to help the "small players." In the time I've been here, I've either experience or read about a lot of things that Linden Labs does to frustrate and antagonize its residents. Despite that antagonism, the residents will complain, but won't do the one thing that will cause Linden Labs to pay attention: leave en masse. (Linden Labs would probably also listen to legitimate lawsuits and bad press in the popular media, but those things don't happen too much either.)