Two Days Old...

So I paid for a year in advance. After joining 2nd Life for TWO days.

Since I did a test-run and waited two days, I don't qualify for the bonus.

Mind you, the sign on bonus for paying a year in advance is really only 3.50 real life dollars, this is deceptive, and down-right misleading nasty customer service.

When I sent a query in to Linden Labs regarding this (I know, it takes 45 days now but still won't get the bonus), here is what I got back:

We have solved your issue
Solution:

Dear Melpomene Teardrop

Thank you for contacting Linden Lab with your issue.

The signup bonus only appeals to accounts that were premium straight away after signing up.

You opened a free account first and then updated to a premium one after a couple of days.

For more information please visit the link:

http://secondlife.com/whatis/plans.php

I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Should you have any other queries, please email us back.

Kind Regards,

Hanna

Linden Lab Support


________________

You call this solving my issue?

Sorry, this just ISN'T right.

Apologies in advance if I've broken rules by posting this. Just needed to get this off of my chest. And has no one else thought the same thing? Or am I just being silly?

Thanks.

Melpomene Teardrop

As far as I know, you do still get a bonus for becoming Premium - although you have to wait a certain period of time.

What you don't get is the "incentive bonus" for giving credit card information on creation of the account - this isn't actually the same as the Premium bonus.

The bonus for paying for a year in advance is that you get your year's membership for US$72 instead of US$119.88, a saving of US$47.88. With the sign-on bonus being worth US$3.50 and your weekly stipend being worth just over US$1 (per week - so around US$58 over the course of the year), your yearly Premium membership only actually costs you US$10. Which isn't bad at all!

This comes up quite a bit. I upgraded several months after joining and I still got the bonus. How and if this happens seems to be as random as the amount of time the servers work properly.

Not sure what you mean about the amount of the bonus being deceptive, though.

B.

Welcome to the forums, and to SL, Melpomene! No, you haven't broken any rules by asking this question.

If I were you, I would IM Hanna back and point out to her that the program "applies", not "appeals", to brand new residents. Many find Premium membership not sufficiently appealing. However, Sl is LL's World, Their Priemium Policies. LL is very conscious of widespread discontent with the Premium program, and at some point will probably revise it.

Many folks have played for years without going Premium. It is, however, very helpful to have "Payment Information on File".
.

I went premium after about 3 weeks, I have never received a bonus of any kind and I am not holding my breath to get one either

Get used to that response. If they read the ticket and close it for any reason at all, they tell you that they have "solved your issue". It is a canned phrase that means nothing -- sort of like them posting "resolved" on the Grid Status page.

It's not right or wrong. It's policy. If you're gonna toss monies into any kind of service, especially online, it's best to know what you're paying for. We're not guaranteed uptime. We're not guaranteed an unchanging static membership policy. (=_=)

I waited a half a year before considering going premium. SL wasn't something I was willing to dive into head-first at the time. But, since I found some genuine fun here, I figured it was okay to toss some monies at it. Bonus, support, incentive or not... I don't regret it. (^_^)y

Thank you for your replies all. By deceptive, I'm saying, I'm being told I don't get a bonus at all now, because I waited TWO days after I signed up. I'm a brand spanking new person, and because I gave it a test run and checked out the program for two days, I'm not getting that bonus.

Sorry, I may not make a mountain of sense, as I was up LATE last night trying to figure out ALSO why, now that I shelled out 72 bucks, that I couldn't buy any money to BUY LAND WITH! haha!

Just another thing I thought odd and VERY frustrating.

So, I spend this money, to buy land, and can't even purchase more than 10 real life bucks for now to BUY the land I signed up for!

So since this program they have in place to so called 'protect me' (in their words), is wasting nearly a month or more just to be able to buy enough Linden bucks just to BUY that land.

ArghPH!

I dunno. I'm just overall disappointed with how things are working.

Thanks for the ear and input all.

Ms. Teardrop

"resolved"

- you use that word alot,but i do not think it means what you think it means.

Thank you for your empathetic, genuine response.

I can't see how I'm being unreasonable. AND, I DID research what I was paying for before joining.

I just found it suddenly twisted for the worse after doing so.

Well... You're doing better then the guy I saw in Hanja last night on voice chat asking "Why won't anyone say anything to me" in a crowd of about 40, all text chatting and telling him his mic is too loud. (^_^)y

*sympathizes* Yes, startup is frustrating. But, if you like the game, hang in there!

Meanwhile, you can buy all the Lindens you want at SL Exchange, which in addition to being a bangup shopping site for SL runs an LL-approved currency exchange. You can start an account by making a deposit via credit card (Paypal handles the transaction, even if you don't have a Paypal account). The currency market is fun to play as a money market, but the Linden has so little volatility, you may as well just purchase for the going rate.

www.slexchange.com

Have fun!
.

Ha. I find that QUITE annoying.

Amazing how people don't realize that their background music, babies crying in the background (pick the baby up and get off 2nd Life and change the diaper for crying out loud!), and other things just how loud and obnoxious it sounds.

HEY! Thanks for the tip! I'll do just that.

(thank you thank you)

Your problem with not being able to buy L$ is due to the purchase limits imposed by LL.

http://secondlife.com/currency/describe-limits.php

The $72 premium membership counts towards the limits listed on the page.

Melpomene, it's a good idea to read tips here and those posted in newbie help locations around the world, before buying land. The majority of land transactions and sales are fine and honest, but there are pitfalls and con artists lying in wait for beginners.

I started with a freebie account, and upgraded after a couple of days as well. The bonus in Lindens is silly - I have a job and plastic in my pocket, and can get around L2500 for a measly $10. Whee.

I went premium for the support access and the ability to buy land - but I didn't buy land for my first three months. Not only was I too busy exploring and having a blast, but I discovered that land is one of the most complex things in the environment, and I do NOT recommend anyone sinking money into it until they have a chance to read up and understand how it all works. The differences between private islands and mainland, what covenants are, what 'rental' really entails, how LL handles monetary disputes between residents (they don't) ... trust me, we see at least one person every week come into the forum with a sad story of how they got ripped off in a land deal and LL won't lift a finger to help them.

Buy yourself $10 in linden and enjoy your SL for a while. If you have no hurries, you have no worries.

Yes, I understood that policy after researching it after I bought membership.

Though, please know I did a LOT of research prior to paying for that year.

I just find it odd that they're more than willing to take my 72 bucks for my membership, but nothing thereafter for 24 hours, and then still limited to a very small amount.

So yes, I know what it says, I just don't think it makes a whole lot of sense.

72 bucks is OK--but anything after that, is dangerous in their eyes, and a big PITA for me.

Regardless, I'm happy with the advice about the SLExchange and will go that route, after the 7 days they have set up for me to wait. XD

Thanks again!

My other want is to purchase a decent 'look' and even buying that is difficult.


Thanks so much for the warning. I'll do more research.

It's designed to stop credit card fraudsters from stealing someone's credit card, buying a large amount of L$ with it, and spending it all at their friend's shop. The real card owner then has the transaction reversed but the L$ can't be clawed back from the "innocent" store owner, so LL itself and/or the SL economy has to pay for the fraud.

For a decent look, definately start by trying on skin demos (which should be free, or only L$1 each) and experimenting with the Appearance sliders. You might eventually decide to buy a Shape rather than designing your own, but make sure to play with Appearance for a while first - once you are over a few hurdles, it isn't hard to learn, and it's much more satisfactory to have a unique Shape than to have one that is a copy of other people's. Also, when buying clothes, remember the same rules apply as RL catalogues, except even more so - the avatar in the picture might look gorgeous in the outfit, but the avatar could be wearing a L$5000 skin and have been made specifically for that one outfit in that one one pose!

Footnote 4 on the membership plan page:


http://www.secondlife.com/whatis/plans.php

The phrasing could admittedly be better, but what they're saying here is that you must SIGN UP as Premium to get the bonus, not upgrade to it. As has been mentioned, you may still get the bonus - there seems to be no actual rhyme or reason to who gets it and who doesn't - but, since you ARE Premium now, you may want to start a Live Chat session via the Support page and see if they're willing to make an exception, as they sometimes have in the past.

In any case, you still wouldn't have gotten the bonus for another six weeks or so.

Understood, truly. I just think it could be a taaad bit more lenient--at least let me buy my "look". hehe

Thanks again for all of the tips.

Yes, I did in fact read that prior to buying membership... as did my friend.

We both still thought it meant new members. And I'm as new as they come. Two days. hehe

I'll try the live chat too! Thanks so much.

Please make no mistake. I'm not saying I'm not thoroughly enjoying my escapades in 2nd Life, or I'd not have become a member with some ideas of my own.

I was just concerned about the initial transactions and what felt to me and a friend, a bit misleading; therefore wondering about how future transactions may work out, is all.

Thanks for all the advice and have a great week, all.

Communication is NOT Linden Lab's strong point, so you'll probably continue to have this feeling...but, hey, at least it won't come as a surprise in the future!