Can Anyone Help with a Bot That Bought Our Land?

Greetings and salutations all,

My husband and I made new avatars and started a new group for a fresh start. As he was transfering the land he set it to be sold for one linden, swapped his multiple instances from his old av to his new av. In the time it took him to switch windows so that the new av could purchase the land, a bot somewhere bought the land he was working on transferring.

The bot belongs to a non english speaking individual, and we are working on putting together a notecard in the person's language (Japanese) to ask that the land be returned.

Yes, my husband set it for sale to anyone, and we know now that this was an error. Does anyone know if using a bot in this fashion is acceptable per the rules of LL - the community standards and the TOS. I've read them over several times now, but I'm not thinking there is anything specifically regarding this. Morally wrong, yes. Legally wrong, I'm not sure.

Do we have any ability to get the land back?

Thank you for listening,

~Ki

All you can do is explain that it was a mistake and ask politely for the land back.

Try in English initially. The sooner you can get the message to him the better - before they start to do anything about/with the land.

There is nothing else you can do.

The only thing I can suggest is to send in a support request, explaining the circumstances, and keep doing it. There have been people who have gotten land back this way, but it has taken perseverance.

I think you need to act quickly with the support request, before the purchaser resells the land.

Also, you've publicly labeled their actions as immoral, which is perhaps less than diplomatic.

Contact the Arbor group as well. Timo Daehlie is a good resource for help, and also has a few solutions which may be useful for you.

There is nothing wrong, per LL rules, against this practice. I would not really even call it morally wrong. The land was set to sell to 'anyone' and that 'anyone' just happened to be a bot. Hopefully the person in charge of the bot will understand your error. If not, it was a very expensive lesson learned.

We are using much of what you've offered to try to help. We have contacted the bot's owner, although there has been no response. We have decided, however, that if they are not willing to return the land, we will simply move on, learning from our mistake.

Sharcel, perhaps not diplomatic. At the same time, I haven't mentioned any names other than my own. Also, by my culture and standards, using a bot to do your work for unnecessary financial gain *is* immoral. Not a judgment, merely a statement.

Thank you everyone for all of the assistance.

~Ki

There's certainly a danger in not reading the drop-down notices and warnings associated with land transfers. I think any new person should have this dinned into them: Read all notices! Take them seriously!

While I don't like bots, myself, it is true that there are many warnings in place, although no new person is going to suspect the speed at which a bot can arrive and snatch up land.

Always specify a recipient.

*hugs* Hopefully the lesson wasn't too expensive of one.

Who decides if financial gain is unnecessary? And calling something immoral is a judgment, at least stand behind your words.

They really need a transfer land drop down. I also don't understand the L$1 thing, why do people do this? Was there a time when L$1 was the only option to transfer land? L$0 forces you to name an avatar to sell the land to.

This will be my last post. I truly have much to work on at this point, to recover from this morning's mishap.

Again, I thank all for your assistance. It was much needed and is very appreciated.

At risk of hijacking my own thread: There is a reason I don't typically travel the forums, and it is showing here today. I am different from many, and often because of that am misunderstood and condemned. One would think I would develop elephant hide for it. Cest la vie. Successfully gaining land without so much as lifting a finger, be it 512 or an entire sim, for a single linden is an excessive, ergo unnecessary, gain. I understand you may not see such the same as I do, and you are always welcome to your own opinions - as am I.

I hope all have a wonderful day, and thank you again

~Ki

My guess is that the culture that Kadin is talking about is bots that do work and cause people to be out of work. If that's what you mean, Kadin, it doesn't apply in SL. Nobody is losing work in SL because of bots, and there's nothing immoral about them here.

Btw, if you don't get a reply from the bot's owner, do what Argent suggested and keep on at LL about it.

i wish you best of luck but i am afraid LL will do for you what they have done for me.Read my thread on Real Estate Agents

I wish you luck. And I do think you ought to at least ask LL for help. There's no cost to asking.

To anyone else reading - if you set a low price on land, one that might appeal to land bots - be sure to also set it for sale to a specific individual by name.

Bots are automated and will literally buy the parcel within seconds.

Don't misunderstand...we've seen this happen before, and we're sorry it happened to you. But there's negligence on your part, too. There is a huge warning that drops down when you set your land to sell. There are stickys and tutorials about land. Warnings all over the place to NEVER set your land for sale to "Anyone" for $1L, because what will happen is exactly what did happen.

Pointing this out is not being insensitive, and we're not doing it because you're "different". We're not condemning you, honest. I sincerely hope you manage to contact the bot owner and that he'll sell your land back to you.

It's too bad bot owners did not, out of honesty, set their bots to not buy *below* a certain point, just as they set them not to buy *above* a given point.

The difficulty with that for land bot runners is that a low level setting isn't like a high level setting. If one bot owner sets a level, belwo which he will not buy, other bot owners will snap it up.

A better way is what Elanthius did. Land bots grab the land and and give it back when it's obviously a mistake on the seller's part. I think that's better than leaving mistakes to be snapped up by bot owners who won't give it back.

Unfortunately this is all true. Too many of the bot runners have no scruples and probably love scooping up land from people that make the "sell to anyone" mistake.

But my point was, below a certain point he shouldn't *want* to buy it, whether someone else would stoop to doing so or not.

Hopefully they will give it back.

To the OP, babelfish has English to Japanese translations free, online. I don't know how well it does but it should get the crux of it across.

You're screwed, you basically gave away the land to whoever bought it. You can ask, but it's up to them, my guess is they will sell it back to you, but not at 1L. Worth asking, but don't hold your breath, and next time, set it for sale to a specific avatar if that's you're intention. Bots are far too fast to try and beat out when selling land. LL will do nothing for you, there's plenty of warnings when you set land for sale.

Live and learn... expensive lesson this time. Consider your stupid tax paid.

Might be an idea -- even though it's a bit reminiscent of Microsoft warnings -- to have a confirmation dialog come up when you set land to sell to anyone -- "You have set the land for anyone (including a bot) to come and buy it for L$N. Are you sure this is what you meant to do? Click "yes" to put it on sale, or "no" if you want to go back and change stuff"

There IS a warning just like that when you set the land for sale.

Oh. and people ignore it and then complain? Hmm...