Inventory wiped

I recently came back to Second Life after a long break due to other issues arising in my life. Before I left I had caused my account to become a premium account for a short period without really realizing what I did. However I saw it listed as premium in my information here on the website and immediately downgraded it before it (I never had any interest in being a premium account).
When I came back my account was locked saying I needed to contact password support. Once I got in touch with them they told me my account was closed because I owed a monthly 9.95 fee for the premium account, and that even paying this my account had been inactive for so long they had deleted my inventory. Because my account was downgraded before the charge was put through they did reactivate my account without me having to pay the fee to do so. However on logging in it then struck me what had happened, and everything I had ever bought in world is now gone.
I did not know at the time I left that this would happen, although I searched the forums and evidentially this is common knowledge so I guess I have nobody but myself to blame. Its just left me quite saddened as I doubt I'll have the heart to go through repopulating my inventory, much less ever transferring my actual money into the linden currency again.

I am quite sure theres nothing that can be done here, I'm posting more just to vent than anything else. I did really enjoy Second Life before this happened and had spent quite a bit of money here. Its just sad that it's all gone.

Depending on how long the "long break" was, they might still be able to restore your inventory (if under three months then almost for certain, longer than that becomes less and less likely). It's best to give them a call rather than go through ticketing as well, it's not likely to be part of their checklist and canned responses.

It's a shame they treat (ex)-paying customers that way while a "no payment info" account will last an eternity, used or not .

(Edited to add that there are indeed long burried threads that mention this - probably mostly in Linden Answers - but I don't think it's actually "common knowledge". Very few people would actually know I'd imagine)

This is indeed LL's policy on delinquent accounts that owe them money through premium subscription. I know this because it happened to a friend of mine recently. He had let one of his accounts go because he couldn't afford it at the time, and they charge you to downgrade, I guess. He called them and went through this long process of reactivating the account which he was willing to pay for in full of the owed amount. Then they mentioned that the inventory was deleted...my friend hung up on them.

I don't agree with this policy; I think the account should have been frozen and considered something that may prove valuable in the future. My friend would have payed the amount they wanted had the inventory been intact. I may consider making a JIRA issue for it.

The interesting question is do basic members also lose all the inventories?
Why would they keep j0e25 Baskin inventory who logged in for a week in 2005 and never returned but not a premium member from last year who obviously purchased a lot of content, sure your land should go to auction after a few months but inventory?