Jack:
My initial response to your price increase was ... "good-bye SL" and I have been actively seeking another Virtual Reality World. I have found three that my wife and I are currently evaluating.
To my surprise at each one I have found very many upset SL members doing the same thing we are doing. All at the welcome areas arriving in droves. The count Jack is well above 300 members so far ... and more than half are what I call land barons, members who own a large number of full sims and a large number of OSS's. They all have indicated directly to me that they are closing down and leaving SL permanently.
The point of my comment is the lateral damage that the abandonment of full and partial sims will cause in SL... the number of innocent members who rent not to mention the number of members who have bought the land from the land owner. They will all lose their investment in dollars and time. The damage is unimaginable. You want to hurt someone hit them in their wallets.
You state the reason for the very drastic price hike is abuse by members ... but LL did nothing but promote the sale of OSS's for over 7 months. I agree that there are some abusers ... members who have built businesses on them. But without the information qualifying an abuser that’s all I can say about abuse.
Many residents, my wife and I included, saw that LL and many LL employees were using OOS's just as everyone else; so we concluded that light-use meant residential and we decided to buy one for ourselves.
We built a home, added trees, plants and a few birds and the two of us really enjoy our paradise and our privacy very much. To penalize us for using OOS's no differently than LL's is very wrong. You can correct your miss use at no cost to LL or any of your employees and I bet that error has already been corrected.
LL's has an opportunity to cash in on a great product that is sought after by so many of the members. Forget the mandatory joining of OSS's to a full region and the reversal of named ownership of the land to the one paying the tier, this is so punitive and unnecessary.
It appears to me that there are at least 6 major classes of OSS's (if not more) currently in use: a) light-use oceans, b) forests and parks, c) single family residential, d) Multi-family residential, e) commercial businesses and f) clubs each with a very different need for maximum prim and a maximum number of avatars.
Could you not define an acceptable load for each category and develop a reasonable price associated with each type and phase in the price increase over time. This option is win-win for LL and the members whose individual creativity has bolstered SL into what it is today. I believe that will satisfy the members and keep SL viable?
My wife brought me to SL kicking and fighting but once I gave in to her pressure and joined I fell in love with the game. It will be a very sad day when we leave either voluntarily or because our land owner gives up her sims and leaves and we lose our land.
Remember, perception is far more important in value than most failed companies gave it credit and currently the perception of LL business ethics has tanked with a large number of paying members.
I trust you will do the right thing.
LittleMichael