My question pertains to Linden policy (written or unwritten) regarding transaction reversals. It has recently come to my attention from a fellow resident that he purchased a parcel of land found in the Land Sales search tool. After purchase, he logged off for a bit and came back on to find the parcel no longer in his holdings. Quite confused, he contacted support and was put in touch with Sylvain Linden. Sylvain explained that the person who sold the land made an error and actually intended on selling a different parcel. Sylvain, looking to help the seller, decided to 'reverse' the transaction and gave the land back without contacting the buyer. The buyer informed Sylvain that there was no deal made between the two and referred to the recent changes in the sales tool that specify "ALL SALES ARE FINAL."
I also received a copy of the notice sent by Sylvain to the buyer (resident names removed per posting policy):
Hello **************,
A land transaction took place in ******region, involving the parcel at
***,***coordinates. The parcel was sold by ************ to you on
November 8, for ****** Linden Dollars.
Unfortunately, the seller made a serious mistake in setting up the
parcel for sale. As you were not available, and notable amounts of the
seller's content would have been lost Linden Lab made the choice to
reverse the land transaction, refund the Linden dollars which you paid
and reset your peak usage to the level it was before the transaction.
We are sorry that we had to intervene in this situation. A quick action
was required and I did not follow the rules that we set to never
intervene in transaction between players.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this transaction, please
contact our concierge staff at (877) 236-0711.
Regards,
Sylvain Linden
This is the first instance I've heard of where a Linden has taken it upon him/herself to reverse a land transaction. I've personally dealt with land disputes, and each time the Linden would only offer moderation and made it clear to the seller that the transaction was, indeed, final. Since when is it acceptable to break the rules? Sylvain made it clear that Linden Labs did NOT follow their own rules!
What I would like to know is if Linden Labs has a clear policy regarding reversing transactions, not excluding land, object or gambling transactions. Did ownership of land become subjective to the opinions of Linden Lab employees? Since the buyer infact owned the parcel, why was it simply taken away without notice?
I'm very disturbed by this unprecedented action against the ownership rights of a resident. I hope to get a clear response specific not only to land transactions but all transactions in effort to ensure consistent response is taken by all Linden Lab employees. I would also like to be assured that all Linden Lab staff comply with rules and regulations 100% and never make exceptions that can financially hurt another resident.
Regards,
Jimbo Spinnaker