One free alt?

I haven't seen any reason to create an alt before during my short time in SL but now I would like to be able to sell things to myself to try out packaging etc... So I want to clarify the situation.

I said in a post in GT shortly before it closed that I understood that it now costs $10 to create extra accounts. I was told that this was wrong and that he, the person replying, had just created one free. Well, I tried to create one and was told that I had to pay $10 (just under actually) if I wanted to continue. As far as I can see LL's policy is that you're allowed one basic account free. Ok, well I have a premium account with $25 tier. Now I want a basic account too. Or are you not allowed one if you're already paying?

Your first account on SL, regardless of whether it is upgraded later, is the free one. All others are supposed to cost you $9.95 USD each for Basic, or the subscription rate for Premium. Technically, you are limited to two accounts per payment method and 5 accounts per household, and that includes any accounts you cancel over your lifetime. In fact, technically it's a lifetime limit of two accounts per real life person. Enforcement of those limits is capricious at best, and usually only enforced if someone complains or is caught abusing multiple accounts for fraud or griefing. Yet the obsolete policy legally applies to all users.

If you are honest, and willing to provide payment information, LL docks you $9.95 for the second and subsequent Basic accounts.

On the other hand, if you lie about this being your first account on the entry form and/or refuse to give any payment information, you get as many as you want, for free.

I have no problem, myself, with Linden Labs collecting a fee for second and subsequent accounts. But it galls me that they limit truthful people to two accounts per card and 5 accounts per household, while allowing those who lie on the form and/or refuse to identify themselves to create infinite numbers of free accounts.

There is a link in my signature to a discussion and to a request to level the playing field, and to allow honest people to have as many validated, verified accounts as they are willing to pay for. You may want to check it out.

This sounds a bit like the 'Make First Land your first purchase' rule. the rule must be recent, because I created two free alts after my paying account. I would guess that it is a way to cut out a lot of alt accounts with no veification....and griefing. You are allowed one shot, and after that you have to pay. I would suggest that you speak to the Lindens about this, and see if they will allow you your basic account.

I had wondered why the population numbers had stopped rising.....

Thanks for the clarification on that Ceera. It does seem a bit of an anomaly if I could have created a basic account, kept it for free, and then got another, paying, account afterwards. I did things the wrong way around it seems.

I only want to use him as a guinea pig, poor bugger. It won't be much of a life for him. He's probably destined to walk around with patchy hair and newbie skin forever.

A recent change to the registration form actually asks you "Is this your first account". If you admit you have an account on SL already, they now charge you for the new one. Prior to that, they were failing pretty badly to check, even if you provided valid payment information and ID information. They were too flooded with free accounts with no valid ID, I guess. With the new form, they penalize you for being honest and giving them payment information. Go figure.

I know at one point, right after they opened the floodgates to completely unverified account creation, I created three alts in less than 10 minutes, and none of them got charged for, because I gave no valid ID or payment info. I was testing a theory to prove that with the new hands-off registration policy, you could enter entirely false information and create a griefer alt that was untracable. One of those accounts, within 5 minutes of starting the entry form, was on the mainland and armed with a slew of weapons, including a nuke rezzer. Apalling! I never even logged in to orientation island with the other two. I cancelled all three of those a few days later.

But I have also, quite recently, created and kept an alt that I also did not get charged for. That was just before they asked you if it was your first account. I gave completely truthful information in creation of that account, including full payment information. And they didn't charge me.

But yes, as the rules stand now, if you upgrade that first free account to Premium, you pay the full Premium subscription fee, and the next account that you get will cost you $9.95. On the other hand, you could have kept that first free account at zero cost, and created a new account and made the new one Premium, for just the Premium subscription fee, saving $9.95 USD.

Part of the proposal that is in my signature is the idea of offering one free verified account every 90 days or so. You still have to provide payment info and valid ID, bit if it's been 90 days since you asked for a free one, then the new one is free.

I am a roleplayer. I like having LOTS of different roles that I can play, which is why the current limit on how many accounts one person may have irks me.

Incidentally, if you *do* create an unverified alt, you can always add him/her to your main account's Friends list, and pay them an 'allowance' as needed from the main account's funds. They don't need payment info on file to accept money from other accounts, including your main account.

Where was this posted? I tried contacting the lindens about this but I never got an answer. I assumed they didn't care how many accounts you had as long as you were paying for your alts.

I have one main and a couple of alts that I use for testing, and running around in-world without worry of getting pestered. And I haven't hidden my RL identity with any of them.

Hi Jakkal,

I asked Torley to provide a current citation that states that this limit of 5 accounts per household and two per credit card is a valid, current policy. The best Torley could do was to cite a year-old forum post by Daniel Linden, dated September 2005:


Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel Linden
This policy statement is NOT in the TOS and is NOT on the registration forms. I have been asking for almost two months now for an official Linden ruling on why it is still being enforced, and I have had no better answer. It is pure nonsense now that registration for unverified accounts is unlimited, and no new free account gets stipends.

As of August 10th, Torley verified that this is still being enforced, though obviously only when some Linden feels they have a reason to bother. On that date I checked, and there was NO official mention in the TOS or on the registration process to back that up. Just Daniel's year-old forum post. It used to be in the TOS almost a year ago. But it's apparently since been eliminated, and no one told 'the troops' to stop enforcing it!

I sent a forum private message to Daniel eight days ago, and he hasn't even read it.

Today I actually e-mailed Phillip Linden directly on it. I have asked him to formally remove this restriction, once and for all, and to accept payments from honest people for as many verified accounts as they are willing to pay for. We'll see if THAT gets an answer!

Well I put all my votes on the proposal. I don't care if my alts get lifted, they're handy, but not necessary. Just makes it easier for me to test stuff.

Though it is dumb, someone should be able to have an alt if they're willing to pay for them. I can understand restrictions, but that's a little strict.

But considering they let griefers get away with murder, I'm not too concerned about them coming after me with more than one paid-for account.

Sounds like a sensible idea, Ceera, though if LL is being this stubborn about it they might have a good reason for their behaviour they simply don't want to disclose to us.

If I were you I'd consider emailing people like Robin Linden and various other management-types who make policy choices.... be polite, but persistent, don't assume the Lindens are incompetent or stupid.... and make sure every email includes a clear request for a respond as soon as possible.

I agree.

coco

I believe she has already done just that.

coco

I have three accounts on the one credit card, all under my name, all premium. Two were created in the last couple of months. So maybe something has changed, and no one's told anyone. I hope so anyway... cos I don't want to give up one of my alts.

Enforcement of this policy seems to be entirely arbitrary. As of early August, some people still were, according to Torley, being forced to strip down to a max of 5 accounts, *IF* some Linden bothered to act against them. Sounds to me like someone *may* have recinded the policy at a higher level (hence it no longer being in the TOS), but 'forgot to tell the troopers on the highway patrol that the speed limit was changed' (hence some Lindens still enforcing what may be a discontinued policy).

I have written to Phillip Linden. If he does not respond in one week, I will continue to track down the e-mail addresses of other policy-afecting Lindens, such as Robin, Ginsu, and others, until I get a clear ruling.

This either IS the policy, and has a clear reason for being so, and is ENFORCED EQUALLY --- or it is NOT policy, and any further forced reductions should cease and desist.

I want a clear ruling. I want to know that if I choose to create a 6th alt, I am not in jepordy of losing all my non-transferrable assets on one of the six accounts, just because some Linden arbitrarily decides they can/should enforce this ghost of an outdated policy.

I know several cases of people with more than two accounts on one payment method, or more than 5 accounts for one person. People who entered entirely legitimate information on their registration forms, and fully expected to pay for each extra alt. So I know a blind eye is being turned to this policy. But I also know that in some cases, it is still being enforced.

By the way, I do apologize to the original poster for somewhat hijacking their thread with my responses. But it is, in my opinion, quite relevant to the original query on how many accounts one is allowed, and at what cost.

Angel, I don't think LL is being 'stubborn', so much as that they are not listening. Torley listened to me, but Torley has no power to affect this, and apparently can't get the attention of anyone who does. No one else that I have tried to contact about this has bothered to reply, and in the case of Daniel Linden, he hasn't even tried to read my message.

Fortunately, I am quite stubborn myself, and I won't give up until I get a sensible answer from someone with the authority to affect this policy.

It doesn't help that it is almost impossible to clearly identify work roles and contact information for most of the Lindens. There is no one place you can go to get their e-mail addresses. I found out Torley's e-mail because Torley puts it in her sig file. I found out Phillip's e-mail address because another resident with a complaint posted it on a third party forum, and encouraged others to write to Phillip in support of her cause. I was unable to find any way to contact Daniel Linden, other than a forum PM, which he doesn't read. *sigh*

[EDIT] I posted a question today in Linden Answers asking for info on Linden roles, responsibilities, and e-mail contact info. [/EDIT]

I'm fine with the rule not being actively enforced until there's a problem. Such as, someone can have many multiple, paid-for accounts unless they're using them to grief, and then they can impliment the rule. (Once they're caught griefing).

I think anyone that signs up for alts and doesn't pay the fee should be booted though. That's LL losing money.

Don't worry, they make up for it out of customer service. I think LL has enough money.

Yeah but I was hoping it would be a hint hint wink wink kind of thing if they happen to read these forums at all

Well, Phillip Linden did reply to my e-mail. Said I raised good points, and he is forwarding it to Robin and to Torley for further consideration.

Torley has, I feel, already done all she has authority to do - unless Phillip's forwarded memo gives her more authority. But Robin might be able to act on this.

I just created an alt - and would like it to be able to build/rez objects on my land. I don't want to start a group - but is this the only way?

Thanks
Brooksini

You can allow building for everyone on your land (the standard setting), set autoreturn to 0 (disabled) and just check the land menu once a day. If someone other than your main avatar or your alt placed prims on your land, you return them manually. Of course, that leaves griefers the possibility to clutter your place with trash, but without starting a group I fear that's the only way.

Best way is to deed it to a group. Turning auto-return off on plots is a generally bad idea.