I got ripped off, is this normal in SL

I paid for a suit at a store and didn't get the suit in the picture. I got a tux which was to the left of the suit I clicked and paid for. The tux I got is one that is in many free boxes all over. I contacted the vendor/owner and he said he was too busy to help.
Is there anything I can do about this? Are vendors allowed to misrepresent merchandise and rip off residents who are innocent enough to think you get what is in the picture?
Thanks for any help,
Mohamed Klees

Sorry to hear this has happened. You should remove the name of the vendor before this thread gets locked. It's one of the few no-nos they still enforce.

How about rather than immediately screaming rip off, you get ahold of the vendor's owner, and maybe see if a mistake was made that he/she is willing to rectify? Mistakes happen. To assume its automatically a rip off, well, you know ..

Edit: Sorry. I missed the part where you said you did contact him. Ok assume its a rip off then But sadly, no, short of not supporting that vendor or seller again, there is little recourse.

That is what I did first....i IMed and met the owner in the store. He said he didn't have time to help...he said he is very busy.

That kind of thing happens but it's not the norm. Most business owners are smart enough to know that providing customer service isn't really optional and is in their best interest. If the owner told you he was too busy and didn't give you a time when he wouldn't be there's really no excuse for that. It's possible that it's a scam. I wouldn't call it normal.

The vast and overwhelming majority of vendors are extremely ethical. Every single time I have had trouble with a purchase and contacted the vendor, he or she made it right as soon as they got the notification. Unfortunately, SL is well on its way to becoming a haven for scam artists for a variety of reason which I won't go into here. Its not normal now but it may well become normal.

I work as a sales girl for one of the many ethical vendors, Blaze. We sell mens suits among other things. Stop by Blaze on any Thursday between around 7:00pm and 10:00 pm SL time and I will wait on you personally and make sure you get top value for your money. Any of the other sales assistants will do the same.

Being quick to help someone with a problem helps you as a seller.

One fixed problem and the resulting good word of mouth to your reputation is better than a classified ad, in my book.

Besides the fact that you feel bad when something broke even if it wasnt your fault.

Such practices are unusual. The few times I've run into honest errors, the vendor's always been eager to rectify the situation.

Sadly there's not protection, BUT, you can bet that vendors who post their wares in this forum or that are large and have been in SL for a while, are likely of the reputable ilk.

Sorry you had this problem.

Yeah, you got ripped off. No, it's not normal. About all you can do is to eat the loss and make a note never to patronize that merchant. Also I know not all do, but some vendors show you the contents of the folder before you clock yes to pay. Make sure it is what you want.

Oh please don't tell that "Person bought the same item 800 times again story......"

Really? Someone did that? Are they loaded or insane?

No wait. I'm encouraging the story

Sorry this have been one of your first experiences of buying in SL.

Most business owners are a lot more helpful and willing to sort problems.

The fact that the other item you mentioned was a freebie being sold, does rather point to someone selling who doesn't actually create, just trying to make a fast buck at others expense.

Thanks everyone.......some nice guy IMed me and went and checked it out and the vendor (whom I will gladly IM you his name and store on request) is also selling freebies that he doesn't own in the store. Anyway.......I definitely got some lame freebie tux instead of the suit pictured and I'm chalking it up to "Second Life Lessons Learned". Weird to be jerked around in here......"I got punked in SL!" :0

Thanks all... :] Mohamed.

I'm tired of really seeing this day to day. I am also tired of the double standard. Resident gets ripped off, there is no recourse, you may not name names, you may not get your money back.

Resident B however is perfectly able to present his business name and where to NOT get ripped off. I am not knocking the change for free advertisement but this happens almost every single time in posts like this.

Naming names is strictly enforced but promoting your name, business, or brand is not.

Also there is NO recourse....? I doubt that.
I guess when 16k beds start being sold and you get a T-shirt in return in the future, you'll just have to "eat it". I am tired of seeing these kinds of threads.

There is recourse. False advertisement, fraud, to name a few. In this case a possible mix up, but the seller is unwilling to help the customer. When people begin to do this intentionally are the majority of residents going to have the same response?

Land scams, vendor scams, misrepresentation, server hickups, and lag. Most issues are due to server related problems and have to be rectified by the seller to no fault of their own. I have had many things replaced and have lost my fair share. Then comes the common vendor mix up as in this case, which I don't see why the seller would not fix, after all the buyer is actually doing the seller a favor in a way.

What of blatent fraud or misrepresentation?
Sure you can file an abuse report and it "might" get looked in to.

I really think residents need more control over reversing transactions and that means tools. It is "our world" yet have no control over issues like this.

People selling freebies or cheapies for a markup just irks me. I know there's no rule against it, it just strikes me as scammy. Especially people selling things they got for free.

Pretty much everything in SL is a buyer beware situation. It's probably a good idea to ask around and see what places your friends recommend.

(By the way--I own a Blaze tux that I bought at the Blue Note island. It is the AWESOME.)

Thanks everyone.......some nice guy IMed me and went and checked it out and the vendor (whom I will gladly IM you his name and store on request) is also selling freebies that he doesn't own in the store. Anyway.......I definitely got some lame freebie tux instead of the suit pictured and I'm chalking it up to "Second Life Lessons Learned". Weird to be jerked around in here......"I got punked in SL!" :0

Thanks all... :] Mohamed.