Is there a cap amount as to how much can be charged for membership into a group?

[Destiny Eberdene]

I know there are alot of groups that charge a fee to join the group, but I can't help but wonder if there is a capped amount that can be charged for this. I was in a group that charged a minimum of 1k to join, then if there's a glitch with the server or something very innocently done by mistake, notice and IM rights are suspended, and then you're forced to pay another 500L to get your rights back. I mean really, this group owner is making a mint off of the residents of SL and is barely on to take care of the customers. Doesn't even seem to care that there are times when the servers are being updated or tweaked, and notices don't always go through or chat's don't always work. It just seems easier to suspend or revoke notice rights and then make the person pay another "exuberant" amount of money to be able to advertise their product in a very short notice or IM message. If there's not a cap, I feel that their should be. It's not right to extort that kind of money from someone and give them poor customer service in return.

[Wildcat Furse]

I don't know if there is a cap on this, I would just turn my back and move on ...*meows*

[Cinnamon Lohner]

Sounds more like a scam than a group. :smileymad:   Why would you even join something like that?

As far as an answer to your question, I doubt that there's a cap.  Free capitalistic market prevails here.

Oh, and that stuff about server glitches sound bogus to me.  Really makes it sound like a scam IMHO.

--Cinn

[Peewee Musytari]

The limit is how much members are willing to pay before they wise up and leave the group....There is no charge for "abilities" aside from one that the owner has made up and it sounds like on a whim he decides to uncheck a box and charge you all more money...Good for him that he found people willing to pay it.

What possible financial benefit are you getting from advertising to other group members and paying to do it? Why don`t you all just go start another group and advertise to each other free of charge? :smileyindifferent:

Maybe I am missing something, don`t send me a group invite lol

[Tiffy Vella]

This does sound like a scam to me too. I'm assuming that this is a promotion group which charges you to join so that you can post group notices about product releases? I'm a member of a few, and have never been charged additional fees for an issue like this, or heard of this happening before. Rights to make new notices don't just disappear afaik, and if the group owners did "accidentally" change the roles, it would be a simple matter to reset them.

 

(edited to add inverted commas around "accidentally")

[Destiny Eberdene]

Trust me, I did start my own group. I want to have the largest free adertising group in SL along with outstanding customer service. I'm online all day long, everyday. I believe in the old term "the customer is always right, and if the customer is happy, I'm happy"

[Destiny Eberdene]

Here's an example. Yesterday I was sending IM notices, I typed in my IM notice and clicked Send. Apparently there were some issues with chat because I received a message stating that my message could not be sent to the group, if it didn't appear within the next few minutes, to try again later. So I closed out the group and moved on to the others I'm in. I went back to it about 20 minutes later, give or take, opened the chat window and didn't see my post, so I entered it again, and that time it went. When I logged in this morning, I received a message from one of the owners "pawns" telling me that I have a suspension notice because I sent an IM notice twice within a 30 minute period. When I tried explaining what happened, I wasn't even give the common courtesy of a reply or acknowledgement that I even spoke at all

[Dresden Ceriano]

It sounds like one of those groups where merchants post an ad, then the other merchants will re-post that ad in their own store groups, thereby making it possible for your ad to reach all of their customers as well.

Why someone would pay for that, I have no idea. Especially when you could start a group of your own and not charge anything to be in it, if you so desire.

You'd still get the benefit of being able to reach more people with your ads, which would hopefully make it financially worth the time and effort you would need to devote to policing the group. You could even find some other merchants that you trust to help out with it.

Not to mention, there must be better ways to advertise your business. I, for one, would feel uncomfortable spamming my customers with ads from other businesses.

Of course, I am only making an assumption as to the nature of the service provided by the group of which the OP spoke. I could be totally wrong about it. But either way, if the Op feels they are not getting what they're paying for, they should just leave the group... it's as simple as that.

...Dres

[Dresden Ceriano]

Oh good, I'm glad you started your own group.

I understand that there should be repercussions for breaking group rules, but certainly it can be done without requiring you shell out more money. Like a suspension of posting privileges for a period of time.

And of course glitches with groups chat should be taken into consideration and perhaps just a warning of some sort should suffice for a first offence. It should be easy enough to weed out the repeat offenders, if you just take the time to pay attention to what's going on in your group, instead of resorting to draconian measures.

Good luck... Dres

[Tiffy Vella]

Ahh yes..that's a common and frustrating problem with group chat (as opposed to group notices), and on some days it can be nigh impossible to use. I've had the same thing happen, like making a comment in chat, and have it not appear, so when  I re-enter it, it comes out twice, making me feel like a bit of a dick.

Good luck with your new and hopefully friendlier group. May you never need to sic your own pawns on anyone

[bee Baroque]

 

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Destiny Eberdene wrote:

Here's an example. Yesterday I was sending IM notices, I typed in my IM notice and clicked Send. Apparently there were some issues with chat because I received a message stating that my

message could not be sent to the group, if it didn't appear within the next few minutes, to try again later

. So I closed out the group and moved on to the others I'm in. I went back to it about 20 minutes later, give or take, opened the chat window and didn't see my post, so I entered it again, and that time it went.

---

 

(bolded part) this is common group chat behavior, unfortunately, and has been for the longest time. only a very few times out of all the hundreds and hundreds of group chat messages i have ever posted never did get sent. being delayed for 5 minutes, even 10 happens all the time. so chances are that it did get posted after you closed out the chat.

and once you close the group chat window no chat posted (by anyone) between then and next time you open it will be saved, like resident to resident ims. that is why you didn't see your first message.

good luck with your own group. sounds like a good choice =)

[Tiffy Vella]

 

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Dresden Ceriano wrote:

Not to mention, there must be better ways to advertise your business. I, for one, would feel uncomfortable spamming my customers with ads from other businesses.

---

I'm absolutely with you on this. I cringe to trouble my own group members with my own spammage too often, let alone anyone else's.

 

[Anna1 String]

well there is no cap on stupidity .. why should there be a cap on group membership fees ?