Pay in your local currency...

[Alexie Vlodovic]

One thought on this, the reason LL is pushing for this now because of the crap USD and their loss of profit from the international markets cause their currencies are so much stronger... Just saying...

[Josephina Bonetto]

It could well be down to that, from a business perspective.  But their losses are going to outweigh any benefits, and here is why...

I asked to be taken off the local payment system and put on the old US system because it is making my life hell, no one will do that for me.  The idea in theory is fine, the reality is a disgrace.

I'm caught up in the local payment system drama, my billing info is fine for everything but recurring payments e.g. mainland fees so my account has been on the brink of delinquency. 

In the meantime, I am inconvenienced through no fault of my own as manual payments work but not automatic ones and Paypal is no longer available to international customers. Despite the blog post on the beta local payment system, no assurances were offered about suspension if this was not resolved, I had to practically hold a poor woman at the lab hostage on the telephone before this question was even acknowledged as a real concern. She was great, but I felt bad for her and her colleagues left to clear up the mess of poor decisions.

While I do not intend to leave SL or close my 4 year old club, my land is now up for sale as a result of the local payment system fiasco and the total absence of effective support, even though my land is in the Destination Guide, because I have had enough. It took me 4 years to find my limit and this is it, but I finally decided to release my cash investment and replace it with either rented estate or cheaper mainland. I do not appreciate being left to feel powerless as a customer to bring about a resolution, I don't feel valued.

All this is a result of their wish to allow me to pay in GBP and introduce a beta billing system, or should I say inflict, on customers who just want stuff that works.

[RedMokum Bravin]

Some months ago Oskar Linden asked volunteers from the Second Life Beta group, to test the new billing system.Very soon therafter my second premium account was hit by the new local payment system. I was unable to add a method of payment otherwise than by first making an attempt to buy something (L$ and land). I had to find out from the support desk that Paypal was no longer an option for people outside the USA who had never had that kind of payment info before.

After endless debates with Nya Linden I demanded in support chat that a database engineer look into the matter. Fortunately my record was then corrected manually and untill a few days ago all was fine. I then discovered that payment info for *both* my avatars was gone. Now I am unable to change my tier level. I can't even set it to ZERO without having payment info on file.

In the mean time I kept sending letters to LL explaining that Europe has no credit card based economy like the States and that they would never get new paying members if Paypal was outruled. Now there is a "promise" on the form saying that Paypal will return. It better be. I remember how Red Light Center (Utherverse) lost many paying customers when they could no longer work with Paypal (which was Paypal's decision at the time, because they don't want the adult industry as clients).