BizTutor Magic

250 is a basic average, Zena...not set in stone. LL's biggest economic mistake was shutting down the SLEx - they lost LOTS of economic flexibility with that move.

I second sentient's comment. I, for one, have found the ability to hold and either sell or rent land out to be entirely fruitless with all the departures. Further, without a competitive currency exchange backed with the full faith and credit of SL, the best bargain won't be a virtual world of any kind, because the other virtual worlds I've seen and investigated have static currency exchange rates, from which a commission is deducted on sale, IF you can sell the currency back at all. Back before the banking crisis/scandal IRL, SL had it all. Since then, it seems to have thrown most of what it had away. Taking what isn't broken and applying slapdash "fixes", and rolling over the rest of the fixes until everyone's tired of waiting isn't the way to run a successful business entity - and continuing with the ignoring of customer base needs for genuine means of inworld moneyflow and occasional profittaking by customers is killing the very roots of that which made SL grow during the time I've been here. At commerce office hours today, I learned by both what was and wasn't said that for all the shuffling of the deck chairs, SL's still headed for the icebergs. This, despite every good-intentioned suggestion and economic warning able to be given by its once loyal user base. I wish I didn't have to say it, but it needs saying, so I've said it. Merchants and shoppers alike...watch your wallets, and do what's best for them.

I was on SL at 9:14 PST (same as SLT) to see whether Support was available, having been assured by the SL Grid Status report that it was back to normal. So I went to Premium Live Chat, and sure enough, Live Chat was unstaffed, an hour and 14 minutes after the stated Saturday opening of Live Support hours. I agree that the Ontynes I usually dealt with made no effort to resolve problems - they did a "Lockheed Shuffle" and told Premium Members - who pay not for "do it yourself fixing after being hand-held and pointed to Ticket Submission" but for REAL, LIVE PEOPLE TO SUPPORT WHAT LITTLE PAYING CUSTOMER IS LEFT - to engage in self-help, rather than to assure them that they would BE helped. It's clear from the TOS that Premium Members AREN'T paying for product we do not, ourselves, personally create.. But we ARE paying for a customer support service, and many of us are not receiving consideration promised on that contract. Issues ought to be dealt with no more than 30 days within the opening of ANY ticket, and should be resolved or declared unresolveable no more than 7 days after that. A clear "reasonalbe man's" standard of time on resolution should be the rule rather than the exception.

Raudf, there's only one word that can adequately reply to what you wrote: Amen!