Trouble With Linden Lab's 24/7 Support Line?

I recently mentioned Linden Lab's new 24/7 billing support phone number, which seems like a stellar idea in principle. According to a post by Dolly Ewing, it still has some kinks to say the least:

... Dolly tried to contact billing support, but she was repeatedly cut off when trying to call the new 24/7 toll-free helpline. She then attempted to submit a support request via the website, but was continually logged out of her account. After a protracted online chat with billing support, she was no nearer having her account reinstated. The operator advised Dolly that they had problems with the new system they were trying to resolve and that her account should not have been closed, but could only offer to switch her account back to the old system. She would be left to try on her own to make payment again in 48 hours, during which time her account would remain suspended. She now has less than 30 days before LL cancel her account and foreclose on her in-world land holdings.

Much more here. What's your experience been with the toll-free number, oh reader?

Comments

[Vecky Burdam]

I have heard Dolly's story dozens of times, I lost several friends this way, I predict Dolly will not get her account back ... LL will never change, even if they call their poor service now "support phone number", still the same kafka-esque non-help that sends you around in circles until you give up enervated and your account is deleted.

I can only repeat my recommendation: Downgrade to basic account NOW or you will lose your AV sooner or later

[Graham Mills]

More sims about to disappear: http://blog.inacentaur.com/2011/05/26/to-pay-or-not-to-be/

[Noirran]

Why do they make it so hard to give them money?

[anotherdeadavatar]

SL is so over. Seriously this time, it is.

[Muffey]

So.. Where do I go now? If SL is over?

[Vecky Burdam]

"In a civilized real life, if you get into money trouble, you can declare bankruptcy or get put in jail. In the jungle and in the mafia, they’d send you sleeping with the fishes. In Second Life, it’s kind of like that — if you can’t pay up on land tier, Linden Lab will kill your avatar. Or, in more technical terms, they would deactivate your prepaid account prematurely and delete your avatar and all its inventory items."
Ina Centaur - SL legend (about to be deleted)

[Vecky Burdam]

http://blog.inacentaur.com/2011/05/26/to-pay-or-not-to-be/

Wow, this shocked me now.
When we talk about SL Art we talk about Selavy Oh and Bryn Oh, when we talk about SL Music we talk about ChouChou and Skye Galaxy, when we talk about SL Theater and Literature we talk about Ina Centaur ...
What Ina did for SL's cultural and social life is priceless. LL should pay her to stay on the grid, not the other way round. Shame on LL.

[louise Portilo]

I am in the exact same position, Trying to contact them in every possible way over this billing issue that they created themselves, getting the same robot-like answers. They keep telling me to do the thing I just told them did not help.
It seems very bizarre that it is more dangerous to have a premium account, cannot be a very good business model that there is no incentive to pay for what you want to sell.

[foneco zuzu]

Well i must say that being premium helped me on the past, when they had the live chat service avaiable.
Now i fear i must ask how do i downgrade to basic account?

[Dolly Ewing]

Since my last comment, I received an support ticket update from Second Life which advised ‘We have found that some of these issues have been caused by Residents deleting their payment information between payment dates. If you have been deleting your payment information between payment dates, we kindly ask that you refrain from doing so. If you continue to delete your payment information you will encounter future issues.’ Isn’t it the number one rule in a corporation that when you get it wrong, the last thing you do is blame your customers for it??!! Talk about adding insult to injury.

Well my latest is that I have bit the bullet and decided to pay, even though I am being over billed and in the wrong currency. Unfortunately, my attempt at paying my outstanding account using the method provided by Second Life in their support ticket and using the same credit card as they have been taking payment from since 2007 resulted in the following:

Your payment of US$XX.XX has failed due to the following reason:
The transaction could not be processed due to technical reasons.
You are welcome to try to make a payment with a different Credit/Debit Card or any other payment method.

I have spoken with online chat again and asked “Are you going to cancel my account and take my land despite the fact that I am trying to pay you with a credit card that is good for all other transactions other than Second Life and has been good for you since 2007?” She responded …

Deniece Z.: There was an upgrade done to the viewwer.
Deniece Z.: I am sorry
Deniece Z.: the cashier
Deniece Z.: if you are unable to make the payment in 1 hour, please contact us back.

[Vecky Burdam]

@Dolly
i read a bit through the forum blog link you gave on your blog... http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Forums-Blogs-Answers-and/On-the-Road-to-Local-Payments-Blog-from-FJ/td-p/845675/page/2

... this is really a disaster ...

[Shelbyjo Avro]

LL doesn't care about customer anything, they have cancelled accounts for no reason at all since i started in 2007,and probably before that! i lost shelby , over 24,000 linden, and tons of inventory, had her for 4 years,,and one day,,poof,,a woman was pissed at me for talking to someone she didn't like,,false ard my avi,,and i lost everything over that one ar,,,,i ask you ,,what other "company" can take your money and get away with it?

[Sandor Balczo]

My account has just been terminated, with the usual mail informing me I repeatedly or severely violated the TOS and without explaining how. I was invited to "appeal" to explain the reason why I MIGHT HAVE BEEN TERMINATED!

This is ludicrous and a very very very very bad way to end 4 years of residence in Second Life.

Needless to say, LL will receive very bad publicity from me from now on.

I am sure that the comments are made about what happened to Dolly and my termination today are related.

I appealed of course, asking what I am accused of. I am sure LL will not respond.

I am leaving a partner in SL who is appalled at what happened and hopes this is all a mistake. Fortunately we also know each other in RL.

I hope Mr. Au will be so kind to start a journalistic inquiry about the methods used by LL to alienate its customers, stealing them money in the process (I cannot erase my credit card information or take back my L$ deposit of course, and I cannot even access my account on the web).

I don't give SL more than one year of existence: they have passed the mark way beyond anything remotely acceptable.

[Sandor Balczo]

"comments I made", not "comments are made".

I am sorry, I am barely able to write in acceptable English, I am too furious!