Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style
When you hear stories about just how awful people can be to customer service representatives on the phone or even face-to-face, it's not that surprising that in a largely anonymous virtual space things can get even more dehumanizing. It's not unheard of for a peeved customer to wish death on someone providing them with support for their virtual fashion or goods, or to viciously insult the store and its products, even when the CSR in question also happens to be the owner/designer themselves.
Long-time Second Life designer David W. Heather (a.k.a. Gianni Broda) had such an encounter recently, and it inspired him to go on an angry (but fair) rant on Facebook about customer entitlement in both physical and virtual spaces. Here's what he had to say:
So after my customer complaint post yesterday I did some thinking and I came to the conclusion that there is this overwhelming sense of entitlement and privilege in the SL consumer community. Therefore, I have made it my mission today to help those people understand the job of an SL designer. As an SL designer you actually have many jobs. Not only are you the creative mind but you're also the seamstress, the accountant, the contractor, the architect, the advertiser, the interior decorator, the bank, and the customer service representative. Do you realize that in RL these are all jobs that are delegated to several people, but in SL all these tasks are usually done by one person. In RL a designer does not have to deal with customer complaints nor do they have to hand out refunds or fix any problems. Do you also know that in RL people are paid extra for customer service? I want to say that the average item in SL costs around 250L. Are you all aware that in US dollars that is about 95 cents? That isn't even minimum wage. So to be clear, for 95 cents or less a designer is suppose to just smile and tolerate any and everything a customer chooses to say and do to them? In the real world when you approach a customer service desk, are you aware that you are only speaking to a representative of the designer and not the actual designer? In SL however, you're allowed to have a direct link to the person who created your purchase. The person who is responsible for all the creativity, hard work, and time put into your purchase is the person that answers back. So as you could imagine, any insult has a direct effect on the designer. Second Life is a virtual world where we all come to relax and possibly escape our RL problems for just a moment. Imagine coming into a world you see as a tool for relaxation and getting messages insulting you and your work ethic.I think you would be less than pleased. I hope some of you now have a better understanding of what it actually means to design in Second Life. Good day.
It's a sobering reality check for people who don't think of Second Life designers and CSR reps as fellow humans enjoying a hobby -- or don't think of them at all.
The straw that broke the camel's back in this case was a customer who complained about and insulted an item they'd bought from David without trying the demo first. It's classic mistake that probably leads to more indignant customer service notecards and IMs in Second Life than any other situation you could name. But frankly, a customer who doesn't try the demo provided is essentially forfeiting their right to complain when they receive something different from what they expected... Unless that complaint is delivered while grovelling on the floor and carrying a sign with "My bad, sorry" written on it in bold red letters.
If you're unsure of how to deal with entitled customers (or you're a little worried that you might become one yourself) it's worth revisiting the Miss Metaverse Manners column I penned on the subject back in 2011. It may be a few years old, but the advice is just as relevant today as it was back then. As I wrote at the time, "if the customer is being abusive, keep your cool and just close the window. If they threaten you or make a scene at your shop, then don't feel bad about muting and banning them as well."
[Hat tip to Eilfie Sugarplum, who has no doubt dealt with her fair share of unruly customers, for pointing this one out on Plurk]
TweetJanine Hawkins (@bleatingheart on Twitter, Iris Ophelia in Second Life) has been writing about virtual worlds and video games for nearly a decade, and has had her work featured on Paste, Kotaku, Jezebel and The Mary Sue.
thats a two way street as well. I have met my sure of abusive designers who are insulted that you would even consider asking them how to make it fit better/whatever.
I had one designer threaten to report me because I had said "wow, I love your stuff, but I did not realize you were still in business, you should advertise more!".
very very VERY few people hit it rich in SL, so complaining about only making 250L$ on each item is a bit silly... did you start making things to make money, or because you liked making things?
the "I have to do _____" to make my store run thing seems off putting as well. we (SLers) live in an economy where very few people make money (fashion or skybox farming come to mind) and the rest of us buy our L$s. how about hiring a couple of people to do part of those jobs, for tips or clothing freebies, or even kick them down a few lindens...
our online world has a real problem with people being abusive to each other, it is true, but I think making designers out as the only victims of this is a bit off center.
Posted by: Ilsa Hesse | Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 04:46 PM
Yeah I've never really had any serious problems. The fact that it is virtual and anonymous only makes it easier to palm of the stupid ones. I get alot of people begging for free stuff because they are 'dying of cancer and I really need your latest release' etc etc. Overall though I tend to get fair and good customer problems/ feedback.
The beauty of SL is you can run your customer service exactly how you want.
Posted by: Yesplease | Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 04:54 PM
I run a business in RL and used to do it in SL. RL is soooooo much kinder. In RL, happy customers don't try to worship you and unhappy ones don't try to destroy you. The SL extremes were just too personal for me. I like boundaries.
I tend to sympathize with the SL sellers more on this issue.
Posted by: A.J. | Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 07:03 PM
I am a designer and a shopper. IMHO it is the customers that get the short end of the stick do you know how many designers are rude and condescending and refuse to talk to customers on sl? Look at most of the profiles of store owners. Most are rude and try and deter customers from talking to them send a nc my messages cap etc lots of excuses on why they do not want to talk to you. Most people's messages cap. You can have them sent to email or check your email when you sell things. These notes on profiles and mp send a clear message to consumers that you do not want to be bothered and are rude from the onset so it already puts your customer on the defense. Irl you would not say those things to your boss or customer before meeting them. The first thing your customer sees after the product is your profile when something goes wrong. If you do not want customers on the defense and being rude think of what your profile says about you and your store. I have never had an upset customer I sell things a lot. Also when some store owners make things and then photoshop the ad making it look better than it does through lighting and touch ups it makes customers feel cheated putting them on the defense as well. I have also seen creators sell things that do not look anything like the product. I call them on it Facebook it and leave a bad review on the item and a pic of it. If the creator refuses to fix the problem or refund me after asking nicely first of course. I can go on and on most creators in sl are let's face it prima donnas who think they are always right and have no csr exp and are plain right down rude. Not all creators are this way but these are a few examples. Both the creator and the customer are in sl for the same thing fun and creators just need to remember that customers would treat you better if they felt like they were valued and not used for quick lindens. Also this is sl you make the item one time and sell it or not. Creators need to treat it as a business but also realize you are making it for yourself first and if some buys it great if not we'll that's life. It is rare you make money on sl. So if you are not doing it for yourself do not do it. If you don't want to talk to your customers honestly and hear feedback then do not sell things also if you do not want to give good csr with a smile like you would irl. That is my two cents and 8 years worth of exp on sl.
Posted by: Baroness Queenstown | Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 02:48 AM
It's no secret that there are some entitled A-holes in SL. Most creators share (bitch about) their customer nightmare stories between each other - it's a good way to let off steam... but it's another thing to share it in public where all your customers can also see it.
One thing I've learned as a creator over the years, is not to take anything personally, and to not get too involved with your customers - that way you'll get fewer entitled A-holes bothering you.
Posted by: Old Skool SL Creator | Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 03:26 AM
Baroness Queenstown and Old Skool SL Creator just gave some good examples of cause and effect. One thinks that most creators are "prima donnas " that need to be brought down a notch if they don't do what you want them to do. The other doesn't take anything "personally" and builds a big wall of protection.
It didn't take long to find the extremes. Maybe it's just me, but I find both of these approaches to existence unappealing.
Posted by: A.J. | Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 04:51 AM
I never had real complains about what i do buy, i tend to buy only free items on marketplace but for sure i do one thing that most forget, i always try to review and rate those that offer what they create to the community.
As for what i do buy, i cant complain as well as i choose to buy only items that are copy/mod and those creators that don't fear to allow their products to be full mod are quite easy to reach in case of need (some i didn't need to do, lol)
But the few time i had to speak with any creator (last time was the need to make a non mod item to be mod for me to remove its scripts) i always got a reply (i always sent a note card if i ned to contact any), so i think that if one is polite enough, no creator will refuse to reply.
My soul mate being a creator herself, also replies to all the questions, buyers do and clarify all their questions, no matter how they look like.
So i can not complain of any product i did bought along these years in Second Life but im not a regular customer.
Posted by: zz bottom | Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 05:38 AM
The central notion - that creators and designers deserve some appreciation and privacy, I totally agree with. But could we please stop with the whole "entitled and privileged" bit? As with most other times I've seen this used, the actual situation is the opposite. Consumers in SL have basically none of the protections or use rights they would be entitled to if they were making RL purchases. It is actually designers who retain most of the entitlement and privilege in SL.
This is so common in other political situations where "entitled" is used as well. Usually in reference to people who get little to none of the things that people in power, or people of past generations got, so now they turn to whining and complaining, and cajoling. It's no wonder they do this, they have no other recourse when something goes wrong.
Posted by: Ananda | Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 01:23 PM
I hardly ever contact a designer/creator in SL. If something doesn't fit I take the blame for that because I didn't try the demo (and I could make it fit if I am willing to tweak my shape, which I usually am). If it looks better in the ad than it does on my avatar, I just don't wear it, and I don't shop there anymore. I don't contact creators unless something doesn't get delivered as it should and the redelivery terminal isn't working.
I've been in SL for nearly 10 years. I've spent a lot of money in that time. I'm willing to spend small amounts and not get too fussed if something isn't quite the quality level I was expecting. Anything over $5000L, though, I tend to frequent only creators who are professionals about their business and whose profiles and practices reflect that.
Posted by: Sansarya | Friday, April 17, 2015 at 11:00 AM
I have to agree with the people saying it's a two way street. I've personally been banned from a store for asking nicely that an owner didn't blast music over her voice and not say extremely racist things(I'd rather not repeat them there really bad tbh). God forbid I had actually been of the race she was insulting. That's only the tip of the iceburg of things I've dealt with as a consumer. I've been banned for ridiculous reason or none at all, Insulted, and so on. IMO the issue is with anonymity itself. Because you have it online it allows people to show there true colors. no matter there position in the game.
Posted by: madeline blackbart | Tuesday, April 28, 2015 at 09:51 AM
What a commendable work you have done, with simplest of language. I can’t resist myself to leave a comment and trust me it’s hard to impress me.
3d
Posted by: Mantockity | Wednesday, December 02, 2015 at 11:33 AM