Lexi has been in Second Life since 2004, as you can see. Although she'd added her partner's last name to her display name, if you look her up in search, she is still Lexi Morgan. There might be 10,000 other Lexis out there, but as far as Second Life is concerned, she has always been the only Lexi Morgan. At least...she was.
This is Lexi Morgan #2. Her username is beth36. If you don't have display names turned on in your viewer [a lot of us do not], she looks like beth36. But she's walking around with Lexi Morgan proudly as her display name. Even worse, when you go to look for Lexi Morgan in search...
When display names were first introduced, MANY people were upset. The content creators - you know, the people who make us look good and generally pay a lot in fees every month for sims and marketplace and uploads? - were especially worried. What would keep someone from using their name? Would that be possible? WHY would it be possible? But they were assured that no, that wouldn't happen. Linden Lab would help protect them, protect all of us with legacy names.
Turns out? Not so much.
When Lexi was notified by someone that another account was using her name [she'd gone to search for Lexi and that is what popped up], Lexi was, rightfully, very upset. She filed an abuse report, and this morning she contacted Linden Lab. After all, they had promised this sort of thing would not happen, and unlike in the real world where several people could have your name, it was always a bonus in SL that our names were OURS. So she did what any of us would have done and called Linden Lab. And that's where things really went wrong.
Lexi spoke with someone at Linden Lab who told her - get ready for this - to just keep filing abuse reports until it was fixed.
Wait. What?
Now she has to take time out of her day to just keep filing abuse reports, when one has already been filed, when it would be easier for the person she spoke with to fix it right then and there? Where is the protection that was promised when Linden Lab decided to charge ahead with the ridiculous AOL-esque usernames and display names? [Don't get me started on what I think about the username thing. But you can vote in this JIRA if you feel the way I do.] Shouldn't there be some kind of customer service for someone who has been using a service for over 7 years? Just keep filing abuse reports? That's IT?
When Lexi told the person at Linden Lab that she was under the impression this sort of thing was never to happen, the person replied, "Yeah, I can see how that would cause a problem for you." Lexi also asked what would happen if this account never logged in again, and was told "You should AR separately with those concerns and be as specific as possible." Because calling and telling them isn't specific or good enough?
Nice customer service, Linden Lab.
So now the real Lexi Morgan has to waste her time filing abuse reports and hoping that her customers read far enough to contact her and not Beth36 if they need customer service. Beth36 can wander around happily with a name that is not hers over her head. And Linden Lab proved, once again, that they truly do not always listen to their customers.
Edit 8/26/2011: Lexi confirmed yesterday that after approximately 25 Abuse Reports, phone calls, etc, that the name was finally changed. Beth36 is now Beth Morgan. Oh, and she's no longer an out of work exotic dancer, just in case you were worried about that. :-p
7 comments:
<333
*applause* great article. Lexi I'm sooo sorry you're having to deal with this. I'm going to facebook and twitter this and I hope if more people make a fuss, they've give us what we were promised.
Linden Lab have never listened to our opinions, or at least very rarely listen. As for their levels of customer support, they're about as much use as a chocolate fireguard.
this sucks. as soon as the executive direction wafted down to the public facing Lindens responsible for implementing this stupid feature i knew it'd serve to undermine our unique identities. it's like they've never interacted online before. duh. i suppose they haven't since the Board commanding this feature are all uber-rich and have people do that for them. no amount of feedback from the spineless fearful Lab rats would serve to "inform" the higher ups just what is taking place here. the poor "Lindens" answering the phones at the Indian call center really can't do any better than what they've been given to respond. i really wish there was someone Lexi could call. some corporate organizational chart outlining departments, staff, responsibilities, etc. would help. how they get away with their brand of bureaucratic avoidance/ignoring is anyone's guess.
I have been on sl since 2007 (yeh this is a new avi for reasons of my own)but all I want to say here is... its sucks for Lexi, but I just know she cannot count on LindenLab. Those guys/girls are only in it for the money... sad... very sad...
About the name display.. maybe I'm just being very stupid but I would just confront 'Beth what is her number' and tell her to fuck off;-)
The display name thingy made it possible for me to wear my husbands name so I like it but if one would come online as wolverine enchanted I would kill her;-)
Anyways, good luck lexi and I hope you get this thing sorted out very soon:-)
Been in SL since 2006 and the REAL Lexi and I have been friends almost the entire time. I remember Lexi specifically being concerned about this display name thing and exactly this scenario. LL needs to step up and correct this situation THEY created! They know there are people in world whose name is synonymous with their brand - some whose name IS their brand. There is no excuse for people to be able to perpetrate their fantasy of being one of these successful individuals to the public. GET IT TOGETHER AND GET IT FIXED LL!!! Don't worry Lexi - no matter what happens, there will only ever be ONE you! No one else could ever be anything but a cheap attempt at a copy of you. <3 you!!
While I understand where the "real" Lexi Morgan is coming from, the concerns with display names and the ability to have any name on the grid I don't think it's the other parties fault nor are they trying to abuse Lexi Morgan's name in any way. If I had read somewhere in the profile and saw that they were claiming to be the owners of the store mentioned then sure, but an abuse report doesn't seem like the right way to handle things and for someone from Linden Labs to tell your friend/anyone for that matter to keep filing reports is bullocks.
As a consumer in the real world as well as in-world I think there is a certain degree of risk you take when purchasing anything. This should be a warning to customers all over the grid to make sure of who you're talking to and another sign that something at Linden Labs should change in regards to customer service. Without the "real" Lexi Morgans out there, SL wouldn't be such a gorgeous place.
Post a Comment