We have some of the most wonderful customers in the virtual realm. However, in certain situations we need to set boundaries so that we can continue to offer our customers efficient and friendly service. The following policies are intended to make things fair for everyone.

Basic Courtesy

• We (Karsten and Velvet) are human beings. We deserve to be treated with respect and courtesy. We reserve the right to walk away from any customer interaction that violates Linden Lab’s Community Standards. This includes interactions that we perceive to be aggressive or demeaning, or interactions that include offensive language directed at us or our products.
• If a customer becomes aggressive, demeaning, or offensive, we will ask them to stop. If our request is ignored, we reserve the right to mute and/or report that customer based on the severity of their behavior.
• Due to our hectic RL schedules, we are not able to offer live customer service. Please understand that it may take up to seven business days to receive a response from us. This does not mean that you are being ignored. We apologize for any inconvenience, and thank you for your patience.
• For the vast majority of customer issues, there is no way for us to tell what is “wrong” with a table by examining it in person. In order to resolve your issue, we will still need to speak with you. Additionally, we work mainly over email, and are not always available to log into SL. Unless we specifically express a desire to look at your table in person, we kindly ask that you work with us over IM.

Language Accessibility

• We do not speak any languages other than English. If possible, please use English when you contact us.
• At our discretion, we may use a translator to help facilitate communication. This applies only to languages that can be easily translated by a computer.
• It is often helpful if you let us know that English isn’t your first language, and tell us what your native language is. We will then adjust our approach to make sure that you can understand us when we reply to you.

Roleplaying

• Roleplay is an interesting facet of virtual worlds. However, when contacting us for support, we ask that you do not try to roleplay with us. When you are contacting KRE about support issues, you are not your character; you are the real person sitting at your computer who needs OOC (Out of Character) assistance for an OOC problem. Some common examples of inappropriate “roleplay creep” include:
  • Children. Cutesy “baby talk” may be fun when you’re roleplaying with “mommy and daddy” — but when you’re deliberately mangling your words, it makes understanding and responding to you quite difficult. We ask that you please speak and act like an adult while communicating with us. (After all, if we were to truly roleplay with you as a child character, then our only legitimate response in this situation would be to wonder where your parents are and call Child Protective Services to report their obvious neglect. Heavens, they’ve left their two-year-old alone at a table filled with tiny game pieces!)
  • Fictional foreign languages and/or phonetic accents. We will not take additional time out of our day to run your question through a Klingon or Elvish translator. Likewise, if you insist on writing in a phonetic accent, such as French or American 1840s gold prospector, we will not be able to understand you. (Ex. “Ah require ‘alp wiz zee table,” or “Shucks, mah corn-sarning table’s actin’ like a mule in mud.”)
  • Power-exchange dynamics. This is covered more in our Support Through Other People article, but please do not send your slave/sub/pet to talk to us on your behalf. This goes for masters/doms as well! This is extremely inappropriate and usually unproductive, as we cannot properly assist a product owner through somebody else. We will always need to talk to the actual product owner to resolve an issue. What you do in private is your own business, please don’t make it ours.
  • This is not a comprehensive list, just a few of the most disruptive examples. Remember that when you contact a business you should simply be yourself. If we feel that your character is being disruptive to the customer service experience, then we will ask you to stop roleplaying until we have finished assisting you.