Sippin
06-30-2007, 09:52 AM
I always offer a donation when I've requested a buff (or a rez) and I think most of us do. Since I play a druid, cleric and enchanter, I get a lot of buff requests. Now I don't have the patience or inclination to hang around PoK buffing people for donations, although I have nothing but respect for those who do. But I get the requests anyway since I don't usually run /anon. Unless I'm really pressed or distracted, I usually fulfill them, especially if the request is made politely. (It's nice to see at a minimum a "pls" somewhere in the request. Demand "Cast KEI" or "Got temp?" and you'll likely get an /ignore from me.) I'd say half the time I cancel donation offers. F'r instance, I never take plat from clerics (I've been rezzed too many times for free by generous clerics) and usually don't take plat from people who I take to be noobs or low levels, even though I realize many are probably alts. What the heck, be nice to a noob and maybe the game will survive for another year...
What really grinds my gears, to coin an expression ; is when high-level players beg a buff and then don't even offer a donation. What's remarkable is I find this seems to happen MORE OFTEN THAN NOT from players in the highest raiding guilds. And this happens even after I've seen the same player OFFERING PLAT for a buff in zone general chat! Talk about uncouthness!
Now get me right on this: I'm not saying all high-level guild members stiff players for buffs.... I'm saying in my experience a higher proportion of those who stiff players for buffs seem to be tagged with high raiding guilds than what I take to be their average % of the server's overall population. No, this hasn't been determined empirically by me.... it's anecdotal data but certainly I've seen it happen often enough that, like I said, gear-grinding has been triggered. One would THINK the anecdotal evidence would come down as the exact opposite.... for example, when I was in raiding guilds I always felt my donation was somewhat of a reflection of the status of my guild and I would offer GENEROUSLY for buffs. My standard donation for a rez, in the rare cases where my own cleric is unavailable, is 1000pp, for example.
Don't get me wrong. I couldn't care less about the 100pp or whatever and odds are I would cancel the trade window and not even take it. But what kind of manners---or lack of manners---is demonstrated by someone who begs a benefit from a stranger and then doesn't even respond with the courtesy of offering some kind of compensation for the effort? Is this part and parcel of a warped self-conceived concept of "ubahness": "I'm too important to be wasting my time on this transaction once I've obtained what I need?"
Reminds me of long ago when I was levelling a toon on the Zek server. On Saryrn even those "selling" buffs never specify a price nor do they insist on "donation" upfront. On Zek, at least back then, every buffer had an advertised price schedule (Clarity was 20pp, KEI was 40pp, Temp was 30pp, etc., back then) and the money was always demanded before the cast. I remember one time my poor little level 20 baby druid only had 18pp so I offered that to an enchanter for clarity and didn't even get a response. True PvP spirit!
Dunno if it's still like that today on Zek but at least there the terms were established "contractually" in advance and courtesy became a non-issue. One knew where one stood. Maybe there's something to be said for that... I'd rather see people be businesslike than uncouth. ;)
What really grinds my gears, to coin an expression ; is when high-level players beg a buff and then don't even offer a donation. What's remarkable is I find this seems to happen MORE OFTEN THAN NOT from players in the highest raiding guilds. And this happens even after I've seen the same player OFFERING PLAT for a buff in zone general chat! Talk about uncouthness!
Now get me right on this: I'm not saying all high-level guild members stiff players for buffs.... I'm saying in my experience a higher proportion of those who stiff players for buffs seem to be tagged with high raiding guilds than what I take to be their average % of the server's overall population. No, this hasn't been determined empirically by me.... it's anecdotal data but certainly I've seen it happen often enough that, like I said, gear-grinding has been triggered. One would THINK the anecdotal evidence would come down as the exact opposite.... for example, when I was in raiding guilds I always felt my donation was somewhat of a reflection of the status of my guild and I would offer GENEROUSLY for buffs. My standard donation for a rez, in the rare cases where my own cleric is unavailable, is 1000pp, for example.
Don't get me wrong. I couldn't care less about the 100pp or whatever and odds are I would cancel the trade window and not even take it. But what kind of manners---or lack of manners---is demonstrated by someone who begs a benefit from a stranger and then doesn't even respond with the courtesy of offering some kind of compensation for the effort? Is this part and parcel of a warped self-conceived concept of "ubahness": "I'm too important to be wasting my time on this transaction once I've obtained what I need?"
Reminds me of long ago when I was levelling a toon on the Zek server. On Saryrn even those "selling" buffs never specify a price nor do they insist on "donation" upfront. On Zek, at least back then, every buffer had an advertised price schedule (Clarity was 20pp, KEI was 40pp, Temp was 30pp, etc., back then) and the money was always demanded before the cast. I remember one time my poor little level 20 baby druid only had 18pp so I offered that to an enchanter for clarity and didn't even get a response. True PvP spirit!
Dunno if it's still like that today on Zek but at least there the terms were established "contractually" in advance and courtesy became a non-issue. One knew where one stood. Maybe there's something to be said for that... I'd rather see people be businesslike than uncouth. ;)