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. ;)

We have a cleric on Cazic who charges set amounts for her buffs, she gets talked about and bad mouthed constantly. I personally 100% agree with her method, because I have been stopped for buffs on my druid and my paladin, and while I never hit accept for the donation either, I do appreciate the offer of one. Even a simple "Thank you!" Would be nice.

-Nae

I play druid as main and have also chanter. I never ask for donations and
if someone offers, I usually say I don't need it. But I do think it is polite to offer donation! Absolutely. Heh I remember the time when KEI was new and there was only like 1 or 2 chanters in whole server who had it. We used to pay 100-500pp per KEI and that time it was a lot of money. Before I had my chanter and I had to ask for chanter buffs, I would donate 500-1000pp.

I always offer buffs in return for buffs. My standard buff/rezz tell to a random is "Hello, may I please get a X? Can druid buff you in return." That sort of implies that they won't be getting plat since I'm already upfront about what they're getting in return.

About the high end arguement -- Something I noticed since I've gotten my guild tag is that it is that randoms are a lot more likely to repond to my buff tells. People like contact with members of the server's top guild... the usual conversation includes them asking me questions about other members in my guild who they know, ie "Hey, tell Bob I said hi! That guy is soooo crazy" along with asking questions about what it takes to join the guild.

I trade buffs frequently. I always pay for rez. But when I buff, I don't expect money. I mean, it's mana. It grows back.

I pay for rezzes. If someone wants to buff me, that's their choice and I don't pay for it. I am perfectly capable of clicking my Cursed Tunic, Symbol Sphere, and so forth if I want buffs from those lines.

On the flip side, I don't reply to buff requests less I know the person, and I don't do teleports. I don't /ooc that I am doing those things and I don't welcome any request which is - do this for me, with no other wording such as hello.

-Fenier

If someone asks nicely, I will generally buff them. If I'm not in the middle of something I will do a port but I am among those who are grateful for PoK stones and the like so that I don't have to be a taxi. I never take donations, my reply is always that it is just mana.

On the other side of it, I never send direct tells to anyone who is not advertising and I always donate fairly generously since they are doing me a favor.

I'm also on Cazic and I know exactly who the cleric is mentioned above though my opinion of her is completely the opposite. I happen to find her methods and attitude about as arrogant as they come.

About a month ago I logged in my husband's cleric to rez a friend and my alt. I instantly got an irate tell from that cleric about stealing her camp. Yes, the guild lobby was being camped and I had the gall to rez a couple people I saw needing it while rezzing my own toon. I'm such a monster. I'd never even heard of camping the lobby, it still boggles me. Anyway that more or less set my opinion of her in stone :tongue:

If you don't say please or thank you I'll take that donation. Few little words make the world of difference.

I tend to find that people are nicer to my shaman (no name alt guild) than they are to San. She also gets 10x the request that I do.

I know what you mean about people begging then not even offering or showing any kind of thanks - those are always the people that give you some sob story and coax you out of your quiet corner in guild hall

I'm also on Cazic and I know exactly who the cleric is mentioned above though my opinion of her is completely the opposite. I happen to find her methods and attitude about as arrogant as they come.

I agree, she's a huge buff whore and camping the Lobby? Hilarious!

I'm also on Cazic and I know exactly who the cleric is mentioned above though my opinion of her is completely the opposite. I happen to find her methods and attitude about as arrogant as they come.

About a month ago I logged in my husband's cleric to rez a friend and my alt. I instantly got an irate tell from that cleric about stealing her camp. Yes, the guild lobby was being camped and I had the gall to rez a couple people I saw needing it while rezzing my own toon. I'm such a monster. I'd never even heard of camping the lobby, it still boggles me. Anyway that more or less set my opinion of her in stone :tongue:

Maybe your interactions with her Laur is why she has a bad name, more so than her method of buffing? /puzzled... I haven't had interactions with her on a personal level to really know... Tho, I am inclined to trust your judgement on her personality.

I never advertise that I am buffing. If I get a tell and I am not too busy, then I will buff them. If they need a TL to Direwind (typically where they need) then I am more than likely to ablige if they are nice and polite. I do not take donations from people I know or people who have helped me in the past, but if they offer, I do sometimes accept but more often than not I don't.

I am sure I am thought of as, at the least, mean when it comes ot my buffing/porting reputation. I do not advertise or invite requests for buffs or ports. I have more plat then I know what to do with, so I do not need the petty "donations" poeple generally offer.

Since about the Kunark era I have usualyl been in one of the top guilds on my server. Since about the time DoDH came out, and the server mergers, my server EMarr merged with MT, I no longer know the majority of the high end poeple like I use to. Over the past couple of years, my experiences have been the same as Sippin's. The majority of the poeple asking me for services are rude, unappreciative, and fellow high end raiders. This, more then anything else, has impacted my current attitude toward anyone asking me for a service.