The lowdown on the GD forum moderators

Don't ask how I know, but the GD forums are being moderated by ESLers! After considerable research I have ascertained that Linden Lab is using cheap Eastern European labour (with "normal" SL names, not Linden - I would suggest that you don't trust anyone with the surname "Scout" from now on) to work weekends responding to ARs and clearing tickets, with a grace and style akin to that demonstrated by Manuel from Fawlty Towers.

That LL is using semi-literate Poles to moderate an English language forum would seem to explain why they get so upset when I accurately criticise the inadequacies of ESLers, and may also indicate why occasionally they appear to show a degree of sympathy to Suspiria's whinging, until cases get escalated to actual LL employees who have half a chance of understanding English.

So now you know how to get around a moderator: post in Polish.

Having dug further, I have determined that much of the moderation and ticket handling (I won't deign to call it "support") has been (recently?) outsourced to a bunch called Startek (who used to do AOL's support) who further outsource to freelance desperate housewives of dubious levels of literacy who use their home computers while feeding their babies, and who are paid by the number of cases they close. Startek have been laying off lots of their existing US employees and shifting their jobs overseas, and are expected to turn previous years' profits into a loss this year. There are a lot of people unhappy about the way they operate, it seems.

Here is a copy of what I just posted in Deltango's "Should the GD forum be closed down thread?" - because the thread will almost certainly be pulled as soon as an early riser on the weekend shift from the Philippines, or maybe an insomniac Costa Rican, notices that they have been rumbled.

For an example of the degree of literacy of the outsourced help, take a look at the first line of this profile.
And this one can't even type "Customer Support" without making a mistake.
This one can't get "Welcome" right - and he claims to be leading the team!

Pep (doesn't want *those* guys making decisions about the meaning of his posts.)

PS They all seem to have firstnames in the format "JohnS" or "LudmillaK", and it's evident that they've been stupid enough to use their *real* firstnames and surname initial, which most Linden employees are smart enough to avoid.

PPS Actually, this guy's profile gives away the identity of the "Business Process Outsourcing" organisation, so maybe I don't need to tippytoe around it.

PPPS Is this old news? Did I miss something? An announcement maybe?