I was a new member of the Gaia online community. I joined to help my fiancee, a 5 year member, acquire items for her digital avatar. The easiest way to do this was a game similar to blackjack.
I just got back from 25 months in the Peace Corps, and am VERY behind on my television programming from the past two years. So I would turn on tv, play cards for LONG stretches of time, to enjoy my time back. (I'm also not working full time).
When I started getting into the site, I bought a five dollar gift card, and gave a digital outfit to my fiancee and had $2.50 remaining in my account. One day I came home from substitute teaching to find the notice in my e-mail that I had been permanently banned for botting. After some research, I found that because of the frequency I played cards, and how much I won... They just assumed I was a computer program and blocked my account with actual money in it. On top of it, they blocked my fiancee's account from 'profitting' from my alleged botting. She had over five hundred dollars worth invested in her digital inventory.
This is flagrant abuse of a contract. I gave money, and was given a place to use it. To have the space revoked for 'suspicion of cheating' (Because I was winning and playing alot), seems like I should get my money back, as should my fiance. There is no proof that I cheated... Because I didn't cheat! If they don't want you winning, or playing for long periods of time they should say "hey, you can only play for 1 hour... Or we will ban you for cheating", or, better yet, create a time limit for the game or a maximum win amount per day.
When researching in Gaia's own forum's, this has happened to SEVERAL people and they just write off their lost items, and start all over again. Without the burden of proof, and their exist easy systems to acquire proof, Gaia should not be able to STEAL your money.
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