Bearsted Golf Club

[Canary_Yellow]

“The club has been contacted for a comment.”

Typically one sided journalism. Why not get both sides first for a balanced article? You can absolutely guarantee that any club reply will not be reported unless it fits the narrative.

Anyone who decides not to join somewhere based on unsubstantiated reporting is naive in the extreme.

What response do you think the club could give that would even up the discussion?

Arguing with a terminally ill man and his family is never going to result in good PR.

I understand your point about the business impact of a partial refund, but my view is this decision is going to be more costly than that.

I doubt anyone would decide not to join Bearsted specifically based on this issue, (unless friends or family), but things like this paint a picture of a club and there’s no doubt it could influence someone’s view, and that could cost a new member or a renewal.

 

[Billysboots]

What response do you think the club could give that would even up the discussion?

Maybe that they’d offered a percentage refund but the family had refused point blank, demanding all or nothing? And that the family threatened to go to the press if they didn’t get their way?

That would more than even the discussion in my book.

 

[Blue in Munich]

Whatever the situation here, you can almost guarantee there will be more to it than has met the eye.

As someone who was once on the wrong side of an outrageous piece of local “journalism”, without ever having the opportunity to fill in the gaps, I have first hand experience of the thirst of the press for a good article, even though that story may not be remotely accurate.

You can't post a tit-bit like that & not expand...

 

[Leftie]

Quite possibly more to this than meets the eye. Who knows? Only one (possible biased) side of the story has been presented. Looks like no attempt has been made by the reporter to fact check and put the club's position.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Maybe that they’d offered a percentage refund but the family had refused point blank, demanding all or nothing? And that the family threatened to go to the press if they didn’t get their way?

That would more than even the discussion in my book.

Yes, that’s true. The article seems to suggest that’s not the case, so I completely agree if it were it would put a different slant on it.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Quite possibly more to this than meets the eye. Who knows? Only one (possible biased) side of the story has been presented. Looks like no attempt has been made by the reporter to fact check and put the club's position.

Yes, I really don’t like this culture of crying to the media / on social media.

At least you’d hope when it’s crying to the media they would sense check / fact check before reporting, but it’s not the modern sensationalist way.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

There is a club in my town, I'm not a member there, that is pass regularly that has its flag at half mast more weeks than not. If it fulfilled every request for a refund.....................

At what point in the year should a refund be offered? How far in? 1 month into membership, 2 months? All or a percentage? How far into the year do they say no? The club presumably have a policy and they have stuck to it.

Jordan is someone who uses the media and social media constantly, he knows how to work a story and he has fed this one well. From the clubs perspective, it will blow over in a day or two, soon be forgotten.

 

[chrisd]

If the answer is more than 1, it’s already a bad business decision

Exactly, people will believe the story and I'd be 99% sure it's true. The Kentish group of newspapers are not generally prone or known for making up stories

 

[chrisd]

From the clubs perspective, it will blow over in a day or two, soon be forgotten.

Not in the local area though, I reckon

 

[chrisd]

What’s the score if you snuff it when paid up front? Must admit I don’t know what happens at my club

Generally the club will wait and see what requests are received, most certainly they are unlikely to offer a refund without being asked. This case is about someone with a terminal illness who can't now play but has paid a year up front. Most clubs, as does mine, have a general rule of no refunds but I've known them to be compassionate in such circumstances

 

[smange]

I’m on the side of the club here, where do you draw the line in refunding subs? You do it for one in a situation like this and we all know there will be a queue of people asking for refunds for every illness/injury that causes some time missed from playing golf.

On another note, it’s quoted in the article that the money was to be used for alternative treatment not available on the NHS. It also mentions the fees at £2500.

According to google and the relevant websites James Jordan is worth approximately £1.5 million so why on earth is he making a fuss over £2.5k when we are talking about his fathers health and well-being?

Maybe take a look in the mirror Mr Jordan and ask yourself is this really about your father or is it more about you getting a bit of media attention?

 

[chrisd]

I’m on the side of the club here, where do you draw the line in refunding subs?

What would you say in the case of a club who had a renewal at the end of March 2020, half of the members paid up prior to lock down and half didnt, and then just rejoined when lock down finished. So the early payers paid for nearly 2 + months that the others didnt - should they ask for a refund?

 

[smange]

What would you say in the case of a club who had a renewal at the end of March 2020, half of the members paid up prior to lock down and half didnt, and then just rejoined when lock down finished. So the early payers paid for nearly 2 + months that the others didnt - should they ask for a refund?

Surely annual sub prices are annual sub prices regardless of what date you pay them on? If your AGM sets the yearly subs at say 1k then whether you pay before due date or on last date of permitted payment date then it’s still 1k

I didn’t play from Nov-June due to injury then lockdown and restricted travel rules but I still paid my annual fees in March and here I am again unable to play due to lockdown but never once considered asking for a refund!

All the time I’ve missed through injury and lockdown etc is not of my clubs doing so why should they be held responsible and be the ones to suffer financially?

And no it’s certainly not because I can well afford to write off that amount of money!

 

[chrisd]

Surely annual sub prices are annual sub prices regardless of what date you pay them on? If your AGM sets the yearly subs at say 1k then whether you pay before due date or on last date of permitted payment date then it’s still 1k

I didn’t play from Nov-June due to injury then lockdown and restricted travel rules but I still paid my annual fees in March and here I am again unable to play due to lockdown but never once considered asking for a refund!

All the time I’ve missed through injury and lockdown etc is not of my clubs doing so why should they be held responsible and be the ones to suffer financially?

And no it’s certainly not because I can well afford to write off that amount of money!

My club has a variable annual sub, so it renews 12 months from the date you pay when joining. For most it's the 1st of April as that was the date it was before they changed the rule, and it was done to equal out the cashflow across the year. Because so many didnt renew because of lockdown they allowed members to renew from the date they rejoined so, in effect, they got the lockdown period for free unlike those who had paid prior to lockdown

 

[Billysboots]

You can't post a tit-bit like that & not expand...

Okay, as you ask so nicely........

As a very young in service beat bobby in the early 90’s I had a primary school on my beat. A very disruptive 10 year old got excluded for the umpteenth time for assaulting a teacher, and the lads father took it upon himself to protest at the exclusion by taking the lad into class and also sitting in himself, ranting and raving. Yours truly got sent to sort it out.

The lad was already known to the education authority and Social Services, and on my arrival both he and his dad were causing a bit of a scene. To cut a long story short, using the sort of negotiation skills generally only seen when aircraft are taken hostage by international terrorists (?) I managed to persuade the dad that his protest, in front of a class of 10 year olds, was no way to resolve the crisis. Both of them left under their own steam perfectly peaceably.

The following evening the local paper carried the front page headline “Police officer throws child out of local primary school”, with a photo of the lad gazing mournfully out of his bedroom window. The accompanying story left the reader in no doubt I had got hands-on with this boy and dragged him from the classroom.

Of course, the locals all knew I was the beat bobby, and the grief I got was unbelievable. The paper had made no contact with the school, and certainly not with the cops, in order to sanity check the accuracy of the story.

So, with the agreement of my shift inspector, I paid a visit to the news editor and had, ahem, a word. I got an apology of sorts and a promise of his help in future if ever I needed it. But no update on the story was ever printed and, of course, it was never likely. The paper in question was as anti-police as the good old Daily Mail so accuracy when reporting a story like that did not suit the narrative.

Returning to the OP’s post, I still maintain there is more to this than meets the eye. And I very much doubt the other side of the story will ever see the light of day. The scandal, if that’s what you can call it, has been printed and done it’s job. If we’re looking at the article and talking about it, so are others.

Click bait. Pure and simple.

 

[Leftitshort]

Could the club do more, probably. Should the club do more maybe. What I reckon is out of order is running to the local paper. ‘Pay up or I’m off to the papers’ is borderline blackmail

I’m with the kindergarten cop above ??

 

[Blue in Munich]

Okay, as you ask so nicely........

As a very young in service beat bobby in the early 90’s I had a primary school on my beat. A very disruptive 10 year old got excluded for the umpteenth time for assaulting a teacher, and the lads father took it upon himself to protest at the exclusion by taking the lad into class and also sitting in himself, ranting and raving. Yours truly got sent to sort it out.

The lad was already known to the education authority and Social Services, and on my arrival both he and his dad were causing a bit of a scene. To cut a long story short, using the sort of negotiation skills generally only seen when aircraft are taken hostage by international terrorists (?) I managed to persuade the dad that his protest, in front of a class of 10 year olds, was no way to resolve the crisis. Both of them left under their own steam perfectly peaceably.

The following evening the local paper carried the front page headline “Police officer throws child out of local primary school”, with a photo of the lad gazing mournfully out of his bedroom window. The accompanying story left the reader in no doubt I had got hands-on with this boy and dragged him from the classroom.

Of course, the locals all knew I was the beat bobby, and the grief I got was unbelievable. The paper had made no contact with the school, and certainly not with the cops, in order to sanity check the accuracy of the story.

So, with the agreement of my shift inspector, I paid a visit to the news editor and had, ahem, a word. I got an apology of sorts and a promise of his help in future if ever I needed it. But no update on the story was ever printed and, of course, it was never likely. The paper in question was as anti-police as the good old Daily Mail so accuracy when reporting a story like that did not suit the narrative.

Returning to the OP’s post, I still maintain there is more to this than meets the eye. And I very much doubt the other side of the story will ever see the light of day. The scandal, if that’s what you can call it, has been printed and done it’s job. If we’re looking at the article and talking about it, so are others.

Click bait. Pure and simple.

That's very kind of you but I have to say I'm bitterly disappointed; I was expecting a car chase, a decent punch up, a raid on a strip club or a drugs den, something with a bit of fizz to it. And I got a 10 year old juvenile delinquent.

And you accuse the newspaper of click bait after your post?

 

[Billysboots]

I’m with the kindergarten cop above ??

As anyone who has ever been anywhere near a police station canteen or locker room will tell you, being called Kindergarten Cop was the least of my worries after that particular episode ?

 

[Billysboots]

That's very kind of you but I have to say I'm bitterly disappointed; I was expecting a car chase, a decent punch up, a raid on a strip club or a drugs den, something with a bit of fizz to it. And I got a 10 year old juvenile delinquent.

And you accuse the newspaper of click bait after your post?

We both know juvenile delinquents are the bread and butter for a young beat bobby.

The strip clubs came much later ?

 

[Fish]

The v

My club has a variable annual sub, so it renews 12 months from the date you pay when joining. For most it's the 1st of April as that was the date it was before they changed the rule, and it was done to equal out the cashflow across the year. Because so many didnt renew because of lockdown they allowed members to renew from the date they rejoined so, in effect, they got the lockdown period for free unlike those who had paid prior to lockdown

The club, like a few in our area did, should have stated if subs weren’t paid within 7-days of the renewal date, you have effectively left the club and will need to reapply, which will include an interview and a joining fee with no guarantee that you’ll be accepted.