Clubs Changing fees mid-season...

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GMAC88

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My club, in a bid to attract more members have a deal on for membership at the moment, with fees paid dependent on your age group category. However, whilst I agree with the method behind it and the reasoning, I am more than a little miffed that I have already paid my full membership fee, when someone in my age category can now joing for less than 1/3 of the price.

Any one got any experience of this happening elsewhere?

I also wrote this letter to the council.

RE: Reduction in Membership fees


Dear Council Members,



I am writing to you with regard to the recent advertisement of reduced membership fees at the Golf Club. Whilst I agree wholeheartedly with the aims behind the reduction, and agree that the club has to be more competitive in order to keep numbers of members high. I also understand that having paid a full membership fee this season, I would have had the opportunity to vote on the decision at the AGM had I been able to attend.
However, I feel as though the club should also be offering some incentives to current members in order to ensure those who have supported the club over a number of years also remain members. I have been a member of the club for 12 years now, and in the past two seasons have given my time to help with the running of the Club’s Junior section.
I feel the offer for members in my age bracket (22-25) of £184 for this season, is extremely unfair when I paid £613, only 4 months ago. I feel that I am due some re-imbursement on my membership fees, as on the advertisement on the Club’s Facebook page, there is no mention of these offers being open to new members at all.
I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this matter with you, as I am sure there will be a number of other members in these categories who will feel similarly to myself.


Regards,
 
It'll all be down to the fine detail in the offer. Can't see it being a straight comparison when the fees are that far apart. If it is, then they need to look at things.
 
A loss of voting rights seems to be the only thing being highlighted! I would accept partial re-imbursement, pro-rata even, but monthly I am paying £35 more than a new member would be!
 
Wait to see what they say. I'm sure things will work out in the end but if not, I'd be having a rethink about your involvement in the running of the junior section. By all means take part as you've paid your fees but let someone else to the hard work if things don't pan out
 
kev_off_the_tee said:
Wait to see what they say. I'm sure things will work out in the end but if not, I'd be having a rethink about your involvement in the running of the junior section. By all means take part as you've paid your fees but let someone else to the hard work if things don't pan out
Click to expand...



Bit harsh on the juniors there surely Kev................:confused:
And Im presuming he does this role because he enjoys it........??.......NOT for reward

Ditching the Juniors is the WRONG answer and wont solve the big difference in fees structure
 
I wouldnt give up the junior stuff, as I do enjoy it, and feel sorry for the younger boys who get nothing these days as the folk who have taken it recently havent given a stuff!

Ive to go to the next council meeting on April 4th!
 
moogie said:
Bit harsh on the juniors there surely Kev................:confused:
And Im presuming he does this role because he enjoys it........??.......NOT for reward

Ditching the Juniors is the WRONG answer and wont solve the big difference in fees structure
Click to expand...
i didnt say drop out of the junoirs but being a junior, surely its a lot of responsibility for him when your NEW junior peers are taking part for 1/3 of be cost and without any of the hassle. I'm not saying he should be rewarded but at least be happy with things at the club which he clearly isn't.
 
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Wait and see what the club says first. I reckon there is more to it than first impressions. Once you get a reply I guess you'll see how the land lies. The cynic in me thinks that they will be reluctant to give you money back as I'm sure there will be a small print loophole. I could be wrong and hope I am as it does seem unfair that members are getting a harsh deal compared to those coming in but I think this situation has been discussed before and the clubs involved said it was a deal specific to new joiners. Not fair I agree
 
kev_off_the_tee said:
i didnt say drop out of the junoirs but being a junior, surely its a lot of responsibility for him when your junior peers are taking part for 1/3 of be cost and without any of the hassle. I'm not saying he should be rewarded but at least be happy with things at the club which he clearly isn't.
Click to expand...


Now the Juniors are ''Hassle''............??
Strange choice of words

Helping out is something u do, because u want to, because u have the time, hopefully both, a thankless task at times
GMAC states he wont give that up, which is great

And Im presuming prior to the 'special offer' was happy at the club
 
At the risk of being slated, is this not the same as insurance companies offering discounts for new customers? Or Golf Monthly offering reduced subscription fees for new subscribers? Possibly not that amount (a third seems a lot), but it does seem similar, doesn't it?
 
I was just referring to the effort that GMac will put into to arranging things in his role, in the same way you and Nicky put a huge amount of effort in for our forum meets. Hassle might have been the wrong word, I should have used "responsibility" again

I did see that he wouldn't give it up and that has to be highly commended, many people would avoid the responsibility in the first place.

The one think I would have hoped would have happened was that members were made aware of the new members rates. I should know better than most given my centenary limited numbers rates at Stocksfield but it was presented to members several months in advance, even posted around the club. Not all members agreed and they were given their chance to voice their opinion before it happened but all were aware of the situation and the need to attract new members

As I said in my first post, I'm sure all will work out, just sit tight and await the response
 
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Something similar was due to happen at my old club. They were proposing reduced fees and no joining fees for new members and were looking to subsidise this by upping the fees fcor current members by £50.00. Not sure if the proposal ever went through as that was the last straw for me following on from a few other issues so I left and I was not the only one by all accounts. There is a fine line to tread between attracting new members and hacking off the existing ones. To me paying 60% more than a new member would be a bit much for me.
 
Let's say the club is currently short £20k in revenue, and assuming there's 500 members. Do they put up every one's fees by a further £40, more for full members and less for juniors, or having max-ed out the local golfers that might apply to join at the current fees allow the club decide to tap into potential members as a revenue stream by offering reduced rates??

Do you want your fees to go up further, and for the club to continue to struggle maintaining the course and facilities, or do you want the club to bring in new members and balance its books? Do you want a vibrant, viable club or something that's creaking along on a downward spiral?

Short term pain, long term gain.
 
Introductory rates for new members are not unusual. I just played the second half of this year on an intro rate. At the end of this month I'll be paying my dues for next year, at the full member rate. That's why intro rates are a good idea. You have to look at the long term benefit to the club.
The intro rate was unanimously voted in for another year, so I guess the rest of the club gets it too.
 
It's a bit of a bitter pill to swallow, but ultimately it's th way of the world.

I wouldn't fancy your chances of going back into any retail environment and saying I bought this 'product' last month and now it's cheaper, can I have money back?

It is a slightly different scenario with a members club but the fundamentals are the same. Plus you got to know the club is not doing it to annoy you or other members, it needs to be creative to survive.
 
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