Forum / Boardroom Changes

[Norman Verona]

Sorry, Mark, I have read all the posts on the subject. Have I got it wrong? Is there no charge if a member negotiates a bulk buy?

If so I apologise unreservedly.

Please, just for my feeble brain, clarify.

(I'm off to read the original post again)

OK, read it again.

.

That, in future, members wishing to organise “bulk buys” for the good of the membership must arrange for the chosen supplier to become a Trade Member and make the offer directly in the Trade section of the Advertisement area.

So I take it that comment wasn't aimed at me. Sorry.

[chazpowerslide]

Sorry Mark but your reply does not answer the three questions in my last post.

If there was a history of bulk buys going down in flames with a detrimental effect on the club then I can appreciate the need to stop it and thus the potential the need for change.

As far as I am aware there is no history.

I can also understand the reason for "traders" is to let the small businesses and members with goods and services to offer benefit the club without infringing on our commercial post rules.

This seems on the face of it a sensible change to allow members to offer goods and services to other members for a fee of £120 a year thus benefiting the trader and member.

We have had many issues with commercial posts in the past, this is a good way of dealing with it.

AFAIUI any member can become a trader for a membership fee of £120 they do not have be introduced to trader status via a member organised bulk buy.

They can then offer goods and services.

Am I understanding this correctly?

If this is the case I'm all for it as it gives the members added value in obtaining competitively priced goods and services and would help the likes of those members who want to sell their goods and services to to the members.

Win, Win.

If a member wishes to organise a a bulk buy via a company not yet involved with the WSCC he introduces them as a "trader" they pay up £120 for a 12 month membership and run the bulk buy on behalf of the member and then their own bulk buys and services thereafter.

If the committee see it as fit they may allow a trader free trade membership for a limited time to run a bulk buy but only if its a "knockout idea"

Special bulk buys (if allowed by the committee) are subjected to criteria and published by the club (if so does the trader pay the trader membership fee?)

Is this correct?

If so some of the concerns are valid and need to be listened to.

I have read committee posts a number of times.

Asking me to re-read it again is not answering the questions that I and others may have.

There are still questions that not only I but others would like answered which is why the questions are being asked.

I'm not asking for the sake of being a cantankerous right royal pain in the A*** or pick things apart for the sake of an argument.

Chaz.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

I do think however that, if a member comes up with a knockout suggestion for a supplier offering a bulk discount, we could (by committee dispensation) offer the supplier an exceptional three/four months' free trade membership in order to be able to make the offer. That would keep the direct customer/supplier relationship, and would be automatically pre-moderated.

Though obviously, this is still within the constraint of a BB being for club members. (I assume)

EtA, this was in answer to Norman, I posted while Chaz was posting, just off to read his post now.

[Norman Verona]

One other matter I should mention.

I asked another club member who is a solicitor about any pitfalls I could, er fall into when doing a bb.

He got a colleague to answer and it is fact that if, say a car had fallen off a jack and seriously injured or killed a BB buyer I could be taken to court by the insurers. If I lost I may well have lost house and all wealth.

I decided to ignore this as the jack had warnings on it and was CE marked.

But it is a risk, it has happened, and members should be aware. However it is rare.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Chaz, I may have the wrong end of the stick, but I get the distinct feeling that there actually have been issues with some bilk buys, just that, fortunately for the club, the issues aren't common knowledge. - I say fortunately, as I've seen in other clubs how toxic and damaging such issues can be when they spiral out of control, in public, on forums, fanned by the keyboard warriors.

Further, and appologies if I'm just reading it wrong, I get the feeling the committee is trying to avoid exactly spelling it out in any more detail publically, possibly because it would make the protagonists too easily identifiable? See my previous point about such things being aired on the Internet.

[Norman Verona]

I suppose you could say I had plenty of problems. People moaning about this that and everything. People wanting me to get them stuff and pay later. Then the argument about a club member buying 10 to resell.

I never really noticed any of this. When it came to the members distributing the goods, HM had organised the collections and it went without a problem. I think one area had two sets of metric spanners instead of an AF and metric set but I never heard anymore about it.

However, I always expect clubs to have 10% who do and 90% who complain what the 10% do.

[Norman Verona]

Just realised.

I was planning on extending the offer of the gites at a members price. Normal gites are circa £500 per week. I let them at £65 per week to members last year. A few took me up on it and, as far as I know enjoyed their week here.

Will I have to join as a trade member now?

As I make no profit whatsoever, I'm not bothered but if I have extra costs to let members know about the offer I won't bother.

If someone can let me know I will plan next years offer.

[Pistol Pete]

And very enjoyable it was to, would recommend it to other members. :t-up:

[Norman Verona]

Thanks Pete.

It'll be a pity if we can't get this off the ground. We enjoy the company, as long as we can get a cleaner to do the physical work everyone wins.

Maybe we could bribe Mem Sec with a free week. (Only joking, as if I would do that)

[Blatman]

I have read the posts from the Webmaster, and they spell it out clearly enough for me.

Traders will pay a tenner a month. They either do or don't. I hope the committee boys are right and it proves a success. We'll all be winners. I'm sure we could do our bit to help.

Lets say I was to organise a one off bulk buy, I tell the Committee and they will take a view. It either goes ahead or doesn't. If it does go ahead, I can rest assured that I have approval as well as some security from problems if a buyer has an issue, and it's easy enough to put a link in a post. I can't see why I wouldn't want to do it this way, save for my previous point about bulk buys, being that the biggest problems in organising a bulk buy are caused by my fellow members which now of course, I no longer have to worry about.

I have a pet saying for the outcome when asking for permission, whether it's for a half day off work or when I want to go for a blat, or to the pub or (heaven forbid) organise a bulk buy. Accept a negative response with the same good grace you would accept a positive one. Otherwise you just look like a spoilt petulant child b***hing when you can't get your own way. It's not a good look for a grown man...

[Norman Verona]

easier to apologise than ask permission come to mind.

Blatters, did I miss something somewhere along the way.

Do I take it that the member created bulk buy is to be allowed without the supplier joining as a trade member?

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

I quoted the line in my post 78 above, roughly speaking, at the committees discretion, if a club member approached them with an exceptional idea for a bulk buy, the committee would consider giving the manufacturer a temporary, free, three or four months trade membership while the BB was completed.

[markcoopers]

My point is, was and still is unanswered. With respect committee, perhaps you too could retread my points.

No hang on I'll spell it out.

If you make anything harder to do, less people will do it FACT. If you make bulk buys more difficult to achieve by way of trader status set up or committee approval to do, less will do it, thus less offers and as stated this is the wrong direction for the club. Please tell me as a committee why this course of action is seen to be correct....I can not see it. Remember I too saw all the moderation posts and have plenty of friends on here pming or emailing with issues.... There were no BB scandals.

also as asked can I place an advert for a mate who is not a member to sell things that will be of interest to members and future members alike. Not a link or a tag line, but an advert?

As stated before membership benefit is far more than an ability to place an advert. People will not join just to do so, so this is not a revenue lost issue, but less cars for sale is a dilution of WSCC appeal/ draw to the site + will drive people away to purchase from less enthusiastic members and thus away from the WSCC and potential new members.

As members, not just the committee we should strive to make sure that all westfields are sold or at least advertised on the WSCC and yet we do not take the simple steps to allow this, why not?

[Geoff101]

Why not give the new rules the chance to run for a while and then review any benefits or issues once they have occurred (after 6 months?).

My only reservation is with giving non-members access to pm and adverts as I like the trust that is built in to dealing with other members. You can always put an email address or phone number on to give access to all. I'm prepared to see how it goes though under the new scheme and report any problems if they occur.

[Norman Verona]

OK, I apologise. I read the new rules but missed the changes which were posted later. I did read all the posts but missed the change as I thought the post in question was explaining why the rules had been made.

I think we should give them a chance. Whilst I agree that my maxim in business was to make it as easy as possible for someone to buy your services (in my case) I can see why the club should adopt a responsible position to membesr organised BBs.

As always the proof will be in the eating. If a member gets a possible BB going and fires off the details to the comittee and gets a YES in a matter of hours or a NO and a good explanation why I do not see this a hugely complicated issue.

I would suggest we all take big breath and let it run. There will be teething problems so lets hope the committee will be flexible enough to clear away any obstacles and fine tune the system.

However, and I know it makes no commercial sense, I would like to see non members being allowed to join BB, even if they are asked to pay a bit more. Many BB's fail due to low take up. So by barring interested parties we are not helping members. Maybe when advised the committee can set the percentage uplift (rounded) for a non member price.