Membership fee payment

[ANF289]

Yes, I'm sure many of you may find it ironic that a guy who drives an archaic AC MkIV is writing to the ACOC to see if there was a way to bring its membership fee collection mechanism into the 21st century.  I must admit, I am an overseas member in bad standing.  I've had a dues invoice buried on my desk for over a year now simply because I am too lazy to write a check, prepare an envelope, and mail the damn thing.  Thus, this note is an attempt to clear my conscience by initiating an electronic bill pay for our dues.  Can it not be as simple as sending a Paypal payment to the club's e-mail address?  If not, how about an ACOC eBay account?  Any other ideas that would allow me (and I'm sure, others) to pay my dues on time and in an electronically efficient manner?
   
   Thanks, I feel better already...
   
   Art

[terry3000me]

One reason why the Club has not moved towards to electronic payment is the transaction cost. Would you be prepared to pay a surcharge to pay your subscription in this way?
   Terry

[nikbj68]

...It might be cheaper than buying a stamp, an envelope & driving to the post office!!! [:)]

[ANF289]

If I send a 60 GPB Paypal payment via Friends and Family to my "good friend" Tony Morpeth and have those funds come from either a PayPal Balance or a Bank Account the fee is only 50 cents US.   This is indeed less than buying a stamp, an envelope & driving to the post office.

[nikbj68]

quote:Originally posted by ANF289
   
If I send a 60 GPB Paypal payment via Friends and Family to my "good friend" Tony Morpeth and have those funds come from either a PayPal Balance or a Bank Account the fee is only 50 cents US.   This is indeed less than buying a stamp, an envelope & driving to the post office.
   

   The fees for accepting & withdrawing funds may be additional though, they certainly are when using eBay/Paypal.[:(]

[DGoose]

Pay-pal fees to a UK Business seller (ACOC is run as a Ltd company) are around 3.7%
   
   Based on a UK membership @ £40.00 the transaction cost to the ACOC would be approx £1.48 so not a huge hit.
   For international membership this would be £1.85 or thereabouts.
   
   Personally I think this would make sense but somebody (a club volunteer) has to administer these things.

[Classicus]

quote:Originally posted by terry3000me
   
One reason why the Club has not moved towards to electronic payment is the transaction cost. Would you be prepared to pay a surcharge to pay your subscription in this way?
   Terry
   

   
   Would offering the option be a possibility ?

[Gus Meyjes]

As another state side member I'd say Yae to 21st century payment. I've long wondered about the concern with money over some items such as a nice glossy print color magazine and now this. We own cars that are costly to buy and to own and we worry about a few bucks or pounds to make a payment? I, for one, and I've said this before, am in favor of raising membership fees in lieu of improving the magazine and other items. Heck, maybe we'd even have the opportunity to hire some attorneys for certain negotiations that have taken place recently. Our state's Porsche club chapter has a rag that put's Action to shame.
   
   On a bigger note, moving into the 21st century on the web, in the magazine and other aspects in return for a higher membership fee is important to maintain and gain membership numbers as well as assist in maintaining interest in the cars. Worst thing would be for a younger crowd to not have interest in these machines and values dropping like a brick in the future.  People are willing to pay for a good product, even if they don't own an original or none at all and are just fans of the brand and it's history. Look at Saac  for example. Make the membership fee such that we can hire a staff, print a full size magazine, contract with knowledgeable writers, journalists, photographers and get it distributed for sale in the specialty bookstores.
   This would also attract more advertisers to offset some of the production costs. Many of us already get multiple classic car rags such as Octane, Motorsport and Classic and sportscar. Getting them here in Michigan is costly, but a lot of us do it. I doubt there would be much opposition to putting out higher quality for a bigger fee. There is so much to write about history, individual restorations, photo shoots of meets, tours and ralleys etc and current news on brand related stuff, that a magazine could be filled easily with AC, Shelby, Kirkham, superformance, SAAC, Ironic Roadsters info to name a few. Just my two cents...
   
   Gus

[ANF289]

quote:Originally posted by Gus Meyjes
   
Just my two cents...

And that's no small change!  All great ideas Gus, but baby-steps seem appropriate at this stage.
   
   To answer Terry's question directly, yes I would pay a few extra bucks to take advantage of this option.  However, it would make sense for the club to foot the bill.  Far better to net 58 GBP than to lose 60.
   
   Art

[aaron]

[/quote]
   The fees for accepting & withdrawing funds may be additional though, they certainly are when using eBay/Paypal.[:(]
   [/quote]
   
   Don`t forget who owns Paypal !! Why do you think they insist on Paypal when you are selling items on there site ?

[nikbj68]

Good points, all. [:)]

quote:Originally posted by aaron...Don`t forget who owns Paypal !!...

Whilst trying to get hold of a Patch I contacted a U.S-based seller about a $6 patch, with free U.S shipping.
   Cost to the UK, as eBay/Paypal demand trackable international shipping, $6 + $32 postage!!! Ridiculous!
   [:(!]

[shep]

Hi Gus,
   As well as the AC Owners Club, I also belong to the Aston Martin Owners Club and the Porsche Club GB. I would say that the ACtion Magazine beats the AMOC offering hands down, but then they produce a glossy quarterly which is OK if you shop at Armani and Gucci, but not my style. The Porsche boys do a great job, but then they have thousands of members to spread the costs. In the ACOC we all give our time for free, and when organising a major event like John Spencer is doing at the moment, that runs into hundreds of hours. Imagine the cost of employing just 2 people to run the club and take the load off the committee! 2 x 25000 pounds per year plus 5k expenses, and add in 20k for magazine and postage costs, divided between 750 members =  about 120 pounds per member, ooooops! Our problem is the low number of cars, and therefore limited membership. The value of the cars doesn't help either, as the young enthusiasts can't get a foot on the AC ladder. My sons own a '72 Mini and a '65 Ford 105E as they cant afford an AC....yet. Maybe we wait for The Revolution.

[Robin A Woolmer]

Well Said
   Robin

[nikbj68]

quote:Originally posted by shep...Imagine the cost of employing...2 people to run the club...2 x 25000 pounds per year plus 5k expenses...

   Blimey... I`d do it alone for £25k & expenses...can you give me details of the pension plan, company car & holidays? [:D]

[TLegate]

I don't get out of bed for less than £26K.....just my luck!!