Goltzenberg wrote:
4thchicken wrote:
http://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/4311/newsid/127208/default.aspx
Carlton Football Club reserved seat members are advised that the Reserved Seat renewal cut-off date has been extended until 5pm on January 6, 2012.
Our membership is up 20% from this time in 2011, and the club is experiencing heavy demand on its Membership Services team. Due to this, the club has decided to extend the cut-off date to allow all existing Reserved Seat Members the chance to renew their seat for the 2012 season.
Sucks for those that have upgraded to a reserved seat early in the hope of getting a good reserved seat for 2012 - good to hear that membership is up on this time last yr though.
Doesnt suck at all. You should already be a reserve seat member like me for a few years
I haven't been a reserve member for the past few years due to $$$ reasons and over the past couple of seasons have increased my membership level as finances have allowed - from attending single games -> 11 game to 18 and now reserved/CC. I've no issue with the fact that I might not get a good reserved seat immediately and if it takes a couple of seasons. That is to be expected somewhat.
I do take issue with your response that someone should already have a reserved seat membership - for a variety of reasons there are carlton supporters out there that either aren't members, or don't have a certain level of membership.
On topic though, what is disappointing is that the club, with a stated ambition to increase membership substantially and has increased investment in (and vowed improvement to) the membership services department, has failed to adequately project for, and/or keep up with demand for it's services.
IIRC, thats the 3rd 'hiccup' that membership services has had this year
1. Membership launch date was delayed and then initially scheduled for 11 am on remembrance day (good on them for changing things up when they realised it though)
2. Delayed mailing out of membership packs by a week due to 'issues with printers'
3. This current 3 week extension for reserved seat members to renew - which suggests an inability of the club to contact all the relevant reserved seat members (as opposed to all renewing members). The demand for this service could/should have easily been projected for and the required resourced allocated.
Incidentally, I received an email from the club 2 days ago about my membership having been processed - a full 3 weeks (we've gone from 8k->15+k members in that time frame) after I had visited the club and renewed/upgraded in person and had it processed at the time (i.e. amendments to membership were entered into the system at the time). Its an extraordinarily long period of time for 'processing' to occur and adds to the feel that the membership services department just isn't good enough for a professional AFL club