CTC - does it want members?

[manybikes]

This is the full and frank enquiry? After the last AGM we were promised a full report for the 2009 AGM but what is in the magazine indicates that the executive are happy. It seems the only way to progress this forward is to use your proxy vote and vote against the annual report this year and see what flack arises at the actual AGM meeting. Regretfully I will not be there this year. To Phil & Karen who are attending - it would be interesting to see any reaction from the meeting.

[Si]

An investigation into membership problems has been undertaken by some of the newer national councilors more recently, as far as I know the enquirey is still on-going and they are still acquiring data (but I may be wrong). I believe that this investigation is not the one mentioned by TC. I have already posted a couple of links on the forum for any CTC members that wanted to give their opinions to these councilors.

[manybikes]

Si
Page 3 of the Annual Report in the current magazine has a heading "Membership processing". This refers to a full independant review in 2008 (no doubt commissioned following 2008 AGM delegates demanding further action and a promise given that the providor would be replaced if appropriate). The report says that the review concluded it was the right approach, some problems identified, but all is now well. Smells of complacency to me.
How many reviews are concurrently running? Are these newer councillors working separately? How will they have an authoritive voice in time for the AGM?

[Si]

If you are interested in what they are doing then it would be better to ask them rather than me.

[Karen Sutton]

If you are interested in what they are doing then it would be better to ask them rather than me.

I asked David Robinson (our National Councillor and Chair of Council) about this yesterday.

As required by Simon Legg's motion at the 2008 AGM, (seconded by Charlotte Barnes and subsequently passed), a full review has been carried out and there will be a report to the 2009 AGM. It is not listed on the agenda but David has confirmed that the report willbe presented at the AGM.

[iron legs]

As a member of the CTC since 1984 I am increasingly concerned about the move of the club to a 'business model' I personally believe that the current problems will continue and increase as the club administration embraces 'business' practice. I think some of the ethos of the founding members of the club has been watered down or lost and this thread is a very sad indictment of this impersonal attitude which I don't believe would have been allowed to continue on such a wide scale for so long in past years.

[JohnW]

As a member of the CTC since 1984 I am increasingly concerned about the move of the club to a 'business model' I personally believe that the current problems will continue and increase as the club administration embraces 'business' practice. I think some of the ethos of the founding members of the club has been watered down or lost and this thread is a very sad indictment of this impersonal attitude which I don't believe would have been allowed to continue on such a wide scale for so long in past years.

Absolutely - spot-on.

I remember my first CTC Christmas Party - as a young child of course, on the back of my even then late fathers membership (he didn't survive the war) in 1948, and it surely was "this great family of ours". It isn't now - well, it is at our local level, but not at national level. What a shame.

Still - stick with it, because the world and almost every aspect of human life has also changed, and if the Club hadn't changed, it is not certain that it would have survived.

[wkb21]

.

- - - So I wrote to my councillor and received this prompt reply (I have concealed his identity):

Thank you for your email. I am councillor for XXXXXXXX

I'm glad to hear your membership problem has been sorted. I have also had
to deal with a number of membership issues myself, particularly with new
members who I have introduced to the CTC, and as you can imagine this is
embarrassing as well as time consuming on everyone's part. In my recent
case it was due to a change of contact address from the one on the
membership application form being used.

Over the last X years that I have been on the National Council the
continuing issue of membership problems has been a running sore. There have
been major, detailed investigations into the once chronic situation and we
have had several assurances that the IT, management systems and
communications problems have been addressed and should become greatly
improved. The recommendation to Council has been that it would be even more
disruptive to change to another service provider and that doing the work in
house would be considerably more costly, and not necessarily an improvement.

These errors are obviously very bad for the club on several levels and I do
believe they are taken very seriously by the officers, who are equally
frustrated by having their time taken up with fire fighting.

As well as taking your 'moans' to Council I will see if there is an
opportunity, within a paper being prepared on new membership types, to
consider ways of getting a more consistent improvement in dealing with
membership matters.

As far as the CTC Forum goes, I don't usually have time to go into it myself
but found your link gave an interesting view of what goes on.

In practice we are told that the National office need the details of
problems so that they can both deal with them and see if they are a one off
glitch or part of a bigger systems fault. I hope this helps.

I await a further report. At least my councillor is listening. How about you Kevin? I believe it's with you that the buck stops - - .

[Flinders]

Well I finally got an answer from my household insurers. The policy we have with them for the house includes £500 for my bike if stolen, and is better in other respects than the other policies I've seen for theft, so I'll stick with that.

For the legal and liability side, my house insurers would charge more than CTC membership anyway, and as the CTC also offer a family membership which would bring in my OH and a very useful category for another adult at the same address which means I can include my brother, I've got them to join with me too!

I'm looking forward to the mag etc. I used to be a member of the CTC donkey's years ago, and it's nice to be back again..............

By the way- to get back to the main point of the thread, I got straight through on the phone without having to wait, and the person who took my details was excellent- friendly and efficient.

[cycling with a smile]

received the renewnal form & next years Card last week & duly sent a cheque away for the £36 for the next 12 months membership. Have only been a member for 3 years but have had no problems with lapsed membership etc.... However today received the email newsletter from Wiggle (current holders of the CTC shop), which amongst the other usual sales items, are offering 15 months membership for the price of 12 months ! This offer doesn't seem to be available via the CTC homepage either. An email with be winging its way to my local rep as I am a wee bit unhappy that this offer was not offered in my personal renewal letter. Surely current Members should be offered the same deal as a 'new-start' ?

[Ben Lovejoy]

For those just looking to join a cycling group just for the third party insurance then can I suggest the London Cycling Campaign.

Thanks for that. My household insurers no longer offer third-party insurance, and I was about to join the CTC. However, remembering past threads in here with loads of problems, I thought I'd do a quick scan of the forum before I did ... As you can imagine, after reading this thread, I decided an alternative was in order!

However, the online direct debit form for the LCC has a start date of 20th August, and no means of changing it. I've left a voicemail for the membership dept so will see what the response is.

Any other recommendations for 3rd party insurance?

Ben

[wkb21]

About a year on from my first complaint about problems with membership renewal; here I am again at renewal time. I received no renewal reminder. I phoned and paid up, being promised a new membership card in the post. A week later, still no card. I phoned again a week later to be told it went in the post the day before. It's now a further week later; no card.

Anyone who reports that problems with membership service have been resolved is talking nonsense. The membership service is out of control.

I cannot imagine that the proposed absorption of the old club into the charity will do anything but cause further loss of priority attention to those features of membership that really matter.

I am startled that most of our advisers think otherwise.

I remain to be convinced, and continuation of my membership is in doubt.

[Ben Lovejoy]

I eventually joined British Cycling, which was cheaper than the CTC and includes the same insurance cover.

[JohnW]

I wonder - do the Council members ever read the Forum - do they know about these problems, which amount to deriliction of duty on the part of people that they pay to do the job?

However, whilst I know that this isn't the only mail that doesn't get answered, my own experience is just the opposite, and I can assure everyone that certainly correspondence in connection with Right to Ride always receives a quick response.

[Big T]

I eventually joined British Cycling, which was cheaper than the CTC and includes the same insurance cover.

But it's only a few pounds cheaper and you don't get the magazine. I'm a member of both CTC and BC, but I think the CTC membership is better value for money.