boblo wrote:Well I was subjected to extreme abuse recently and had the phone slammed down on me. Why? I was asking about the CTC discount... Other than that, I've always been pleased with them.
Whilst there is no excuse for behaving in an abusive way towards you, maybe I can put this from a different perspective.
Several years ago the CTC changed it's policy on the CTC shop. Previously the CTC shop had supplied CTC specific and badged items (metal badges, beakers, sew-on badges, jerseys etc) and a very few general cycling components and items. The CTC were not duplicating or competing with general bike shops.
CTC policy changed, and they went into some kind of 'partnership' with a larger retailer and the so-called "CTC Shop" sold everything. Members were given a genuine discount. This met with disapproval and dismay from many
Local
Bike
Shops - certainly my LBSs were upset by this. I may be wrong about this, my memory isn't clear, but I don't think that the first 'partner' in this venture were an on-line dealer. The first 'partner' were an already well established and respected
bona fide outfit, and certainly I had previously dealt with them by post.
However, CTC changed it's partner to one of the big new-kids-on-the-block and the CTC Shop went on-line. Many members weren't happy with this, and more than one of my local bike shops complained that in contradiction to a claimed and stated policy of supporting LBSs, CTC was actively competing with them - the big national outfit could successfully compete in matters of range of stock, and price.........and worst of all (as my most local of LBSs saw it) they supposedly offered a member-discount.
Somehow the consternation of the LBSs and the unease of some members filtered through to CTC, and I recall our section committee (and as far as I know this was circulated to all section committees) were asked to go around our LBSs, asking what discount they would offer to CTC members, in return for being put on a list. To many of us, this was an insensitive way of rubbing salt into a wound. Our section secretary went around the LBSs in our area to ask the question - and I asked the question of my favourite LBS proprietor. My LBS proprietor told me that, on the basis of CTC's behaviour in this matter, he would not be offering members a discount, and he took it as an insult that we'd ask. Our section secretary received similar replies from all but one of the LBSs that she went to, and from the other one she was told in no uncertain manner that there would certainly
NOT be a discount for CTC members, he considered it a damned cheek for us to ask, and the friendly relationship we enjoyed was not quite the same for a while.......in fact BC is still flavour of the month in that establishment.
Spa are not in our section's area (although I shop there from time to time) so I don't know how they reacted to the request. Spa already offer discounted prices (off recommended retail price) on most of the items they sell - and their knowledge and advice are given freely. I don't know what happened on the occasion of your visit, but seen in the light of history, and of them being asked for discount from a member of an organisation which is in competition with them one can understand the reason for them being upset.
For the record, one of our LBSs, since learning that I was a member, has given me a 10% discount without asking.