Lapsed Membership survey

[Andre]

So was I the only currently paid up member to receive an email telling me I'm a lapsed member and asked to fill in a survey? After the year we've had I must admit I went a bit over the top in my response, but I think I avoided the personal abuse and restrained myself to sarcasm.

My reply to their email

How strange. The 4 2011 platinum memberships sitting on my shelf must be a figment of my imagination. Despite having held platinum (or earlier equivalents) membership every year since 1997 and having had my two boys join as members within weeks of being born this isn't the first time I've been noted as a lapsed member.

Working in IT, including managing projects keeping track of thousands of individuals I feel I can safely say whatever software or company is responsible for managing member information should be gone. The number of times I've heard about people with no change of addresses or the like miss out on membership renewals, or directed to the prior addresses after years going to their current addresses is far beyond what the club should consider acceptable. Who knows how many members have been lost over the years for avoidable problems? With our numerous off-field problems accurately tracking and liaising with Members should be a priority.

Please have the left hand update the right that my 2011 family platinum membership is up to date and will be renewed again for 2012, despite, not because of, the work in the membership department.

Regards,
André ......

 

[PowerCafe]

I replied saying that my membership was current.

 

[Jabsy]

Myself, my wife and my 4 kids are all members and we haven't heard squat from the club. Usually the kids get some envelope full of crap posted to them at the star of the year, this year it was nothing. I just assumed they had run out of money, maybe we are listed as "lapsed"..

 

[b0ydman]

bigger problem is the economy

first will go the private health

then the foxtel

then the football club memberships

watch the number of 3 game memberships go up

 

[Alberton Oval]

PAFC membership department is by far the worst in the AFL. Whoever is in charge should get sacked

 

[longdonkey]

In a previous job I had, I had the opportunity to have dealings with both the Port and Crows administration. As a Port supporter I hate to say that Port's administration is pretty awful and the Crows were generally more professional although sometimes a bit arrogant. Didn't deal with everyone so this is a generalisation of the highest order.

 

[tribey]

Teh missus bought me one of the Tredrea lithographs last year and couldn't get a straight answer from anyone bar Haysman himself as to what was happening with it when the original delivery estimate kept slipping back and back and back. The club store staff had no idea at all despite the pieces being advertised on the Megastore website lulz.

It's definitely a peanuts:monkeys situation at all levels, unforch.

 

[Doctor Feel]

I definately said that the staff at the club who handle the gear shop, membership etc are absolutely useless.

 

[Andre]

I definately said that the staff at the club who handle the gear shop, membership etc are absolutely useless.

Yeah, I somehow doubt given how chaotic everything is that they leverage member and sales information to see what sort of stuff people have brought before to target them with customised (email) advertising. Or breakdown sales by ages / demographics to target merchandise in general. The cost of doing it right once will more then pay for itself over the long run.

Standard response so far. Will keep posted if I get a buck passing or suitably embarrassed response from the club down the track.

Thanks for emailing the Port Adelaide Football Club. We are constantly striving to become a better, more responsive football club and regularly hearing from you helps us learn what our supporters think and want.

We do read every email we receive – whether they’re critical or complimentary – and they are always forwarded to the appropriate people within the club for action or comment. Please understand, however, that because of the volume of emails, we cannot answer every one individually.

Go the Power in 2011!

 

[silverfingers]

So was I the only currently paid up member to receive an email telling me I'm a lapsed member and asked to fill in a survey? After the year we've had I must admit I went a bit over the top in my response, but I think I avoided the personal abuse and restrained myself to sarcasm.

My reply to their email

How strange. The 4 2011 platinum memberships sitting on my shelf must be a figment of my imagination. Despite having held platinum (or earlier equivalents) membership every year since 1997 and having had my two boys join as members within weeks of being born this isn't the first time I've been noted as a lapsed member.

Working in IT, including managing projects keeping track of thousands of individuals I feel I can safely say whatever software or company is responsible for managing member information should be gone. The number of times I've heard about people with no change of addresses or the like miss out on membership renewals, or directed to the prior addresses after years going to their current addresses is far beyond what the club should consider acceptable. Who knows how many members have been lost over the years for avoidable problems? With our numerous off-field problems accurately tracking and liaising with Members should be a priority.

Please have the left hand update the right that my 2011 family platinum membership is up to date and will be renewed again for 2012, despite, not because of, the work in the membership department.

Regards,
André ......

Nice response. They are useless.

 

[Forzaport]

I got the same survey email, apparently my membership had lapsed as well. I guess my 2011 platinum membership and OnePAFC membership don't exist!? Fairly poor effort to not have a decent database on financial members, but this really isn't anything new, been happening for years...

 

[The Smaller Warrior]

I get this sort of crap every year.

Have told them, every year. Worst database in the history of databases.

My partner always gets "Mr Sarah" "Mrs Sarah" even once had "Mr Srah"

wtf is this crap. (Unless there is something she isnt telling me)

 

[Malibu#27]

Yep I'm in the same boat.

To be honest, I've given up on it.... unfortunately I'm coming to accept that my club is only going in one direction.

 

[Macca19]

Trained monkeys would perform better than most in admin at the club. I never recieved my Magpies membership despite phone calls, I (and I assume everyone) have never recieved their one club upgrade stuff despite phone calls. Took until well into the season to get my standard membership. Ordered two of the One Club books and only recieved one. Took 3 emails and 2 phone calls to sort that out.

Its not a good look. Its not hard to a) get an acceptable, working database b) give acceptable customer service and c) send the right things out when promised. Obviously mistakes happen and thats fine, but its clear that these are not just the odd random mistake and more ingrained issues with customer service.

 

[kaysee]

By the sounds of it quite a few of us have IT, Project Mgmt, Business related skills and experience etc.

Whilst we can't really volunteer our services as a massager, boot studer, or to wash laundry etc...

Do you think the club would accept our volunteer services in other IT/Business related areas?

or would there be "too many chefs" or would it be "too risky" to accept volunteers on that level?

I for one would happily volunteer my services/experience to the club (so long as it doesn't impact my existing work).

 

[DonDraper]

I would absolutely love to work at the club in admin. People who actually care about the club and the direction in which it is heading would be the best people to get surely? They should advertise positions through their membership database, but then I guess no one would ever get the email!

I upgraded my membership to an Ultimate Power one this year and I got an email saying that I haven't signed up this year. Is it because it's in the members stand it doesn't go on the clubs database? I still get members emails from them though

 

[The Smaller Warrior]

Not sure,

I have offered in the past my experiance (I am a System Manager for one of the big four, with Project Management, Database, SQL etc skills) and they didnt seem really interested.

I am sure their little access database is fine and dandy.

 

[kaysee]

Not sure,

...
I am sure their little access database is fine and dandy.

You sure they've gone that far... going by comments here they're running off Excel and/or CSV datasources.

 

[The Smaller Warrior]

Notepad.

 

[The Smaller Warrior]

Maybe a few of us could get together, and contact the club?

 

[Doctor Feel]

Maybe a few of us could get together, and contact the club?

Would have to be via smoke signals, it's the only form of communication the PAFC have access to.

 

[Malibu#27]

You sure they've gone that far... going by comments here they're running off Excel and/or CSV datasources.

Hey ... don't knock excel ....


But yeah add me to the list of IT pros on our board ... I'm more real time type stuff with some PM thrown in, but have dabbled around the edges of excel and mysql.

 

[Powerstufff]

...Do you think the club would accept our volunteer services in other IT/Business related areas?....

That's actually a very good idea and I have some experience in this area as well. There is the confidentiality issue to worry about when people are allowed access to a database but really the club's sustained incompetence here is breathtaking. If anyone want to start taking this forward I'm happy to rollup my sleeves and help.
FWIW I did not get targeted as a lapsed member (I'm not) but I did get two invitations the other day under two variants of my Christian name to give the club's debt reduction a $1,000 donation.

 

[Andre]

Not sure,

I have offered in the past my experiance (I am a System Manager for one of the big four, with Project Management, Database, SQL etc skills) and they didnt seem really interested.

I am sure their little access database is fine and dandy.

Over a few weekends with the skills we have here I'm sure we could deliver them a full database schema, full specified screens and reports for membership tracking, combined with data mining / BI off of sales for targeted promotions and the like. Tell them if they don't want to have us build it, take the thing to a proper software house to build instead of someone's mate using vb6 and half a dozen microsoft access databases.

 

[chiwigi]

Over a few weekends with the skills we have here I'm sure we could deliver them a full database schema, full specified screens and reports for membership tracking, combined with data mining / BI off of sales for targeted promotions and the like. Tell them if they don't want to have us build it, take the thing to a proper software house to build instead of someone's mate using vb6 and half a dozen microsoft access databases.

Why don't you all meet up. Create the database structure. Talk to the club and offer a little training for those working there to maintain it? They seem to be lower level 'techies' comfortale with facebook etc. but ith no real knowledge.