Third type of membership

[pitslayer]

Was thinking about this earlier, but would it be a good idea to have a third type of membership.
Have associate membership
Have full membership
Have half membership

Only reason for the thought is that, whilst I have paid the £20 just to get to 1 article which I ended up not needing in the end, it kinda got me thinking, the little I used the membership before, and the little I will use the membership now, would it be a good idea to implement a halfway house type of membership, where you just get access to the members forum and articles, maybe the discounts, because with the free gift and the membership pack, I kinda don't really want it, the key chain was cool, but is falling apart and the pen broke within a few uses, I already have a membership card, and I have never used the Amsoil discount, only the Sky Insurance one, even then I think my last policy was taken out when I was a none paid up member and still got the discount.

Just thinking a bare bones package where you get access to just the online material and forums would be useful for some, and no gift or membership pack/card, for around £12.50 or something.

Before anyone complains blah blah only £20 blah blah, I am not looking for any type of refund as it is only £20, just think it may be a good idea for people who don't want certain things.

[VR4Kaos]

im happy with what i got for £20 infact its the best £20 ive ever spent vr4 relaited imho

[pitslayer]

And it is the best £20 some people have spent, but that is only if you use it.
The problem for me is that, the membership pack, free gift etc, I probably wont even open
I don't buy Amsoil
I don't use any trader apart from Sky Insurance

All this is factored into the cost of the membership, so you would be paying for stuff that you don't need/want or will ever use, my membership pack could be a cost saver to the club, if people don't want/need the pack then it is already saving on postage, and materials, then the actual free gift, the club would get more money and save on stuff to be sent out which brand new members could have instead, and with times as they are some people may not be able to afford the £20 we have seen how many VR4s are for sale at the moment.

[Roberto]

I don't use any trader apart from Sky Insurance


So how much did the Sky discount save you???

[VR4Kaos]

So how much did the Sky discount save you???

nuff said !!

[Erskine_atom]

nuff said !!

Rightly said. £20 seems like a very small price to pay for an excellent web service with a huge array of material in it as well as the club discounts. Doubtless if you own one of these cars and you do your own mechanical work there will be a point when you need some more information and again the club will be here for you again. If you can afford to pay someone else to do the work £20 a year isn't gonna break the bank, is it?

[miller]

Welcome back Kyle. and back you are with a bang!!!!

If £10 is troubling you in running the car maybe just maybe public transport is the way forward.

[TAR]

Its twenty quid £20....I'll ask a mod to stop sending you any free stuff but it's still twenty quid £20.

:happy:

[pitslayer]

Hah, knew this would happen, I don't care about the £20, its £20 without being funny I am in a very good position financially, hence the fact I am going to use a VR4 as a winter beater and convert it to manual, and just use it till it is dead, before buying a new Range Rover, or if I can afford insurance maybe a nice late Esprit.

The point I am making is that £20 doesn't get me a lot
Sky insurance- IIRC I asked about the discount and because I was getting such a good quote anyways, and due to my age there was effectively no discount, remember my insurance at 22 for a VR4 was £700, and to be fair, I probably wont go with Sky this year, just go down to the NFU or put it on the fleet policy.

Amsoil, I get free oil fully synth oil off a mate, I change the oil every 3,500 miles to compensate for it not being Amsoil, and filter costs me £4 trade, so would never use that

The free gift is of no interest to me.

Articles, I never really used them anyway, and I apart from changing the oil, I don't do any of the work on the car, with my new unit I have just moved in to, the guys next door are a garage that specialise in Jap stuff, so just give it to them to do any work, they have ramps, I have no interest in working on cars anymore.

The club would make more money if they offered an online membership only with limited access to certain things, I don't mind pay £12 or something for access to the articles and members forum, spend less getting free gifts made and running around to send them all out, just a simple option to allow someone access to the articles for a reasonable price, and not have any of the other benefits.

[Jane]

The free gift is of no interest to me.

No problem, I just won't send you one - see, it's really not that hard :)

[VR4Kaos]

The club would make more money if they offered an online membership only with limited access to certain things, I don't mind pay £12 or something for access to the articles and members forum, spend less getting free gifts made and running around to send them all out, just a simple option to allow someone access to the articles for a reasonable price, and not have any of the other benefits.

£20 is a resonable price for access to the articals alone imho

[pitslayer]

Only if you are going to use the rest of the features within the membership, where as I probably wont, or put a charge for single use unprintable copies of singular articles, the only reason I rejoined was to get to an article, which I didn't end up needing in the end.

[miller]

oh for ****s sake Kyle...................please just re read what you have written..........doesnt make an ounce of sense anywhere. Your buying a brand new Range Rover next year, why bother converting a rusty auto VR4 to a manual ? Live the easy life as obviously its something you can do if your shelling out for a new cock box.........

[pitslayer]

Not buying a new one, a newer shaped one, you would have to be daft to pay that much on a car that would depreciate like a stone, but that would be late next year, have to buy my MV Agusta first silly ;)

Why bother converting an Auto VR4 to manual, because I hate automatics, and want a cheap daily hack to run about in, the VR4 does that apart from it is auto, convert it to manual, I have a car that I can use every day as a hack and not have to worry about resale value, the VR4 does everything I pretty much want in a car, although it doesn't have the ability for flood crossing, but nothing a snorkel, grease and silicone spray wouldn't fix.


Although I have a feeling that if it was not me who had suggested this, people would actually put some thought into this.

[Wal]

I'm probably going to get shot down for asking this but what happens to all of the £20's ? Again not having a go as it's only £20 but I am a paid member of a number of forums and it's usually to pay towards the running costs however the most I've paid to another forum is £10. I also won't ever use any of the features but am more than happy to contribute as I will no doubt get help and advice that's worth £100s from fellow members and it's only right to support the club.

Again to re-iterate I'm not whining about the money but think a few of you have been a bit quick to have a pop at him when he's asked a legitimate question!

[pitslayer]

The money goes into a big pot to fund hosting for site, and I think for securing club stands at shows.

A year or so ago, there was a surplus of money which was used to buy certain products and a lottery was then set up, this ran once or twice before a stink was thrown up about it, as new members won stuff etc

To be honest I can see the attitude here about the idea, and I don't really care enough any more, it was a simple question
£20 gets you all the stuff
£12 gets you access to the articles ie you pay more for less

I thought it would be a genuinely good idea, I have no problem with supporting the club, and if someone thought about it, it would actually make more money for the club, as you don't have £8 to cover, a free gift, packaging, running those packages in a VR4 to a post office and then back etc, where as £12 for limited privileges seems reasonable, as you just get an online account, means someone doesn't have to prepare a pack, post it, etc.

The problem is Wal, is that it is me who has asked the question, but like you say, a perfectly legitimate question which has just been shot to pieces.

Ah well, you lot can carry on as you were, I don't really care any more to keep the suggestion alive.

[miller]

The problem is Wal, is that it is me who has asked the question, but like you say, a perfectly legitimate question which has just been shot to pieces.

The problem is Kyle all this has been discussed and discussed and discussed, voted on, voted off. You havent been around yet wade back in with harebrained ideas and wonder why people get upset with you. Stick around and get involved, then people may take you seriously. NOT post an idea and then say you dont care siz posts later!

[gallvr4]

/bestpostever/bestpostever/bestpostever/bestpostever

[TAR]

Again to re-iterate I'm not whining about the money but think a few of you have been a bit quick to have a pop at him when he's asked a legitimate question!

Try reading some of the previous threads/posts that he has contributed to and you will see that Kyle and controversy go hand in hand.

[VR457]

What happened to patience? The guy asked the question, at best it seems like there is no support for the idea. That should be about it. There may be a sub context somewhere but i dont know about it and i dont think i need to know about it. I just want to read some straight answers.

It would have been a good idea, like 24 hour access to articles from journals you get for a set fee but with the sums involved i think not.

[Wodjno]

£0.0549p per day :stars: :vulcan:

[PaddyB]

Maybe it's because it's Kyle, certainly because it's over £8 - but my initial reaction is FFS !!

However he may have a point. Some people may not simply have the desire/necessity to have access to all the members stuff but might need the odd one every now & again. Maybe some PAYG scheme might work. I'll leave it as an exercise for the subordinate to work out how this is done.

[Wodjno]

Maybe some PAYG scheme might work. I'll leave it as an exercise for the subordinate to work out how this is done.

And we all know that Pay as You Go is a False economy /yes

[Erskine_atom]

If the only reason a reduced level of membership looks appealing is to save £8 then it just seems silly. If the membership price was £30 then you would want to save £12 and so on and so forth. What you have to look at is the value you get for your money. Eveyone pays the same money to be a full member and some people will use more of the benifits than others, that's just life and the nature of a club. Also I don't know the figures but if the keyfob and the postage are costing that amount of money then the club should be looking for a new supplier! I mean really what will £20 buy you these days? 3 packets of fags? 1/2 a brake seal kit from mitsi? Not even a 1/2 tank of v-power?

[chrisvr4]

I'm quite happy paying £20 and always will :D

[justdug]

I was wanting to find out about becoming a full member its £20 a year huh so does it go by when ya pay it or am i better waiting till start of next year i'm a wee bitty lost lol Plus its the jock in me wanting value for money lol but £20 is cheap as chips and i'll be joining as a full member soon :)

[SGHOM]

Pay today & you will be a member till next December

[Jane]

Yep, Derek is 100% correct - you get a full year membership from the date that you join and pay :)

[miller]

I propose we have the three types of membership just like Kyle said.


associate membership £5 and limited access. Aimed at your other half's!
full membership £20 with a welcome pack
half membership £20.


whadda ya think? Iz i cleverz?

[MarkSanne]

We've had these kind of discussions over at our little dutch forum as well. If some users don't want to pay such a small amount of money to support a club (whether they use all or nothing of the benefits) then that's fine: don't be a member, don't support the club. Adding one, two, three or 10 new options would only make things complicated and expensive (for the club), which is not in the best interest of it's members. For non paying members we offer a donation-function on our dutch forum, so that anyone who don't want to be a full member, but does want to support the club/forum can donate any (even tiny) amount. Guess how much that happens: never! There are people who go to great lenghts to get it all for free and there are those who want to pay (again: a small amount) and help themselves and the club. And finally there are people who think they want it sort-of-both; most times free, except when they need it; but then it should be cheap(er).

Imagine that a forum/club should offer a type of membership that will allow you to browse through only the article section. Works for some! But then others wouldn't want/need access to articles, just the resources. Or others: both. Someone else just wants it for 1 day access. And another would want it for a week, or a month. And there will be no end to all the various ways people will eventually want to pay for their specific usage! It'll cause much, much more questions and obstacles compared to:

Be a member and pay (even if it is only to support this great club). Or don't. Keep it simple! :)

[Lillywotsername]

The problem is basically.... You can't please everyone!! Our club already offers 4 types of membership
1, Full Member for a very good value amount of £20.00 per year
2, Associate Member for a cheap as chips £5.00 per year
3, Registered user for people that just want to browse and not pay for the articles ect for absolutely nothing
4, Traders designed specifically for those wishing to use the club as a way of promoting and encouraging new customers to there business.

IMHO to then go on and have a fifth type of membership would be a waste of valuble time and effort on the part of the volunteers that keep this wonderful site running.
Please bare this in mind when asking for things such as this..... To add to, change and improve and generally keep this site up and running involves alot of time and effort of very few people who already sacrifice a lot for this club

[Spirit]

The problem is basically.... You can't please everyone!! Our club already offers 4 types of membership
1, Full Member for a very good value amount of £20.00 per year
2, Associate Member for a cheap as chips £5.00 per year
3, Registered user for people that just want to browse and not pay for the articles ect for absolutely nothing
4, Traders designed specifically for those wishing to use the club as a way of promoting and encouraging new customers to there business.

IMHO to then go on and have a fifth type of membership would be a waste of valuble time and effort on the part of the volunteers that keep this wonderful site running.
Please bare this in mind when asking for things such as this..... To add to, change and improve and generally keep this site up and running involves alot of time and effort of very few people who already sacrifice a lot for this club

Well said Lorraine !!

[Humpty's Revenge]

The problem is basically.... You can't please everyone!! Our club already offers 4 types of membership
1, Full Member for a very good value amount of £20.00 per year
2, Associate Member for a cheap as chips £5.00 per year
3, Registered user for people that just want to browse and not pay for the articles ect for absolutely nothing
4, Traders designed specifically for those wishing to use the club as a way of promoting and encouraging new customers to there business.

IMHO to then go on and have a fifth type of membership would be a waste of valuble time and effort on the part of the volunteers that keep this wonderful site running.
Please bare this in mind when asking for things such as this..... To add to, change and improve and generally keep this site up and running involves alot of time and effort of very few people who already sacrifice a lot for this club

I also 2nd that!

[general lee]

you think a vr4 is expencive,i just sold a P38 RR 4.6...£375 FOR AIRSUPENSION COMPRESSOR,ILL STICK TO THE RALLIART VR4 EST IVE JUST BOUGHT ,THANKS,
GET XMAS OVER ,AND I WILL JOIN CLUB FOR £20 NO PROBS,63 YEARS AND RETIRED,HA,,21 AT HEART WHEN IN VR4,,,..

[scottie2hotti]

Well IMHO I cant even remember how much it is to be a member I paid dont even use the articles except the diagnostic one. I just think some people need to realise you get what you pay for dont pay the membership and you can spend a day trying to google an issue that you could of found out in 2mins.

[ANTHONY]

No problem, I just won't send you one - see, it's really not that hard :)can i have it then /woot

[adamvortex]

£20 full membership seems very fair to me,i will be paying for mine very soon. its £20! damm how many times have you ordered a pizza from domino's and it hits over £20 or paid for a small round in the pub,its not going to break the bank

[c0xxy]

if i hit £20 on a dominos order, id be looking for voucher codes!

[scottie2hotti]

20 pounds that like $40 I cam quite easy spend that at hell pizza or burgerfuel in one outing I'd much rather have a membership for a year and go hungry.. maybe.. no wait id prob just spend $80 and be full and a full member haha :P I'm not going to lie i think this a stupid arguement / discussion.

[c0xxy]

lol. maybe in the way suggested is stupid/daft but, if the 3rd type was a life time membership. i'd merrily spend £30-£40 for that!
ash

[Scanny]

membership advantages in a single year so far for me:
buying the V6 here = £1400 saved (would have needed a loan)
insurance = £80 ish
rear strut brace = RRP (dont know how much they retail at) - £110
front strut brace = RRP (again, dont know) - £60
you cant put a price on the information and advice available but imagine how much you could spend on a mechanic fiddling around to get the answers for you when there are members here who are happy to help for free

as a tight arsed Scottish person, i think £20 is very reasonable no matter how much or how little you take advantage of what the club has to offer

[ANTHONY]

Fourth type of membership....you pay naff all and get naff all

[HOODY]

I use the site on and off when i have time or really need it , i dont always post.. but i am here, I use it mostly like a haynes manual. The price at first does sound alot but for info you get your moneys worth back over and over again... how much would it cost an hour in a garage for some guy to do a check on the car for something wrong...££££ time is money. this site is fantabulous! ive even fixed my clock..lol
sods law is now ive spent most of my hard earned wonga on the kids making sure santa has a fully loaded sack and now 2011 has begun the vr4 now has developed a rattle and a creaking noise from the steering, ive come on here to find out some info on creaking steering and found my membership has run out..aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh! now.. pay as you go would come in very handy indeed. lol
keep up the good work guys ..ill be back soon.

[HOODY]

ooh looks like is hasnt run out..just checked again. :):))::):):):):):):):) laptop must of been playing up.. :D thought it had as its due soonage....phew!!!!

anyone got a steering rack for sale..lol or erm,,,, whatever that noise could be????? :( right que search......

[HOODY]

see... clicking search ive saving £££ already! cheaper than asking mr bob smith down the local we fix it garage for a amateur vr4 diagnostics wheel kicking session for 40squid an hour.. i think ive made my point for however vague it is.lol

[Jane]

ooh looks like is hasnt run out..just checked again. :):))::):):):):):):):) laptop must of been playing up.. :D thought it had as its due soonage....phew!!!!

It doesn't run out until early April :)

[Ryan]

I can't believe that this thread is still going.

[scottie2hotti]

I can't believe that this thread is still going.

Agreed, All it seems is that everybody is saying the same thing really that nothing has to change!

[HOODY]

Thanks Jane.. panic over.:)