Membership Packages

[Canteen Worker]

Around the 20th February I finally renewed my Screaming Eagles membership and added one for my father as well. (We had very significant expenses related to surgery and an overseas injury.) I purchased a six game flexipass for each of us, though only paid postage for one of the packages, thinking they could send the two in the one mailout. I was contacted by someone from the club asking for $9 more the next day, which was no problem.

Come nearly one month later and the flexipass has not arrived - and now the mwse site says that I can pick it up on Sunday - presumably on the inside of the ground, meaning I have to pay to get in, despite having a pass.

I posted yesterday on the main forum and all I got was a reply that the fact that the membership wouldn't be posted out till around Round 3 was on the website - implying I should have known.

Am I being old and grumpy or is this very poor service?  I am a member of other organisations and certainly haven't had to wait this long for confirmation - I can tell you that Swans tickets arrive a lot quicker than this. I must also say that paying $20 for postage and then expecting me to pick up the pack inside after paying entrance is poor in my view.

I am all for membership but if this is how the member packages are sent out, we should be doing a lot better. I am disappointed in the response today which was making excuses!!

 

[ManlyBacker]

CW, I help out in this area as you may know. The details of how the Membership packages were available for collection has been listed on the information at MWSE. I have seen a number of folks make similar 'complaints' on the official forum so I guess that it does slip past many of the purchasers. The order form listed that after a certain date that they could be collected at a booth outside the Warriors game (this is because the package for 1 game + membership includes the Warriors game) or there was an option of an extra charge for postage. The cutoff I think for collection this weekend was last Sunday.

I am pretty sure that when I ordered mine the confirmation email included these collection details. Yes, it was all there and I did see it, but you are not alone in missing it.

The collation and sending of the packages is all done by volunteers and a few staff at the Sea Eagles. They do not have full-time people doing this job or have contracted this out like some other organisations.

 

[Zep]

took 1-2 months for mine to be posted

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

The point re the volunteers is a good one, I know they work in this area with a VERY tight budget.

 

[OneEyedEagle]

CW, I attempted to renew my football club membership and wanted to purchase a 6 pass flexi ticket last year. I requested that it be posted to my home address as I travel frequently for work.

I waited 6 weeks rang the football Club only to find out they hand't processed my order.

I waited an additional 4 weeks and after calling the club again I was advised it was being processed.

At the end I just gave up, nothing had arrived in the post and my visa card hadn't been invoiced.

It really makes you think how many members are they actually missing out on. And did they really want and need my money.

 

[DVS Matt]

I also had difficulties receiving my membership package (3rd year running with problems)

I didn’t realise there was that page saying when deliveries/pick ups could be made. Yet the club expected that I should of known and not of contacted them. Which I think is extremely poor.

I did end up picking up my package, but it has been a shemozzle for the past 3 or 4 years and something needs to be done about it.

 

[lsz]

Does the club have a dedicated memberships manager? Regardless of the ticket fulfilment the overall process seems flawed (I should state I am not a member as I never know when I can get to a game etc)

 

[Todd]

There are no excuses... Their customer service is terrible.

I paid for mine in September and paid for postage. It never arrived, they wouldn't respond to emails and only when I posted on MWSE did I get a response.

I ended up having to collect mine. When I got there I was underwhelmed by the whole thing. I walked out with 6 plastic bags that looked like they came straight from Woolies filled with a  bunch of crap advertising, a few stickers and a hat.

If they are so desperate to get members they should do it a whole lot better and maybe there would be some good news stories out there, unfortunately I have not heard one single story of the Manly club going above and beyond for a member.

That's what happens when you use makeshift marketers and volunteers.. No offence intended. Membership is a large and important revenue stream and the most potential for growth for the club - its a shame they treat it with such a lack of respect.

Rant over.

 

[OneEyedEagle]

Todd, I still try to get to the games when I can, just means that I go up to the gate couple of hours early and watch the earlier games, I don't mind doing that but what irkes me up is that the club is striving for members and yet they cannot be bothered to renew my membership, thats gotta be telling you something.

 

[Dan]

Todd, I still try to get to the games when I can, just means that I go up to the gate couple of hours early and watch the earlier games, I don't mind doing that but what irkes me up is that the club is striving for members and yet they cannot be bothered to renew my membership, thats gotta be telling you something.

just got to the back gates and buy the ticket at the turnstyle isntead of the ticket box, there is never a queue there. Though they may have changed it. I use to do that there would be a long line at teh ticket box at the back and I would just go straight up buy my ticket and walk in

 

[Rex]

Some things you can cut corners with, others you can't.  Seems like a reassessment is long overdue. "Read the fine print" is a cop-out if you're looking to provide genuine service and treat members in a way that would bring smiles to their SeaEagle loving faces.

Could they advertise on the site's forum for supporters to help, explaining the problem and the desire for a first-class service?

 

[DailyTerrorgraphHater]

truly unbelievable!

In the year when the game is doing its biggest ever feature promotion in order to drive memberships of clubs....
Manly can't even provide a FAST and EFFICIENT delivery of memberships and renewals of memberships? That is outstandingly bad mis-management.

Maybe delmerge should pull his head out of the papers, and Penn should stop buying things for a second, and figure out how they can make it EASY

 

[The Wheel]

I actually volunteer for the club from time to timne to assist with membership.  I will contact the team & alert them to these issues.  As stated above they are severly under resourced.  Additionaly with aaron in UK for WCC this would have been worse.

The membership booth is actually outside the main gate of the Arko Stand so membership can be collected without having to pay to enter.

Also I suggest that you call them club and speak to Grace or Aaron if you have a complaint or issue - they would be more than willing to assist.

BTW we now have pver 4000 ticketed members this season.

 

[lsz]

I work almost exclusively in loyalty and membership programs (with the  odd bit of PR thrown in) - I would be happy to give the club some ideas

Do you think they would be interested? If so who would i contact?

 

[The Wheel]

Isz - contact Aaron Markie at the club - sorry not sure of the phone number.  If you want his email address send me a PM and I will give it to you

 

[Todd]

Good luck!!!

I work in consumer marketing and offered to help a few years ago - I even met with them and we discussed some nice simple ideas that would have been a real positive - none saw the light of day. Not to say that the desire to implement wasn't there - but for one reason or another they didn't make it.

Truth is, that aside from a few key personnel, like the CEO - most of the people in the important roles are underqualified or underskilled and think they are "special" cause they work for a Rugby League club and that allows them to have an attitude.

Can't tell you how many "10k a year" local sponsors I have heard complain about the service they get from the club - but beacuse of their long term personal affinity with Manly they keep forking out their corporate cash.

Note to the club - "The customer is king" - no matter how good any product is if the customer's do not come back the product will die.

We are the customers - they are the product - all of them from the guys on the field to the CEO and the lady who answers the phone to the guy who sells beers on the hill.

They are all accountable.

 

[lsz]

Ouch

Sounds like a fair challenge.....

 

[The Wheel]

Here is the reply from the club, contact Grace and I am sure they will sort it all out.

I don't have access to their forum.

If someone has a complaint they need to contact Grace on 02 9970 3000 or email [email protected]

Aaron

 

[Todd]

I dont think responding to the complaints is the main issue - it is an issue - but they should be asking themselves why there are so many people unhappy with the process and the outcome.

Its not like this is the first year - alot of us have had problems multiple times that have been overseen by different people - so the blame doesn't necessarily lie squarely with the people in charge of memberships now - its obviously an internal issue that they need to address - how important are the members and and the revenue they generate.

If the statement of "over 4000 ticketed members" is correct - if we base it on the middle silver membership - that means membership generates over $1.2mil - which would be well in excess of 10% of their revenue - possibly up toward 15% - more than the front jersey sponsorship.

Their attitude/effort to membership does not reflect its importance. There is an element of being taken for granted that is disturbing.

 

[Canteen Worker]

I did not post to start this thread to start a massive 'whinge campaign' but it is clear that there are many that are underwhelmed with the overall marketing and promotion arm of the club.

Surely we need to work at being more professional at this.

Last year there were 60 k at the Grand Final in maroon and white and yet we seem to have one of the membership numbers. Some of the stories here and my experience indicate that something is 'crook in Tobruk!'