Why is it so hard to re-up?

Dan Lindberg

Ex Wood Hoarder
I got sucked in again and just now tried to re-up, and it failed
because the only option was dealing with paypal, which I won't do.

Why is there not the option to pay by CC?

Dan
 
I used pay pal I guess, with my credit card. But I don't want or have a pay pal account. I don't think their getting anything ...are they?
 
I don't think their getting anything ...are they?

Credit cards always take a small fee and PayPal will also collect a small fee in some cases. You can always mail Annie a paper check if you want to avoid all fees (except the postage). Another option is to just buy a lifetime membership so you don't have to "re-up" ever again.

Benson
 
Last edited:
I’ve been a life member for 15 years. The only real perk is not having to re-up.
I think the life membership would have a broader appeal if there were perks like free builders/supplier listing, store discount, discounted assembly admission, etc…
 
I have looked at an annual membership vs a lifetime membership, going one way or the other soon. Assuming I became a lifetime member it would be the same cost as just under 19 annual memberships, with no additional benefits I am aware of. As a newcomer I would be much more inclined to become a lifetime member if there were additional benefits as Dave mentions. After some initial interaction with current members and being involved with some events I have no problems with a few extra dollars going to a good cause but younger folks may find some increased benefits appealing.
 
I became a life member in 2007 like Dave and we have only recently broken even. Lifetime memberships can be a mixed blessing for an organization like the WCHA. They will work if the price is set correctly and the board never spends the money. However, if the organization gets into any financial trouble then there is a huge temptation to use those funds to help cover regular operations. This bad situation is made worse by the fact that all of those life members still get magazines even though they are no longer making regular membership payments. Adding additional benefits to a life membership would make the pricing calculation even more challenging.

Benson
 
Benson's comments are spot on.
Further, if the organization ever becomes financially stressed and needs to increase membership costs life members are excluded from funding those increased costs. That is an added value to those life members in that they are not affected.
However, if the reason for their life membership might be Esprit de corps rather than savings they might be falling short of their objective to help sustain the organization.
Every member must decide which membership best meets their needs.
I have never had problems paying because I don't. I hand the renewal cards to my lovely and tolerant wife. She sends Annie a check. :)
 
Well, calling and giving Anne the CC number worked, but it seems like a lot of work to re-up, and even more for new members.

As for paypal, I used to have an account and loved it, but when they changed their log-in procedure, that booted me off. (they only confirm/ed users via a TEXT message, and with no cell phone, that meant we were done.)

Paper checks - I haven't written a check in years, no reason to start now.

Annual vs Lifetime membership - for me, the Commitment of Funds vs Benefit just isn't there, the discount would need to be somewhere in the 40-50% range for it to be worth it (to me).

And what is this $48 nonsense - all fees should be an even amount - in this case $50. (this does seem a bit steep to read the web site though.)

Oh well, another year.

Dan
 
If you use the Paypal button, you have the option of paying with your credit card. Paypal apparently processes it in some way that I don't understand, but you don't have to have a paypal account... which I don't.
 

Attachments

  • PaypalWindow.JPG
    PaypalWindow.JPG
    90.3 KB · Views: 125
Why so hard? I have trouble with my computer quite frequently and most of the time my more tech savvy wife straightens me out. Usually the component of the computer that doesn't work right is the part that's sitting in the chair. And as we all know computers have enabled us to make mistakes faster than ever before with the possible exception of Tequila!
 
Hello all. Thank you so much for your comments. It's an interesting discussion and something that I thought long and hard about when we were setting up the site.

The truth is, I'm not much of a PayPal lover either, however there are a couple of points I'd like to make.

First and foremost, the web can be a scary place for credit card users. Our organization does not have the resources to properly ensure your card information is secure online. You've all read the news and seen where even large organizations are hacked and lose user data. Companies like Paypal (and Wix, our website host) spend millions making sure that doesn't happen.

Second, you don't have to use PayPal. When you click on the PayPal Checkout button it gives you an option to use your credit card. And as mentioned above, there is still an option to call Annie and give her the number if you prefer. These instructions are on the checkout page.

I thought with those options we had covered all our bases, but I was obviously incorrect. My apologies. I will continue to look for a better way. At this time however, this is our most secure option.

Colleen
 
Colleen, Thanks for the engagement.
I am also not a big fan of Pay Pal. I was an early adopter, but I soured on it when they merged with Ebay. That said, and as you imply, ecommerce is a tricky and challenging bit of site management. Running a safe and secure site is beyond the scope of what most organizations will tackle. Even for commercial applications I used a totally different development team to manage the ecommerce side of a purchasable web app that I had developed. Special skills and tools are required to guarantee a safe transaction. Even then, it is easier to end up with a clunky checkout than one that is a developed as the one that you used. Been there.
I just scanned back through the front end you tied to the WCHA shop.
I cannot see any problems with it that would require you to redesign it. It works just fine. It clearly spells out that you may opt out of the PP checkout and use your own CC. And as you note, if that is not satisfying you may call Annie or (as we do) mail a check. IMHO
Mike
 
Somebody needs to help me find the "button" to push.

From the instructions:
"Simply click "Check out withPayPal", then click "Pay with credit or Visa debit" and follow the prompts."

I can find no button that says this, there is a "pay with PP, and then a button to push to pay with a CC. but that goes to a page that has PP on it and the 1st line asks for an e-mail address - at this point I'm done. Not giving anything to PP.
 
Dan, if you would like, Annie Burke (our Executive Director) can contact you to assist. You can give payment information to her directly. She does not work on Sundays however. Please let me know your preferred method of contact (phone or email) and I can let her know tomorrow.
 
Hi Colleen, I spoke with Annie on Friday about this. She and Dan have already connected to take care of Dan's renewal.

Benson
 
Back
Top