Rip-off membership renewal

texranger

arcon5 wrote: »

The argument that the year starts from the end of the previous service is weak.

i agree, but even in the UK the the national trust, english heritage, wildlife trust all backdate renewals if done within 3 months of expiry. other organisations do this

arcon5

texranger wrote: »

i agree, but even in the UK the the national trust, english heritage, wildlife trust all backdate renewals if done within 3 months of expiry. other organisations do this

do you know the reason they do this? just seems a really peculiar way to do things

BoGoF

Hintza wrote: »

Well I guess that depends on your moral compass.

Morally, some people would say the OP has got what they deserved by depriving a UK charity of funds.

texranger

arcon5 wrote: »

do you know the reason they do this? just seems a really peculiar way to do things

I think this is the last time you can use the renew process so they assume you are renewing your membership. with me after a month i would just rejoin so i get the whole period.

yes it is a peculiar way to operate

hcb42

having been a member of the NT in UK - they send out 12 month membership cards in advance even when not on DD and the premium is not paid. Or they certainly have done, so it wouldnt surprise me it is in the terms

It truly is a trust thing. Personally for a few quid, when saving 50% on the UK price, it probably isnt worth getting upset over as I would expect it is in the fine print and of course with NT, you pay an annual subscription but most of us only visit historic houses in the Spring-Autumn time anyway

(note to self, check when DD due...as it must be coming around soon!)

texranger

hcb42 wrote: »

having been a member of the NT in UK - they send out 12 month membership cards in advance even when not on DD and the premium is not paid. Or they certainly have done, so it wouldnt surprise me it is in the terms

It truly is a trust thing. Personally for a few quid, when saving 50% on the UK price, it probably isnt worth getting upset over as I would expect it is in the fine print and of course with NT, you pay an annual subscription but most of us only visit historic houses in the Spring-Autumn time anyway

(note to self, check when DD due...as it must be coming around soon!)

NT and EH you pay an annual subscription but i would say 95% of their properties open Easter weekend and close Aug. bank holiday weekend.

the nearest NT properety to us closes the buildings Aug. Bank Holiday, but the grounds remain open all year

esuhl

Do you really not understand the concept of time, Hintza?!

emv wrote: »

We're members of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust...

Now the contraction "we're" is short for "we are", a phrase that refers to the present tense. The OP did not claim to have been (i.e. in the past) a member during the time that they were not paying a subscription.

Hintza wrote: »

You were a member and just didn't pay your subs for two months past the due date...

See? You've just made that up.

esuhl wrote: »

I'd double-check the agreement you initially made, and if appropriate, threaten legal action to recover the loss.

Hintza wrote: »

Where is the OP going to raise this claim? NZ!

Again, you seem to be a part of a different conversation altogether! Think about it: why would you need to raise a claim in any court just because you have made a threat?

But yes - obviously if you're actually going to take an organisation to court you'd need to use a court with legal jurisdiction over the organisation. Otherwise, what would be the point?! How could a Peruvian court help, for example?! And if the OP lives in NZ, then it's going to be easier to use a local court anyway!

Hintza wrote: »

Are you being deliberately obtuse?

Are you deliberately pretending you don't understand how to follow a conversation?

Hintza

esuhl wrote: »

Are you deliberately pretending you don't understand how to follow a conversation?

I can follow a conversation fine.

The OP was a member of the organisation, the OP failed to renew their subscription on time and has been charged the full amount from the date of expiry of that membership. The organisation has the opinion that the OP should pay for the whole year from date of expiry.

The OP has queried this and been told that is how they do things. The OP isn't happy they then have the option to sue, but since they don't live in NZ then that is going to be a problem. Your notion of "threatening legal action" will be seen for what it is; an idle threat.

So what we have is an OP who has found a loophole to deprive the NT of funds and then comes on here moaning when an organistaion that is not covered by English legislation has taken the view that the subscription was a continuation of the previous year's subscription.

Readers of this thread can make up their own minds.

emv

Just to let you know that the NZHPT have agreed to add an additional 2 months to our membership. What an interesting debate - we found out about membership through MSE & checked out that we're not doing anything illegitimate from the point of view of either the NZHPT or NT. We were NT family members before we had children but haven't been able to afford membership so thios has allowed us to visit NT properties - and to support the NT by paying for car parking, etc.!

Emmavix