Money Moral Dilemma: Should we leave our golf club and rejoin later to get cheaper membership?

honestcove

You say the owners won’t allow it, so this is not a club owned by its members. So yes leave, but don’t rejoin, find a proper members club I.e. one where you own it and set the rules.  

Agent57

As a moral question, yes, you can and should leave if you are not happy.
I assume you have researched the technical side for the small-print and cost-benefit analysis, alternative clubs and their rules.

A business / customer relationship is just that.  They have done the maths to maximise their profits, so you can do the maths to minimise your costs.

When it comes to big / repetitive costs, I treat my finances like a businessman.

 

Salading

A wise man once said: “Treat loyalty like royalty”

waynedilly

Is there other golf courses nearby ? 
Will they allow you to rejoin ? ... If you play and socialise with the same people and they are leaving with you this doesn’t matter
However one letter signed by sufficient numbers claiming they are willing to leave may open the eyes and make the management or owners backdown, this would be my first move

jedav

What is it that attracts you to this club (not just your friends there)?
Would joining a different club for a year cost more in fees that you would save over the year?
Would using a different club lead to increased transport/bar costs that might cancel out the saving?
What is their classification of a new member (is it one time only like a first-time buyer)?
Might their classification change over the year?
Might they change the new members' offer over the year?
Is the price differential large?

Ed264

Insurance companies were known for adopting a similar tactic by offering discounted new business premiums v renewal premiums. It's not right, in my opinion. This could be a short-term incentive by the golf club which could well be withdrawn at any time. You don't know. Personally I think you should all get together and threaten the club that you will all be leaving, to test the water. Having said that, is the difference in the charges so significant to do this? But you are all of the view that their game is out of order, thus you all feel justified in taking action. No opinions from us contributors will be right or wrong!  

Bigalsussex

This is not a commodity like insurance, power etc where switch based on price, discount etc. There are many more factors, particularly for alternative, such as do you like course, it’s condition (particularly in winter), what are members like, availability of tee times etc etc. Wonder if some of these are an issue where you are if they need to offer a discount at a time when better clubs/courses in some parts of country have waiting lists and/or entry fees.  

Would also ask if this is a one off joining discount or longer lasting discount. If former then, as others said, getting new members , if needed, helps balance books and keeps subs down for all.  If latter then cause to be annoyed.

john193

Any business should ensure retention of existing customers, irrespective of efforts to gain new ones. Nobody  likes new members paying less, and loyalty should be rewarded.
My golf club does a special rate for existing members who have reached 75 years old- by roughly halving their annual fees.
Of course some clubs employ an additional “joining fee” which defeats the object of leaving and then rejoining later.
Instead of lower fees for new members, clubs should at least offer a round which is  reimbursed if joining the club- or interest free debit scheme in the first year.
Also, it’s a fact that supply has exceeded demand in certain areas, so golf clubs should work harder to secure new members.
Personally, I don’t think any new scheme should anger or alienate existing members.

squirrel59

I detest it when companies/organisations/clubs won't make you feel that your loyalty means anything. That's how Sainsbury's lost my custom after 15 years. And why BT is about to lose it too.

So in your shoes I would do the following: have a chat with the new club you are considering joining, and see where they stand on this particular matter, and whether there is an agreement to be made with them. If they're a good club, it won't matter whether you come on your own, or whether there's a large group. Personally I would give the old club a wide berth from thereon in.

Pollycat

MSE_Kelvin said:

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...

My golf club offers cheaper rates to new members than to those renewing. We've approached the owners about the unfairness of this, but they didn't seem to take us seriously, so a large group of us are now all thinking of leaving, playing somewhere else for a year, then rejoining for the cheaper rates. While I don't want to damage the club, we're being penalised for our loyalty. Is walking out the right thing to do?

I'm not sure this has been thought through.

How far is the alternative club for all the members to travel to?
If it's further away for some/all members, how does the cost of fuel offset the extra price that existing members are asked to pay at their current club?
Does the alternative club have worse/same/better facilities?

I can understand the principle that it's annoying for existing members to pay more than new joiners but isn't this just a case of cutting their noses off to spite their faces?

'Walking out' is entirely the choice of the members.
I don't see there is a right or wrong thing to do.