Jim Bowie Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 I am a former LCS member who is again considering membership because of these changes. Really, because of these changes? How interesting. We can hardly wait for that to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xena Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Except that LCS Officials do follow this board. In fact there is a discussion ongoing about how to use it as an interface with the community more effectively. And you posit that they will consider only the opinions of those who identify themselves as current members? They have no interest in attracting nonmembers to become members? They do not care if former members rejoin? They don't at all care about how they are viewed by anyone not a current member? They are not interested in interfacing with anyone who has not identified themselves as a current member? That would be most unusual for board members of any organization, but if you say so.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcscats Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Yes the board looks at this board and yes they care about non members BUT they care about members more. The board by policy doesn't answer questions on this board but a few volunteers do like me and others but we are speaking for ourselves only not LCS. Ok so get back to the membership issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted November 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 And you posit that they will consider only the opinions of those who identify themselves as current members? They have no interest in attracting nonmembers to become members? They do not care if former members rejoin? They don't at all care about how they are viewed by anyone not a current member? They are not interested in interfacing with anyone who has not identified themselves as a current member? That would be most unusual for board members of any organization, but if you say so.... No, I didn't post that at all. Stop putting words into my posts. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted November 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Yes the board looks at this board and yes they care about non members BUT they care about members more. The board by policy doesn't answer questions on this board but a few volunteers do like me and others but we are speaking for ourselves only not LCS. Ok so get back to the membership issue. I am curious as to what they expect to gain from these changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringal Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 I still don't have this change figured out. My birthday is in September. My membership expires at the end of 2015. What happens then? Do I only pay for 8 months, or am I expected to pay for the whole year in December, 2015 and then pay again in September 2016 ? Confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 I still don't have this change figured out. My birthday is in September. My membership expires at the end of 2015. What happens then? Do I only pay for 8 months, or am I expected to pay for the whole year in December, 2015 and then pay again in September 2016 ? Confused. You have two choices - you can now renew for 9 months valid until September 2016 OR you can renew for a year and nine months until September 2017. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringal Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 You have two choices - you can now renew for 9 months valid until September 2016 OR you can renew for a year and nine months until September 2017. Thank you. Got the picture now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Bowie Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 So, if my birthday is at the end of April, and I return NOB at the beginning of April, then I can wait until I return the end of October and renew for 6 months (until my birthday), when I will be out of the country again? Do I now just pay for a 6 months membership, instead of a year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcscats Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 One of the changes is to spread cash flow out over the year. Safer than handling all the cash once a year. Its also suppose to make it easier on the volunteers in the office as we have high season and can spread workload out over the year. Its gets busy in office this time of year. Can't remember other reasons sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted November 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 Thanks, appreciate the information. Makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 So, if my birthday is at the end of April, and I return NOB at the beginning of April, then I can wait until I return the end of October and renew for 6 months (until my birthday), when I will be out of the country again? Do I now just pay for a 6 months membership, instead of a year? You come in before the end of the year and pay for 4 months until April 2016 plus a year expiring in April 2017. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Bowie Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 You come in before the end of the year and pay for 4 months until April 2016 plus a year expiring in April 2017. OK, and if my wife's birthday is july, does she pay for 7 months, plus a year expiring in july? What about the next july when neither of us is here to pay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 OK, and if my wife's birthday is july, does she pay for 7 months, plus a year expiring in july? What about the next july when neither of us is here to pay?uYour wife can pay for 7 months plus one year if she chooses or just the7 months and renew on line next July on the LCS website with PayPal. You could also,do this with your April if you choose to. When you return, just stop by the office for a new photo and card - the info is already in the computer. The Membaership Desk can explain this one on one when you come in this year to renew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcscats Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 Don't feel bad folks I don't completely understand it either and I should. Laugh out loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmers1932 Posted January 8, 2016 Report Share Posted January 8, 2016 question: Does full membership include library privileges, or is a $500 peso deposit still required? If it is inclusive, then it is obviously cheaper to buy a full membership, rather than a temporary membership (using info posted on the website) Temp members have to pay 500 deposit which makes a 1 month membership $600. I am guessing that 80+% of library deposits are not picked up, which makes it a nice source of revenue for LCS. On the other hand if everyone pays a library deposit, then who got refunded my deposit in October, 2014. It was not me who picked it up - surely ID is required for that! I was in Ontario, slaving away in an office. I am ever only here Jan-Mar, but in 2013, 2014, 2015 was a full member because I saw it as a worthy cause . When I went to renew for just one month this year, they wanted to ding me for another $500. I balked. Nobody seemed to have a solution other than an appeal to the gods elsewhere and addressing a complaint to the webmaster as lakechapalasociety.com. Unfortunately that part of the site has programming problems and is inaccessible..... Which is why I am addressing the matter here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcscats Posted January 8, 2016 Report Share Posted January 8, 2016 Yes full membership includes the library. You need to take it to LCS not this board. No volunteer will discuss an issue like this online and LCS Management does not comment on this board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 9, 2016 Report Share Posted January 9, 2016 Most temporary members do pick up their refundable deposits before they leave the area. Don't know the time frame however there is a reasonable maximum time to reclaim your deposit after your membership expires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sem123 Posted January 9, 2016 Report Share Posted January 9, 2016 A little feedback for LCS. We are snowbirds, normally here from January to April We will only be renewing one membership and my birthday is in July making it very inconvenient (if we were going to renew for both of us renewing twice a years is really inconvenient) We were going to renew online but there is a 5% hit to use PayPal and an additional 2,5% charge by our credit card company for a foreign transaction so to renew online would have cost us an additional 7.5% so we didn't use this option. Not a lot of money but a deterrent. On top of the 7.5% we would have still had to lineup to get our photo taken for our new card. So we saw absolutely no reason to renew online. I have three suggestions for LCS: Reduce the PayPal fee to make paying online more attractive Rather than using birthdays have two expiry periods - June 30th and December 31st - have the year round residents renew in June/July and the snowbirds in December/January. Rather than re-issuing a new card every year, have the cards valid for 5 years and issue a numbered renewal sticker to be applied to the back of the card (a different colour each year). This would have four benefits, (i) lower the cost of reissuing a physical card, (ii) reduce the backlog to have photos taken (iIi) I wouldn't need to renew in person and could leave my card with my neighbour to pay for and pick up my renewal sticker at the same time as they renew theirs (iv) having my neighbour renew our membership would reduce the overall number of people standing in line. I know that these suggestions would require some reprogramming of the membership system, and maintaining additional information (card expiry date, sticker issue information, etc....), and a program to print the numbered stickers, and an audit trail for the stickers. Susan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sem123 Posted January 9, 2016 Report Share Posted January 9, 2016 A little feedback for LCS. We are snowbirds, normally here from January to April We will only be renewing one membership and my birthday is in July making it very inconvenient (if we were going to renew for both of us renewing twice a years is really inconvenient) We were going to renew online but there is a 5% hit to use PayPal and an additional 2,5% charge by our credit card company for a foreign transaction so to renew online would have cost us an additional 7.5% so we didn't use this option. Not a lot of money but a deterrent. On top of the 7.5% we would have still had to lineup to get our photo taken for our new card. So we saw absolutely no reason to renew online. I have three suggestions for LCS: Reduce the PayPal fee to make paying online more attractive Rather than using birthdays have two expiry periods - June 30th and December 31st - have the year round residents renew in June/July and the snowbirds in December/January. Rather than re-issuing a new card every year, have the cards valid for 5 years and issue a numbered renewal sticker to be applied to the back of the card (a different colour each year). This would have four benefits, (i) lower the cost of reissuing a physical card, (ii) reduce the backlog to have photos taken (iIi) I wouldn't need to renew in person and could leave my card with my neighbour to pay for and pick up my renewal sticker at the same time as they renew theirs (iv) having my neighbour renew our membership would reduce the overall number of people standing in line. I know that these suggestions would require some reprogramming of the membership system, and maintaining additional information (card expiry date, sticker issue information, etc....), and a program to print the numbered stickers, and an audit trail for the stickers. Susan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringal Posted January 9, 2016 Report Share Posted January 9, 2016 Five year renewals? Many members hesitate to buy green bananas .(kidding) The good news about their new system: I went in to renew the other day and there were enough people waiting that it would be at least an hour before they'd get to me, so I decided to come another time. I asked how this new system worked and was told I could just pay for the months until my birthday next fall, and then renew for the year till the birthday after, or could pay for all that period of time. This should reduce the number of people paying all at once and be easier on the staff and the members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sem123 Posted January 9, 2016 Report Share Posted January 9, 2016 I guess I wasn't clear - I meant that the plastic card with the photo would only need to be renewed once every five years, but that the membership itself would need to be renewed each year and that a sticker (to be applied to the back of the card) would be issued annually when the membership was paid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcscats Posted January 10, 2016 Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 The new yearly card is to allow fast verification of active membership status which has been needed for a while. Example evey tranaction had to be looked up on a computer to veryify current membership. Now volunteers look at card and voila they know. Very important when allowing people in members only events. Stickers don't work and lead to fraud and yes people do play fast and loose sometimes with this kind of stuff. As far as membership goes for rainbirds/sunbirds and snowbirds tell them your birthday is dec 1 or whenever you arrive lakeside than you can renew when you get here. See easy solution right? Nobody cares what date you use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sem123 Posted January 10, 2016 Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 Thanks LCScats my birthday is now in January - I always wanted to be an Aquarian ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcscats Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 Ahhhh and you can sing the song "Age of Aquarious" from Hair now!!!! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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