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griffin
16th January 2009, 05:03 AM
Since there has been a lot of criticism lately towards the Official Transformers Club not offering enough of an incentive for foreigners to join or remain as members, this is a poll and request for comments and suggestions by fans in our part of the world, on the Official Club. I want to see for sure if it is a general discontent, or just a vocal minority.
If it is general discontent, maybe our suggestions can be sent to the Club to help improve it. And if it is just a vocal minority, then I at least need to know, to make sure I don't make Ozformers Community policy to reflect what the minority wants.

I've been trying hard to convince people over the years to join the Official Club, because I have always believed it is a worthy concept for the fandom. After all, I started the Australian Transformers Club waaay back in 1996, because I share that passion of most fans, to feel like we belong to something within our hobby. Our local club was not official (it was authorised and endorsed by Hasbro), and it's name changed from 'Club' to 'Collectors' for a period of time, but for twelve and a half years, I have always tried to put the interest of the fans first. My commitment to a 'club concept' has had me promoting the Official Club ever since it started, and I managed to convince a fair few of the past and present members to join, based on that shared ideology. But now I risk my own membership to the Official Club and BotCon, by once again putting the (local) fans first. As much as I want to remain a member of the Club because I'm one of the few in this country that can make full use of its features, I don't think it is fair for me to be drumming up their business, and then having to try to defend them when things like the recent postage profiteering occured. The situation is getting to the point where several questions and complaints have been submitted to Hasbro AUS in the monthly Q&A program, about the treatment of long-distant foreign members. When fans are that upset over something to want to complain to Hasbro about it, it must be investigated, or resolved in some way.

Now, we do need to keep in perspective, that when the Convention and Official Club were run by FANS, it failed to be profitable enough to survive. Now that an American business (called Fun Publications) are running the Club and Convention, there is a long-term viability to both. Credit where credit due. But is that viability coming from prioritising the majority of its Nth American members at the expense of its long distance foreign members?
Officially, from the head of the Fun-Pub company, is that foreign membership is as cheap as they can make it. But does that membership include things that long distance foreigners do not want or have access to?

These is the membership package for registering to the Official Club:
- Transformers Magazine every 2 months.
- Classifieds publication every month.
- Limited edition Transformers toy.
- Botcon discounts for attendees and non-attendees (for the toys).
- Access to an exclusive website and forum.
- Discounted prices on Club Store items, including exclusive items.

The business called Fun Publications acquired an international license to run the Official Transformers Club, preventing anyone else from being able to set up an Official Club outside of America. As such, the majority of members are American, and as with any business, they must cater for the majority of their customers.

But should the Fun-Pub company have a responsibility as an International license holder to have a fairer membership package to foreign fans, or maybe a fairer price? If they can only offer the one membership package, shouldn't the price be the same for every member within their jurisdiction? Why not charge everyone US$50? It's only $10 extra for the majority of their members, and if we can tolerate US$89 for that package, why can't the Americans tolerate US$50? If the American members say that it isn't fair to be paying the same as us, then they need to be reminded that they get their stuff 3 weeks before us, they pay about a third in shipping when buying from the Club Store, they are 10 times more likely to go to BotCon and benefit from that huge discount, and that Fun Pub's license extends to every country, not just America.
Alternatively, if we are required to pay more because we aren't 'lucky enough' to be an American resident, then maybe offset that expense with an alternative membership package, to convince us to pay twice as much as Americans.
But as of May 2006 when I enquired, the Club only has the intention of having one Membership Package (listed above), so at this time, the only *fair* alternative would be a 'worldwide' membership fee, with the Americans subsidising us foreigners who pay more in shipping fees and miss out on being able to share in the excitement of getting the Magazines and toys at the same time as the majority of the members. The American fans just don't seem to realise that when we get the 'new' Magazine or the 'new' membership & Club store toys, it's already 3 weeks old to them, and we miss out on joining in on the fun of discussing the 'new' stuff with them. It just encourages the foreign members to keep to themselves even more, because interacting with the bulk of (American) Club members who are 3 weeks ahead of us is either a tease, or spoils the Magazine when we get it.

The Issues that have been raised (please add any that I've missed) :
- A double penalty to foreign fans who have to pay more than twice Americans do (US$89 verses US$40) and have to wait 3-4 weeks on the Magazine, toys etc, compared to under a week for Americans. The Club doesn't want to create more than one membership package, so should it have one (international) membership fee for that one (international) package?
- Convention discount is the largest cost-saving incentive of membership, but almost no one from this part of the world will ever go, and most of the current Club members from here joined up just for the non-attendee pack. What incentive is there to get the majority of long distant foreign fans who aren't interested in the Convention toys, to join, if it looks like they are just subsidising the (mostly) Americans who do utilise the discount?
- Most Australasian fans joined up to *local* fan forums because they either prefer interaction with other locals or got lost amongst all the Nth-Americans on the global/American fansites who talk about stuff that isn't relavant here. This means that the other major incintive to be an Official Club Member (access to the Club exclusive website and forum), doesn't interest most fans from this part of the world, especially since a lot of the Club-related discussion (the main reason to interact there) relates to the Club Magazine, toys and BotCon. As mentioned above, long distant foreign members have a 3 week delay before we can discuss the Club exclusive stuff. So either we miss out on interacting on the Club Forum when the stuff is received by the bulk of the (American) members, or the bulk of the (American) members are no longer interested when we want to talk about the stuff when we get it 3 weeks later. So where's the incentive to interact on the exlcusive (American) forum?
What I think the Official Club needs to do, is host online a lot more exclusive material, or even temporarily, scans of the current issue, so that the foreign members can actually get involved in the discussions, and still get their physical copy in the mail 3 weeks later.
- The monthly printed classifieds have no relevent content for members outside of America, that can't be accessed online, so why not cut out from the foreign membership, the six annual issues that don't have the Transformers magazine, to offset the proposed single 'international' membership fee.
- Access to the Club Store's discount prices only requires one member from here to do a bulk order, so no need to join if you just want the exclusive toys and merchandise. That goes for the free membership toy as well. If you are just a toy fan, and there is no interest in the other elements of the Package, why join an expensive club if you can get the member-rate toys from another member? If the membership price was the same as every other member in the *international jurisdiction* of Fun-Pub's Club License, it might be more appealing to join up just for the sake of being a member of 'the club'.
- Items are usually shipped out to foreigners last (as revealed in one of their shipping update emails), instead of sent first to at least slightly offset the 3 week wait we get over the Americans who pay less.
- Expensive shipping. This isn't Fun-Pub's fault, but they don't factor in the added long-term expense of being a foreign member when slugging us with a membership fee that is twice what Americans pay. If we paid the same as the Americans for the same Membership Package, the added shipping expense on anything we order from the Club Store would be shrugged off as just the usual expense most collectors here have to factor in with any importing of toys.
- Postage profiteering. This turned quite a few against the Official Club. The Seacon & Nightbeat bulk orders were done for Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Sydney and Brisbane were overcharged postage by about US$20 and US$30 respectively, while the Melbourne order was undercharged by about US$20. A fair system would have all adjusted or non adjusted (credit to overcharged orders and re-charging of undercharged orders). But the Melbourne order was re-charged the difference, while the other two orders were not given any credit or refund.

So the Poll is simple. How do rate what the Official Transformers Club offers to us foreign fans?
- I'm a member and think it is worth being a member.
- I'm NOT a member, but think it would be worth being a member.
- I'm a member and I don't care either way.
- I'm NOT a member, and don't care.
- I'm a member and don't think it is currently worth being a member.
- I'm NOT a member, and don't think it is worth joining.


For those who think it isn't worth being a member, what would you do to make it fairer, or be worth joining as a long-distant member?
And those who are members - why are you a member? What did you join for, and what of the membership package do you utilise?

heroic_decepticon
16th January 2009, 09:11 AM
I can see you've thought about the issue a lot.

I should have voted for "I'm NOT a member, and don't think it is worth joining." but think I clicked the wrong button.

I did seriously consider becoming a member just to get the 'Games of Deception' set in 2007. I considered the following prohibitive:

- the length of the form I had to fill in and also the fact that there was no electronic version and I had to mail it in;
- the method of payment (ie Money orders);
- the price that we're being charged.

If I were to be a member, the only benefit I think I would be interested in are the exclusive BotCon sets, and these only happen once a year. All the other 'benefits' are illusory because one way or another information that is contained in either the magazine or only on the exlusive site would be 'leaked' and thus available on the various news sections of TF sites.

Also, since they have very direct and official ties with Hasbro, unlike the time when 3H was running the show, I would really expect more effort re the exclusives. Mere repaints of existing molds without at least some degree of retooling/resculpting is quite lazy and not acceptable, for the prices that they're asking (and the length of time we would have to wait to receive the stuff).

liegeprime
16th January 2009, 09:42 AM
+1 on what HD said. Why is it that we get to be shafted on the joining fee? If that isn't indicator enough of what's (bad things) to come when/if you join I don't know what is. Sure they (at times) produce nice toys that otherwise couldn't/ wouldn't be mass produced by Hasbro officially, so its another avenue to get some - Vector sigma (I tell myself it's just a ball but i couldnt resist :p) and VS key, Alpha Trion etc, but with all the benefits you've listed Griffin, it doesn't really concern non US fans much (as you've stated as well) and I would really feel gipped paying that amount yearly for expensive repaints (which I might inconsistently be after for) and nothing else. As youve said as well there is that avenue of haing only one member registered and order all the toys thru him/her so its not much of a problem. As for Botcon, well that's not gonna happen for anytime within ten years, and that's a fact. It's fairly obvious that they cater only to US fans, having international members is treated more of a coincidence and a source of funds for em, otherwise they would have like special rates/other benefits seeing as overseas members are less likely to enjoy their offered "benefits" and they wouldn't allow an international licensing :mad: to cater to the differences/culture each individual overseas TF community has.
So I voted for not a member, not interested in joining.

llamatron
16th January 2009, 09:55 AM
There is no point in joining unless you're going to Botcon or living in the USA.

Suggestions for improvements:

*Make the content digital for international fans. Create a DRM / locked pdf file of the magazine and just email it out. This (a) saves on paper, (b) ensures everyone gets their copy at the same time and (c) means there is no reason to have a high cost for international members as there is no postage involved.

*Consider have different membership schemes. I.E. a cheaper option for people that aren't going to attend Botcon and don't want the pointless "Master Collector" magazine that is sent on the "off" months.

*Quicker announcement of dates / locations for Botcon. This isn't too much of an issue for USA fans but for international people it is a deal breaker. The lack of warning this year has already forced several fans to abandon their plans or go elsewhere (Comic-Con). Compounding this problem was the decision to not release the hotel discount code at the same time as the announcement meaning that all the USA fans could simply ring up the hotel and book their room at the cheaper rate while the international fans (who generally have to rely on doing things online) were left with no option.

*As mentioned above, cut out the shady postage profiteering and also post out international orders first to try and offset the difference in delivery times.

Golden Phoenix
16th January 2009, 10:29 AM
I'm not a member and based on what I have heard I wouldn't want to join.
If they are going to make you wait, not be able to use it all, and ask for more $$$, I'd tell them to get nicked because it is just plain profiteering.

I hope we get our own one going. It would be nice to have something like what they have, only without the high prices and profiteering

In the words of Bender:
We should go make our own Club, with blackjack and hookers!
http://z.about.com/d/animatedtv/1/0/o/2/bender.jpg

i_amtrunks
16th January 2009, 12:33 PM
Not a member, and not interested in joining, if I want any figures I'll just suck up to Griffin or somebody else who is a member! :p

The lack of online registrations is abhorrent in this day and age, and reeks of an unprofessional attitude, especially to the international community.

You really do not get bang for your buck by joining.

griffin
16th January 2009, 02:36 PM
Forgot to mention the free monthly listing in their printed classifieds, but as with the classifieds themselves, the content and potential audience do not effectively cater for people this far away from Nth America.

griffin
16th January 2009, 03:22 PM
Okay, so there are currently 16 people who don't think it is worth it, but I don't see 16 people posting why, or how they would make it worth joining. Come on people, don't be like a 'rent-a-crowd' with no real reason other than everyone else is doing it.

d*r*j*
16th January 2009, 04:05 PM
Okay, so there are currently 16 people who don't think it is worth it, but I don't see 16 people posting why, or how they would make it worth joining. Come on people, don't be like a 'rent-a-crowd' with no real reason other than everyone else is doing it.

Everyone seems to have good reasons for not wanting to join. I considered it the last couple of times that the botcon toys were announced, it just seems like an expensive path to follow. But really I prefer to do my own repaints if I can... It took me ages to actually buy acid storm because it was a repaint of a toy that I owned 3 times already.

I guess it's kind of feels to me like the Wheeljackslab topic in another forum... Why would you want to be a part of something that doesn't value your (non-american) participation?

I guess having a local 'chapter' would help bring down prices... but you have to consider with all the great forums and different exclusive toys I am generally sceptical about 'pay to play' clubs of this type.

Sky Shadow
16th January 2009, 04:07 PM
I was a member, but I'm not anymore because I don't think the extortionate prices are worth the one toy and six magazines it used to get me. The only thing I regret no longer getting are the comic pages and text stories.

Hereticpoo
16th January 2009, 05:13 PM
I'm NOT a member and don't think its worth joining.

a) Clearly Fun-Pub believe America is the world. Yay wave a flag.

b) I'd only be interested in the toys, and repaints are just boring and lazy.

Things I'd join for:

a) Discounts at a HASBRO AUSTRALIA toy shop.

b) Kick ass new mold exclusives.

c) G1 Episodes done in CGI like Randall Ng's video's on youtube. One of those every month would have me drooling like an animal.

Golden Phoenix
16th January 2009, 09:44 PM
Come on people, don't be like a 'rent-a-crowd' with no real reason other than everyone else is doing it.

Everyone was doing it, I just wanted to be popular :D

blackie
16th January 2009, 10:02 PM
i voted for the last one
for me being a uni bum and not being able to go to botcon, or not being really interested in overpriced toys, i dont see any benifit for the moneys spent

Paulbot
16th January 2009, 10:55 PM
I am a member, and I don't think it's worth it.

My issues have already been mentioned by others, and the most notable one for me is that the exclusive news and photos for fans are not so for international fans (the scans of the new Universe toys a few issues back where up on websites weeks before my newsletter arrived).

Tetsuwan Convoy
17th January 2009, 12:12 AM
I would like to buy a vowel thanks Vanna
Ooop, wrong place for that.:p

I voted for:
"I'm a member and don't think it is currently worth being a member"


Really, there just isn't much incentive for non-americans to join.
I think that the initial joining fee is way too high. The postage cant be that much for the free figure and issues.

Slow postage sucks ass, I though it was just me having to wait a month for mine to arrive..... Strange thing though, I had the last magazine issue come and then a week later the trading mag came. Its just so random. Before christmas I think I went 2 months with nothing and then almost 3 lots of stuff came from them!! Considering how much we pay, I expect better!

I personally would like more in the mag. What we end up with is pretty small and half of it is generally the comic. If they could have concept shots/drawings and stuff, that would be sweet, after all they should have good contact with Hasbro. Some of the interviews have been interesting, but always come across as a bit half assed. the last one with Eric and the other guy about animated had that with the Lockdown concept drawing. A little more probing would have been great.

If they could take a little more care with Grammar too, far too, much loving, of, commas, especially, in, the bios. Since when has an "alliegence" been a characters function?

Really, I would like a better Botcon deal too, as that is the main reason I joined I think. One day (in 2010 ;) ) I intend to go, but until I do, I don't see why I should have to pay for tickets to the damn thing just to get my toys. After All I am paying for the toys and then I get slugged postage on top of that!

On the BOtcon thing, a bit more notice of when they are would be great. Although this year was close, its pretty hard for me to plan for something that I would like to be as enjoyable as possible as its quite a trek in 3-4 months. I want to be able to plan it well and generally have a good ole time, but the past couple of years I haven't had a chance coz I can't get time off work in time or something like that. Last year, I remember them saying they would try and give a lot more notice than before, but that hasn't happend.

If they want to run it as a "Business" then they should treat their "Customers" (members of course) with the respect that customers deserve.

Phew, I think thats me done for now.:D

jaydisc
17th January 2009, 02:07 PM
I'm really only interested in toys. This was the first year I ordered the Botcon set direct and I had the option of becoming a member to get a $50 discount. The membership cost more, so I didn't do it. I guess if the membership figures were more my fancy, I'd consider it.

Gutsman Heavy
17th January 2009, 03:05 PM
I'm NOT a member, and don't think it is worth joining.

its expensive and a hassle. Why no online registering for the non-attendee Botcon package? I'd be WAY more likely to get it if I could order online!

Robzy
17th January 2009, 03:44 PM
There's nothing I could write that hasn't already been written!

I'm not a member and I wouldn't want to be. The toys are all that I'd ever be interested in - having said that, to date I've NEVER got any of the exclusive sets.

turtle boy
17th January 2009, 07:02 PM
I'm not a member, and IMO I don't think it's worth it. I mean, Australian and Asian fans are just as, if not more dedicated then the US fans (Look at Grif). We spend more on toys, I alone have spent almost every cent I that I have put aside for things like restoring my car(not that big of a priority) seeing that my girlfriend is happy(when I had one) Gaming, reading, building scale models. All other things that would normaly play a small part in my life, had been put on hold for a major part of it..

We travel to another country for conventions.. Such as Botcon and ComicCon.

We put more effort into sourcing toys, US has more of a wider range of toys, so they are more easy to access.

So I cant fathom paying more then the US fans to sign up to a club that obviously take the "local" fans into more consideration and undermines the International fans. It's just not right.

No offense to anyone, but I also think that the forum thing is a little silly, sure, forums are great fun to make friend, discus our hobby's, news and other tf related things. But ALOT of us fans, don't take "outsiders" seriously and hence why joining would be a waist of time and money.

The discounts, well, they really are useless when we are paying so much more in postage, unless your buying in bulk, but if your like me and tend to like to get things done on your own, unless there is no other option. Then the discounts are worthless cause we are still paying full, cause postage is say an extra $30us when that's the price they are knocking off the figures..

Burn
18th January 2009, 03:27 PM
Hi, my name's Burn and I'm a member and don't think it is currently worth being a member.

Where do I begin?

- Membership renewal - Has not been possible to do this over the net. They claim it's because their bank doesn't accept certain Visa cards from certain countries. They promised it would be fixed in time for the next renewal. It wasn't. How did I renew? I had to send multiple e-mails with different parts of my credit card details. The following year they just went with what they had on record. This also makes it difficult for me to buy anything from their shop.

- The forums and their rabid fanboys - ugh ... I gave those forums a chance, I really did. But the minute you bring up a concern and voice your opinion about how something's not working with the club (like membership renewal) the suck hole fanboys jump on you defending their almighty club overlords. It is seriously not a place to have an opinion that in some way shape or form casts Fun Pub in a negative manner (heaven forbid they actually are doing something wrong).

- Postage costs - Probably not really their problem as US postal rates are ridiculous. But still, I have no doubt there's some "handling fees" involved.

- Discounts - Say wha? You're already probably making 200% on the bloody store exclusives anyway. How generous of you to cut into that 200% a little bit!

- BotCon it's self - Yeah, a little more warning would be nice, especially for those who have to travel from another country. We can't all jump in the car and drive from Alabama to Pasadena or from wherever. Am I expected to go to my boss and say "oh hey, i'd like holidays ummm ... two weeks in fact ... sometime between April and June ... i'm sorry I can't give you exact dates yet!"? I really see no reason why this can't be announced in November each year.

Pretty much what everyone else has said too.

lcz128
18th January 2009, 05:33 PM
Hi, I'm Lcz and I'm a transformeraholic.
Uh.
Oops. :b
I am not a member, but last year, I as seriously considering it. I didn't actually know what the price of joining was, nor did I know how much effort would have to be put in to even become a member. Only reason I was thinking of doing it was because I was thinking of the combiner toy - which...can actually be ordered through another member... for cheaper - and I can get the info that they release pretty quickly anyway... and I won't be going to botcon anytime soon... :\

Ever since actually finding out how much it costs, the shipping scam, the unfair-ness to non US residents - No big surprise why I didn't bother in the end... I did accidentally miss out on the recent group buy - but when there's another, I'd love to be able to order the combiner.

Looking at it as is though - the huge difference in price for no added benefits, the long wait to get info that should be made available immediately, the non-issue of attending botcon - and all the other reasons the others have listed - no surprise - really, no surprise that I've not joined :\

That said, looking forward to and definitely intending to contribute to whatever griffin is planning for a local club :)

MV75
18th January 2009, 06:26 PM
We'll have oz-con. Gathering at Griffins place and monster burgers for lunch. :D

roller
18th January 2009, 06:38 PM
Im roller

been a loyal consumer of tfs since long time, probably 6 yrs old

The club is too expensive for a povo student like me

The enormous cost of the exclusive figures and magazines, and the fact that the club discounts would not really apply to someone outside of the US, this far, is not really an incentive

plus, i get the impression from alot of people online on other fan sites etc, and the whole FunPub thing, then your not a true fan if your not in the club, a job for the boys eh :mad:

Tetsuwan Convoy
18th January 2009, 08:24 PM
Sorry roller, did you say povo or pervo?:p

Anyway, I forgot to add, I hate the message borad they have there coz its really annyoing to use so I rarely even bother with it anymore....

Why am I wasting my money like this??:rolleyes:

GoktimusPrime
18th January 2009, 08:58 PM
We'll have oz-con. Gathering at Griffins place and monster burgers for lunch.The OzCon name is taken (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_in_Australia#Conventions).

jacksplatt11
18th January 2009, 09:35 PM
The OzCon name is taken (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_in_Australia#Conventions).

Oh noes

Golden Phoenix
18th January 2009, 10:34 PM
The OzCon name is taken (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_in_Australia#Conventions).
What about AusCon then?

Sorry roller, did you say povo or pervo?:p
Being a student usually means both

Hot Rodimus
19th January 2009, 01:21 PM
I won't be joining for pretty much the same reasons that have already been stated.

Not enough bang for your buck

Not enough relevance for Aus consumers

Can barely afford the transformers I want let alone going to BotCon so what is the point.

The exclusive transformer for this year really does not appeal to me either.

1orion2many
19th January 2009, 01:38 PM
Too expensive for what you get, as said by others I would only join to buy their exclusives, as I don't need to do this because of a few people on this board that are already members and we can bulk buy through them:D. They need to reduce the membership costs and make it easier for International members to pay before I even give this club another sideways glance:rolleyes:.

Tetsuwan Convoy
19th January 2009, 03:30 PM
Being a student usually means both

LOL, so very very true!

Demonac
19th January 2009, 04:02 PM
I'm actually going to Botcon, and I still think it isn't worth it for me.
I wasn't a member when I went in '07 either.