Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #25 – December 31, 2014, 02:20:34 am I paid the Membership $ just because .... not even looking at if it had any value, i though it got you a number and a welcome to the party :-) Well just few weeks ago after getting bunch of things done at FT & noticing the discount, to my surprise, at the end of the bill, I sure was a very happy Motorcade Member & will be for as long as i own a FT.23 calls, let's say 10 min for each call that is 230 min, almost 4 hours or half of a 8 hour work day .... someone has to pay for that somehow.Now I drive a Dodge and i do not have a Dodge factory membership, but if i was driving a 94 Dodge i am sure factory won't care one way or another ....FT is a special RV that is IMO and as long as FT owners and employees can keep up the current attitude & the good work they do they will have me for sometime ... I just drooped lets say more than few coach bucks and I was very happy with over all work and experience. If it wasn't for all of you here and what FT does to keep older models on the road for me ... I'd buy / do something else but it would not be this much fun. As far as Membership or Premium Membership, Gold, Silver .. what ever ... FT should not make the same silly things that airlines do, perhaps just raise it to $100 or what ever and let's hope to keep the good thing going for all. Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #26 – December 31, 2014, 06:02:17 am Sometimes it costs $500 to talk to a politician, who doesn't know anything. It costs $300 an hour to talk to a lawyer, who thinks he knows everything. It costs $200 an hour to talk to a financial advisor who needs to know everything. I think an additional $25 for tech support is money well spent. Sometimes I ask a lot of stupid questions, that need a lot of patience from fot and mot. I will be in Nac in a week or so and will go by and pay my $25 and also give my opinion on a few things. Thanks. Quote Selected 2 Likes
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #27 – December 31, 2014, 07:39:41 am I don't do Facebook either, but I read about lots of problems on Facebook. Since FOT has not mentioned anything about a rate increase or another tier of membership to its club members, is it FOT that posted the note about another tier of membership? Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #28 – December 31, 2014, 08:05:41 am I've been a member off and on since 2004. In the restaurant industry franchise have conventions and provide specific information to its franchisees on an ongoing basis.Something that I find interesting is our franchisor is trying to offset obligated costs from the franchisees with little participation in the franchise. Said another way the motorcader magazine is a high end advertising tool for the franchise that is costly to produce an is of little or no value to me. I would rather have stories from Catfish Bob or tech tips from Brett, but someone has to account for its costs. So we increase cost to the franchisee.Foretravel sets itself apart from other manufacturers but does not communicate or provide deals to us on ongoing basis. The business model is changing, I want them to be successful but it does take effort from them. It's just courteous to communicate to your customer base and the lack of it is remarkable. If they really want to address it and be better and create value in the relationship with owners then there are several things they may consider.JohnH where do I send my 25 bucks buddy?here are a few suggestions.1. reduce the cost of the magazine, give james T a space in it!2. More staff for james T and service department3. try to emulate the service times and call back times from this forum!4. get a consultant fix their website and begin communications with their loyal customer base ( there are several on this forum that come to mind, they don't need any outside consultants)5.fix the broken internal communication if Beverly doesn't suggest this when people join I wonder6. hey critical attention to information from there customs and their discussions like our site.The question here is what is the franchise or willing to do to change attitudes and service within the franchise? Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #29 – December 31, 2014, 09:18:01 am Lets see, A Thousand members at 35 bucks is xxxx dollars, half that many members at 90 bucks is xxxx Dollars, ONE member at a thousand bucks is ... Seems like fuzzy thinking to me. They should be trying to increase membership numbers, not running members off. More benefits might justify higher membership fees but it looks like the members are getting less for more.The club has never been that good at communicating with its members and looks like its getting even worse.I have seen other companies go down this same road and they are no longer with us.Gary B Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #30 – December 31, 2014, 09:26:04 am John S said "When the new ownership took over there was 1800 members of the MC. Now we are around 800-900 members who pay dues. So, FT realizes that they have to give a reason for people to join."I will happily pay an extra $25 to support FT's effort to improve service. I don't ever remember anyone asking for a MC number when I have called in the past. Maybe they check on it, I don't know. The MC membership has dropped in half. Maybe because they aren't building as many coaches and more members were new buyers but anyone can get a free year of membership when they buy any new or used FT from anyone. Not everyone who owns a FT belongs to or even knows about this forum.If this is all about money then the $25 from all 800 MC members would only pay for about 4 months of the cost of a James Triana level support person. Better communication to current owners about sales, service, maintenance, parts, tech help and all of the stuff we think about would generate more trips to NAC, more calls to buy parts and a more engaged owner/factory relationship whether the owners are MC members or not. Maybe we should just all send FT our names and email addresses and ask them to keep us up to date with an email once in a while.I think everyone here wants FT to thrive and survive. All of the FT support services available in NAC are there because FT exists. Do what we can to keep them all in business and ourselves happy.Roger Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #31 – December 31, 2014, 09:35:35 am Once again, if "Fore" did not do it then it should not be done. This type of thinking can surely hurt the company. If we want to see this company survive, then we need to support their decisions and work with them instead of talking about how it might appear wrong. I think we all need to realize that this company is struggling and survival is dependent on members here supporting the company. Well, that is my two cents worth.Bob Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #32 – December 31, 2014, 09:36:52 am Gee, let's see what I would get, seeing as how our coach is a 1989 GV.Questions re chassis? I'm told to call Freightliner.Questions re engine? I'm told to call Detroit Diesel.Questions re parts? I was told to call Encore. (good luck with that one)Questions re any benefits of belonging to Motorcade? We live up here in Northern Wisconsin. The likelihood of us getting to FOT is not good.Question of remodeling a 1989 coach that is worth less than any remodel would cost? Guess the 10% isn't going to help us.Chance of us participating in rallies 1000+ miles away? Not likely.Goodbye Motorcade!! Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #33 – December 31, 2014, 09:41:28 am So...All you have to do is pay an extra $25/year and you're viewed as "supporting Foretravel" and get preferred treatment...but the longtime customer who spends thousands of dollars on parts/service/remodel/etc. at Foretravel can pound sand if they haven't coughed up that extra $25?You build loyalty through customer appreciation, saying "thank you", and making the customer feel valued, not by telling them they have to join a club AND pay extra for a different membership level to get better treatment.The timing of this, waiting until just after the annual renewal of MC club memberships is complete and they have the dues money from that, leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. As does the use of something like Facebook, which reaches a miniscule portion of the MC membership, for early broadcast. Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #35 – December 31, 2014, 09:48:22 am Many excellent points have been made. We've been members for 10 or 12 years since purchasing our first coach. The Motorcade cost has been minimal in comparison to owning the coach and we're glad to pay it, if for nothing else than to support the brand. Last month a quickly returned phone call from James at FOT (who doesn't know me from Adam) the day before Thanksgiving most likely saved us a tow and got us to Thanksgiving with our kids. That phone call was worth more than I've paid in membership fees since we joined. We are now in Thibodaux La for a wedding. On the way down we had MOT replace a slide seal and do a complete service and repair a few other little things amounting to several coach bucks. . On our Thanksgiving trip the slide seal had failed so the following Monday I called FOT to see if they had the seal in stock and ask if they could repair it on the way to this wedding a month away. Joshua was very apologetic and said they were scheduling for the end of February, three months away. We purchased this coach at MOT so I called them and Jill got us in and out on the very day we needed. I couldn't have been more pleased with the attitude, atmosphere and the repairs. The southern hospitality at MOT is amazing. We squeezed into their lot on Sunday night, bypassing the much nicer lot at the factory because I wouldn't expect FOT to put us up for the night when we are having repairs made elsewhere, membership or not. That's my take on it after 40 some years of owning my own companies and seeing what some customers expected in return for very little loyalty. I would never call MOT or FOT for advice then shop the part on the web. If it's something I learn on the forum I will gladly shop the part on the web put will still purchase it from Nach even if it costs more. I want the club, FOT and MOT to flourish. I wish both places encouraged membership in this forum although for legal reasons they have to be very cautious about linking us on their web pages because they could wind up in a lawsuit if someone got their feelings hurt here so I understand their lack of participation from that level. I will send Beverly another $25 when we get home and consider it a tip. I sure hope they get this all figured out. Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #36 – December 31, 2014, 09:51:01 am Great points Michelle as usual.If I was an executive and presided over five years where my customer base was cut in half (what has happened with the motorcade club) I don't think I would have a job. Perhaps new leadership with moreProgressive thinking might be in order for the club.All the complaining that I can think over the last few years with for Foretravel are more related to communication than product. Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #37 – December 31, 2014, 09:58:38 am I agree with John, Michelle and Tim.I like the 2 big benefits of being a FT owner (and MC member) - the availability of advise from the techs and others at FT and this great forum of experiences, advise and friendships. May not be a result of the MC club but certainly a beginning relationship for this rookie.Raise the MC fee across the board. No premium fee.JMHOjack Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #38 – December 31, 2014, 09:58:40 am The most positive spin I can put on this, is to think like a startup and learn from their mistake. And do better.best, paul Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #39 – December 31, 2014, 10:03:03 am Tim, If I was an executive with a club that was losing membership and a total failure at communicating with members, and secretive about activities and benefits with prospective members I KNOW I would be looking for another position.Gary B Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #40 – December 31, 2014, 10:04:48 am Well, a link to Foreforums would be courteous, and a disclaimer should be good enough for the legals.best, paulQuote I want the club, FOT and MOT to flourish. I wish both places encouraged membership in this forum although for legal reasons they have to be very cautious about linking us on their web pages because they could wind up in a lawsuit if someone got their feelings hurt here so I understand their lack of participation from that level. Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #42 – December 31, 2014, 10:55:49 am That is true as well. Lyle wrote in the owners section of their website that he is adding benefits from corp to the motorcade members. It is a symbiotic relationship and they raised dues last time and lost members. That is the reason we went from 1800 to 900 to 1000, so they made it optional. You still get your 10 percent with the standard membership but the enhanced helps you get an appointment to have service done. They are addressing the issues the best they can and in this I support it. I know at times I have been a tough critic of FT but with this I feel they are doing right by the owners who support the club and the brand. http://www.foretravel.com/pdf/club_plus1.pdf Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #43 – December 31, 2014, 11:02:53 am The latest edition of the MotorCader magazine (arrived here yesterday) contains the same announcement quoted by Peter in the original post, along with the "enrollment application". Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #44 – December 31, 2014, 11:35:27 am So, how much is a Premium Membership? Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #45 – December 31, 2014, 12:19:25 pm The premium membership is $75 for the original motorcade fee plus $25 for the premium membership. The total would be $100. Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #46 – December 31, 2014, 12:23:50 pm Quote from: Peter & Beth – December 31, 2014, 12:19:25 pmThe premium membership is $75 for the original motorcade fee plus $25 for the premium membership. The total would be $100.Plus chapter dues if you belong to a regional chapter. Mid-South Chapter (for instance) costs $5 per annum.Foretravel Motorcoach : Motorcade Club Application Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #47 – December 31, 2014, 12:48:02 pm I had to call Roku, which is a streaming TV service, last night and was told that I had to pay $9.95 to talk with customer support. After a few polite but choice words from me they dropped the charge.I read the notice about Fortravel's new charges telling me I would be a lesser person unless I paid more.I remember the following:Recently Escapees had a membership drive to increase membership. Normally $60.00 per year.Happy Birthday, Escapees! This year, for Escapees 36th birthday, we decided to give a little gift back to you and the RVing community. We are offering a drastically reduced rate for new memberships and renewals. This rate will only be good until October 31, 2014, so be sure and spread the word.Price: $39.95A local yacht club that is in need of members is offering a years free membership to all new members who moor in the harbor.Guess who gave me a warm fuzzy feeling and who did not.Keith Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #48 – December 31, 2014, 01:26:05 pm Well, we have a great club that has to be self sustaining. FT is not producing the number of coaches it did in the past so the new members are not arriving in the numbers they did in the past. To allow those who promote the brand and belong and support the brand is a good thing. You say, you have spent money in service etc and you are now thought to be lesser but think about this. I went to my first chapter rally a long time ago and we had 30 FTs lined up and the people in the camp ground walked by and were in awe back then. We promoted the brand by just being there. We have stories of people buying coaches after taking a motorcade or going to a buddy rally and deciding after talkign to members to sell their coach and get a FT. So, now Corp is going to do a little bit for the members. It addresses a couple issues at the same time. The issue with service scheduling and the issue of keeping the club afloat and making the joining of the club mean more then getting together once a year. I have always been a supporter of the club and as a result, I am happy for any benefit I get for that support. Quote Selected
Re: Motorcade Premium Membership Reply #49 – December 31, 2014, 01:35:44 pm Quote from: John S – December 30, 2014, 06:47:55 pmFT realizes that they have to give a reason for people to join. So now it seems members will get s few more perks and yes it seems as a stealth increase in dues but they are providing an increase in benefit for it too. Quote from: John S – December 31, 2014, 01:26:05 pmSo, now Corp is going to do a little bit for the members. Actually, seems like quite the opposite. First, it becomes more difficult to get what you have in the past, then they say you have to pay more to regain some of what was taken away. Not seeing "more perks" or "increase in benefit" there.Reminds me of FMCA and their removal of the FMCAssist benefit. How many members did they anger and lose as a result? Apparently enough that they reinstated that benefit this past October. Quote Selected
Topic: Motorcade Premium Membership