poor service from CTC Membershio 'Fullfillment' section

[Simon L6]

Why, oh, why does the so-called 'Fulfillment' section of the CTC Membership service insist on adding Mr. Mrs. or Ms to the name on the membership card? It's just plain daft. Why not simply print the name that is given to them on the form?

I've signed up about 200 members this year, and the service from Phil and Oliver at Chertsey Road is just great. But.......it all goes pear-shaped when the membership cards come out from some secret location. Here I am signing up a bunch of people with what are clearly non-English first names, and there they are (eventually....but that's another story) slapping titles in front of them, working by guesswork. Just leave it alone. Print what you're given. Don't try to be clever.

I asked CTC HQ to stop adding titles five years ago, and was rewarded with a shrug of the shoulders. Well, here's the rub. Every time I get a wrong 'un I insist on a correction. Which costs money. Who pays in the short run I've no idea, but I'm pretty certain that in the long run the cost will go back to the members.

[Regulator]

Just wait until this is all supposedly handled through the new flashy whizz bang web-site...


...if it ever materialises. Frankly, the fact that has cost so much and is so far overdue with no sign of any progress is a disgrace. If it were anywhere but CTC heads would be rolling.

[thirdcrank]

The business section of yesterday's Daily T had a report about how the accountants for Northern Rock had been slated by one of the toothless watchdogs.

Queries to the firm involved were dealt with by the "Head of Reputation." We live in an age of spin, rather than delivery.

[Simon L6]

I think this is really just a question of somebody taking a decision

I fill in a paper form (actually I e-mail it to Oliver so he can cut and paste, which is quicker than typing it out all over again) and then take the cheques and cash down to Chertsey Road. They send an instruction to the 'Fulfillment' section, which then (to take as an example) turns Inga in to a Mr., which is wrong and embarrassing.

I understand that it lies with HQ to issue the instruction, and that's what I asked them to do five years ago when Russell at Stourbug was getting the same kind of nonsense..........

[Si]

If you wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt you might wonder if some poor sod has to type it into his/her computer and the 'title' field is mandatory so (s)he has to make a best guess so that (s)he can get it to submit. I've had this problem elsewhere.

But that's only if you want to give the benefit of the doubt rather than judging it by the standards applied to the membership section IT and new website delivery.

[Simon L6]

If you wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt you might wonder if some poor sod has to type it into his/her computer and the 'title' field is mandatory so (s)he has to make a best guess so that (s)he can get it to submit. I've had this problem elsewhere.

But that's only if you want to give the benefit of the doubt rather than judging it by the standards applied to the membership section IT and new website delivery.

there is no doubt. If the box is mandatory, then the fulfillment section should just remove it. Simples.

[mark a.]

Erm, why don't you write down the correct Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms etc in the first place?

[Simon L6]

Erm, why don't you write down the correct Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms etc in the first place?

1. The affiliation form doesn't ask for it
2. A lot of people joining the Fridays have names that are unfamiliar to me so I don't know until I meet them whether they are male or female, let alone married.
2. It's none of my business to find out new members' titles
3. It's none of the CTC's business. They need a name, and an address, and that's it

[Si]

If you wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt you might wonder if some poor sod has to type it into his/her computer and the 'title' field is mandatory so (s)he has to make a best guess so that (s)he can get it to submit. I've had this problem elsewhere.

But that's only if you want to give the benefit of the doubt rather than judging it by the standards applied to the membership section IT and new website delivery.

there is no doubt. If the box is mandatory, then the fulfillment section should just remove it. Simples.

You assume that they can, rather than the possibility that they have just been lumbered with a load of software that they weren't asked about and can't get changed.....which brings us back to my old bugbear about the lack of consultation and integration within the CTC IT: this is the biggy that is really is going to kill us in the future. However, all of this is hypothetical as I'm just theorising about the cause so I'll get back in my hole.

[Simon L6]

to be fair I kind of assume that they can because on the odd one it's not there. Then again, neither is the first name. So I ahve to ask for a replacement card because it just shows the surname. Which is rude.

[Kevin Mayne]

Here's a thought.

CTC has a complaints system. If you don't like the answer you get from a staff member or contractor you escalate it to someone - that would be me. kevin.mayne@ctc.org.uk

I'll go look at it, you're entitled to that as a member. Just give me some specific details so I can look up the record. I know the IT system can do this, but I have no recollection that the membership chaps have ever raised it as an issue, and nobody has ever told me. So for the moment nothing will be done. But it can be. Really no need to wait five years Simon.

Or you can winge on the forum, and nothing will happen.

Just a thought.

Best wishes

Kevin.

[Regulator]

Here's a thought.

CTC has a complaints system. If you don't like the answer you get from a staff member or contractor you escalate it to someone - that would be me. kevin.mayne@ctc.org.uk

I'll go look at it, you're entitled to that as a member. Just give me some specific details so I can look up the record. I know the IT system can do this, but I have no recollection that the membership chaps have ever raised it as an issue, and nobody has ever told me. So for the moment nothing will be done. But it can be. Really no need to wait five years Simon.

Or you can winge on the forum, and nothing will happen.

Just a thought.

Best wishes

Kevin.

One might suggest that the Chief Executive coming onto a forum and have a snide dig at members is not really appropriate behaviour.

[Simon L6]

whinge with an 'h'

I've given up investing in the hopes and fears and I've got no interest in the complaints procedure. These days I'm a customer (The Fridays is probably one of the largest affiliates, and may be the largest by the end of the year) and, as a customer, all I want is a result. A result, mind you that would make life easier for Ollie and Phil, who, bless their hearts, have to pick up the bits.

I'm pretty sure it's an instruction thing, and not a software thing. So.......it's instruction time. What could be simpler than 'print what's on the form'?

On the other hand it might have been instruction time when I complained about this very problem (at the time it was Russell Eden at Stourbug who was getting mis-named cards) back in spring 2006 - both in correspondence, and in Council. But, then again, I was told that Council wasn't the appropriate place to raise these matters.........

[Kevin Mayne]

Simon its easy to say you'll give up on processes, but behind the scenes they are working for you.

You know full well that back in 2004/5 our complaints level was over 2000 per year, mostly caused by membership. we've been quite public about that, and about what we had to do at the time in terms of membership contractor. You've also been around at AGMs where you have seen the number come down to around 300. The vast majority of that change is people taking the problems and ruthlessly driving out the errors that repeat, the ones that drive members up the wall. Its a team effort involving staff, contractors, Councillors, member group registrars, club secretaries - anyone who can spot someting that needs fixing so we can track it down. And its grindingly boring, its tracking back over many complaints to spot trends and errors.

I know we have been criticised in the past for ignoring the forum, I'm trying to put that right to some extent, hence why I am posting here. But it is not a medium for dealing with detailed complaints processing. You know we need your complaints inside the system, not here on the forum.

Thanks for your positive comments about the membership team, I know they will appreciate it.

regards

Kevin

[John Catt]

One of the characteristics IMHO of the English is that we prefer to grumble rather than complain.

I find members grumbling about things that went wrong years ago and, when I ask, I find that they had not complained. While any organisation needs to attempt to find out what it can do better, it is helpful if customers/members do complain.

Wonder if we need to make the procedure more apparent? I put "Complaints" in the search box on the website which took me to http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3655 . The "How to Contact CTC" section in 'Cycle' has a section headed "COMPLAINTS" which says "For a copy of the CTC's complaints procedure, please write to The Chief Executive, CTC, Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford GU2 9JX".

Regards,

John