A
Andrew Reddaway
Guest
Carl Brewer wrote:
> This is what I sent to BV :
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: why I will not be renewing my membership next year - an open
> letter to BV
> Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 13:45:56 +1000
> From: Carl Brewer <[email protected]>
> To: [email protected]
>
>
> Hello,
>
> I recently let my BV membership lapse, but had second thoughts
> as I was concerned about crash damage insurance, so I
> renewed about two weeks ago.
>
> I subsequently found out that the insurance excess is
> $1000, which makes it pretty useless for the majority
> of bike crashes that damage bicycles. In my opinion, this
> excess is absurd. Perhaps if BV wasn't wasting money on
> expensive glossys for overpriced events then the
> money could be put towards reducing the excess to
> make the insurance realistic.
>
> I've been a BV member for about 4 years, and my
> observation is that over this 4 years BV has become more interested in
> BV (now we have a bigger, more expensive, glossy magazine, expensive
> mailouts for ride events, more expensive event charges to
> cover for "free" extras - like junkheap bicycles and
> jerseys etc) and less interested in genuine
> political advocacy and valuable services to cyclists,
> both current and potential. This is a shame, as the
> organisation appears to have lost direction, and
> become more interested in bottom line membership numbers and
> revinue raising than in providing any real valuable service
> to those of us that ride bicycles in Victoria.
>
> BV's inability to acknowledge issues such as overcrowding
> on major events (GVBR, RTB) and cancellation of
> realistic events for average cyclists (GMBR etc)
> as being significant further supports my belief that the organisation
> has lost its way.
>
> BV should be out at schools encouraging kids to ride, and
> should be running events cheaply ($120 for the RTB?!) so
> that they're more affordable for average cyclists, not
> spending time preening a glossy magazine and charging members
> $95 a year for the privilege.
>
> I will not be renewing my membership next year, and the above is the
> reason why.
>
> Carl
Yep, I agree. Plus a lot of the articles in the magazine are pretty
useless too!
> This is what I sent to BV :
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: why I will not be renewing my membership next year - an open
> letter to BV
> Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 13:45:56 +1000
> From: Carl Brewer <[email protected]>
> To: [email protected]
>
>
> Hello,
>
> I recently let my BV membership lapse, but had second thoughts
> as I was concerned about crash damage insurance, so I
> renewed about two weeks ago.
>
> I subsequently found out that the insurance excess is
> $1000, which makes it pretty useless for the majority
> of bike crashes that damage bicycles. In my opinion, this
> excess is absurd. Perhaps if BV wasn't wasting money on
> expensive glossys for overpriced events then the
> money could be put towards reducing the excess to
> make the insurance realistic.
>
> I've been a BV member for about 4 years, and my
> observation is that over this 4 years BV has become more interested in
> BV (now we have a bigger, more expensive, glossy magazine, expensive
> mailouts for ride events, more expensive event charges to
> cover for "free" extras - like junkheap bicycles and
> jerseys etc) and less interested in genuine
> political advocacy and valuable services to cyclists,
> both current and potential. This is a shame, as the
> organisation appears to have lost direction, and
> become more interested in bottom line membership numbers and
> revinue raising than in providing any real valuable service
> to those of us that ride bicycles in Victoria.
>
> BV's inability to acknowledge issues such as overcrowding
> on major events (GVBR, RTB) and cancellation of
> realistic events for average cyclists (GMBR etc)
> as being significant further supports my belief that the organisation
> has lost its way.
>
> BV should be out at schools encouraging kids to ride, and
> should be running events cheaply ($120 for the RTB?!) so
> that they're more affordable for average cyclists, not
> spending time preening a glossy magazine and charging members
> $95 a year for the privilege.
>
> I will not be renewing my membership next year, and the above is the
> reason why.
>
> Carl
Yep, I agree. Plus a lot of the articles in the magazine are pretty
useless too!
