BMWCCA - Spam Alert

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA1

Because us long-time members are not in need of the self-gratification that "yearbooks" like this promote. Pay to have yourself listed in "who's who in American High-schools" was pushed on me over 50-years ago and we knew it was a scam then. Same with "nominations" you receive from friends to participate in other such self-aggrandizement publications from any profession or region. Those who spend money to join groups like MENSA will probably flock to this. Likewise, anyone who owns a BMW as jewelry or uses it as a trapping of their success.

The telling remark in this mea-culpa was that the idea came from the publishing company, not the Club. That your current Club board and Executive Director promoted and approved such silliness should indicate just how removed from what we know a car club should be the current board is. Desperate self-preservation of a misguided agenda?

Years ago we weren't allowed to use even Raffle profits in our CCA budget. Times are tough in the print industry and for clubs in general when all could easily be replaced by "free" digital equivalents. Endless promotion of the raffle and now this publication's anticipated revenue stream are not an indication of the Club's financial health. It all looks desperate to me, and that comes from someone who used to have responsibility for such decisions and who also has the insight from attending the Club's first "O'Fest Forever" perversion of the Club's former signature annual event just recently.

Supposedly the main thing that kept things running financially back in 2019 was BMWNA agreeing to new car rebates for non-members who signed up for a 3yr CCA membership (as opposed to those having been a member already for some length of time as it always had been in the past).

[YETIinFL]

Good to know, thanks for the heads up.

[flybigjet]

Sigh. I expected better from BMWCCA.

No matter how many pretty words they try to wrap this up with on their website, it's still a shill just like those high-school books. Imho, they've tarnished their reputation for something pretty tacky.

I'm only a member as I have to be for the HPDE's I go to. If I didn't really enjoy those events, this alone would have made me cancel my membership.

R.

[blackjackbimmer]

So it’s going to be written history of the oral history? Makes sense.

[BMWCCA1]

Originally Posted by CSBM5

Supposedly the main thing that kept things running financially back in 2019 was BMWNA agreeing to new car rebates for non-members who signed up for a 3yr CCA membership (as opposed to those having been a member already for some length of time as it always had been in the past).

Well, that and dropping a an issue or two of Roundel from its annual 12 issues. December issue says it is Vol.52, Issue 10.

And then they even changed the join-to-get-rebate to now you have to be a member for 6-months.

[DanG]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA1

Well, that and dropping a an issue or two of Roundel from its annual 12 issues. December issue says it is Vol.52, Issue 10.

And then they even changed the join-to-get-rebate to now you have to be a member for 6-months.

Well I have never been able to get a rebate even though I only buy new BMWs. Any incentive plan by BMW negates the rebate. And there almost always some incentive plan available.

[BMWCCA1]

Originally Posted by DanG

Well I have never been able to get a rebate even though I only buy new BMWs. Any incentive plan by BMW negates the rebate. And there almost always some incentive plan available.

Well, if you're using military discount, you can't use both. If you buy demos/loaners, you can't use it, either.

[DanG]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA1

Well, if you're using military discount, you can't use both. If you buy demos/loaners, you can't use it, either.

On my M2 I used a fleet discount. That voided the BMWCCA discount.

Currently there is a discount of up to $3,000 from BMWNA. That discount would also void the BMWCCA rebate.

As I said, I have always got some kind of discount from BMWNA (such as a loyalty discount) that voided the BMWCCA rebate.

[BMWCCA1]

Originally Posted by DanG

On my M2 I used a fleet discount. That voided the BMWCCA discount.

Currently there is a discount of up to $3,000 from BMWNA. That discount would also void the BMWCCA rebate.

Of course it did. So is that a complaint? You got Type G discount and think some other affinity association should pay for your car, too? Can't blame you for wanting whatever you can get, but for others without your "connections", the Club rebate is pretty easy money that many don't remember to collect. The rules are pretty clear. Personally, I like the fact that you can't just join the Club one day and that same day get a "loyalty" rebate. Sure, it may open the Club up to some who might not know about it. Maybe some of those will continue to keep membership after their discount-driven subscription. Most won't. And none of that money comes from the Club, but rather just something BMW does for Club members . . . just like they do for your company's employees.

[DanG]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA1

Of course it did. So is that a complaint? You got Type G discount and think some other affinity association should pay for your car, too? Can't blame you for wanting whatever you can get, but for others without your "connections", the Club rebate is pretty easy money that many don't remember to collect. The rules are pretty clear. Personally, I like the fact that you can't just join the Club one day and that same day get a "loyalty" rebate. Sure, it may open the Club up to some who might not know about it. Maybe some of those will continue to keep membership after their discount-driven subscription. Most won't. And none of that money comes from the Club, but rather just something BMW does for Club members . . . just like they do for your company's employees.

Not my connections. BMW is always having some sort of sales discount to drives sales.

Just saying the BMWCCA rebate is excellent in marketing for the club but poor in results.

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by DanG

Not my connections. BMW is always having some sort of sales discount to drives sales.

Just saying the BMWCCA rebate is excellent in marketing for the club but poor in results.

That's not been the situation in my case. I've used it numerous times over the past many, many years including on the M2C and M3 I still have in the garage. When you pay cash for a car, loyalty rebates don't apply (at least not any at times I was buying a car). I just negotiated a discount on the purchase off MSRP (even on the M2C back in Sept 2018) and then sent in the CCA rebate.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA1

Well, that and dropping a an issue or two of Roundel from its annual 12 issues. December issue says it is Vol.52, Issue 10.

And then they even changed the join-to-get-rebate to now you have to be a member for 6-months.

Ya they dropped some issues of Roundel but wasn't that made up via BimmerLife (semi-annual or quarterly)?

I feel bad dropping my membership after 15 or so years due to chronic lack of participation.

[BMWCCA1]

Originally Posted by F32Fleet

Ya they dropped some issues of Roundel but wasn't that made up via BimmerLife (semi-annual or quarterly)?

That, more or less, took the place of chapter newsletters, which enabled the Club to reduce the portion of your dues that went to the local chapter. The production quality, paper, and printing of BimmerLife equals or exceeds that of Roundel, but why? Isn't on-line dissemination of that content sufficient to get the job done? They send tons of copies of this to all BMW dealerships to solicit new members. Does it really work?

Personally, I think supporting local chapters and the work they do in a community is better for recruiting than a (semi) glossy magazine sitting in a dealership. But then is the point of BMW CCA National self-preservation, or being a club? There is a difference. Notice how many letters in recent Roundel issues are addressed to Satch by name. The first page of text and the last in Roundel are Satch's. There's a book review by Satch and another by someone else of a book written by one of Satch's friends. Sure, Mike Self and Rob Siegel cover the Vintage, but otherwise is Roundel really representative of the Club? Or is this "year-book" project a true glimpse of where those directing the Club are headed?

[flybigjet]

Got ANOTHER card in the mail today-- that makes at least three...... so far.

Sheesh.

[DanG]

I got another email yesterday.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA1

That, more or less, took the place of chapter newsletters, which enabled the Club to reduce the portion of your dues that went to the local chapter. The production quality, paper, and printing of BimmerLife equals or exceeds that of Roundel, but why? Isn't on-line dissemination of that content sufficient to get the job done? They send tons of copies of this to all BMW dealerships to solicit new members. Does it really work?

Personally, I think supporting local chapters and the work they do in a community is better for recruiting than a (semi) glossy magazine sitting in a dealership. But then is the point of BMW CCA National self-preservation, or being a club? There is a difference. Notice how many letters in recent Roundel issues are addressed to Satch by name. The first page of text and the last in Roundel are Satch's. There's a book review by Satch and another by someone else of a book written by one of Satch's friends. Sure, Mike Self and Rob Siegel cover the Vintage, but otherwise is Roundel really representative of the Club? Or is this "year-book" project a true glimpse of where those directing the Club are headed?

Excellent points. Don't forget the weekly or bi-weekly emails which contain a couple of articles.

Electrification is going to change the club as the old guard ages out. Personally I think the club is at risk of losing relevance because BMW is attracting a different type of buyer albeit younger. They'll still be serial leasees but less will feel less attachment.

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by DanG

Well I have never been able to get a rebate even though I only buy new BMWs. Any incentive plan by BMW negates the rebate. And there almost always some incentive plan available.

I've gotten 2 rebates, including on my M2c, which only took 2 weeks to arrive once I applied for it. And I got the 0.9% promo financing. I guess that doesn't meet your definition of "incentive plan".

[DanG]

Originally Posted by KevinC

I've gotten 2 rebates, including on my M2c, which only took 2 weeks to arrive once I applied for it. And I got the 0.9% promo financing. I guess that doesn't meet your definition of "incentive plan".

Incentives means discount by BMWNA off list price.

There are several offered right now. Here is the link to the Military discount: https://www.bmwusa.com/special-offer...incentive.html

[DanG]

Got another post card today. This is my fourth. Getting a little ridiculous.

Hmm. Just got another email also.

[KevinC]

Another postcard yesterday, and another email today.

You know what steams me the most about this entire fiasco? This kind of garbage, front and center on both the email and the postcards:

IMPORTANT: Verification of BMW Car Club of America member information is needed. Please Call 1-855-385-0581.

That statement is pure, unadulterated BULLSHIT. You can bet your bottom dollar that the "marketing company we contracted with" came up with that crap, not the CCA, yet somebody still allows it.

I think I'm gonna draft a letter to Fred Patek and tell him that he needs to step down, along with anyone else associated with this horrendously bad and poorly launched idea.

[DanG]

Originally Posted by KevinC

Another postcard yesterday, and another email today.

You know what steams me the most about this entire fiasco? This kind of garbage, front and center on both the email and the postcards:

IMPORTANT: Verification of BMW Car Club of America member information is needed. Please Call 1-855-385-0581.

That statement is pure, unadulterated BULLSHIT. You can bet your bottom dollar that the "marketing company we contracted with" came up with that crap, not the CCA, yet somebody still allows it.

I think I'm gonna draft a letter to Fred Patek and tell him that he needs to step down, along with anyone else associated with this horrendously bad and poorly launched idea.

I agree with the 100% BS statement. The whole campaign just pisses me off.

[NYG]

I'm convinced that their annual "raffles" are rigged as well.