compose a calm, factual, understanding email to the email address linked in the article on the webpage. state your concerns and suggest alternatives. harsh words, yelling or pointing fingers will guarantee that your message won't get heard.
I sent the following email at 6:32pm ET on 7/22
"I am a member of the Harrisburg Division. I have a family membership for myself, my husband and two teens. I am very very concerned about the Stay and Play agreement with THS. It has been the topic of dicussion at our club. The club poll is 100% against Stay and Play. For many of us, it is based on personal experience with THS. Two years ago, THS messed up our room reservations for the JOs in Charlotte. Other members of my club have also had problems with THS.
Concerning the waiver, a member of our club is retired military. He often stays at Navy Lodges. Will a waiver be granted for that? I also object to having to provide the home address of my friend or relative that I stay with. We should be able to just go and fence.
The Stay and Play policy is not working for the US Volleyball families either. One of their members are also in our beginners class. They spoke very strongly about how bad the THS service were and the fact that they were spending more money now under Stay and Play then they did before.
I really do not feel the USFA should be signing a contract with THS until they have proven themselves. USFA made a huge member relations mistake in the way that this policy was made public to the members and once public how it has been handled. Please consider slowing the process down. Give people a chance to cool off and voice their concerns. Utlimately this may still work for USFA but at this point the financial gains will be outweighed by the ill will of the members who feel this is being forced on them. Thank you for allowing my voice to be heard."
I received a reply by 7:01pm ET. Christine asked if I could please give her specific examples of what THS did to screw us up and also why I felt the situation had not been handled correctly.
I replied:
"For the Charlotte Jos, we made our reservastions through THS in November for the venue hotel. We reserved two rooms, each with two queen beds. Less than two weeks before the event, we found out that our reservations were now for two rooms, each with one queen bed. I asked THS why the reservations were changed and they could not tell me nor would they correct the problem. Having our athletes sleep on the floor the night before competing was not acceptable. We arrived very late Thursday night. I introduced myself to you on Friday and explained our situation. You were very kind. You made arrangements for us to move to the Marriott on Saturday where we had rooms with two beds.
"Once the info had been included in the BoD meeting, it should have been explained fully on the website. I am sure you are aware that the forums on fencing.net went completely nuts. Having official info available immediately would have calmed a lot of people down. I think it could have alieved much of the confusion. I hae read everything and tried to keep an open mind but already having had my own THS "experience", I am very much in favor of slowing the process down.
I appreciate the confirmation that our retired Navy can get a waiver for the Navy lodge. He will be reassured to hear it as traveling to NACs if a financial strain for his family as it is. I am reassured by your prompt reply to my email. It makes me feel as though my voice is being heard and I truly appreciate that."
I agree what everyone needs to do is send one email with specifics to Christine. Thanks.
$42 - Motel 6 Des Moines South - Airport
$42 - Motel 6 - 4940 NE 14th St, Des Moines
$44 - Travelodge Des Moines IA
$45 - Rodeway Inn Des Moines
$48 - Days Inn Ankeny - Des Moines
$50 - Motel 6 Des Moines West
$51 - Ramada Des Moines West/Clive
$53 - Motel 6 Des Moines East - Altoona
$53 - Microtel Inn & Suites Des Moines /…
etc.
From Hotwire -
3* by airport - $59
2.5* in W. Des Moines - $57
2* in W. Des Moines - $49
2* in Ankeny - $44
Car rental (from Hotwire) (Des Moines Airport)
Economy car - $14.99/day (49.92 total for 4 days)
---
so, on the cheap, I can get a room for $153 (incl. tax TOTAL (3 nights)), and a car $50. Assume parking at $20/total (2 events) and $15 in gas, total cost $238 inclusive.
Using THS at the $109 rate (plus tax), so figure about $125/day incl. tax. $20 cab ride to and from airport. Total cost for 4 days, $515. Higher food costs, too.
Difference for this event? $277. That is one FIE Mask, 3 maraging foil blades, a low-cost FIE uniform, 10 Uhlmann body cords, 2 or three pairs of fencing shoes, 10 fencing gloves, etc.
I'm by no means an authority on Anti-Trust and Anti-Competition law, but I did find this in the Colorado Revised Statutes:
6-4-104. Illegal restraint of trade or commerce.
Every contract, combination in the form of a trust or otherwise, or conspiracy in restraint of trade or commerce is illegal.
In the annotations from the Colorado official web site, the following text is found (emphasis added):
Tying arrangement. The essential characteristic of any tying arrangement is an agreement to sell one product but only on the condition that the buyer also purchase a different (or tied) product. Tying arrangements constitute unreasonable restraints of trade in and of themselves per se whenever a party has sufficient economic power with respect to the tying product to appreciably restrain free competition in the market for the tied product and a not insubstantial amount of interstate commerce is affected, but mere fact that goods or services are sold in combination does not establish prohibited tying arrangement. People v. Colo. Springs Bd. of Realtors, 692 P.2d 1055 (Colo. 1984).
I don't want to pass judgment as to the applicability of the law in the current situation - I'm not practicing law on behalf of the USFA - but in any case, I think that this is interesting food for thought.
I understand that you can't fence if you don't use the THS service, but will it go the other way?
What if you are pre-registered for the tournament, stay at the THS hotel and then fail to appear for your morning registration? Will you be evicted? Or, can you still go to the Glass Cactus?
I think that would be the case under the current situation - where the USFA offers entries and hotels, and doesn't condition entries (where it has a monopoly) on the utilization of an unrelated service (hotels). Stay and Pay, however, does condition entry (where the USFA has monopoly power) on the use of an specific unrelated service (the hotel) - and further charges a premium and collects a rebate from the hotel service.
I think that would be the case under the current situation - where the USFA offers entries and hotels, and doesn't condition entries (where it has a monopoly) on the utilization of an unrelated service (hotels). Stay and Pay, however, does condition entry (where the USFA has monopoly power) on the use of an specific unrelated service (the hotel) - and further charges a premium and collects a rebate from the hotel service.
Gary.
Doubt that the hotel counts as an unrelated service. If it was then all package tours would count as tying.
Difference for this event? $277. That is one FIE Mask, 3 maraging foil blades, a low-cost FIE uniform, 10 Uhlmann body cords, 2 or three pairs of fencing shoes, 10 fencing gloves, etc.
What kind of crap equipment are you buying?
The only way to atone for being occasionally a little over-dressed is by being always absolutely over-educated. -Oscar Wilde
Those who sell package tours are in the business of selling packaged tours. USFA is selling competition. They're not in the hotel business. Further, the package tour operators have options. It is possible to join in part of the tour, for example (fly in on your own, stay at hotel X for the first two days, then join the tour for the rest). The Stay and P(l)ay is to explicitly trying to stop people from making personal options.
The low end rate that Kurt had seen for one property was $59/night. We'll have to see which one that is and then hit up Kayak and others to get a better rate to see if THS will match.
Doubt that the hotel counts as an unrelated service. If it was then all package tours would count as tying.
Nothing in the sport or hotel has changed since July, when there was no attempt to link competition to the purchase of a specific hotel or lodging service. It is hard for me to see how, simply through the passage of time and a new policy, it becomes related.
Have I missed it somewhere or has anyone addressed how a Y10/12/14/Cadet/Junior fencer is supposed to reserve a hotel room with THS? If I fly out and I have 4 fencers crashing in my room I am certainly not competing, but I am the locally provided housing. I can barely remember to give my clubs CFO any receipts for that sort of thing, I certainly won't provide the USFA with them. Is the plan to punish fencers because their coach is a jerk? If so this could be the end of youth fencing as we know it...
Seriously though, can anyone explain to me how it would work if I (non-competitor) fly out with some of my fencers (who are not related to me) and they are staying in my room/suite/boat that was reserved under my name? Don't give me the "soft roll out" answer cause all that tells me is that no one has a plan for when the program goes all hard on us. Probably could have worded that better.
Just another lost soul saved by the (hit) First Church of EPEE!
Not only young fencers being chaperoned who won't have their names on a THS reservation, just wait until a bunch of college fencers show up for check in and are denied entry because their names aren't on some THS reservation.
Originally Posted by noodle 
