USFA Membership new paper processing fee

[mtarascio]

The following was copied from the 2011-2012 Individual USFA Membership application:

**NEW $10 Paper Processing fee if submitted via fax, email or mail

**Tournament Organizers/Members are exempt from the paper
processing fee if the Membership application(s) is received at a
local/division/section/regional tournament and the application(s) is
submitted to the National Office in one envelope with the payment(s).

Does anyone know when the BOD approved this?

[indypacers]

what paper is generated in an e-mail unless they print something? Maybe it's time for the AAU to step in and organize the amatuer branch(recreational/American competition) of fencing and leave the competitive (international/olympic) side of the business to USFA/FIE etc...

it seems that none of the decision making process reaches the membership

[Inquartata]

Virtual paper?

Anyway, mtarascio, that fee was in existence last season as well. I'm not sure how far back it goes, but at least that far.

[mtarascio]

Virtual paper?

Anyway, mtarascio, that fee was in existence last season as well. I'm not sure how far back it goes, but at least that far.

Hmmm, I have a copy of the 2010 - 2011 Individual membership application and it does not show this fee. The current application indicates this isNEW.

[KD5MDK]

what paper is generated in an e-mail unless they print something? Maybe it's time for the AAU to step in and organize the amatuer branch(recreational/American competition) of fencing and leave the competitive (international/olympic) side of the business to USFA/FIE etc...

it seems that none of the decision making process reaches the membership

The term paper processing is a description of what is actually the need for a member of the National Office Staff to receive your form by whichever means and input it by hand into our membership system instead of doing it online via RailStation. When handled via RailStation, no manual intervention is required. The less time our staff spends typing in forms, the more time they have to get useful work done like posting schedules and results, planning future events etc. Or the fewer clerks we need, reducing our overhead.

Virtual paper?

Anyway, mtarascio, that fee was in existence last season as well. I'm not sure how far back it goes, but at least that far.

Hmmm, I have a copy of the 2010 - 2011 Individual membership application and it does not show this fee. The current application indicates this isNEW.

The previous fee applied to tournament entries instead of memberships, I think.

[TooLoftheDeviL]

The term paper processing is a description of what is actually the need for a member of the National Office Staff to receive your form by whichever means and input it by hand into our membership system instead of doing it online via RailStation. When handled via RailStation, no manual intervention is required. The less time our staff spends typing in forms, the more time they have to get useful work done like posting schedules and results, planning future events etc. Or the fewer clerks we need, reducing our overhead.

The previous fee applied to tournament entries instead of memberships, I think.

While I agree - I do think it's interesting how fast the organization went from being behind the times (forcing people to find a freakin' fax machine just 2 seasons ago to register for membership or events) to punishing people who are behind the times with increased fees.

[jeremyb215]

In 2011, why would anyone still be using the US mail system for a transaction of this nature? The $10 seems about right considering USA Fencing has to pay people to open the envelopes and process the checks.

[Craig]

Does anyone know when the BOD approved this?

2011-2012 Season Changes

Approved during the June 9th, 2011 meeting.

[TooLoftheDeviL]

In 2011, why would anyone still be using the US mail system for a transaction of this nature? The $10 seems about right considering USA Fencing has to pay people to open the envelopes and process the checks.

Because just 2 seasons ago, you HAD to. That's the only reason, though.

[jeremyb215]

Because just 2 seasons ago, you HAD to. That's the only reason, though.

That's no reason at all. If you want to use an antiquated system that costs everyone involved (including you) time and money, that's fine. But you should expect to pay for it.
USA Fencing should be commended for this move IMHO.

[ladyofshalott99]

1. You can still fax stuff. They'll just still charge you the fee.

2. At least when we all mailed things in, we didn't have to deal with frustration related to using online processing.

While my Division uses AskFRED for members to register for Qualifiers, we still have to allow people to send in the paper form. And they do. There are always about six people every year who absolutely refuse to use the online system. Strangely, our Treasurer is one of them. I think with FRED though (and us not processing payments through FRED) that may be more an OCD factor of wanting to be paid up ASAP, and not have to wait till the day-of to settle with payments.

Last year our VC and Secretary were considered mavericks for just sending out a paper card (and myself and my boyfriend/former Chair's suggestion) in lieu of the entire 8-page flyer for Qualifiers. I'd rather just send an e-mail myself, but, without fail every year at every annual meeting, the people who show up to vote are the same people who complain that sending out notices electronically isn't fair to those who don't have a computer or the Internet.

:facepalm:


edit: clarification--i think online everything is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and I cannot wait for the day when I can conduct all transactions with my smartphone, thus eliminating the need to carry a purse. Except for, you know, makeup and stuff.

[jeremyb215]

i think online everything is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Sliced bread is overrated.

[shlepzig]

I still use the fax method because Railstation hasn't been particularly friendly to me and my daughter having memberships under the same email address.

When I have attempted this, I have had my name and membership applied to applications for Y12WF events (which is wrong in so many ways). It also may show up correctly in the first screen, then change again when I refresh. I have to cancel out and try again and again, and it never seems to go right, so I use a fax machine.

Using the fax system I at least know the right person is getting the right entry. I am never sure about this with RS. In short the Railstation interface has been a real pain.

[piste off]

I still use the fax method because Railstation hasn't been particularly friendly to me and my daughter having memberships under the same email address.

When I have attempted this, I have had my name and membership applied to applications for Y12WF events (which is wrong in so many ways). It also may show up correctly in the first screen, then change again when I refresh. I have to cancel out and try again and again, and it never seems to go right, so I use a fax machine.

Using the fax system I at least know the right person is getting the right entry. I am never sure about this with RS. In short the Railstation interface has been a real pain.

I updated my membership this morning via Railstation, which I have found very difficult to use in the past for registering for tournaments.

In doing so, I stumbled across the option (a simple checkbox) that allowed you to add family members under your profile. It is next to the option for an annual membership (the first one I think). Once you select that box it brings you to a series of screens that was pretty easy (surprisingly so) to select and add additional family members.

[shlepzig]

I have enabled that option in the past (IIRC it was avilable pre-Railstation), but when registering for tournaments those family members weren't reliably entered into tournaments.

Maybe it's operator error on my part, I don't usually muck up online forms or get baffled by even byzantine interfaces, but I never got the options to work as expected.

[swordsen]

My biggest problem with online registration is that I burned all of my credit cards about 2 years ago.

[Inquartata]

The previous fee applied to tournament entries instead of memberships, I think.

You're right, that's what was remembering.

While I agree - I do think it's interesting how fast the organization went from being behind the times (forcing people to find a freakin' fax machine just 2 seasons ago to register for membership or events) to punishing people who are behind the times with increased fees.

"US Fencing is now a business". No opportunity for imposing a fee will go unexploited. I'm expecting an airline-style panoply of them to be coming any time now.

[erik_blank]

I just wish people would realize that using a carrot instead of a stick orks better. Why not get a REDUCED fee when using the electronic form instead of getting an added fee when sending in for 'manual' data entry?

[Craig]

My biggest problem with online registration is that I burned all of my credit cards about 2 years ago.

Do your registration at a tournament and there is no fee. That's the loophole to use.

[Inquartata]

Oh, yes, you had to go and mention that in public, didn't you? Someone at the NO is probably looking into closing it already now!