Hi Brooks and BOD,
I am generally only full of praise for the CMRA, the BOD and its staff. But this time I feel a little different- specifically with regard to the refund policies.
On Saturday at Hallett, having found that after working on it all day Friday and getting only 2 practice sessions, our endurance bike- also my sprint bike for Sunday- was still failing. The problems are of an electrical nature, and I elected to pull out of my Sunday races due to lack of parts.
Out of $110 in registration fees I am only receiving a $30 refund, and I find that preposterous, and even greedy. In my nine years with the CMRA, what few refunds I obtained were given without question or “penalty”. Why has the CMRA suddenly elected to enforce this policy (which Nancy pointed out IS in the CCS rulebook)? Have we not been with CCS for a few years now? To my recollection, last year this self-serving policy was not enforced, and I know of one instance where an injured rider was able to "roll-over" his fees to a future race. A solution like that would appease me, but for the club to just keep 73% of the money is nuts! First, you penalize us $10 for not pre-registering. Understandably! I know how long lines get and I don't like standing in them either. And I know that Nancy and Co. prefer to see short lines themselves and have a smoother day. But this "refund policy" only encourages people to register at the last minute, and not risk losing their money in case of injury/ mechanical/ personal. I am more than willing to pay the associated administrative costs to cancel (right now I guess that stands at $10, but I'd be willing to double or even triple that! How much can it really cost to cancel out of a race?). I am well aware the CMRA is a business and has Insurance costs, track rental fees, etc, and has to make ends meet. Well, surprise folks. I also have many costs. My salary has not increased, yet your fees increase, as do many other fees and costs of living. I also now have to spend more money to get my bike working again so that indeed I can visit with the friendly, fast, and fun CMRA folks and spend some more money. But I'm starting to feel a little differently now- This policy is insulting! If I had gotten hurt on Friday or Saturday, and then to be belted with something like this on top of all the anguish and medical costs?! Talk about taking advantage of one's hardship!
Am I the first one to complain? Am I alone here in thinking that this is not fair? I spoke at length with Nancy about this (and also apologized for getting a little perturbed) and she suggested I write to the BOD. So here it is... I would request that something be done to remedy this insane policy for your upcoming rulebook. Furthermore, can I get a refund please? Take your administrative costs, and give me the rest. But explain to me how the CMRA has spent $80 to sign me up for two races, and then to cancel me out. Reminder: I cancelled on Saturday, BEFORE Sunday even started, yet Nancy remarked that I had already practiced. Excuse me, but I think that was a different cost, one that I paid for to practice on Friday and again to race on Saturday.
I just can't make this add up. I’m not asking for sympathy, I’m just asking for what is honest and fair.
Yours truly,
Andy Galindo
Exp #46
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