Interesting

[mlue]

Didn't know that...I've never seen any of the SG ones so I guess I'll have to go take a look.

[Donna_32]

Maggot.. who mentioned Maggots!!!????

Here's the reviews, I have to say as a fellow member,my idea of customer value & satisfaction is alot different to these.

************** (Monday, 20 June 2005)
Rating:
I am very happy with the site and fanclub offerings. I do plan to renew again, and plan to help someone with renewal who also loves it here. I love the media, new pictures, and Darren's updates. Also, I appreciate the fact that Tracey responds directly to your inquiries instead of it going through a 3rd party. The best thing here for me beyond the offerings is all of the great friends I've made which is priceless.
*********** (Monday, 20 June 2005)
Rating:
The fanclub i feel is good value for money... Ive made alot of friends through it, i love the online Ezine as i find it better to view this way. Ive bought goodies from the merchadise area and it all has been promptly received etc. I really love the new site too, theres lots on it and i havnt even been round it all, theres so much to view. I like the fact that we can participate in the club... isnt that what is all about?
************* (Monday, 20 June 2005)
Rating:
i`ve been a fanclub member now for 3 years and i`ll be a memeber as long as it runs. i`ve made some incredible friends here and boy have we had some fun. the privalges you recieve are brilliant i know not of any other fan club that offers so many fan opportunites to meet there idol.there are tons of treats in the media section and as this fanclub is family run you feels so much more closer and it`s incredibly friendly.i love the new on line e-zine this way there is no delay in waiting for the post man and it`s so easy to save!i`m excited about what else is to come.
************** (Monday, 20 June 2005)
Rating:
I love being a part of this fanclub and I will be renewing when the time comes. I look forward to reading Darren's messages and Lana's updates. I like knowing that these words are coming from Darren or the people close to him, it makes me feel that he really appreciates the part we all play in his career. I know that I can believe the news I read on here rather than any of the nonsense written in the press, and that is more important to me than anything else. I also appreciate the personal touch from Tracey, whenever I have emailed the fanclub she has responded to even the daftest question! As long as there's a fanclub, I will be a member.

************ (Monday, 20 June 2005)
Rating:
The Darren Hayes Fan Club is a great way to escape the rigors of a stressful day, enjoy one of the most talented artists on the planet and to accentuate the positives; whether that be the music of Mr Hayes or in the many forums offered here. It is run by Ms. Incredible, Tracey and her crack team of mods, who keep things rolling along in what seems, effortless form. The Ezine is an incredible mix of the public and personal life of Darren Hayes and is an artful work of love by the Ezine staff. But probably one of the most important aspects is the friendship and fellowship here. That's priceless. I'm not one to join fan clubs. But this will be my 3rd year to renew. Any place that is safe, loved and cared for is worth my money. This place is worth the money! [img]smile.gif[/img]

More...

Happy reading LOL!!!!



[img]graemlins/devil.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/gulp.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/grrr.gif[/img]

<font color="#000000" size="1">[ June 28, 2005 07:50 AM: Message edited by: Donna_33 ]</font>

[Kattitude]

LOL Donna arent they the suck_ass ones that came after Barb mentioned the "bad" ones.. we were looking for the truthful ones lol

[twizzle]

Here are the 2 'unflattering' ones (and frankly I'm bloody flabbergasted that they're still there! LOL):

1. When Darren is on tour the fan club is great, but due to changes within the fan club and the introduction of the electronic d.zine last year, I have felt that the fan club has given fans a poor return for the membership fee.
After renewing last year, I received 1 printed magazine and accessed 1 electronic d.zine. We were told to expect 4 in a year.Personally, I preferred the printed magazine. Communication regarding the withdrawl of Darkness as a single has also been poor.
however, I will be renewing my membership in the hope that things will improve for the better.


2. I would have to agree with a review i read for the fan club. As im a busy person i dont get all the chance to go on the internet to download electronically the d.zine mag's this is my 3rd renewal and when i originally joined i received the 4 books in the year plus a few things with it. the second time i didnt get any downloaded d.zines.

I had purchased my membership on the 5.5.4 and it had already expired on the 2.5.5 so generally i think the whole membership thing and that could be improved with some value in what yr paying for. Also they had the extra song that you could of downloaded when you purchased the cd, i couldnt even do that. Hopefully things could improve a little more.

And can I just say that it took me friggin' ages to find those reviews. That site absolutely stinks - it's totally user <u>un</u>friendly and a bloody bastard to navigate! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Donna_32]

I didn't even see the unflattering ones. Shows how much attention I give the FC nowadays and I'm bloody surprised they are still there for people to read.

[Dyan]

Call me cynical, but when I pay money to join something, the very LAST thing that I'd mention when discussing whether it was worth it was the friends that I'd made. I mean, that's not why I'd pay money to join.

I dunno ............ maybe I'm just not very good at the "fan" thing. lol

[mlue]

I'm not sure if I was the fanclub I would put any of those up. I think it sets up expectations that may not be fulfilled for some people. If you cannot meet expectations, it is better to not set them than to set them and have people disappointed.

I always said they need to change the number dzines that they would issue because it was apparant that they could not produce that. However, it is not the best business practice to just change it without a word to those who have already paid for it.

I think it is fine that some people are perfectly happy with the fanclub and the service and feel they have received value. That is great.

But I think what the fanclub misses is the old addage when it comes to customer service..."the customer is always right"...no matter how wrong or how much it pisses you off (that's my own addition). Service businesses often use the the approach, if you are happy with our service, tell others. If you are not happy, tell us. The purpose of that is so they can rectify the problem before it spreads.

*chuckles*...someday I have to find the transcript where Darren is asked what he hates and his answer is "bad service". The irony amuses me.

The question I keep pondering is do they really believe that they are providing what people paid for? I can't imagine that they really do and the fact that these are on their site and they have changed the number of dzines makes me think they may actually recognize their weak areas of service but they are trying to market their way out of it. There probably are reasons for everything but in business customers don't care about your reasons...they just care about getting what they paid for.

[sunhawk]

lol mlue, we can't really blame them for taking the easy way out of their obligations, eh? So tempting it must be [img]wink.gif[/img]

[Kattitude]

I agree with all that you have said Mlue!


I think the thing is with Fanclubs is that they seem to think that the service they are offering is some kind of discounted specialness that they have put together for fans and that everyone should be greatful for whatever they get. I dont think they think of themselves as product they are marketing to consumers.

I think as Steen has suggested its just easier for them to be ostriches about it all. I am not even sure they are equipped with the skills to deal with the complaints in a rational manner as per any other customer service business.

Kat

[Lainbrain]

I agree Mlue

One major thing I've noticed living in Aussie land is that there idea of customer service is very far removed from ours in North America. So fanclub might not even realise what might be expected of them if they haven't experienced other cultures. Maybe they can use the excuse of ignorance. I always got the feeling shopping there that I was the one lucky that a store was there for me to shop in. Not the feeling that they were lucky that I choose to shop at that store.

My friend came to live here for a couple of years from Sydney and he couldn't believe how good the customer service was here. He was forever returning things he was not happy with, without questions.

I think fanclub just have no clue.

It's a shame that they won't open there ears and learn a bit.