Lifetime membership RANT. Sort of. Major League group.

[69hurstolds]

Not going to mention the name so I won't trigger people, but I belong to a major projectile launcher club that is really starting to grind my gears of late.

Here's the deal. Was a dues paying member for a long time, then oh, you can upgrade to a LIFETIME membership and here's why you'd be so cool to do so.... So I said wtf, why not? One less thing I gotta pay dues on, right?

Got a decoder ring that decoded out the message "Remember to drink your Ovaltine!" And a jacket and a knife and some other swag.

Anyway, things were going along fine, and then after a while, they start bugging me with "upgrading" the lifetime membership. WTF? Ok, not interested. I can't be any more of a member than that, right? What's next? Double life member?

Oh no...they've got all sorts of "levels" of Lifetime memberships. I mean, c'mon..... what is this, Scientology? Like the Double Secret Probation Lifetime Membership....a few months later, you can upgrade to the Platinum Polished Turd Lifetime Membership....

And on it goes. FFS!!!

Ok, RANT OFF now. I just find it so pathetic to try and squeeze more money out of members by coming up with all these lifetime membership upgrades which costs you more money to get the special pin or whatever. AND- they keep asking for money all the friggin' time in between.

Look, I'm a believer in the amendment. And I support the organization. But it's almost as bad as a bunch of homeless azzholes only wanting to talk to you when they want something. Always coming up with their hat in hand looking for you to toss some money in it.

Anyone else feel this way? I guess I've just been cooped up too long. Going through the day's mail and there's a letter from these azzwipes with "check the box for how much you'll give". AAACK!!! Just had to vent.

 

[Wageslave]

If it is the same projectile launching club that I am thinking of, they are trying to hustle money any way they can because they are damn near broke.

Not that I have any pity for them. If you ever seen their TV channel, you would see how much everything they did is in pursuit of money and maybe 2nd amendment rights if it also made them money.

Screw those people.

 

[jiho]

Screw those people.

But only if they don't charge money for it.

 

[fleming442]

I always thought it would be cool to be in a car club. Then, I saw all the crap that went along with it (mostly political within the club). THEN, I joined the OCA, once, for a year.... F the OCA. Been to a couple of their car shows, and they suck, too. Just a bunch of old @$$, resto-nerds. No offense, 69hurstolds!

 

[blk7gxn]

Sounds like this "group" your in, like many others are shaming you into status guilt.

 

[blk7gxn]

I always thought it would be cool to be in a car club. Then, I saw all the crap that went along with it (mostly political within the club). THEN, I joined the OCA, once, for a year.... F the OCA. Been to a couple of their car shows, and they suck, too. Just a bunch of old @$$, resto-nerds. No offense, 69hurstolds!

I agree with you on that! About 3 years ago I contemplated joining a local car club that held shows in our area, simple right? Until I inquired....You are mandated, obviously to pay dues, attend so many meetings per year, can not miss certain meetings, attend all fund raisers rain or shine, unable to participate in judging at shows and the list went on and on......The entire point of me to even JOIN a car club/group was to have fun, not burden my life with mandates, schedules and more rules than the united states senate for Pete sake!! And like you mentioned before, all the political nonsense and status competition within the club, like a bunch of kindergartners with money....KEEP IT, I go to shows on my own free will when I want how I want and vote for WHO I want,......PERIOD!.... they can suck all that nonsense into their intake and blow it out their exhaust!

 

[Mac442]

I always thought it would be cool to be in a car club. Then, I saw all the crap that went along with it (mostly political within the club). THEN, I joined the OCA, once, for a year.... F the OCA. Been to a couple of their car shows, and they suck, too. Just a bunch of old @$$, resto-nerds. No offense, 69hurstolds!

Is the OCA still that bad? I’ve been out of the hobby for years, but I remember about 15 years ago or so it seemed like a soap opera over there.

 

[pontiacgp]

I never have that problem, all my applications to join get declined with a lifetime ban.....I gotta stop using my real name....

 

[69hurstolds]

I always thought it would be cool to be in a car club. Then, I saw all the crap that went along with it (mostly political within the club). THEN, I joined the OCA, once, for a year.... F the OCA. Been to a couple of their car shows, and they suck, too. Just a bunch of old @$$, resto-nerds. No offense, 69hurstolds!

Ptttttth! Aw hell no! I can appreciate mods and resto-mod cars all day long. I have my own preferences about my own cars, but I don't piss in other people's cornflakes because they don't see the car hobby as I do. I know exactly what you speak of with some of those weirdos at the OCA.

I joined the OPC years ago and then they MANDATED that all these sub-Olds chapters had to join the OCA as well. WTF? I reluctantly did, and man, was that a mistake.

IF you can put up with the petty back-biting and other BS, it does have benefits. A lot of good folks with some nice Oldsmobiles show up. Met so many "friends" there. Unfortunately, having to deal with the administrative group ends any and all fun in joining.

Lifetime memberships should be the pinnacle of any and all memberships. By agreeing to it, you've committed yourself to whatever it is the club represents. But lately, this projectile club is becoming more like a po-lit-i-kal group than anything else. And they're broke because they can't manage the funds. If they go under, I'm still keeping my projectile launchers. What's weirder yet is now that I think about it, they keep sending me an annual membership card every year with "Lifetime" member on it. So that's more waste. Send me a gold colored piece of plastic with my name embossed on it as lifetime member with expiration date "NA" and be done with it.

But I guess it is certainly ONE organization you don't want the members to rise up en masse and turn against you. You will likely lose.

 

[Streetbu]

One of the reasons I never joined. I know from just our local snowmobile club, the requests for giving never seem to end. Now multiply that by millions....