ceroc membership card

[J-J]

my cards hiding in my room somehwere

what happens if i cant find it before class??

thanks x

[Piglet]

No problems so long as you can remember your name :rofl:

They type your name into their computer and you're in :D

[Twirly]

Think you might have to pay £1 or £2 these days though. At least you do in London. From the Ceroc London newsletter:


£1 charge for LOST OR FORGOTTEN CARDS
It is a requirement of our insurers that all members attending our events are properly registered, ie. we maintain a full record of our members’ details. This assures our public liability insurance is valid in the event of any claim made. Ceroc London Venues all have a swipe card system and every member must present their Ceroc Membership Card to have their details validated. An additional charge of £1 will be added to the entry cost for members who forget their card. If you have lost your card and require a replacement card this also will incur a £1 fee.

[AllanMcC]

I can't remember the last time I was asked for my membership card in Edinburgh.
Allan

[Trousers]

Dont forget the bit where they parade you up and down after they introduce that taxi dancers.

Ohhhhhh the embarrassment!

:devil:

[WittyBird]

Think you might have to pay £1 or £2 these days though. At least you do in London. From the Ceroc London newsletter:

I lost mine ages ago but memorised the number so I just give it verbally now!

No change there then :rolleyes:

[Dreadful Scathe]

Think you might have to pay £1 or £2 these days though. At least you do in London. From the Ceroc London newsletter:


Thats a good scam - if they have to use the keyboard and type your name in they need paid more - difficult work. Im assuming its because the people on the door are incapable of typing and the £1 goes toward the "standby" keyboard operator who is a bit smarter :)

[El Salsero Gringo]

Thats a good scam - if they have to use the keyboard and type your name in they need paid more - difficult work. Im assuming its because the people on the door are incapable of typing and the £1 goes toward the "standby" keyboard operator who is a bit smarter :)Actually, it's a disincentive to people to hold up the lines by making the door person search through the database, either holding up the line, or having to do it afterwards.

It's surprising how long it takes to manually take details from 45 people who all "just forgot their card - it doesn't matter, does it?". It's a real pain in the arse, in fact. Having pay an extra £1 is quite an astonishingly effective aide-memoire, and since nobody forgets any more, nobody has to pay any extra!

[Twirly]

Not so sure about that ESG. The swipey bit on my card doesn't work (hasn't for over 6 months), so they have to enter my card details every week. It's my Ceroc mantra "it doesn't swipe". If it was that much of a pain, why haven't they suggested giving me a new card that works?

[Yogi_Bear]

Hmm, is it normal for venues to have computers at the entry desk these days, then?:innocent:

[DavidY]

At one time there was talk of a national swipe card system but it only seems to have been implemented in some areas. :confused:

What happened to that idea?

At some venues I go to the process seems to consist of them writing down the number from my old (non-swipable) membership card on the official bit of paper. Even where they have a laptop they don't seem to have a swipe reader attached.

[Twirly]

Hmm, is it normal for venues to have computers at the entry desk these days, then?:innocent:

Erm, in London, yes. Sorry - not danced outside London much. Only in Swindon and that was a year ago nearly and can't remember.

[El Salsero Gringo]

Not so sure about that ESG. The swipey bit on my card doesn't work (hasn't for over 6 months), so they have to enter my card details every week. It's my Ceroc mantra "it doesn't swipe". If it was that much of a pain, why haven't they suggested giving me a new card that works?I think that really proves my point about it being related to the actual trouble involved, rather than being simply a dogmatic rule. Since you take along your card the number can be read and typed in with the same effect as swiping - extra time, about 2 seconds. If you don't have a card at all (and don't know your number) then the extra time to track you down by name ('sorry, how do you spell that again? No, I can't see you here ... did you say "U"? oh sorry, "Y" ... And your first name is...?') is about 45 seconds. Which multiplies up to a significant amount of time.

The second thing to consider is that the "£1 extra" rule is a head office thing, and centrally publicised to reduce the stress on the door-staff who are at the blunt end, yet whose individual pleas to members to bring their cards to avoid holding everyone up don't have much effect.

By the way, you can always ask for your card to be replaced, which it should be, for free.

[Twirly]

I see what you mean ESG. I just figure that the card will stop working again so haven't bothered.

[bigdjiver]

my cards hiding in my room somehwere

what happens if i cant find it before class??

thanks x:devil: You say "I'm J-J's twin, and I want to join. You pay a bit extra, but you should get some beginner discount vouchers. This is an especially useful ploy if you fancy one of the Taxi-dancers ...:devil:

[Dreadful Scathe]

Actually, it's a disincentive to people to hold up the lines by making the door person search through the database, either holding up the line, or having to do it afterwards.

It's surprising how long it takes to manually take details from 45 people who all "just forgot their card - it doesn't matter, does it?". It's a real pain in the arse, in fact. Having pay an extra £1 is quite an astonishingly effective aide-memoire, and since nobody forgets any more, nobody has to pay any extra!

Aha a good point, maybe Im just cynical ;) However, why do they need to know who you are at all ? rewards ? then, wheres my loyalty vouchers ? history? then, Wheres the statistics database I can access to see what venues ive been to ? :) whats in it for ME - huh :)

[frodo]

Aha a good point, maybe Im just cynical ;) However, why do they need to know who you are at all ? rewards ? then, wheres my loyalty vouchers ? history? then, Wheres the statistics database I can access to see what venues ive been to ? :) whats in it for ME - huh :)
Actually I think it is more to do with disloyalty vouchers. On a very limited sample size I'd guess that free offers are then most likely to come your way, if you've gone for a 2-3 weeks and stopped coming you start getting offers.

I guess the benefits to the customer probably run to if Ceroc are more profitable they can run more marginal nights.

On the plus side the information could be used for positive things such as to improve the gender balance of venues / nights / help, balance the numbers between nights etc.

Statistics database - thats a really good idea - what I'd really like is to be able to access move details of all classes I've been too.

[Minnie M]

I've got a really old card - how do I get it updated ? Or can I still use it ??

[Twirly]

On the plus side the information could be used for positive things such as to improve the gender balance of venues / nights / help, balance the numbers between nights etc.


How would they do that then?

[El Salsero Gringo]

I've got a really old card - how do I get it updated ? Or can I still use it ??If it has a magnetic stripe on the back (and a number ending in X on the front) then it's fine. If not, you should be able to exchange it for free at any Ceroc venue.

How would they do that then?I think he means by sending free offers to women for venues that have extra men, for example, and free offers to both men and women to bump up the numbers for quieter evenings. Fairly standard stuff.

[Twirly]

I think he means by sending free offers to women for venues that have extra men, for example, and free offers to both men and women to bump up the numbers for quieter evenings. Fairly standard stuff.

Can't see that working where I dance - one week you can have 10 spare men, the following 10 spare women. Though if it was a regular feature of a venue it would.

[Russell Saxby]

Actually, it's a disincentive to people to hold up the lines by making the door person search through the database, either holding up the line, or having to do it afterwards.

It's surprising how long it takes to manually take details from 45 people who all "just forgot their card - it doesn't matter, does it?". It's a real pain in the arse, in fact. Having pay an extra £1 is quite an astonishingly effective aide-memoire, and since nobody forgets any more, nobody has to pay any extra!

:yeah:

[El Salsero Gringo]

Can't see that working where I dance - one week you can have 10 spare men, the following 10 spare women. Though if it was a regular feature of a venue it would.I don't know any venues that actually do that - I think Frodo was just suppothesising.

[frodo]

I don't know any venues that actually do that - I think Frodo was just suppothesising.
Yeah ( I think ).


Can't see that working where I dance - one week you can have 10 spare men, the following 10 spare women. Though if it was a regular feature of a venue it would.

Sounds reasonable - strange now you mention it why some venues jump around and others maintain a stable imbalance.

Selective marketing from a database does give some advantages, over global offers; hopefully it is easier to experiment on a small scale so overshooting is less likely.

[bigdjiver]

... Sounds reasonable - strange now you mention it why some venues jump around and others maintain a stable imbalance..Ceroc thrives because of the "bring a buddy" syndrome, which includes buddies from the same shift. There can be other fortnightly influences, like midweek soccer, or wifey goes out one week, hubby the next.

The stable imbalance is likely to be because there is a balance between the tendency for men to come if there are more women, and for the women not to be detered if there less men. If that is the case any attempts to fix the situation by special offers is doomed to only partial and temporary success, and runs the risk of coinciding with the self correcting actions of the customers. If a periodicity can be detected in the imbalance then corrective action on particular weeks could be considered.


Selective marketing from a database does give some advantages, over global offers; hopefully it is easier to experiment on a small scale so overshooting is less likelyMarketing that is not selective is wasteful. Marketing that is not assessed is partly wasted.

[TA Guy]

I prefer my franchises attitude which was as soon as they split from Ceroc, to dump the membership card.
Quicker to get in, no chance of a surcharge of £1, No card to bother to remember... just better all round.

Apparently we have the *premium* Public Liability Insurance that doesn't require a membership card. LOL.

[Dynamo]

Ceroc thrives because of the "bring a buddy" syndrome,...

The stable imbalance is likely to be because there is a balance between the tendency for men to come if there are more women, and for the women not to be detered if there less men. If that is the case any attempts to fix the situation by special offers is doomed to only partial and temporary success, and runs the risk of coinciding with the self correcting actions of the customers. If a periodicity can be detected in the imbalance then corrective action on particular weeks could be considered.



:yeah: :yeah:

A local independant which attracts a slightly different crowd exhibits very much this balancing thing over the weeks.
Ladies over attact men or detract ladies, and low numbers give space which then draws more back in.

Word of mouth and the law of averages seems to be the source as marketing to customers does not exist there.

A micro-cosm but the balancing certainly has a natural element to it.

[foxylady]

I've got a really old card - how do I get it updated ? Or can I still use it ??

I was allowed to keep my very old card (from Busby club days) as a souvenier, but my interim card (which wasn't quite as old) had to be exchanged for a new swipeable one - they insisted... I guess it depends which ceroc (tm) venues you visit how strict they are....


FL

[David Bailey]

Sounds reasonable - strange now you mention it why some venues jump around and others maintain a stable imbalance.
Typically, if there are men over, the word goes out through the secret Woman's Network, then hundreds more women descend the next week. In addition, some of the men over don't bother to come because they don't like men over.

So then the following week, there are lots of women over, and the process is reversed...


I prefer my franchises attitude which was as soon as they split from Ceroc, to dump the membership card.
Quicker to get in, no chance of a surcharge of £1, No card to bother to remember... just better all round.
There are some user benefits to a membership-based organisation, at least in theory - for example, you can communicate with the membership (e.g. if a venue is closed you can tell people in advance), or you can control membership to monitor / remove undesirables - e.g. pervs - globally.

The latter is not followed much, but the former is.

[El Salsero Gringo]

Typically, if there are men over, the word goes out through the secret Woman's Network, then hundreds more women descend the next week. In addition, some of the men over don't bother to come because they don't like men over.

So then the following week, there are lots of women over, and the process is reversed...


There are some user benefits to a membership-based organisation, at least in theory - for example, you can communicate with the membership (e.g. if a venue is closed you can tell people in advance), or you can control membership to monitor / remove undesirables - e.g. pervs - globally.

The latter is not followed much, but the former is.Isn't doing 'the latter' what the 'secret Woman's Network' is for?

[David Bailey]

Isn't doing 'the latter' what the 'secret Woman's Network' is for?
So, you're saying that membership cards are pointless then? :innocent:

[El Salsero Gringo]

So, you're saying that membership cards are pointless then? :innocent:mmm mfffff mmmm hmfff!

[David Bailey]

mmm mfffff mmmm hmfff!
Huh, some people will post anything just to get their tally to 4,000... :rolleyes:

[El Salsero Gringo]

Huh, some people will post anything just to get their tally to 4,000... :rolleyes:Hadn't even noticed.

[Dreadful Scathe]

Hadn't even noticed.
Yet DJ did. Says a lot about his motivation :)

[David Bailey]

Yet DJ did. Says a lot about his motivation :)

All those zeroes just drew me in I suppose... :innocent:

[Dorothy]

I prefer my franchises attitude which was as soon as they split from Ceroc, to dump the membership card.
Quicker to get in, no chance of a surcharge of £1, No card to bother to remember... just better all round.

I agree with that :yeah:
I have enough dificulty remembering my specs & car keys never mind a membership card.

[J-J]

lmao at the twin idea ;)

hee hee i found it after all was under a book - duuuuuh

but wow look what i started hahaha:yeah:

[TA Guy]

There are some user benefits to a membership-based organisation, at least in theory - for example, you can communicate with the membership (e.g. if a venue is closed you can tell people in advance), or you can control membership to monitor / remove undesirables - e.g. pervs - globally.

The latter is not followed much, but the former is.

The former does not require a card, it just requires a name and address.
The latter, maybe, the card doesn't have a photo, so face recognition is still more important I'd have thought.

The only thing cards are useful for really is tracking. I don't know if Ceroc actually uses that tracking information in an intelligent way with customers communications. Certainly I've never received squat :) Some might say that was 'intelligent use' :)

[El Salsero Gringo]

The former does not require a card, it just requires a name and address.
The latter, maybe, the card doesn't have a photo, so face recognition is still more important I'd have thought.

The only thing cards are useful for really is tracking. I don't know if Ceroc actually uses that tracking information in an intelligent way with customers communications. Certainly I've never received squat :) Some might say that was 'intelligent use' :)Swipe-cards are just a faster way of asking for a name and matching it to the database of members.

[Stuart M]

:devil: You say "I'm J-J's twin, and I want to join. You pay a bit extra, but you should get some beginner discount vouchers. This is an especially useful ploy if you fancy one of the Taxi-dancers ...:devil:
The "I fancy the taxi-dancer" scam is too well-known at JJ's - it'd never work.

[bigdjiver]

Swipe-cards are just a faster way of asking for a name and matching it to the database of members.and a much more reliable way of getting the number right.

[Lou]

Swipe-cards are just a faster way of asking for a name and matching it to the database of members.

Bloody pedantic stubborn doorstaff.... :rolleyes:

[El Salsero Gringo]

Bloody pedantic stubborn doorstaff.... :rolleyes:Who the f*** is "Lou X"? Are you Malcolm X's sister, or something? You don't look a lot like him.

[Lou]

Who the f*** is "Lou X"? Are you Malcolm X's sister, or something? You don't look a lot like him.

Don't be silly! It's my married name. :rolleyes: