Does anyone actually pay to go to a Ceroc London Class?

[cerebus636]

Okay, now I'm pissed.

I thought I would try out the Jive Bar on a Monday, for no other reason than I was in London and it would be easy for me to get to.

Whilst the night was generally Okay, I wasn't overwhelemed, perhaps not even whelmed. Let's put it this way, better than Ashtons, not a patch on Fulham or the Hippodrome.

I digress, the reason I'm pissed is that I paid full price to get in. "What's the big deal?" you might say, well, it was mentioned to me on the night by a firend that she had got in for free and that she had been sent several free entry passes. It turns out, another friend of hers had as well.

After asking around, it appears that a lot of people have been getting free passess to Ceroc venues over December and January. Now, I've mentioned the free ticket thing before, but then I had been sent a free pass on a membership ID that I hadn't been using, the theory being that I would then use it and Ceroc would know I was still an active member.

This is different.

I only canvassed a few people, but this is what I found:

One friend has received free tickets amounting to 28 free nights in Dec and Jan. I'm pretty certain he can't get to all those free nights, unless it's the lesson in one and then across town for freestyle in another.

For the grand total of three people I spoke to (one male two female), who have been getting free passes, they got on average 18 free passes over December and Januaray. (The actual breakdown was 28, 10, 16. Average = 18)

Here's the thing, if we estimate that Ceroc London has perhaps 20,000 active members on their database (I have no idea what the actual number is, it could be more it could be less), then we could make a quick assumption that for each person on that list, Ceroc are sending out 18 free passes. So that would be 18 x 20,000 = 360,000 free passes.

Well, we know that isn't really the case, because I didn't get any, so let's assume that only one person in five is getting the free passes, that makes it 72,000 free passes over the last two months that have been sent out.

If we bring it down to January, then 36,000 free nights have been given out and I'm pissed because I've been paying.

How many nights are there in a week in London? 10, 12, 15, 20?

If its 20 in a week that would be 80 classes in a month and 36,000 / 80 = 450 free passes, per venue, PER NIGHT!!! For crying out load.

We can play with the numbers all we want and it is still unbelievable. Half the assumed number of members on the database to 10,000 and it's still 225 free passes, per venue per night. If we assume 10,000 members and 40 classes a week in London, then we still only bring the number down to 112 free passes, per venue, per night.

Halve the database numbers again to 5,000 and it is still 66 free passes per night. How many people go to the London venue you go to? That would mean half of the dancers at Ashtons or Fulham wouldn't be paying, everyone twice over at O2 ;-)

So, other than me, is ANYONE actually paying to attend a Ceroc London night anywhere in the month of January?

Is this a good marketing tool? Or is it for other reasons?

If it's a good marketing tool, then it's really pissed me off as I resent paying £8 a night when large numbers of others pay nothing. If they are doing this for other reasons then what can those reasons possibly be? There is only Jive Nation and Jango in Central London and they aren't exactly a big threat to Ceroc are they?

Am I being paranoid? Should I hold back on the caffeine?

My final thought is that the members of this forum, as we know, are not representative of the general Ceroc going population, so we may not necessarily fall into the targeted demographic for the free passes. However, it would still be interesting to know just how many of the forum members are getting free passes, just to see how pissed off I should be (as well as all other member who are not getting freebies)

PS. I think my Math is correct, but someone please check ;-)

[TheTramp]

Does anyone pay for garlic bread at pizza hut?

I recently got a postcard through my door, offering me free garlic bread with my next order from pizza hut. I imagine that loads of other people did as well.

I hope you did too Cerebus, else I'm going to have just pissed you off again! I'm sooooo sorry

(Anyone else get any free offers recently that we can tell Cerebus about?)

[drathzel]

all my new members get their first night free

[FirstMove]

In my experience, Ceroc London send a reduced price voucher to a venue just after you've visited it for the first time, so long as you don't go back the next week.

About 3 months after your last visit to any London venue, they start sending free entry tickets. These stop arriving if you actually go, or after about a month.

Your friends just aren't dancing enough

Having multiple membership cards may allow you to do better

[Northants Girly]

Why don't you just register yourself with Ceroc London and then next time they give out freebies you'll be on the list too

[MartinHarper]

Is this a good marketing tool? Or is it for other reasons?

It's a cunning ploy whereby Ceroc London loses all its money and goes out of business, but manages to slightly irritate you in the process.

[Yogi_Bear]

Sure, I've had a couple of free passes, I could have danced at Ceroc London five nights a week for two weeks at as many different venues as I could have managed, but the drawback is that I live near Norwich, so obviously the economics only make sense if I have been in London for other reaosns anyway, which I have been (twice). Hence my reports from Fulham and Ashton's. It's fun to go to a new venue and be asked "Have you been before?"

[JiveLad]

I paid at the JiveBar in London on Monday and at Ashtons last night (with that Intermediate lesson I think I would like my money back, but that's another story).


Never had a free ticket. Best deal was St. Albans where you could buy 10 tickets up front for £50. I think they stopped doing that (I'll check tonite).

The interesting thing at the JiveBar was that they wanted to me to complete a form because they said my Ceroc card showed I wasn't on the 'database'. I said something like "I think you'll find it is"...........whatever, bottom line you have an interesting point, which is about the marketing and management of the customers (ie us). This is something that in my opinion, Ceroc do incredibly, poorly (both centrally and by franchise).

Just one look at the typical Ceroc web site makes you want to laugh (or cry) - it's a bit like something out of the 1970s done on a shoestring with an elastic band. (I vaguely remember a thread about this, so I won't continue).

[Dan Hudson]

I thikn its called somnething like.... ummmm


Marketing??

[Icey]

In my experience, Ceroc London send a reduced price voucher to a venue just after you've visited it for the first time, so long as you don't go back the next week.

About 3 months after your last visit to any London venue, they start sending free entry tickets. These stop arriving if you actually go, or after about a month.

I'd agree with this, I still get the odd free night offer for various venues that I've only visited once. The problem is that I now live further away and I'm studying faaaar to hard mid week to go anywhere

[Dreadful Scathe]

Okay, now I'm pissed.

Well if you're pissed at the beginning of typing a post, I'm hardly going to bother reading your probably incoherent ramblings am i ?

[Beowulf]

How many nights are there in a week in London? 10, 12, 15, 20?

Ah! no wonder London is such a busy place.. they have longer weeks !! And here was me thinking they have 7 day weeks like everyone else

I'm registered with Ceroc London (yeah I know.. long story) and I've never had any freebies. But then I'm rarely dancing in London. Have been registered with Ceroc Scotland since 2003 and had no freebies there either. Can't say I'm really bothered to be honest, it's the norm for everyone to pay up here (us tight fisted Scots you see ) Only people I know off that get freebies are the taxi dancers (or is it just cheaper entry? Not being a Taxi I don't know)

[Twirly]

Interesting. I got a couple of freebies when I first started dancing at Clapham, but this theory

In my experience, Ceroc London send a reduced price voucher to a venue just after you've visited it for the first time, so long as you don't go back the next week.

About 3 months after your last visit to any London venue, they start sending free entry tickets. These stop arriving if you actually go, or after about a month.

doesn’t work, as I’d been going for at least 4-6 weeks regularly when they turned up. I've been to other venues occasionally (Fulham, ISH, East Putney) but nothing.

I did get a free pass last week for Bow, which isn’t a lot of use as I can’t get home from there on public transport with any ease – I do go to Greenwich occasionally, which is obviously why I’m on their mailing list, but a freebie for there would have been much more useful. Particularly as I’ve just recruited three new “addicts” for that particular franchise

[Twirly]

I did get a free pass last week for Bow, which isn’t a lot of use as I can’t get home from there on public transport with any ease – I do go to Greenwich occasionally, which is obviously why I’m on their mailing list, but a freebie for there would have been much more useful. Particularly as I’ve just recruited three new “addicts” for that particular franchise

Well, it took a while for the message to get through, but I just received a free pass for both Bow and Greenwich for classes for the whole of April

And a good investment it was on their part too. Not only do they get me back as a dancer, but because I said that's where I wanted to go tonight, I've persuaded at least 4 other people to go along as well. So a free pass well invested I'd say

[Steven666]

Having multiple membership cards may allow you to do better

I've had 4.

3 went very AWOL...

[Brian Doolan]

(Anyone else get any free offers recently that we can tell Cerebus about?)

I'm a sex instructor and my first lesson is always free

[straycat]

I'm a sex instructor and my first lesson is always free

Is that the one which focusses on 'techniques for recognising truly awful chatup lines, and the best ways to keep clear of people who use them'?

[Brian Doolan]

Is that the one which focuses on 'techniques for recognising truly awful chatup lines, and the best ways to keep clear of people who use them'?

That's the very one! you use it as well then?

[CJ]

U could always ask Simon Borland to start a night close to where U are... that usually results in lots of freebies...

[stewart38]

Why don't you just register yourself with Ceroc London and then next time they give out freebies you'll be on the list too

I get 1/2 a year max for london. wouldnt make one bit of difference if I attended or not, with the travel etc

Im sure it is random and good marketing tool


Now if everyone was going free and I wasn't