No shows - no refund. It is just plain rude not to call.
This is also why I don't accept entries over the phone any more. I have
filled out entries and made up rider cards and packets over the phone and then
had riders just not bother to show up. They have not sent in $$$$ so
just don't bother to call. This means that we have a rider list that
needs to have all copies changed the morning of the ride, plus the time and
trouble to fill out the entry over the phone.
I don't accept faxed entries for the same reason,
unless they are followed up promptly by a mailed-in entry and
check. If the rider doesn't send in the mailed-in entry and check, they
are treated the same as if they just showed up the day before the
ride.
We have a cut off date for a full refund. We also have a "late fee"
which I think is necessary. It is a lot of work for ride management to
enter riders who just show up at the ride to enter and having a late fee
helps cut that number down.
We do it the other way around...discount for prompt
entries, full amount for late ones. Same results. If someone
enters late and thinks maybe I won't remember, too bad, because I keep very
correct tablulation of accounts on Excel, and do a registration print-out of
all those accounts, which include fees owed to us and any refund we owe the
rider. This actually happens on occasion. We do accept
on-site entries; the rider pays full amount and we hand them an entry blank
and a rider card, they fill them out, pay us, and they're good to
go. It's a lot easier than fighting with people who cannot commit, for
one reason or another, to an early entry, and it alleviates any guilt I may
feel for turning them away. This way, they KNOW they have to pay the
full amount (our discount for early entry is $25) and we cannot take the
last-minute time to do their bookwork for them. All I have to do is
remake the rider list the night before the ride, based on any pulls,
cancellations, or last-minute entries. I use a computer database, which
makes this fairly easy. We also don't include a dinner with the entry
and we don't sell meal tickets at registration. They have to pay the
caterer at mealtime, if she has extra food, which she usually does.
If a person shows up at the ride and gets pulled at the preride I would
prefer to give back all of the money, especially if the rider will stay and
volunteer which they often do. A rider spends a lot of money to come to
the ride and to withhold a portion for "office charges" just seems like adding
insult to injury.
We also give full refund for pre-ride pulls, for the
same reason. It's what I would appreciate were it happening to
me.
The bottom line is that you do need to have rules but can ease up on them
on a case by case
basis...................mb
