MY COMPLAINT LETTER FOR BREAKFAST AMMOUNT INCREASE

Dear Mr Burton,

You have made a really, really bad move, and one that quite frankly has left me and I am sure many other customers offended.

We are not going to an evening meal here, I think this was short-sighted to announce it like this.

Don’t take your cut from the breakfast cost, increase the membership, this is now just bloody inconvenient for attending the events on the day. 

To compare it to the increases in a big mac, when that is food related, but this increase is not food related (£10 for a breakfast is terrible inflated anyway) this is your cut related which is just sad that you are not confident in the value of your service to put up your membership price.

Let me explore the examples further:

Fuel –Tax, Environmental and supply related – let’s face it networking groups are not in short supply, or damaging to the environment, or an easy way for the government to make a lot of money by heavily taxing – CRAP example

Fish and Chip’s –again supply related due to the depreciating stock of cod – Again there are plenty of supply for networking groups – CRAP example

Pint of Larger– Social and tax related – Government clamp down on antisocial behaviour has help the price rise and well as alcohol being a product that is heavily taxed due to its heath related bi-products. – CRAP example.

Big Mac –Quality related – since the super-size me documentary and other health enquiries MacDonald’s are now sourcing more premium cut of British meet instead of flying in the crap from the USA – Not sure you had that problem? – CRAP example.

As a final passing shot -King Canute was obviously mental and did not make a dent in holding back the sea, I think this was the most truthful thing you email said, as it highlights that you only referred to a mental mythological king for advice and even he disagreed with you, but once again was unable to hold you back.

I would have thought that as a marketing man you would have engaged your brain on this decision, or (now hold your breath for my big recommendation) ASK YOUR CUSTOMERS BEFOR MAKING DECISIONS THAT WILL EFFECT THEM.

I agree that prices should go up, but it feels like an old school Gordon Brown stealth tax, that I hope falls flat on your face.

Don’t treat us like idiots, or we will have to send emails such as this point out your own idiotism.

Regards

Richard Woods

www.yomp.biz

Not sure why you would expect 4N to ask us if we wanted the price of a breakfast to go up? I can think of a single business or organisation that seeks the permission of its clients to put prices up.

I've been hanging around 4N for 3+ years and I have never seen the price of a breakfast go up and now it has £2 is not exactly a lot. To be honest, it is also no big shock that prices needed to go up sooner or later.

£12 still gives me a great breakfast (the Bunch of Grapes in Pontypridd has awesome food), I get to network with 30+ people and I get to generate leads

Hi Richard,

Hardly a "stealth tax" as there is nothing secret about it, far from it, it was Emailed to every member. I also don't see how it is inconvenient, you have always had to bring cash to a 4N meet, now you have to bring a different amount.

As for discussing it with members, it was discussed here on the forum several times over the last few years plus 4N have, as they always do, taken counsel from the Regional Leaders in each region before announcing the rise.

It was never going to be universally popular, price rises never are. As for the examples being CRAP, they are examples of other price rises, they are not intended to suggest that the 4N business has the same challenges as other sectors. Whatever the reason, the price of those products has increased over the years, and now so has the 4N breakfast meeting fee.

One of the things that I do still love about 4N is that your point of view is welcome here. Nobody is treating anyone as idiots, a business decision was made and it was communicated to the members.

Hi Richard,

Personally I think your post is a little unreasonable.

The simple fact is the cost of breakfast is increasing. I've recently launched a group at Media City and had a tough time finding a venue that would feed us for less than a tenner.

As far as I know (someone can correct me) whatever is left over after the food is paid for goes to the AL, small remuneration for the effort they put in to manage four groups.

It’s a bit of a pain having to pay with some change, the £10 made it simple but stuff changes.

Just my 2p.

Lee

Like Carl says, businesses do not need to seek the permission of their customers before they put up their prices. 4N is not a members club owned by and run for the members - it is a business and is here to make money like the rest of us

I did the Ops role for Cheltenham and then Glocuester for around 18 months in total, so wish the current Ops Assistants around the country lots of luck as people are bound to turn up with either just a tenner or with no change!

A £2 increase is less than an overpriced coffee at a trendy coffee shop.

Answer is, have another coffee whilst at 4N..... 

Life is bloody hard enough already....plus the change can come from the fine pot...

Problem solved. 

I'm here all week.

Hi Richard,

As a regular attendee of Bracknell - you know the difficulty I have had in finding venues which can supply breakfasts for under £10. The 2 groups you regularly attend actually have little or no margin on a breakfast. If each of those venues put the price up, 4N would have to move away from both (unless the price rises to £12).

You said, and agreed that prices would have to go up, how, using your marketing skills would you inform everyone about the increase ?

Graham

My understanding is that you pay to attend a networking event and that the breakfast is incidental.....

Just as an aside - finding a venue was bloody hard for under £10 when I was an AL last year so im guessing it's got worse since then. Whilst £12 is a bit annoying with change and all that jazz I can see why it was done.

Card payments would make this all much easier - with prepaid cards to pay for the venue.

I know its an old query but ......  how about introducing an online advance payment option - that would make the cash issue easier. Give each AL a prepay debit card to pay the venues.

Snap

Seriously? It's £2! Increasing it to £15 would have made payments easier (no coins just notes) but other than that it's seems very reasonable.

4N is a business not a charity, I've put my prices up a few times since joining why shouldn't 4N do the same?

The subject has come up on the forum at least once in the last six months. As I recall, most people were sympathetic to the likely need for the meeting fees to rise - they'd rather retain quality rather than have to move downmarket. Pressure from the venues to raise costs has been creating problems for some of the ALs and that means that something has to give. Whilst no one ever really welcomes price rises I'd have thought that anyone running a business will understand why it's necessary from time to time. In fact, I'd have thought that many people would have anticipated it sooner or later. Yes, the need for change will be a bit annoying. Card payments would be a bit improvement, but that subject has been well covered on here too.

As much as any increase is annoying, surely an extra £2 every fortnight would make a very insignificant dent in your overall marketing budget.

Richard - I see you've been a member for nearly a year but have only used the FREE forum to post twice.
Doesn't look like you're utilising the FREE marketing avenues supplied by 4N, at NO COST, very well, wouldn't you say?

I dont think a £2 increase over a 6 year period is bad, as for it being a stealth tax just can’t get my head around that?

A breakfast in the services on the motorway will set you back nearly £10 by the time you add a coffee into the cost. And from the meetings I have attended the quality is much better at the meetings.

The other fact to remember is you don’t just have to pay for the cost of your breakfast, other cost must be incurred also like venue hire, production of materials such as place names etc. And let’s not all forget at the end of the day 4 networking is a business, granted it is out there to help all of us, but it still needs to stand up on its own two feet to make a profit, and give the shareholders a return on their investment regardless of if it time or money. Would you continue to run your business without making a profit and watch your margins being eroded by increased external cost?