RA Rewards? To Cancel, or Not to Cancel, that is the Question

[Guest]

[sketchqueen]

I've been completely stressed out about the Rewards program - basically since we started it a year and a half ago, but it was my baby and as such I've tried to make adjustments where needed to keep the program 'for the collectors'. But lately, the number of dealers(thankfully none here!) trying to work around the rules is getting out of hand. I spend too many hours each week making phone calls, sending emails, trying to be as polite as possible only to be handed a plate of "Woe is me!" from dealers who fully believe we owe them something (other than making a superior product, releasing it on time, without redemptions, providing free incentives, free sell sheets, free promo cards, a single point of contact for all their needs (ie, Sales Rep), etc.

The suggestion has been made that we cancel the program - I'm spending way too much time and energy and I honestly believe now that the collectors are not seeing the benefit of it.

I realize that not a lot of players here participate in the program - but I need feedback (and I can't post on Card Talk because several of the dealers there are offenders ...)

Feedback please! Positive or negative but tell me something ....

 

[Roz]

This is definitely a difficult one, especially as I am saving up for this scheme myself , but for a moment I will step aside from my own saving (and send in my spare wrappers to you post haste )

I suppose part of the problem for many collectors is the sheer volume of wrappers needed to participate in the program. Even a Rittenhouse Archives tee-shirt is 6 and a quarter boxes of wrappers... (hmm that's not so bad as I thought ). I would say many RA set collecters (totally in my experience and not 100% fact) tend to buy only a handful of boxes, and then purchase the rest of the set on ebay, which leaves them with relatively few wrappers to participate in the scheme.

There is no particular problem with this - look at Anna and John in the SS forum who are probably wading in wrappers right now, if they were RA wrappers they would have no problem as bona fide collectors participating in your programme.

It's an obvious temptation for dealers who have wrappers coming out of their ears to want to send them off, and in a tough market with a good deal of competition and (in many cases) no other way to get the Reward sketches/autos I can see (but certainly do not agree with their actions) on this predicament.

My heart and selfishness says "keep it going", but my brain does admit it's very very complicated to run and to run FOR THE COLLECTORS only. Do you have enough time in the working day to keep running it? Or are you totally flooded? In the immortal words of Elessar -I must ask What does your heart tell you?

P.S. Seems a shame to waste all Robert's good code on the website and not use it for the scheme he hee - playing  advocate here!

[sketchqueen]

My heart tells me to quit work entirely and become a stay at home mom But I can't do that realistically ...

That's an entirely different struggle 

[Sharon]

Selfish plea time - Please don't stop 

Roz is correct about the amount of boxes bought, which means we currently have a big pile waiting to be sent in, but not enough to actually get anything we want.

But if you do have to stop me and bruv will understand, it is a lot of work and if people are misusing it.......

But if it helps it was / is a really good idea    (maybe you could tweek it a little, perhaps box lids instead of individual wrappers?)

[sketchqueen]

Well, truth be told - even if I stop, it wouldn't be for a while - the wrappers for the next few sets are already printed and have points on them so you're safe ... for a while.

One dealer did 'confess' after being shown proof contradicting her statements and she said that she felt she had the right to do whatever was necessary to make money. And, can I blame her in today's economy? Yah, I can

[Eve]

.

[sketchqueen]

As I said above, the program wouldn't end for a while. Honest collectors would have time to be able to redeem (we'd probably do something where being honest finally paid off!)


Regardless, no decision has been made - I just wanted to know if other people were as bothered by this as I am - and, apparantly, not. )

[Sharon]

Regardless, no decision has been made - I just wanted to know if other people were as bothered by this as I am - and, apparantly, not. )

Me and Bogleg care    (remind me to tell him off for picking that id  )

[sketchqueen]

Bogleg, huh? Well, there's GOT to be a story behind that one

 

[Bogleg]

Bogleg, huh? Well, there's GOT to be a story behind that one

 

If I ever get to meet you,I'll tell  Robert's been to Birmingham.It's got to be your turn for a UK visit 

[sketchqueen]

You know somehow, I don't see Robert giving up his place (he is the Vice-President of Operations and I'm just the CS Manager) AND stay home with both kids so I can go overseas for a vacation, er, I meant to say "Work" trip Now mind you, when he had to leave on Thanksgiving for his trip, I wasn't exactly silent about it either ...

[RupT]

I personally have only ever bought 2 or 3 boxes of RA products... the rest is from the odd pack here and there!! It does actually bother me that a number of dealers do this. Dealers should give the wrappers away as incentives to collectors... thats what they're there for. Even if they sold them to collectors, they would make a bit of dosh and collectors would be happy (well some of them anyway)

I currently have just over 200 points (not alot you can see) but i would like the opportunity (given time) to get to at least 300 points (hehe - theres an item at 300 i wouldn't mind getting) so yeah it annoys me that dealers create way more work for our beloved sketchqueen than is necessary...

So IMHO, carry it on... but introduce far stricter rules perhaps? But then you honeslty can't blame them for trying it on either!!

whatever you do, don't quite and become a stay-home mom.... we'd miss you too much!!

[sketchqueen]

I have added rules and regulations continuously over the last year - the last rule I had to implement was limiting everyone to one unique item per collector - it becomes painfully onecessary when one "collector" was redeeming huge amount of wrappers (the exact maximum without receipt for every single product) and only ever asks for the same item over and over and over again, that maybe he's not doing this for himself.

Now, having said that, I am aware of a, for lack of better word, coalition of collectors in Spain who work through one person - he submits all the wrappers for the group and perfoms all the redemptions - but he flat out told me (and I know from experience that this is truth) before he even started sending in wrapper #1, so again, honesty wins and gains my respect Plus, I kind of like the idea of a group of people in Spain sitting down over coffee, opening boxes and chatting - that's the kind of community I'd like to be apart of

Ah, I don't know anymore - maybe I take things too personally. Maybe I'm too grumpy some days. Maybe I need to start focusing on the other aspects of my job - the ahem, less stressful?, ones - customer relations and promotions.

I do need to come up with a new contest for COLLECTORS to get something - don't know what just yet, but I can't do the essay thing, or the photo thing again. And we did a questionaiire type thing too before. I did have one idea, but it was 100% Trek related, but maybe I can expand it to include other properties ... hmm.... must think about this now while I start some laundry ...

[Roz]

Oh yes, I didn't realise you had a rule of one unique item per collector (*mental note, ought to fully read rules now I am actually participating *), but no Collector would really need two. So that's a very reasonable rule and most collectors would never really come across it.

Plus, I kind of like the idea of a group of people in Spain sitting down over coffee, opening boxes and chatting - that's the kind of community I'd like to be apart of

This is Spain we are talking about here.... are you sure this would be coffee and not something a tad stronger??

Hmm the competition is a tough one, you haven't had a drawing competition which could be hilarious, but in a way you might alienate people like me who are scared of drawing (then again I am sure there are people who are a) scared of showing their picture or b) frightened of writing a 100 word essay (lol maybe calling it an essay was a bit too much really - a paragraph might have scared people less ), so drawing may be no different to that

I was wondering about a "design you own RA card" competition, but come to think of it you don't want to be encouraging that sort of thing

What about - design and produce your own costume card (of yourself)? As a marshland researcher I'd love to send you a swatch cut from my wellie boots ha hee! (nose pegs at the ready when opening the post).

Orrrrrrrrrrrr what about 100 words on "what license (or revival of old Rittenhouse license) should RA make a set from next and why?"

There's so much fun to be had Joanna