A matter for the committee to take up!

[INNOVATOR]

anxious, I understand your friend has resolved the problem. If & when it hsappened, it should not have, at least in such a degree. My offer to you & your friend is not to solve the problem as it is already resolved; but to get an apology to your friend. I am not acting on behalf of the club, but since the bigwigs are friends of mine, we can get to the bottom of this.

As for club membership. I rather the club have 50 good members than 2000 lousy members. Any official club member disagree? Since you are so disgusted with this club; I assume that you, and anybody that is linked to you would be dropping out from this forum, too. Once again, it is better for the club committee and forum moderators to administer to official members. Those who are not official members, but are still on the forum; should consider themselves as very fortunate and previlidged. And because of this openeness and friendliness of this club; more are becoming official members.

Thank you for pointing out the club from Singapore. The Malaysian club can definitely learn from it and from all the other clubs around the world, including non- BMW clubs, too. As BCM is still young; it is on a learning curve. I have not heard any committee member say that this is a better club than Singapore's or the best in the world.

As you can see, I am not the owner of this club, neither am I on the committee. I don't know 3/4 of the committee members and most of the official members and unofficial members. But I will speak out if something is not altogether quite right, and will stand to be corrected if I have done something wrong.

HAVE A SUPER FANTASTIC DAY!!!

 

[Juan Powerblow]

I guess it's only reasonable for the Club to set parameters on what they can do and what they can't. If the focus is only on the needs of official members, then fine. But, there will be many occassions when the interest of official and non-official members aligns. This is expected since ALL of us are BMW enthusiasts. The Committee must be prepared for this. Just a word of friendly advise, don't flame me, k!

I appreciate that the real issue highlighted by Anxious i.e. there may be a policy shift in how Service Inclusive Plan (SIP) is being administered is one which concerns both official and non-official members. I feel that the Club should have verified this before being so summarily dismissive. Instead, it was Anxious who thought this through properly and started another thread to check and obtain feedback from other forumers, official or otherwise. The Committee would have acted smartly if they took this initiative. Maybe, they or their friends should have thought of this before being so quick to shoot away.

We are being too unduly abrasive to non-official members and that saddens me cos I have noted it has happened time and time again. We can't use that "official" vs "non-official" card so often till it causes ppl to see no value in joining the Club. If this happens, then as Anxious quite rightly pointed out, there goes the feedstock that the Club needs to grow.

Innovator, no offence, but a bmw club or forum with only 50 or 130 official members is not something to be proud of. It can do so much less than a club with a much larger base.

I donno if the Club's bigwigs or their "friends" still consider me a friend after saying this but whether they are paid or not, doesn't entitle them to be less than courteous. In fact, being courteous certainly goes the extra mile in helping the Club grow.

I had reservations when I paid up to be an official member. I only did so cos I love BMW and appreciate what a strong BMW Club can do to enhance ownership experience. It was a leap of faith. There are others who also have reservations and decided to see the "value-add" before signing up. There's nothing wrong with that too. So, the challenge lies on the Club to show its potential to "value-add". Has that happened? Sadly, I'm not convinced (yet) and would advise that a good step forward would be for the Club's executives and their friends to show less arrogance and more courtesy and respect for others.

 

[XXX]

Yes the issue highlighted by Anxious is very good , JPB look through the forum everybody here is trying to help everybody with problems, was there any body that we never tried to help? In this particular case things got blown out of proportion because of how it was worded.....we are in a predicament also as we now have paying members and have to look out for their interest so definetely how we treat non members and members have to be different otherwise there is no "value-add". Dun worry I still your friend except when in the bowling alley.

 

[ALBundy]

I believe Anxious should have started that thread to gauge the seriousness of the SIP problem before he asked the committee to raise the matter with BMW. That being said, as I have mentioned earlier it DOESN'T make any sense for the committee to raise this matter to BMW without knowing the particulars of the person whom made the complaint. In this case, the person whom was affected did not actually raise the matter in this forum but rather it was her friend that insisted he post the matter on this forum and seek the club's committee to raise it to BMW. For the record, she is not even a forum member of this club.

While I believe the club should bring up matters concerning the interest of the club's members, they should also verify whether the incident is something that occurs with an alarming frequency or rather something that happens once in a blue moon.

I have noticed in some forums (motortrader for example), the moderator would insist the details of the incident be sent to him via PM, otherwise the thread would be locked. I have done the same to joinh (which complained of the late delivery from Sapura Auto), of which a PM has been sent to me with some particulars of the SA and etc, which I then brought it up to Sapura Auto.

Until now, there is no mention of Anxious's lady friend's particular details.

 

[David Yong]

Until now, there is no mention of Anxious's lady friend's particular details.

Hehehehe.... bro Albundy is very interested to know this lady larrr.... :21:

 

[XXX]

DY

....whats new..

 

[ALBundy]

Hehehehe.... bro Albundy is very interested to know this lady larrr.... :21:

Interested to know for the righteous reasons!!:thefinger:

 

[Juan Powerblow]

Hehehehe.... bro Albundy is very interested to know this lady larrr.... :21:

Hahahaha!!

XXX, I'll have a chat with you off forum rather than ding-dong here.

 

[QD250]

To Anxious,

as i said earlier, join the club and make a difference bro. It's better to make changes from inside than from outside.

to my official BMWCM,

let's be courteous to the non-members so that we'll have more members. As JPB/Innovator mentioned; there is stength in numbers.

to the non-BMWCM,

do understand that the committee is also under pressure to represent members, much less non-members.

Finally,

SELAMAT HARI RAYA! MAAF ZAHIR BATIN....

 

[Daredevil]

A lot has been spoken. Valid comments heard and slanderous criticisms put aside. It's true that BMWCM is indeed an infant as compared to many established car clubs out there. But rest assured the existing office bearers are trying their absolute best to attend to all requirements be it minor or major. We do not cast a dark shadow over forum members who are still evaluating the potential of this club and contemplating becoming an official member to enjoy the privileges and benefits.

Having said that, Mr Anxious, from a forumer's point of view, I think your friend's incident is an isolated case which deserve no less attention from the relevant parties. In this case, the dealer who sold her that car. As an office bearer constantly striving for ways to garner more benefits to differentiate regular and official members, our hands are tied. The committee members, Official members and regular members of BMWCM are considered brand ambassadors of the prestigious roundel. As a group, we add value to the brand when it comes to marketing efforts which in turns generate unprecedented publicity (hopefully favourable ones) for the brand.

BMW Dealers such as AB, Sapura Auto etc are the cash cows of BMW Malaysia. Putting AP & Grey importers aside, without them, BMW Malaysia may be swatting flies and counting sheeps waiting for their more aggressive conti counterparts to consume them whole. Now, from the business point of view, would the importance of brand ambassadors prevail over cash cows? I think the answer is pretty obvious.

Hate to be the one who holding the fire extinguisher in tense situations like this but heck, somebody has to do the dirty job right? The committee's stand is to act as and when we think fit without jeopardising the good standing of the club in the eyes of International Car Club Council of BMW AG and also BMW Malaysia. Our priority is to organise more events be it charity-related or car-related for all our members and in the process elevate this club to greater heights. On top of that, the committee is also generating affiliations with relevant establishments so that special discounts can be enjoyed by our official members. That's key for now.

In order for our voice to be heard in 'supreme court' ala BMW Malaysia, we have to give priority to official members followed by regular members. Off the records, anything is possible. I'm sure if one of our comrades is mistreated, most of us will be marching with placards held up high to seek for justice.


Just to address the issue of Danpromote, based on the majority of official members who voted for his ban, we strongly feel that a 'fraudulent' case involving more than A$35,000 is not considered blown out of proportion. A democratic decision was made. Action has been taken. Case closed.:top:

This thread will be closed shortly.

 

[anxious]

Mr. Daredevil,

I thank you for your response and agree that this thread should be closed.

I have made my point and hope that Club and the committee takes the critism and comments made positively.

I must say that efforts must be made not to alienate members ( official or regular).

In this day and age, the lifeline of almost any auto club would be its forum and as such the forum should remain open to all as it is the best way to attract new members.

The Club should also be open to assisting ALL BMW owners, member or not and championing all such causes.

 

[INNOVATOR]

anxious, your latest posting sounds like you want a free ride. RM300 is an amount you can afford, I hope. I agree with you that efforts must be made to prevent alienation of members (official or regular), but the club has to champion all causes? Get real bro. If you are working in a company with a union, and you are not a member of the union; they are not going to fight for you, no matter how noble the cause is.

All AB or BMW has to do is ask BCM, "Is this an official member of your club?". If the answer turns up to be "no"; all they can say is they are not previlidged to discuss private (car owner and themselves) matters with the Club.

The club is not about the forum. The forum is about the club.

As an official member; I have hardly had the time to make use of whatever facilities there are available. But I became an official member primarily to lend support to the club as it builds its roots and strong foundation to be around for the long haul.

 

[anxious]

Innovator, according to XXX, the club has about 130 Official members.

The club's forums statistics today show that the forum has:-

Members: 8,213, Active Members: 2,638

Doesnt the numbers speak for itself.

Are the 2638 other active members of the forum also free riders as you so call?

You and I both know that it has nothing to do about the 300 bucks.

Just ask yourself why out of the 2638 active forumers only 130 or so have seen it fit to join the Club.

Are we all free riders?

 

[XXX]

well at least they dont dictate to the club/committee what it should do....

The forum is like BMWCM's own TV station to reach out...does all advertisements on TV make you immediately go and buy the product??? does that make everyone who watches Television a free loader??

When we wanted to close the forum to non paying members , you were one of the vocal ones who insisted that we should not close it to non members, we listened to you and you are now able to participate in the forum but if you want changes and betterment for the club be a member as a member you can make those changes as you are part owner of the club...dont sit outside and start throwing stones and expect something to happen...you see we can be reasonable but you have to be reasonable yourself too..

To all reading this thread pls dont be misled that the club will only 'Layan' paid members , we will do what we can to help everyone where possible but in
this particular case certain things that was being explained took a turn for the worse because this person does not want to understand what was being explained and instead took upon himself to say that we are being unfriendly and the rest is history.Check out his other thread, that was how it should be, ask for opinions first dont straight away tell the club/committee what it should do...

 

[syahruln]

I suggest we have Anxious' friend's case on how she solved the problem to be posted and put sticky in a relevant forum. Then, perhaps BCM committee can try to approach BMW Malaysia and get their official stand on their service policy. The committee can say their reason to educate the official club members on that matter. The explanation from BMW can be posted sticky on the forum so that all interested parties (especially all bmw owners) can learn from it.

I don't think lengthy explanation on how the club should treat it's regular or irregular members will help much. Hopefully this will help many ppl.

 

[anxious]

I just spoke to a friend of mine in Penang who owns an E90 320i.


When her car reached 1 yr, she took her car to AB Pg for service and was told to come back when her car reached 25000km.

She pointed out that the manual said 25000km or 1 year but the SC refused to budge citing "new policy".

Apparently after she wrote in to KL, the SC called her in for her "free service".

Although I do not own an E90, I feel that this issue should be taken up by the club officially. If the service manual says the service interval is 25000km or 1 year, the SC must honour it.

Otherwise there is no point having a 3year/60000km free service package when the SC avoid servicing the car when due.

I know the manual for E36 clearly states that the car must be serviced at least one a year nothwithstanding low mileage!

I dont think technology has advanced so much that service can be prolonged over that 1 year period.

In fact in the long run it may work against AB as poorly maintained BMWs may give the cars a bad name and potential customers may shun the make.

So committee, I think this is a cause worth taking up!

As a representative of BMW owners in Malaysia you may which to seek clarification on this matter so other BMW owners arent taken advantage of.

If indeed there is such a policy, representations should be made to BMW Msia or even BMW AG to stop the same.

Cheers

To recap this was how I started this thread. I was merely suggesting the committee take up this matter, then all hell broke loose.

Pls read the post carefully.....how was I "directing" the club on what to do?

Anyone reading this thread pls read it from the beginning and read it carefully,
the you will be able to decide for yourself whether my request was reasonable or not and whether it desrved the "abuse" I got and whether my comments were justified?

Honestly I dont expect the committee to act on this matter. That time has very much come and gone.

So why do I even bother to respond ?

The answer is very simple, it is in the replies I got. Just read it carefully. You will see the kind of reaction I got to my post.

Read my initial post again ....then read ALL the replies. Judge for yourself.

 

[jeffreyewe]

FYI, Sg bmw car club is not recognised by the Council, only the bikers club, therefore they are still considered as a free for all forum, thus do not need to abide by any rules and regulations governed by the Council.

 

[anxious]

When we wanted to close the forum to non paying members , you were one of the vocal ones who insisted that we should not close it to non members, we listened to you and you are now able to participate in the forum but if you want changes and betterment for the club be a member as a member you can make those changes as you are part owner of the club...dont sit outside and start throwing stones and expect something to happen...you see we can be reasonable but you have to be reasonable yourself too..

...

I still believe that the forum should be open to ALL. Although I am in Malaysia, I can be member of various BMW forums worldwide. If there is no restriction in other forums , why should we restrict it here? Surely there is a lesson to be learnt from them.

After all such forums are to enable information on common interest ie the ownership of BMWs to be exchanged freely.

The club needs the forum more than the forum needs the club. As I've said the forum is the life blood of the club. It is the mosts effective way a potential member can evaluate the club. Your every post must be responsible and mature as you are being judge by what you say.

As to the suggestions that I may have made....its again only "suggestions". You may accept such suggestions or disregard it.

It is how you react to such suggestions is what makes you.

As I've said read this whole thread again and judge for yourself.

 

[anxious]

FYI, Sg bmw car club is not recognised by the Council, only the bikers club, therefore they are still considered as a free for all forum, thus do not need to abide by any rules and regulations governed by the Council.

So does that make the BMWCLUB SINGAPORE any less of a club?

What regulation of the BMW Council says:

i) to participate in the forum you need to be an Official member of the club itself?
ii) that the club can only look into matters affecting Official members nothwithstanding that the matter in question may benefit ALL BMW owners within the area of the club's operation?

 

[Daredevil]

I suggest we have Anxious' friend's case on how she solved the problem to be posted and put sticky in a relevant forum. Then, perhaps BCM committee can try to approach BMW Malaysia and get their official stand on their service policy. The committee can say their reason to educate the official club members on that matter. The explanation from BMW can be posted sticky on the forum so that all interested parties (especially all bmw owners) can learn from it.

I don't think lengthy explanation on how the club should treat it's regular or irregular members will help much. Hopefully this will help many ppl.

Makes perfect sense. We'll definitely look into that suggestion.

I think this thread has been left opened long enough and it seems like most of us are doing nothing but going around in circles. It'll never end.

Anxious, you've brought up a good point and on behalf of the committee, I'm sure in due time, we will be able to garner enough numbers so that our voice can and will be heard history repeats itself again. I think after what has happened to your friend, the dealer will definitely learn from their lesson and will do anything within their means to prevent a recurrence.

For those who has contributed to this thread, thank you. You've all been heard.

I urge everybody not to use terms like 'free riders' or anything that has the potential to cast doubts on the importance of non-official members. They are all potential official members in the near future. Most importantly is when we congregate in groups, we are ONE! Let's try our best to close the gap ok.

Anxious, should you require any further input regarding this issue, kindly do it via pm as it's a facility made available to all forumers. If need be, we'll discuss this during the next event (in the pipeline now) up North.

Peace be to all.