This club is fundamentally wrong! Anyone who defends it and Prince is blind to the real potential this club could have. Before anyone chastises me for being upset about not getting a ticket, let me just say I did get one and I’m happy about that. Read on.

However, we did not pay 100 dollars for membership so that we can RACE for premium tickets on a graphically intensive, badly hosted website, just to find out the said tickets have all been sold! How can club tickets sell out? It’s our money that has made the club. And now we get shunned by it? Quoting disclaimers does not make everything ok again.

The fact is, this club is based on the premise that as paying members we get certain benefits for the money we paid, over and above what the general public have access to. If we did not pay that money then the club would not exist.

If there are too many members to allocate the first couple of rows then allocate more rows. If there are too many members for the WHOLE venue then find a bigger venue. These are the people paying for this club to work. Each and every one of us should be shown the gratitude for that by allowing us access to what we paid for.

The fact that members now have to join the queue with the general public to buy standard tickets is just totally unacceptable. What if they cant get them either? Disclaimers or not, I think the club is very much on the verge of collecting monies by way of a contract that isnt legal. Whether they claim that member tickets are limited or not to members. The fact is this club is very largely sold on the premise that premium seating and sound checks is a member perk.

We all paid 100 bucks ESPECIALLY for that privilege of having premium tickets. So, all those unfortunates who didn’t get tickets, and may not get lucky with the general sale either, got nothing from the club except a half hour demo CD and a triple live CD (Just to remind them what they paid to see but never got to see in any shape or form). That’s an expensive habit to be paying all that when most of the music worth listening to will end up in the stores anyway. The extra CDs arent his best stuff anyway.

I know that I for one will NEVER pay any more money to NPGMC on the supposition that I might get this, I might get that but I might not get it after all. There isn’t a business in the world that can survive with that kind of strategy. And there isn’t any other business that I would be stupid enough to give money to based on those suppositions. I was a mug the first year, but thought that the music almost made up for it. I was a mug the second year as ONA is not exactly a gem, but the fact that I DID manage to get tickets to one of the London shows may make up for it. Will I be a mug for year 3? Absolutely not! And I will continue to ignore it until such time as Prince realises that he needs to be professional about this, come up with an idea that works and employs professionals to implement it.

Nothing will change however unless we, the members, make our voices heard. Don’t write flaming emails that insult. They are never taken seriously or even read until the end. But write constructively critical emails stating your anger or frustrations and the actions you are going to take because of your unhappiness. I.e. no longer part with your money over half promises.

The club and the people who run it (basically Prince) need to get their act together. They need to be more informative, more constructive and more approachable. Problems will always be there. That is fine. But be forthcoming with explanations and be prompt with a remedy. Promising we might get this, we could get that, maybe we will have those is just unacceptable and I implore all members to air their views to the club so that WE can make it better and it works for us all. Prince will be the first to appreciate it.

Good email.

We joined the NPGMC to get the perks which were offered and to show we are true fans. He can put in the disclaimers all he likes, but the fact remains that the premium tickets are why most people joined.

I would go further and say that the NPGMC have breached their contract with members. They cannot just quote the disclaimer as this is an unnegotiated term in a consumer contract and therefore is probably not enforceable under European consumer law (unfair terms in consumer cntracts regulations).

That said, the NPGMC now have a chance to show they actually care about their members by extending the pre-sale. Those people who have bought tickets, good luck to them. For the rest of us who couldn't, it would be nice to be given the chance to buy them now. That's just fair, isn't it?

Excellent post, Jon.

I agree. It would definately be a good idea for npgmc to extend the pre-sale. It is obvious that people have joined the club mainly to get the pre-sale tix (that's what swung the deal). I'm sure Prince knows this just by looking at how many people have joined since the npgmc first announced they were going to come to Europe in their "Next Move" News item.

I am very happy that I managed (by seconds!) to get tickets to Thursday night - but really wanted to get to the others as weel, especially as aftershows are more likely on the weekend gigs.

The npgmc is a great idea, it just needs a little refining. I think the club should create an email account specifically for our comments (not rude, cursing emails!) on how to make the to make the club better and the website easier to use.

For example today was the first time I bought anything from the retail section and as their is now "BUY" button once you have entered the number of tickets / whatever you want I didn't know what to do next!! Luckily I experimented by pressing the View Cart button and my selection showed up. It's not exactly the most intuitive way of doing things is it?

*Peace*
Om

What the NPGMC have done IS technically illegal, as they are saying they won't offer a refund.

They offered..

"Welcome 2 the 2002 Package of the NPG Music Club!
Join the NPG Music Club in 2002 and get music directly from Prince & The NPG, attend Prince concerts with the best seats in the house"

"Plus ALL 2002 members will B able 2 buy tickets 2 days before the general public"

This was offered BEFORE any disclaimers appeared on the site. So the disclaimer is void for anyone who joined before, unless you agreed to a change of contract. Which I for one didn't.

I think the club will fold at the end of year two, its so badly run, but if it doesn't there is only one way to make them listen. Vote with our feet.

If everyone, or the vast majority held back from joining, until all the cards were on the table, then they would have to think again.

All the people who got a raw deal will problably sign up to this, but will the others?

SquirrelMeat said:

Youre absolutely right. Breach of contract for ALL those members that didnt get tix for the shows they wanted.

There is an easy way of doing this. And I think ALL members should do it: Dont sign up to year three straight away. It is posiible to sign up at any point in the year and still get whatever is on offer that year.

If I had done that this year I wouldnt have signed up until the tour dates were announced in the UK. I would have read the reviews of ONA and thought bollox, I aint spending 100 bucks on that.

If we all just held back until such time that something concrete and worthwhile came along, the club would worry as the customer base would seemed to have almost collapsed. Combine that with our own constructive comments and critisms, ideas and what we think would improve it, then maybe it will sort itself out.

But if there is anything that needs fixing, its the communication link between the club and the fans. Not just responses but advanced information, concrete information. Sure, some things are liable to change because Prince can be a jerk like that. But it HAS to be better than it is.

He needs professional people to run his business.

But if there is anything that needs fixing, its the communication link between the club and the fans. Not just responses but advanced information, concrete information. Sure, some things are liable to change because Prince can be a jerk like that. But it HAS to be better than it is.

He needs professional people to run his business.[/quote]


This is the part that I agree with the most. The only way of communicating with these people is through e-mail. Unless I'm missing something here, U can't call them, u can't go there in person because they won't disclose that information. And when u e-mail them with a complaint or question, their responses are as minimal as possible. "Sorry we don't have any info at this time...", "Sorry we don't have a shipping date at this time...", stuff like that.

When u pay $100 and don't get anything but this type of mentality from the club, it's just a little difficult trying 2 make sense out of it. What becomes of NPGMC in the future is anyone's guess if u ask me.

Honey, Dave Booie schedules entire shows that are member-only. Prince could do the same, and offer substantially cheaper tickets to club members, then do a "normal" show where he could go ahead and bleed the general public of all the money he wants.

Mercy, there are a lot of things he could do that he ain't doing. I'm saving my hundred dollars for the church donation plate.

This is an excellent e-mail! I'm not a member of the club, I've been goin back n forth tryin 2 decide whether or not 2 join. Most people that I know that r members r not pleased with the way that it is run. Bottom line...Prince is wonderful,beautiful,we love him 2 death,but he IS NOT a businessman n this sense. Baby let somebody do this 4 u. I have a few suggestions...Prince u can call me...we'll talk about it:)

I am a member, have been for both years, but will not be renewing again because quite simply I'm too busy to deal with anyone/artist/business whatever that doesn't deliver within a degree of reasonable, respectable behaviour.

The NPGMC club, and the way it is run, is a shambles. I feel sorry for Prince that things will end this way because most of his intelligent club members are very likely to do the same. Interestingly, this is not an emotional response to the situation re: UK tickets today, I actually got two tickets for the saturday show within a matter of minutes.

That proves to me that no matter what service is delivered to the customer (afterall, I'm getting everything suggested by the NPGMC), what really counts is the manner in which the service is delivered.

As some of you suggested, clear, concise, regular communication is essential. I applaud all of your committment in making a better NPGMC but I guess there's only way that is going to happen and unfortunately like someone pointed out, Prince is not a particularly astute businessman. That's fine. He's a musician and does what he does best, play and create music.

Perhaps it's best we all let the club die it's natural death and let Prince do things the old way. No one will have reason for expectations to be raised, only for them to be let down time and time again. Wake up Prince, it's time this club goes. It's unfortunatley turning your so called family into raving fanatics intent on revenge. Not pleasant behaviour, least of all for Prince.

Not all of us are unhappy with NPGMC.
Many of us joined expecting 4 cds, a few cd singles now & then and thats about it. The club is not a big letdown plus the year isn't over so whats rush to judgement.
You don't want the club - don't join up again.
Don't expect the club to die just because you don't support it.

I don't know, it ain't a perfect world. I went to one of the Hollywood shows and the NPGMC line was so long that I eventually got into the soundcheck as it was ending (and I arrived hours before the show). What am I gonna do, bust everyone's chops because I missed out?
So, Prince opens up more rows in London and then people complain because it took so long to get in that they didn't see it all. Alot of these things are a out of the club's control.
Ultimately, the souncheck idea is great but flawed. Next year it will be time to try something different.

So in conclusion...


We should stay in the club until his popularity wears off and then we'll be first in line for everything!


Cool?

Seriously though, I've never been over there so I don't know first hand, but just from what I've read on this site, it's always seemed like Prince has been way more popular over there in Europe than in the States.

I wouldn't be suprised if the greater percentage of the London show ticket buyers were members than those who are not.


I missed out too over here in the US. He slated in the Sunrise Musical Theater in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and then cancelled.

I was pretty bummed.

Then he puts tickets on sale for Tampa (which seemed too far to drive, but I probably would have done it.) but by the time I found out they were gone.

No biggie.
A person on this site even offered me ticket but I didn't see her e-mail until that night of the show.


I heard later that the Jehova Witnesses bought the Sunrise Musical Theater. Gonna make a kingdom hall out of it maybe. If that really happened then there is no other good place for a show except the Miami Arena and that place is a dump!

yamomma said:

I think you missed my point

I got ya, I was just trying to lighten it up in here.

yamomma said:

my suggestion?

two words: beatdown.

Offer these suggestions to the NPGMC:

Make it known that there will be NO member only music.

Articulate that members dues will go toward the purchase of new NPG releases.

Be diligent in providing these releases early to the members.

Offer a month's lead time on new merchandise. Have it in the members only section and then offer it to the public.

Offer preferred seating at concerts.

Offer members a week before the presale to check a box noting which presales the member would like to partake in. This will give the NPGMC a number as to how many seats they should reserve from the local promoter.

Cut 5 or 10 dollars from the cost of a ticket to get into the preferred section and spread that cost across the tickets for the rest of the public.

Never underestimate the power of official merchandise. The core MC members are people who want the official merchandise. The bootleggers are people who would never have paid for the membership in the first place. Leave them alone.

.
[This message was edited Fri Sep 13 11:58:40 PDT 2002 by XxAxX]
[This message was edited Fri Sep 13 11:58:52 PDT 2002 by XxAxX]

ZaZa said:

When people complain about the delayed and lackluster music, their response is "well you're getting awesome seats at his shows, that alone is worth the price of the club"

Then when people get screwed out of the seats at the shows, the response is "but you're getting 4 CDs of music this year, that alone is worth it"

Its an endless paradox.

Dauphin said:

They should also hire a WEB DEVELOPER to do their site, not a Graphic Designer with limited IT skills. Anyone remember how easy it was to hack the chat at the beginning of the year? You can't handle these kinds of transactions with half baked shopping cart scripts and email. I would be amazed if the site is even running on a dedicated server.
[This message was edited Fri Sep 13 11:26:04 PDT 2002 by Tom]
[This message was edited Fri Sep 13 11:26:43 PDT 2002 by Tom]