TPM Speed Pass now up

[Ant]

The 2006 TPM speed pass is now up for sale. Just an FYI

[Cakes206]

The 2006 TPM speed pass is now up for sale. Just an FYI

Cool...same as this past season...they should make the 12 day pass a "Bakers Dozen"...now theres an idea.

[ffejtable]

You da man!!... got 8 days.. I plan to do more (hopefully 12+), but dont want to get stuck with days I cant use...

[Cakes206]

but dont want to get stuck with days I cant use...

8 pack=$137 a day...12 pack=$133. Each one you do past 8 will be $155...can always sell what ya don't use.

[Ant]

Ok, here's an analysis.

[AfricanBootyScratcher]

Ok, here's an analysis.
too much time on you hands

[Ant]

too much time on you hands

It took 5 minutes. And besides I don't know about you but I'm not willing to just throw around $1000-$1700 without doing a little research.

[carl_g]

It took 5 minutes. And besides I don't know about you but I'm not willing to just throw around $1000-$1700 without doing a little research.
Great study there.. jusat goes to show speed pass is all hype.

[Kennedy]

Maybe someone can post the results cause I don't have the program to open it on my computer....

[Ant]

Maybe someone can post the results cause I don't have the program to open it on my computer....

dude, it's excel.

[CBRBob]

I dont have excel either. So saving post entry fees, a free membership and a day to day discount is not worth it?

[Vin]

Maybe someone can post the results cause I don't have the program to open it on my computer....

I dont have excel either. So saving post entry fees, a free membership and a day to day discount is not worth it?

http://www.openoffice.org/

Now back to the topic -- for me, the biggest issue right now is this 5% for using your credit card. If every business charged the customer back for CC processing fees, I don't think anyone would use credit cards. 5% in the grand scheme of things isn't much money to begin with, but it's a matter of principle.

This is MY opinion, not the opinion of SBA Admins, members, whatever... but I think it's BS.

[tommymac]

http://www.openoffice.org/

Now back to the topic -- for me, the biggest issue right now is this 5% for using your credit card. If every business charged the customer back for CC processing fees, I don't think anyone would use credit cards. 5% in the grand scheme of things isn't much money to begin with, but it's a matter of principle.

This is MY opinion, not the opinion of SBA Admins, members, whatever... but I think it's BS.

So what if we paid them in cash at the bike show or something. Plus 5% on 1600 is a nice pice of change.

Tom

[Cakes206]

So what if we paid them in cash at the bike show or something. Plus 5% on 1600 is a nice pice of change.

Tom

Pay by check...anything but cc.

[ffejtable]

I originally selected to pay by CC but called them up afterwards to change to pay by check which they said would be fine. I never even saw the 5% surcharge disclaimer since its at the very bottom of the screen.. If you fill out the application, and "scroll" through the entry fields using the tab button, when you get to the "submit" button, the disclaimer is never shown on the screen. I generally look for caveats like this, and it really should have been posted where the rest of the other disclaimers are listed (efp, transferring days, cancellation policy, etc).. They have a whole paragraph dedicated to such things, why not include the CC surcharge there as well? Doesnt really seem to make sense, and if I didnt know them and think they were good people I would say it was done intentionally...

[ffejtable]

just as an update... I took the liberty to post this up on the TPM site as well:

Mastercard has a strict policy regarding surcharges on credit card transactions, I am sure Visa is also the same.

Last year I had assumed the 5% was sales tax, and thought nothing of it. I know with physical goods, you are only charged sales tax on items if they ship to a state where the merchant has business operations. With a "service" such as track time, I am not sure how the tax rule applies.

There is a reason why NO VENDOR i have ever dealt business with, in person, or over the internet has ever charged a credit card surcharge.

Read it in B&W on page 46 here:

http://www.mastercard.com/us/wce/PDF/10071_MasterCard_Merchant_Rules.pdf

Who is going to be riding NESBA with me next year after TPM kicks me out?

[IrocRob]

I'm not getting anything with that link Jeff...NEVERMIND - It's working now.

NESBA schedule should be out on 1/1/2006......

[tommymac]

I guess I may have to call soon too. I had 100 dollars in credit from this past season and want to use it for my speedpass this year ( provided this CC thing gets worked out) but they already billed me for the membership. I guess we could just add it all on later.

Tom

[CBRBob]

FYI, you guys just f-ed it up. The 5% discount for paying by check is GONE. I am sure everyone else appreciate it.

[motopix]

FYI, you guys just f-ed it up. The 5% discount for paying by check is GONE. I am sure everyone else appreciate it.

Good. I was sick of supplementing you check-payers with the extra 5% I paid by using my CC.

[Vin]

FYI, you guys just f-ed it up. The 5% discount for paying by check is GONE. I am sure everyone else appreciate it.

Who "f-ed" it up? As far as I'm concerned, TPM "f-ed" it up.

There WAS no 5% savings for using a check. Check payers STILL PAID the full price for packages as far as I know. CC payers were to pay an extra 5% ON TOP of the full price for packages, and it stated that CC orders would incur a 5% "processing fee" at the bottom of the order page. There was NEVER (again, AFAIK) any indication that check payers would have any savings, although it appears now that the organization is trying to spin it that way.

I'm digging through my browser caches now to find an example of the page. I doubt I'll find it but it's worth a shot.

Again, MY OPINION.

[motopix]

All the trackday prices were jacked up $5 with the change in check "discount".

[AfricanBootyScratcher]

yes, it always stated that there was a 5% "processing fee" for CC use to pay for track days, for the last two years at least.
That's the reason I always sent a check, or gave Linda cash. Oh well, couldn't leave well enough alone I guess.
bastards!

[CBRBob]

As per Linda.......
"The 5% discount for paying by check has been eliminated. We are as always open to suggestions and we do see that having a payment by check discount as part of the Speed Pass program also may have diminished the value of the EZ Pass in particular to those who may be best served by making the purchase with a credit card.

There will also no longer be a discounting of 5% when paying by check for any track days either. We never did have any program like that for membership so there is no change there. All fees at the base line are now as they appear with no handling or surcharges of any kind to be applied other than the post entry fees and associate member fees."

Whether there was 5% less for checks or 5% more for CC, there is no price difference now.

[tommymac]

All the trackday prices were jacked up $5 with the change in check "discount".

So now we will see more of a savings in using a speedpass. :huh:

Tom

[Jimmy]

So now we will see more of a savings in using a speedpass. :huh:

Tom
I'd hold off on buying the speedpass. This is retarded! :jerkit:

[tommymac]

I'd hold off on buying the speedpass. This is retarded! :jerkit:

At least this ones not getting blamed on me LOL

I too am going to wait and see what comes of all of this.

What I dont understand is that last year for the speedpass days and the days I paid for ( with a credit card mind you) were the advertised price. Now I dont know off hand if I paid another fee for my speedpass last year and over looked it. Guess I will wait it out and see once the dust settles.

Tom

[ffejtable]

FYI, you guys just f-ed it up. The 5% discount for paying by check is GONE. I am sure everyone else appreciate it.

Excuse me, but what they were doing was jeopardizing their future business with Visa/MC.. Sooner or later it would have caught up with them.

As for their "wording" on the check discount, the fact is it was NEVER a check discount, it was clearly stated as being a credit card surcharge, which is what made it wrong to begin with. They were clearly tacking on 5% to the 1199 Speed Pass price to make it 1259... They were not giving check users a 5% discount from the credit price of 1259, which would then actually equal 1196...

The prices for the ezee/speed/etc passes thus far have remained the same, although they jacked the prices up on the day rates...

You can "accuse" us of jacking up the prices for check buyers, or saving the credit buyers a few bucks... Which method do you think most people use?

[ffejtable]

As per Linda.......
"The 5% discount for paying by check has been eliminated. We are as always open to suggestions and we do see that having a payment by check discount as part of the Speed Pass program also may have diminished the value of the EZ Pass in particular to those who may be best served by making the purchase with a credit card.

There will also no longer be a discounting of 5% when paying by check for any track days either. We never did have any program like that for membership so there is no change there. All fees at the base line are now as they appear with no handling or surcharges of any kind to be applied other than the post entry fees and associate member fees."

Whether there was 5% less for checks or 5% more for CC, there is no price difference now.

5% surcharge does not mathematically equate to the same thing as a 5% discount.

FACT: There was a 5% surcharge... They seemed to be "ok" with stating this policy in the past, but now they arent even calling it a surcharge, but rather a check discount, which only makes matter worse when it comes to trust. It was never a discount, it was a surcharge, regardles of what they chose to call it now.

[Ant]

People, this is actually better for CC users and TPM will actually get less money per year. Do the math.

[tommymac]

Man now this shit is giving me a headache LOL

Tom

[AfricanBootyScratcher]

actually, they always called it a "processing fee"

[carl_g]

actually, they always called it a "processing fee"
yeah but think about it.. there should have been a "processing fee" for checks. There is a manual effort attached to paying by check as opposed to paying by CC.
You have to walk the check down to the bank, wait for it to clear, then go back and activate the credit. A CC should be instantanious unless they are just capturing the CC info and then calling them in one by one. That would be the worst IT & business solution but certainly a possibility.:banghead:

Whatever... See ya at summit in april!

[carl_g]

I'd hold off on buying the speedpass. This is retarded! :jerkit:
SHOO SHOO RETARDED FLU!!!!!! :LOL:

[Mack]

5% is BS...the average CC mark up is 2 to 3% why charge us 5%. .....anyway I might get on since I didn't renew my insurance or reg. Track only for me. Looking to do at least 2 weekends a month