English Chess Forum

Even though I haven't received any renewal notification I thought that it might be helpful to pay my subs before the start of the new season.

I've just tried to renew my ECF membership using the online system and cannot get passed the first page.

Even though I included my grading reference number it displays a completely erroneous membership number which I am not permitted to correct.

In submitting the requested personal details an error message tells me "First name / email combination already exists!"

Has anyone else experienced this problem and suggest a way around it?

Michael Flatt wrote:Even though I haven't received any renewal notification I thought that it might be helpful to pay my subs before the start of the new season.

I've just tried to renew my ECF membership using the online system and cannot get passed the first page.

Even though I included my grading reference number it displays a completely erroneous membership number which I am not permitted to correct.

In submitting the requested personal details an error message tells me "First name / email combination already exists!"

Has anyone else experienced this problem and suggest a way around it?

I see from the other forum that you're renewing a 3 year membership. Problems were reported with this a year ago (on this forum), so maybe they haven't been properly fixed.

Assuming nothing's changed since last year you should have got an e-mail from the ECF giving you a login to the PaySubsOnline website. The error you're getting suggests you've had an account set up, but didn't get the e-mail with details of it. One easy thing you could try is to go to the PaySubsOnline website, put in your e-mail address as your username and then select the "forgotten password" link to reset it.

Thanks, Ian,

That's a helpful suggestion and I'll give it a try.

The only advice I got on the other forum was that I must be doing something wrong!

I remember a post from Paul Buswell asking why the ECF were not sending renewal notices to members that had not signed up using the online system. The response from a Board member was that it was a cost saving measure.

It doesn't help relations with members if they are cast adrift and ignored. What motivation can there be to renew apart from having one's games graded? I would suggest that sending renewal notifications is a justifiable cost. If it is ECF policy not to do this it would have been considerate to send out one last reminder and warn that in future there would be none. Communication on matters of membership is appalling.

Postscript: I've just rechecked the other site and it is suggested that I telephone the Office and renew by telephone.

Michael Flatt wrote: Postscript: I've just rechecked the other site and it is suggested that I telephone the Office and renew by telephone.

Actually that's a really good up-to-date system.
Voice guided instructions take you through the whole process and respond to your own voice queries about your personal case. And the online help system is very comprehensive and seamlessly integrated with the well-designed wizard. The voice technology is particularly good, giving a very realistic effect.

Michael Flatt wrote:I remember a post from Paul Buswell asking why the ECF were not sending renewal notices to members that had not signed up using the online system. The response from a Board member was that it was a cost saving measure.

It doesn't help relations with members if they are cast adrift and ignored. What motivation can there be to renew apart from having one's games graded? I would suggest that sending renewal notifications is a justifiable cost. If it is ECF policy not to do this it would have been considerate to send out one last reminder and warn that in future there would be none. Communication on matters of membership is appalling

Michael

I received an email telling me that I needed to go online and renew - in fact, in error, I received 2 emails

So, don't agree at all

Not sure why this didn't happen with you, though

I have no explanation as to why I received no email on membership renewal other than they may not have my current email address.

My original application was by post. It was three years ago!

Michael Flatt wrote:I have no explanation as to why I received no email on membership renewal other than they may not have my current email address.

My original application was by post. It was three years ago!

I think you may have answered your own question!

If you last joined before the new system, then the new system won't work for you, even though it does for the rest of us

I think you have a legitimate query about the move over from the old system, but maybe your criticism of the ECF was harsh - suggest you speak to, or email, Dave Thomas as Membership Director so he at least knows what the problem is

Mick Norris wrote:

Michael Flatt wrote:I have no explanation as to why I received no email on membership renewal other than they may not have my current email address.

My original application was by post. It was three years ago!

I think you may have answered your own question!

If you last joined before the new system, then the new system won't work for you, even though it does for the rest of us

I think you have a legitimate query about the move over from the old system, but maybe your criticism of the ECF was harsh - suggest you speak to, or email, Dave Thomas as Membership Director so he at least knows what the problem is

I have posted my query on the ECF forum and it appears that this problem was known about one year ago but nothing has been done. I don't mind that the ECF have a policy of not sending reminders by post but I think that they should take into account that not all members have emails.

Incidentally, the ECF forum when it first appeared had Boards covering different Directorates. The one on Membership has disappeared. My experience of the ECF forum is rather mixed. I just had a response to a query I posted on 28th June, but only after it resurfaced following a query from another member.

Members subscriptions represent a significant proportion of the ECF's income so why not provide better contact with individual members? Remembering that not all play competitive games and are not at all concerned about registering to get games graded.

Mine appears to be a minority view but that doesn't make it invalid.

Michael Flatt wrote: Remembering that not all play competitive games and are not at all concerned about registering to get games graded.

Games are graded regardless of whether you are a member. Other than being altruistic, there is little point to being an ECF member unless you either play more than a minimum amount of chess or have a title such as arbiter or trainer that will be taken away if you aren't a member.

Roger de Coverly wrote:

Michael Flatt wrote: Remembering that not all play competitive games and are not at all concerned about registering to get games graded.

Games are graded regardless of whether you are a member. Other than being altruistic, there is little point to being an ECF member unless you either play more than a minimum amount of chess or have a title such as arbiter or trainer that will be taken away if you aren't a member.

I wonder if there is some leeway before sanctions are applied. Would a month or two's delay cause one to lose an Arbiter title? Hopefully, common sense will prevail.

Michael Flatt wrote: I wonder if there is some leeway before sanctions are applied. Would a month or two's delay cause one to lose an Arbiter title? Hopefully, common sense will prevail.

The ECF allow some local organisations to collect money on its behalf and gives them a £ 1 commission by charging £ 1 more than for online payment. The deadline for submission of this data isn't until October 31st, so no-one, including tournament organisers, knows for certain who is a member and who isn't until after then.

Ian Thompson wrote:One easy thing you could try is to go to the PaySubsOnline website, put in your e-mail address as your username and then select the "forgotten password" link to reset it.

After stumbling around I found this link:
https://paysubsonline.com/Login/9967EB1 ... C08722.htm

Selecting "Logging in for the first time? Click here to create a password" worked and I got a confirmatory email and managed to log in.

My details as presented were correct.

There is was no option to modify membership type, neither membership level nor duration.

Trying to make a payment I get the message that no payment is due!

So, have I got lifetime complementary free membership?

That might explain why I didn't get an email reminder!

Michael Flatt wrote: So, have I got lifetime complementary free membership?

The grading site seems to think so.
http://www.ecfgrading.org.uk/new/menu.p ... ile=player

But looking at the membership list at
http://www.englishchess.org.uk/membersh ... 013-14.xls
shows you with the "old style" of data with an explicit expiry date, rather than the ECF's approach of including it in the narrative.

As of today, the ECF only has 3887 members
http://www.englishchess.org.uk/membersh ... ership.xls

According to that data, your membership expires today, rather than yesterday.

Thanks, Roger,

I've lost count of the number of time I have looked at the grading site and don't ever recall seeing the "until: lifetime".

If it happened to me there might be others in the same twilight zone.

Perhaps, I should have kept quiet?

A bit late now Think a reasonable investment as safety against some sort of horrible mix up somewhere....