[net.consumers] ACM membership dues scam

rcd@nbires.UUCP (Dick Dunn) (08/19/86)

I found a pretty sleazy game being played with my recent ACM (that's
Association for Computing Machinery:-) renewal notice.  The renewal form
lists the basic costs plus the amounts for the SIGs I currently belong
to (as expected) and then totals it up as follows:

	AMOUNT DUE				$101.00
	OPTIONAL CONTRIBUTION			  10.00
	PLEASE ENTER THE AMOUNT OF PAYMENT	 111.00

The last line is right at the bottom of the form, with the "PLEASE
ENTER..." highlighted and the total in a box.  The idea, of course, is
that you'll check to see that you're signed up for the right SIGs, note
the final total, and pay it...hopefully not noticing that the "optional
contribution" has been foisted on you.

WHAT IS THIS SHIT???

I don't know how anybody else reacts to this sort of game, but I react by
crossing out the "optional contribution" bit and paying the base amount--
also making a mental note not to get caught next year.  I might have made
an additional contribution if it had just been asked of me, but no way
will I reward someone for doing anything that even vaguely resembles
trying to trick it out of me!

I would like to think that ACM is really a professional society, but
sometimes I have my doubts.  After all, they're the same professional
society which thought that life-insurance sales pitches constituted
"announcements from professional societies."
-- 
Dick Dunn	{hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd		(303)444-5710 x3086
   ...If you get confused just listen to the music play...

mazlack@ernie.Berkeley.EDU (Lawrence J. Mazlack) (08/21/86)

In article <524@opus.nbires.UUCP> rcd@nbires.UUCP (Dick Dunn) writes:
>I found a pretty sleazy game being played with my recent ACM (that's
>Association for Computing Machinery:-) renewal notice.  The renewal form
>lists the basic costs plus the amounts for the SIGs I currently belong
> ...
>	OPTIONAL CONTRIBUTION			  10.00
>	PLEASE ENTER THE AMOUNT OF PAYMENT	 111.00
>
>The last line is right at the bottom of the form, with the "PLEASE
>ENTER..." highlighted and the total in a box.  The idea, of course, is
> ... has been foisted on you.
>
>WHAT IS THIS SHIT???
>

Yeah, thanks Dick - I may well have missed it.  To me it is part of the same
garbage that goes with the high living at conferences of the headquarters
paid staff. NOTE: This does not apply to the volunteers and organizers of
the conferences, who work their butts off.

All you have to is to compare the usefullness and effectiveness of ACM and
CS-IEEE to wonder what is going on at ACM.  My feeling is that it is pretty
incestous and closed, so hardly anything ever gets through to disturb the
hearts and minds of the governing powers.  For a real fun 
experience, try sitting through an ACM Council meeting - they are held
during several of the big conferences, altho most conference attendees have
no idea that they are happening).

...Larry   mazlack@ernie.berkeley.edu

msitd22@ms3.UUCP (Jim Chappell) (08/22/86)

I dropped out of ACM several years ago.  I'd been active and found it a good
local forum.  What pissed me off was their use of 'Communications' as a Social
rather then technical journal.  Have they gotten off that kick?


-- 
Jim Chappell  ...!seismo!vrdxhq!ms3!jrc 
ISN Corp.
1235A Jeff Davis Hwy, Suite 605A
Arlington, Va 22202

jsdy@hadron.UUCP (Joseph S. D. Yao) (08/23/86)

In article <524@opus.nbires.UUCP> rcd@nbires.UUCP (Dick Dunn) writes:
>I found a pretty sleazy game being played with my recent ACM (that's
>Association for Computing Machinery:-) renewal notice.  ...
>	AMOUNT DUE				$101.00
>	OPTIONAL CONTRIBUTION			  10.00
>	PLEASE ENTER THE AMOUNT OF PAYMENT	 111.00

I was under the impression that most members (being basically
intelligent people) followed the instructions that say to carefully
check the items on that list, cross off the ones they don't want
any more and add any new ones, and re-total at the bottom.  Am I
wrong about my underlying assumption?  I know that I almost always
do (partly because I almost always change my list, being a flexible
type of person ...).
-- 

	Joe Yao		hadron!jsdy@seismo.{CSS.GOV,ARPA,UUCP}
			jsdy@hadron.COM (not yet domainised)