[comp.org.acm] Bogus reminder notices

John.Hine@comp.vuw.ac.nz (John Hine) (05/27/91)

A couple of us just got reminder notices for our annual membership
subscriptions that were paid 4 and 6 months ago respectively!  Has
anyone else had this problem or is this just a coincidence?  Does ACM
have an e-mail address we can use to sort this out?

jh


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horstman@mathcs.sjsu.edu (Cay Horstmann) (05/27/91)

In article <1991May27.010251.6255@comp.vuw.ac.nz> John.Hine@comp.vuw.ac.nz (John Hine) writes:
>
>
>A couple of us just got reminder notices for our annual membership
>subscriptions that were paid 4 and 6 months ago respectively!  Has
>anyone else had this problem or is this just a coincidence?  Does ACM
>have an e-mail address we can use to sort this out?
>
I just got a notice, but my membership expires in July, so it is ok.

What bugs me is those contributions on the bottom:

Contribution: WBGH       $15
Optional Contribution    $15

Is the WBGH contribution mandatory? I really dislike this entire idea of
contributions already added into my total. (The ACM isn't the only one
doing this, the AMS [American Math Society] does the same). In fact, it
annoys me so much that I always cross them out and don't have to feel guilty
for not contributing ("If they would have only asked me nicely, I would
have...") 

Cay

U09046@uicvm.uic.edu (Bob Jackiewicz) (05/27/91)

In article <1991May27.055458.16649@mathcs.sjsu.edu>, horstman@mathcs.sjsu.edu
(Cay Horstmann) says:
>Contribution: WBGH       $15
>Optional Contribution    $15
>
>Is the WBGH contribution mandatory? I really dislike this entire idea of
>contributions already added into my total.
>In fact, it
>annoys me so much that I always cross them out and don't have to feel guilty
>for not contributing ("If they would have only asked me nicely, I would
>have...")

Not that this has anything to do with the ACM directly, but when I was
in Florida for Spring Break, we went downstairs to the HoJo restaurant.
There were 4 of us, and the bill came to something like $19. They had
a 'Voluntary (?) Gratuity' space on the check. It kinda pissed me off that
they put a gratuity in there, but they had the audacity to come and tell
us that we underpaid by a dollar! When we told the cashier that we took
the dollar from the gratuity, she looked at us like this never happened
before. What does this mean: People (companies) try to do it all the time.
Pay what you have to, plus what you want.

Brought to you by the sick mind of
Bob Jackiewicz, writer of wrongs, wronger of rights.
BITNET:   U09046@UICVM                        "Touch my monkey!"  -Dieter
InterNet: U09046@UICVM.UIC.EDU
                               "Those people [who copycat movie murders]
"A European swallow or an       should not only be put in jail, but should
African swallow?" -Python, M.   also be sued for plagiarism!" -Stephen King

mayer@gmdzi.gmd.de (Hans Mayer) (05/28/91)

From article <1991May27.010251.6255@comp.vuw.ac.nz>, by John.Hine@comp.vuw.ac.nz (John Hine):
> 
> 
> A couple of us just got reminder notices for our annual membership
> subscriptions that were paid 4 and 6 months ago respectively!  Has
> anyone else had this problem or is this just a coincidence?  Does ACM
> have an e-mail address we can use to sort this out?

I think there is a problem with all of us overseas members. You get your
renewal invoice about four to six weeks before expiration and that is a really
short period for someone like me who has to go to his bank and ask for drawing
a cheque and sending it back to ACM.
Try to mail to ACMHELP@ACMVM.BITNET and ask if they could check if your dues
have been received.

- Hans

-- 
Hans J. Mayer, mayer@gmdzi.gmd.de (or hmayer@venus.darmstadt.gmd.de)
German National Research Center for Computer Science (GMD)

jones@pyrite.cs.uiowa.edu (Douglas W. Jones,201H MLH,3193350740,3193382879) (05/28/91)

From article <4788@gmdzi.gmd.de>, by mayer@gmdzi.gmd.de (Hans Mayer):
> From article <1991May27.010251.6255@comp.vuw.ac.nz>,
by John.Hine@comp.vuw.ac.nz (John Hine):
>> 
>> A couple of us just got reminder notices for our annual membership
>> subscriptions that were paid 4 and 6 months ago respectively! ...
> 
> I think there is a problem with all of us overseas members.

Unless Iowa has come to be treated by New Yorkers as an overseas state,
this problem is not confined to overseas members.  I usually get reminder
notices from ACM headquarters after I pay my dues.  It is sufficiently
usual that I don't really worry about it, although the total cost of the
postage for all these reminders must be tremendous if the problem is
really widespread.
					Doug Jones
					jones@cs.uiowa.edu