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      11-30-2021, 10:02 AM   #1
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I was honestly a bit surprised...

Long story short, got a golden postcard in the mail from BMWCCA with the following notice on the front:

IMPORTANT: Verification of BMW Car Club of America member information is needed. Please Call 1-855-508-9042


Turns out, the point of the call was for someone to convince me I needed to sign up for something relating to an Oral History Project costing "two installments" of $199

I feel that this is a tasteless attempt to get money out of their members. Not $20 either... $400 a shot?!

If you get this card in the mail, save yourself the time and DON'T CALL.
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      11-30-2021, 11:26 AM   #2
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I got the card yesterday and promptly threw it out as I figured I have nothing to add to a BMW oral history project or any interest in one to start with, but it is kind of shady that it's really just a marketing ploy.
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      11-30-2021, 06:17 PM   #3
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Threw mine out also. I have gotten two so far.
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      11-30-2021, 06:38 PM   #4
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Just like Who's Who in American High-Schools.
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      11-30-2021, 09:12 PM   #5
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Ya I received the same which I thought was funny being that my membership just lapsed.
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      11-30-2021, 09:34 PM   #6
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I tossed it immediately, after eyeballing it wondering if it was even legit at all. The whole thing sounded "off". But they want $400 for the privilege of blathering about your cars? Shouldn't it be the other way around?? I suspect BMWCCA upper brass is gonna get an earful about this stupid idea. Whoever signed off on this "project" should be voted out.
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      11-30-2021, 09:56 PM   #7
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I received that card, glad I didn't call, and just sent a note about my displeasure about receiving such garbage from the club.
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      11-30-2021, 09:59 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinC View Post
I tossed it immediately, after eyeballing it wondering if it was even legit at all. The whole thing sounded "off". But they want $400 for the privilege of blathering about your cars? Shouldn't it be the other way around?? I suspect BMWCCA upper brass is gonna get an earful about this stupid idea. Whoever signed off on this "project" should be voted out.
Think it was a breach of their database?
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      12-01-2021, 04:59 AM   #9
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It's really sad that it appears the entire membership was mass mailed this junk:

https://www.bmwcca.org/content/oral-...t-announcement

It's the most bizarre thing I've seen from the CCA (and I've been a member for over 40 years).
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      12-01-2021, 05:01 AM   #10
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It's really sad that it appears the entire membership was mass mailed this junk:

https://www.bmwcca.org/content/oral-...t-announcement

It's the most bizarre thing I've seen from the CCA (and I've been a member for over 40 years). I've already received 3 cards in the mail over the past couple of weeks and discarded them promptly.
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      12-01-2021, 06:34 AM   #11
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And to think our dues go towards the wasteful spending on things like this. I wonder how many schmucks need to pay for them to break even on this piece of advertising.
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      12-01-2021, 06:38 AM   #12
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And to think our dues go towards the wasteful spending on things like this. I wonder how many schmucks need to pay for them to break even on this piece of advertising.
I'm guessing it's "free" to the club. That company trying to sell these books is hoping to profit on the deal.
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      12-01-2021, 06:46 AM   #13
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I'm guessing it's "free" to the club. That company trying to sell these books is hoping to profit on the deal.
Good point. I didn't even think of that. Haven't had my 2nd cup of coffee yet. I chucked mine in the trash without even looking at it.
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      12-01-2021, 10:07 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CSBM5 View Post
It's really sad that it appears the entire membership was mass mailed this junk:

https://www.bmwcca.org/content/oral-history-project-announcement

It's the most bizarre thing I've seen from the CCA (and I've been a member for over 40 years).
Ahh okay, I did not think the mailer was sanctioned by the club.
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      12-01-2021, 10:59 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CSBM5 View Post
It's really sad that it appears the entire membership was mass mailed this junk:

https://www.bmwcca.org/content/oral-...t-announcement

It's the most bizarre thing I've seen from the CCA (and I've been a member for over 40 years). I've already received 3 cards in the mail over the past couple of weeks and discarded them promptly.
Hmm. Makes me think about canceling my membership. Not a good use of the membership roster.
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      12-01-2021, 11:34 AM   #16
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I just tossed it in the bin immediately after I laughed at "Oral History".

I don't need to pay $400 to talk to someone about BMWs. I do that here for a fraction of the price.
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      12-01-2021, 01:10 PM   #17
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Thanks for the heads up. That sucks.

I ignored the ones I have been sent as I figured I'm driving my first BMW and I don't have a lot to offer. Sucks they are making this some odd charged thing.
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      12-01-2021, 02:57 PM   #18
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yep got it and went to trash. Not pleased if this was sent thru club and it looks like it was.
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      12-06-2021, 01:15 PM   #19
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Just received this email:

Happy Holidays from BMW CCA HQ in Sunny Greer, South Carolina. We hope this finds you and yours well and looking forward to some warm evenings in front of the fire or some warm days on the beach. Wherever you are this holiday season, your club wishes you the very best!

Before you settle in for a well-deserved winter break, we wanted to reach out to you regarding our active Club Oral History Project.

We launched the BMW CCA history project last month with the goal to collect stories and memories from Club members. Member stories will be published next year in a dedicated book and shared digitally in a living archive.

The good news is we’ve had more than a thousand club members reach out to our publishing partner (PCI) to share their memories, stories, and reflections on the friendships, fun and experiences they’ve had through BMW CCA. Unfortunately, not all of the news is good. While some of our members report having had a lot of fun sharing their memories, others have had a less rewarding experience with our publishing partner. That’s just not good for the Club and not good enough for you. If you have a desire to participate – and we hope you do – here are a few things we want to make sure you know so that your experience is the very best that it can be.

There is a full FAQ about the project on our website. We encourage you to review this page before participating. If you have questions after reviewing, please do not hesitate to contact the national office staff for answers to your questions and concerns.

Why is BMW CCA conducting this Oral History Project? Simply put because it is important to us. Throughout the course of our 50+ year existence the club has not had the resources to capture the history of the club in a written and digital format. We are sadly losing far too many of our living members, especially amongst the ranks our founding members. We think it is important to preserve our past and take the time now to capture our history. We should never allow round taillights vs. square taillights to simply become t-shirt monikers.

Is this just a way an advertising ploy for BMW? No. This project is about you and your historical involvement in the club.

Why is a third party conducting these interviews? The simple answer is that the club staff is neither equipped or large enough to handle the scope and size of the project.

Are my dues covering the cost of this project? How much is it costing the club to contract PCI to conduct the interviews and assemble the final end product? No, your dues are not being spent on this project. BMW CCA is not paying PCI to conduct the interviews and assemble our history. All costs associated with the project are being borne by PCI through the sale of the published book and associated merchandise.

Who or what is PCI and why were they chosen for this project? PCI (Publishing Concepts) was given the opportunity to conduct this program because – one, they approached us with the concept and two, because we have worked with them previously. Some of you may recall and even participated in the Directory Project we did around 2010 or so. PCI handled that project from start to finish. They did so reliably, professionally, and most importantly they treated members information respectfully, with discretion and without privacy exposure.

It is very possible that PCI may be familiar to you from your college/university alumni associations and/or your fraternity/sorority or other professional associations. They handle similar projects for these organizations. PCI has collected over 200,000 stories from over 100 organizations. This type of history project is their area of expertise.

Yes, it is free to participate in the BMW CCA Oral History Project. Whatever memories and stories you share will be recorded digitally. The recording of our oral histories will live forever in the Library of Congress. However, if you wish to have a printed volume(s) of your memories and those of your fellow club members you will be given the opportunity to purchase a printed volume. PLEASE NOTE: YOU DO NOT NEED TO MAKE A PURCHASE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM. YOU WILL BE ASKED TO MAKE A PURCHASE, BUT YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO DO SO.

Should you decide to make a purchase here are your options:

Option 1: Loyalty - Full package with book and merchandise (shirt, travel bag, hat) = $399.98

Option 2: Pride - Second tier minus the branded travel bag = $299.98

Option 3: Book - Third tier for just the book = $159.98

Why would I want to purchase a printed volume? Some of us are more sentimental than others. Some of us like paper vs electrons. Some of us just like to collect unique and special things. Whether you decide to purchase or not – it is solely your decision.

Will I be tele-marketed for this project? Absolutely not. The decision to participate is solely yours as is the decision to initiate that participation. You will receive email reminders from us and a few postcard reminders. If you wish to opt out of those notices just let us know by clicking here. Once you log in you will be removed from communication for this project.

I read online this is a scam. Plain and simple – it is not a scam, and your Club would never engage in such behavior. That said, we have read a lot of the same comments you have. In some instances, members did have a negative experience with their PCI phone associate. That is not acceptable, and we are working diligently with PCI to rectify those issues. Rectification can include better education for the phone associate, and/or removal of the associate from our program. Additionally, this and future communications from us are meant to better inform our members so they go into the process fully apprised and with managed expectations.

Will the phone associate help guide me through the process? How so? Yes. From start to finish you should expect to be greeted by your phone associate and to have your contact information verified. Next to assist you in the story telling process, the agent has a set of sample questions to ask you. However, if you prefer, let your phone associate know that you prefer to tell your personal story in your way. To help you along, you may wish to write your story and then just read it into the record. Remember this is about you and your club experience.

When the project is complete how will I access the digital version of our oral history? Once the project is competed in late 2022 purchasing members will receive an e-mail from PCI allowing them to set up an account and password thereby allowing them to view their stories and photos and those of other members. The club will also have full access and will publish select memories for all to enjoy.

What should I do if I make the call and at the end, I feel uncomfortable about how I was treated and/or the conduct of my phone associate? Reach out to our Executive Director Frank Patek. We recommend email as he will need to know your name, member # and chapter. Include that information in an email and he will request a copy of your taped conversation, and in conjunction with PCI, work to resolve the issue. (fpatek@bmwcca.org) If you prefer phone contact, please call Frank at the national office. 864-250-0022. Frank says the best part of his job is speaking with our members and getting to know them better- and he means it!

We are confident this project to capture our Club’s history and will result in a shared celebratory record from members over the decades.

Please enjoy your holidays safely and surrounded by family and friends! Let us all say a prayer or wish on a star for a better and brighter 2022.

Thank you from your BMW CCA family


BMW Car Club of America
2350 Hwy 101 South
Greer, SC 29651
(864) 250-0022
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      12-06-2021, 06:23 PM   #20
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I also got that email and was a great explanation of what is going on. In the future, I would suggest they send that out FIRST, but glad they addressed the majority of the concerns.
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      12-06-2021, 10:25 PM   #21
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I too got the email. What a clusterfarkle.

Why are they even reaching out to the entire membership? Instead of farming this project out (because they don't have the manpower, duh), why not instead target longer-term members, reach out to them via email, then just deal with a small group that responds and actually has an interesting story? Seems like they cast far too wide of a net for what they're trying to accomplish here.

And the pricing for the final "book"?? It's pure insanity. Nobody is going to buy the thing at that price. Heads should roll for the poor execution of this well-intentioned idea gone sideways.
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      12-07-2021, 10:09 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinC View Post
why not instead target longer-term members, reach out to them via email, then just deal with a small group that responds and actually has an interesting story? Seems like they cast far too wide of a net for what they're trying to accomplish here.

And the pricing for the final "book"?? It's pure insanity. Nobody is going to buy the thing at that price. Heads should roll for the poor execution of this well-intentioned idea gone sideways.
Because us long-time members are not in need of the self-gratification that "yearbooks" like this promote. Pay to have yourself listed in "who's who in American High-schools" was pushed on me over 50-years ago and we knew it was a scam then. Same with "nominations" you receive from friends to participate in other such self-aggrandizement publications from any profession or region. Those who spend money to join groups like MENSA will probably flock to this. Likewise, anyone who owns a BMW as jewelry or uses it as a trapping of their success.

The telling remark in this mea-culpa was that the idea came from the publishing company, not the Club. That your current Club board and Executive Director promoted and approved such silliness should indicate just how removed from what we know a car club should be the current board is. Desperate self-preservation of a misguided agenda?

Years ago we weren't allowed to use even Raffle profits in our CCA budget. Times are tough in the print industry and for clubs in general when all could easily be replaced by "free" digital equivalents. Endless promotion of the raffle and now this publication's anticipated revenue stream are not an indication of the Club's financial health. It all looks desperate to me, and that comes from someone who used to have responsibility for such decisions and who also has the insight from attending the Club's first "O'Fest Forever" perversion of the Club's former signature annual event just recently.
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