My refund tale of Woe.

[20Hz]

I have been a member of NESBA since 2005. I used to think it was by far the best trackday organization and would go out of my way to sign up for NESBA events over other providers in the area. I don't understand this refund situation at all though. Nobody can explain why I (and it seems like many others) am not getting the refund that was promised me in September 2010. 8 months.

Bob O replied in October that the refund had been approved:

----Hello, Chris

Thank you for contacting us.

Sorry to say that the refunds are just taking to darn long to get out. I have no explanation. I have processed it and it has been approved. Just taking more time than thought to get them out. But the process is going on.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions.-----


Then after a few months of waiting I checked into what was going on and Bob said he would check into it and that this problem with the delayed credits has been 'dealt with by DJ in the forums many times'. He then offered me a refund in the form of credits which was ironic considering that the reason I'm owed a refund is because they cancelled the ORP trackdays in August and then disbanded/suspended/got rid of the Northwest region.

There followed many, many correspondences between bob o and I, then two months ago DJ finally started replying to the ticket and said he was getting personally involved (on March 18 of this year)

----Chris,

I will talk to Bob specifically about your refund status and how he can resolve this quickly this weekend. I will let you know the results by EOD Monday for sure.

Sorry about all this.
DJ----

When I contacted him a week later he said:

-----Thanks for the reminder.

I’ve been informed by accounting that your check will go out this week. Please let me know if not received by next Friday (I am assuming the worst here J)

DJ---

Of course I've received no check and when I checked back with DJ today he's apparently decided that he can't help me either.

Throughout the course of this entire debacle both Bob O and DJ keep referring to this "accounting department" and using these weird passive terms like "It's out of my hands" and "Once I send the info onto accounting I can't do anything else". This is the part that drives me nuts. They make it out like NESBA is some massive bureaucracy and they're just cogs. If I were DJ or Bob Blandford I would pick up a phone (not send some lame email checking on things) and get members like me taken care of. If for no other reason to protect NESBA's and my own reputation.

Moral of this story? Who knows I would say the moral is "If NESBA cancels an event charge back your credit card immediately" but reasonable people like to give folks/organizations acting in good faith a chance to make good right? So what happens is people like me wait until it's too late to go back to the CC company and do a chargeback, and keep getting strung along by these bizzare "I wish I could help but it's out of my hands" emails until they..give up? Is that what NESBA is hoping will happen?

Chris
Member #23695

 

[HondaGalToo]

As much as I, too, like NESBA, I find this refund situation that many members are facing to be absolutely deplorable.

 

[Mikey75702]

I think we need to fire the accounting department.... unless of course all of this is because the org is broke from the bad economy... then we just need to figure out how to fix that problem.

 

[20Hz]

Mikey75702;184271 wrote: .... unless of course all of this is because the org is broke from the bad economy... then we just need to figure out how to fix that problem.

That brings up a good point. If no one will give a straight answer to why people aren't getting their refunds, I have to assume that it's something like the org is broke. But there are events all over the country, and those cost money to put on. So in lieu of any real explanation it would seem that it's more like financial mis-management.

 

[jimgl3]

if i didn't get a promised refund i would be upset too, but lets think about this a minute... nesba is non-profit, so none of the officers, employees or volunteers can just up and write a check because they feel like it. and this is only a guess, but i would guess they probably outsource accounting. hell, this county i work for outsources its accounting! i'm guessing that Bob and DJ are just as frustrated as you are, if not more so. also, i'm just curious, but don't you plan to ride with nesba again soon? have you considered a credit? i know that doesn't put the cash in your pocket where it belongs, but maybe you could look at it as an investment in your personal favorite charity!

hope this doesn't piss anyone off, but that's never stopped me before has it?

 

[Mikey75702]

jimgl3;184420 wrote: if i didn't get a promised refund i would be upset too, but lets think about this a minute... nesba is non-profit, so none of the officers, employees or volunteers can just up and write a check because they feel like it. and this is only a guess, but i would guess they probably outsource accounting. hell, this county i work for outsources its accounting! i'm guessing that Bob and DJ are just as frustrated as you are, if not more so. also, i'm just curious, but don't you plan to ride with nesba again soon? have you considered a credit? i know that doesn't put the cash in your pocket where it belongs, but maybe you could look at it as an investment in your personal favorite charity!

hope this doesn't piss anyone off, but that's never stopped me before has it?

He said nesba axed his whole region... so the credits would be almost worthless...... though he could probably work a deal with Bob or dj to get credits, and have them excluded from the transfer fee.... then he could sell those credits to one of us for face value... depending on how much it is, i would be willing to buy them at 1:1 to help out.

 

[jimgl3]

you have a point, but he also said... "the moral is "If NESBA cancels an event charge back your credit card immediately"

 

[92illpony]

i waited for a long time and DJ made me a deal i couldnt refuse.

 

[20Hz]

jimgl3;184420 wrote: if i didn't get a promised refund i would be upset too, but lets think about this a minute... nesba is non-profit, so none of the officers, employees or volunteers can just up and write a check because they feel like it. and this is only a guess, but i would guess they probably outsource accounting. hell, this county i work for outsources its accounting! i'm guessing that Bob and DJ are just as frustrated as you are, if not more so. also, i'm just curious, but don't you plan to ride with nesba again soon? have you considered a credit? i know that doesn't put the cash in your pocket where it belongs, but maybe you could look at it as an investment in your personal favorite charity!

hope this doesn't piss anyone off, but that's never stopped me before has it?

From what I've gathered, the 'accounting department' is Bob Blandford. He's the president, CEO and OWNER of NESBA. Yes NESBA is a non-profit, but it's a non-profit owned by Bob. If I have any of this wrong I'd love to hear DJ or Bob Blandford correct me... DJ has basically said it's out of his hands, which leaves it in Bob's hands. I'd love to hear an explanation of why it takes almost 9 months to issue a refund but Bob (Blandford, not Bob O who has tried to help cannot write checks) has so far declined to contact me, even though I've sent him my contact details many times and offered to give him my credit card number so he can just credit the card, if writing a check is too involved.

Seriously, if you were in my position (no events anywhere near me because the region no longer exists, been strung along for 9 months expecting a refund) would you want credits?

 

[20Hz]

Mikey75702;184438 wrote: He said nesba axed his whole region... so the credits would be almost worthless...... though he could probably work a deal with Bob or dj to get credits, and have them excluded from the transfer fee.... then he could sell those credits to one of us for face value... depending on how much it is, i would be willing to buy them at 1:1 to help out.

That's a very nice offer Mikey, but I'm so sick of dealing with NESBA at this point I just want my money back and to be done with it.

 

[Mikey75702]

20Hz;186351 wrote: That's a very nice offer Mikey, but I'm so sick of dealing with NESBA at this point I just want my money back and to be done with it.

Sorry to hear that... hopefully they get it straight here soon. Nesba is on the ball in so many other ways, its discouraging to read problems like these.