ridecamp@endurance.net: Refunds

Refunds

Terry Woolley Howe (twhowe@inetworld.net)
Tue, 3 Jun 1997 00:28:51 -0700 (PDT)

I'm a little surprised by some of the hard-nosed pettiness concerning
refunds to riders. Let me first say that there are two separate types of
rides that I am talking about.

The first one is where the ride management limits the number of entries and
the limit had been reached, and ride management turned entries away because
they were full. In that instance when a rider who did vet through just
decided not to ride, I can understand why the ride management may not
offer a refund since the rider's entry prevented someone else from attending
which would cause the ride management to be out the entry fee from the
turned away rider.

But in the situation where there is no cap on the number of entries, I'm a
little confused about some earlier statements made regarding refunds.

>The people that tend to be the problem are the people that drive an hour
>and plan on doing the 25. These people should know what the local forcast
>is before the arrive - since they just live doen the road. They take up
>camping space, they are fed (usually on Friday night), they take advantage
>of the donuts, rolls and coffe on Saturday. By providing a full refund,
>the remainder of the riders are subsidizing these riders.
>
>I believe that riders that cannot start should get some refund (they still
>should pay for the services they use such as food). But riders that will
>not start, is a different issue. The rest of us are paying for these
>fokes.

>I agree with you, the
>folks who do ride are subsidizing the ones who whimp out.

As a ride manager, I still fail to see how the remainder of the riders are
"subsidizing these riders."

If the rider does not start, the ride management does not pay AERC fees,
drug fees, forest service fee, give a completion award, etc. With the
exception of maybe a little food that the rider may have eaten which would
probably not have cost a great deal, the other costs (campground, vets,
etc.) would not have altered at all whether the rider came to the ride and
did not ride, or whether the rider stayed home and didn't even enter at all!
And in either case, it does not effect the other riders' fees at all.

Ride management has determined months before the ride what the entry fee is
going to be to cover the costs (or make a profit if that is their
intent)with a projected number of entries. The entry fee is not determined
by taking all the costs and dividing them by the starting riders and then
giving them a bill at the end of the ride. Whether one or two riders decide
not to ride after they have vetted in does not effect the ride any more than
if they had not entered at all. The vets do not charge by the horse, they
get paid a set fee for the ride, whether there are 20 horses or 50 horses.
Where there are basecamp fees, most of the time the entire campground has
been reserved regardless of the number. If the camping situation was such
that the ride management was charged per rig, then the management could ask
the rider to make a check out to the campground to pay for their camping
fee. But for riders to be concerned about the non-starting riders who "take
up camp space" and eat donuts seems rather petty, since they are not "paying
for those fokes." Their entry fee would still be the same amount whether
the non-starting rider rode, withdrew, or never entered.

I'm not saying that as a ride manager it would not be disheartening if a lot
of riders chose not to ride after vetting in, but that is the risk a ride
manager takes, and I still feel that if a rider does not start (for any
reason), he should get a refund.

Terry Woolley Howe
San Diego

Home Events Groups Rider Directory Market RideCamp Stuff