ECF Membership FAQs

[Jon Mahony]

I’ve just found out that, although I put my grading reference in when I renewed my membership online, it’s actually created me as a new member. I shall have to drop the office an email / phone call to sort this out. Bit of a pain though

[Roger de Coverly]

I’ve just found out that, although I put my grading reference in when I renewed my membership online, it’s actually created me as a new member.

I suspect it will do this for everyone who changes categories. Membership code might be in use as a unique key in the underlying database. If it is, then having a B,G,P,S and JB etc. as part of the key will mean a new record every time someone changes category.

Against that the data for the "new" record is slightly different to that of the "old" record.

[Angus French]

I’ve just found out that, although I put my grading reference in when I renewed my membership online, it’s actually created me as a new member. I shall have to drop the office an email / phone call to sort this out. Bit of a pain though

Jon, did you:
a) Use the Registration function (through: https://paysubsonline.com/Registration/ ... C08722.htm); or,
b) Login (through: https://paysubsonline.com/Login/9967EB1 ... C08722.htm) and then select the payment option to renew?

If (a) then I'm afraid the system isn't intelligent enough to recognise that you might already be a member (since the Grading Reference value provided is already in use) and take appropriate action; instead it'll consider you to be a new member.

The current Membership List has close on 100 people (identified by their Grading Reference) with more than one Membership number.

<edited to add clarity>

[Roger de Coverly]

b) Login (through: https://paysubsonline.com/Login/9967EB1 ... C08722.htm) and then select the payment option to renew?

Next renewal date comes up as N/A for me. For October renewals, the system is now supposed to offer to collect 11/12ths the full year amounts.

[David Gilbert]

I'm not so sure. One of my Club members has moved from Gold to Silver and maintained the same number with an S, rather than G prefix, but I don't know how he renewed.

While the identifier should be Jonathan's grading reference, I wonder whether the new membership number has been created because his initials have changed from "J" to "JM"?

[Roger de Coverly]

I'm not so sure. One of my Club members has moved from Gold to Silver and maintained the same number with an S, rather than G prefix, but I don't know how he renewed.

That could make sense, as an earlier version of the download list had a space between the B/G/P/S code and the membership number. So Angus's explanation may well be it.

[John Upham]

I had a helpful chat with the ECF Office on some of these issues.

The notion of an expiry date is being deprecated on the grounds that by default memberships run until a fixed date in the year regardless of when they commenced.

This accounts for the Expiration date column in the membership list being Null for members applying or renewing from Sept 1st 2012 onwards.

Now I have to parse the Category column to determine the year of expiry which is nice!

This will be implemented in the next update.

Apologies if this is either incorrect or unclear.

J.

[Angus French]

The notion of an expiry date is being deprecated on the grounds that by default memberships run until a fixed date in the year regardless of when they commenced... This accounts for the Expiration date column in the membership list being Null for members applying or renewing from Sept 1st 2012 onwards.

I assume that the expiration date column which John refers to is the one headed 'Due Date' - since there is only one date column in the spreadsheet. However, I'm unclear of the meaning of 'Due Date'.
I can see that it applies to memberships which existed prior to the introduction of the new membership scheme (and which have now been converted), but it's not the same as Expiry Date, is it? (My understanding is that the old types of membership started on the first of a month and ended on the last day of a month; many Due Date values are mid-month.) It would certainly be useful to show Expiry Date in the Membership List, possibly in place of Due Date.

[Roger de Coverly]

(My understanding is that the old types of membership started on the first of a month and ended on the last day of a month; many Due Date values are mid-month.) It would certainly be useful to show Expiry Date in the Membership List, possibly in place of Due Date.

The old system expired memberships at the calendar month end. Many of those with these memberships have been given a few extra days. More worrying for the holders, are those memberships which were presumably paid for a fourteen month period, that are showing as expiring in September 2012.

[John Upham]

The risk of someone breaking into your house to steal strong passwords being much lower...

I am more concerned by the risk of having various car keys stolen but keep old ones on a hook as bait.

Close (but inside) to the front door is the largest Maglite torch one can buy.

Maglite torches are a very popular deterrent to strong (or weak) password theft especially amongst security professionals.

[Sean Hewitt]

Having downloaded a new ECF Membership list yesterday, I was impressed to see that upgrades effected at the weekend's Leicester congress were already showing on the new list. This is good news for both players and congress organisers. Well done ECF.