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**Gaffa** · 25 July, 2011, 19:42

Re: Charging for UKARA?!

I'm almost sure Alpha 55 requires members to pay an annual fee of £50, which gives them a few site discounts, etc, but also "covers the cost of getting registered".

Very strange.

**Longshot** · 25 July, 2011, 19:52

Re: Charging for UKARA?!

This thread:

http://www.zeroin.co.uk/showthread.php?t=121891

explored a similar theme.

As noted in there, whilst I don't agree with the practice of charging 'admin fees' for your UKARA membership you have to accept that there is some degree of admin involved and any business has a right to charge for their services.

Before anybody says: "what, stamping a form is admin?" (and yes, technically it is) they aren't just doing that, they are:

vouching that you have completed the required amount of games
having to keep a record of every game you attend
having to check those records (possibly over a period of months) to confirm you've played the games
providing you with a membership number (requiring more admin) that then becomes your UKARA number
and in some cases having to contact UKARA and provide them with all this data

**HuntR** · 25 July, 2011, 19:56

Re: Charging for UKARA?!

My local do this. It's possible it's to cover the cost of the membership card. But if i'm spending £25 every Sunday i attend, don't you think you should have a free membership card. Hence the reason i'll never ever be a site member and/or UKARA registered while at this site.

**Jez Armstrong** · 25 July, 2011, 19:57

Re: Charging for UKARA?!

Well, we dont charge a penny, nor to reregister

£50 is a bit steep!

**BAMF** · 25 July, 2011, 20:02

Re: Charging for UKARA?!

I hate to get embroiled in all of this UKARA registration charges business, but SWAT, here in the NorthWest, run a P.A.S.S system that is completely free of charge. The guy (Nutz) who "Administrates" the system does so for the love of airsoft. He's not in it to make a fast buck off fellow players backs. All information stored is the individual's and remains the individuals. It isn't open to be abused by retailers for their own personal gain.

Any site charging a player for UKARA registration is taking the p*ss, as they make enough on site fees etc. Retailers are charged an approximate annual fee of £500. That is passed on to players in some way or another.

P.A.S.S may not be for everyone and is currently only available in the NorthWest, but a system like this, that is completely free, should be availeble to all.

Just my £0.02p worth.

By the way, P.A.S.S stands for: Player Approval Site System and can be verified by retailers easily enough.

CK · 25 July, 2011, 20:12

Re: Charging for UKARA?!

GZW charges a fair £10 to be a member of the site, I then get £5 off every time I play (i think). This also includes ukara membership. Been a member for 3 years, and it has always been the same.

I think it's more than fair.

Care to name this site that charges you £10 to become ukara registered?

**HuntR** · 25 July, 2011, 20:18

Re: Charging for UKARA?!

I wouldn't mind paying £10 a year to get £5 off green fees. But the £10 is literally just for your site number and membership card. My local is Dragon Valley.

**Jez Armstrong** · 25 July, 2011, 20:21

Re: Charging for UKARA?!

Id rather not, its not my local site so i dont want to cause hassle

Our site is free for UKARA, and you get a "Costa coffee" style card, play 5 times and your 6th game is free

**BAMF** · 25 July, 2011, 20:22

Re: Charging for UKARA?!

Thing is, why pay anything extra at all? You pay site fees, so why should any extra charges be put on top? What if a player doesn't play at the one site regularly? They could be getting charged a "Membership fee" when they aren't actually a member.

I thought I heard somewhere that UKARA was free?

**~~LtPurcy~~** · 25 July, 2011, 20:23

Re: Charging for UKARA?!

Isnt the only way to get your UKARA now really to become a member of a site like GZ W? which as CK said is a fair £10 and £20 for game fees each time there after

**1st commando** · 25 July, 2011, 20:23

Re: Charging for UKARA?!

UKARA membership is FREE no matter where you play. It's the site memberships that entitle you to the UKARA membership that can cost .

AT F&O we have 3 types of annual membership depending on what the player wants and how much discount etc they want for that year .

If a player plays at least once a month they are better off going for the gold membership where as someone who only plays once every few months would be better off with Bronze or silver etc

CK · 25 July, 2011, 20:26

Re: Charging for UKARA?!

What happened to the dodgy 'for the airsofters' version of ukara that was kicking around last year, AOBA or whatever it was. That cost the same as i recall.

I like the idea of the 'costa coffee' style card. incentive to return to the same site.

To be honest I dont know how much time/effort/work goes into entering someone onto the ukara database, so I couldn't say whether it is worth £10 or not.

CK

**hoggy21** · 25 July, 2011, 20:31

Re: Charging for UKARA?!

CK, wheres the thread for your Masada?

GZ do indeed charge a £10 fee for membership to the site. Means £5 off green fees. Also, upon finishing your third game, they give you a membership card, plus send off your UKARA paperwork.

CK · 25 July, 2011, 20:34

Re: Charging for UKARA?!

Shameless advertising, its here: http://zeroin.co.uk/showthread.php?t=123491

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