MakeItHappen 15 #1 March 30, 2009 On April 1st, not only does California sales tax increase, USPA membership and rating fees do too. No fooling! You can renew now - either online or by snail mail. As long as your snail mail is postmarked by March 31 - you'll get the lower rate. Oh yeah and postal rates go up in May. Invest in some of those forever stamps. One gotcha - rating holders cannot renew any earlier than 3 months. We now return you to your regular programming........ PS: Some smartass, and you know who you are, asked about financial advantages of keeping your money until the last minute v. paying early. The increase in dues is $6 and more than a 12% increase. If you can make more than 12%, net after taxes, on a principle of $49 before you need to renew then keep your money and invest it. Please be sure to take into account your time horizon. If your renewal is not due until next Feb. you *might* be able to make that return - all subject to the Obama rebound percentage. If your renewal is due shortly, then it makes a lot of sense - this one time - to pay up early. Of course, if you have a Bernie Madoff in your life then all bets are off. Oh and one more consideration.... Lifetime memberships are changing from $800 to $1000. If you buy a lifetime membership in the next two days, you break even after 14.55 years. If you buy a lifetime membership after March 31 then it will take 18.2 years to break even. (These estimates should be adjusted by future dues increase and will reduce the break even time span for both cases. The four year differential will still be there.) .. Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 8 #2 March 30, 2009 Whats it going up to?"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #3 March 30, 2009 Man, I wish I'd gotten the lifetime membership the first year... How much was it in 1993? "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nutz 0 #4 March 30, 2009 I know, I remember when it was $300.00. "Don't! Get! Eliminated!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CSpenceFLY 1 #5 March 30, 2009 Or, I could just keep my $49. That's what I'm leaning towards. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Krip 2 #6 March 30, 2009 Quote Or, I could just keep my $49. That's what I'm leaning towards. Hi Spence Of course you know thats $49 for this year.Next year due to "increased costs and declining membership" annual dues could go up or they could go down. OTOH Lodi Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baronn 111 #7 March 30, 2009 I'm w/you. If this organization( I use the term loosely here ) really ran like a business, they wouldn't be getting involved in lawsuits they can't win, they would have an effective mktg. campaign for sustainability and they wouldn't be making it so difficult to be part of the sport. It's about to take on a whole new level of " Eletism " the likes that has not been seen b4. The new leaders are about to make sure all the "little people" pay for their involvement. Ass,gas,or grass you're going to have it rammed down your throat and will like it or be blacklisted and have every rating you have worked so hard for yanked out from underneath you. God help us all! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #8 March 30, 2009 QuoteGod help us all! A little dramatic over the cost of one packjob, don't you think? Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 5 #9 March 30, 2009 OH MY GOD! THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING! USPA raised membership by $6.00!! If they ran the organization like a business, they could be like Ford, GM, Merrill Lynch, CompUSA, KMart...and other very intelligently run businesses that are now either going, gone, or being merged. Me? I'm willing to forego that Supersize McNugget meal just once this year to pay the extra $6.00. Where is this famous "black list?" I've heard so much about it, but yet to see it. Where can I find a list of dangerous instructors, dropzones, etc? I've got names to add if they're not already there. Is the USPA perfect? Not by any stretch. Show us any industry/lobby organization that is. USPA is solvent, and as a sport we still have a voice. That is important to me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peregrinerose 0 #10 March 30, 2009 Quote OH MY GOD! THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING! USPA raised membership by $6.00!! If they ran the organization like a business, they could be like Ford, GM, Merrill Lynch, CompUSA, KMart...and other very intelligently run businesses that are now either going, gone, or being merged. Me? I'm willing to forego that Supersize McNugget meal just once this year to pay the extra $6.00. Where is this famous "black list?" I've heard so much about it, but yet to see it. Where can I find a list of dangerous instructors, dropzones, etc? I've got names to add if they're not already there. Is the USPA perfect? Not by any stretch. Show us any industry/lobby organization that is. USPA is solvent, and as a sport we still have a voice. That is important to me. LOL! FINALLY a rational post in this thread Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robskydiv 0 #11 March 30, 2009 Should have got a lifetime membership years ago as suggested by a friend. I would have saved alot of money. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 37 #12 March 31, 2009 Did anyone get a security issue notice when they tried to renew online? I'm definitely at USPA.org. My error mesage says: The security certificate presented by this website was issued by a different website's address. This problem may indicate an attempt to fool you or intercept any data you send to the server. We recommend that you close this webpage. I'm thinking snail mail is looking pretty good right now.She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man, because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MakeItHappen 15 #13 March 31, 2009 QuoteDid anyone get a security issue notice when they tried to renew online? I'm definitely at USPA.org. My error mesage says: The security certificate presented by this website was issued by a different website's address. This problem may indicate an attempt to fool you or intercept any data you send to the server. We recommend that you close this webpage. I'm thinking snail mail is looking pretty good right now. Try it with www.uspa.org The SSL certificate is for www.uspa.org and not uspa.org even though both urls get resolved to the same place. .. Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 37 #14 March 31, 2009 Thanks, that worked. She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man, because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
