EE- event closed last night at 20 dogs and just a minute ago 22

[Jeff Huntington]

Boy did this thread "right turn Clyde"

[8mmag]

David, I did send an email and got the answer. very legitamite reason and was not trying to imply improprieties. Just hadn't seen it happen before.
In regards to work load on these two ladies sounds like a managment decision if they are requried to handle more than they should. I know they work hard at reasonable labor rates.
Thanks to those ladies for their response.

Boy did this thread "right turn Clyde"

Yes, it did change directions. IMHO though, if the very legitimate reason EE gave was detailed in the thread rather than left vague, it might not have 'given in to the factors' so soon. Instead of staying on P.1 folks took off on P.2 at the scented point.

Call 'em back in to where we messed up, sit 'em down, and recast...

NO, HERE! regards.

[Granddaddy]

You're right Chad, someone is doing OK, it's the banks. Credit card fees are 2.5-4.5% (depending upon the credit card used)of the total entry charge (example: $80 entry fee + 4.50 handler fee = 84.50 x .045 = $3.80 credit card charge taken off the top). So as club entry fees go up, EE has less margin.

And no 8mmag, the club doesn't share in the credit card fee, EE absorps the total cc fees. And while there may be a few who are willing to pay a higher handling fee, the vast majority want better service for lower costs. Many may remember when fees were increased from a sliding scale of $3-4.50 to a flat $4.50; go look at the thread that covered that increase & you might appreciate more that EE is attempting to provide the best service possible for the lowest possible costs to the handlers & clubs.

[Granddaddy]

After subtracting a 3-4% credit card transaction fee that $4.50 gets much smaller. If everyone paid with a check it would be different. One would assume that the pros are all VIP accounts and pay by check, most individuals pay by credit card. I know the giant retailers get a much better deal than 3-4% due to volume but small retailers, professionals, etc. do not. When those entry fees hit $100 after subtracting the transaction fee there isn't much left.

Unfortunately Ed, an ability to pay by check has not proven to be a winning strategy. With just a couple of bad checks each week (& EE might not find out the checks are bad until after an event close), EE would lose the total advantage of avoiding the credit charge fees. Further collecting bad checks and handling issues related to late mail (really an USPS issue) if all entries were mailed would required another person, almost full time. And since EE is obligated to pay the club for all entries, it would also create a cash flow shortage which EE lacks the ability to underwrite. So good in theory, not so good in practice. And there is a another list of issues with electronic checks, which also include fees...

[8mmag]

And no 8mmag, the club doesn't share in the credit card fee, EE absorps the total cc fees.

Thanks for clarifying that. I don't understand why that is, but thanks for the response! An accountant or finance guy I ain't.

[thebigcat]

EE may not be making much money on a 22 dog trial at $80/entry but they definitely are on $65-$75 hunt tests that have 50+ dogs entered.

[Jeff Huntington]

Every business is entitled to make money. If the revenue is the 4.50 per dog to cover salary OH direct costs of printing and shipping. CC fees based on the entire entry fee then I imagine there is not a lot of margin

But EE is not a public company so basically it's none of our business and only speculation

I've been to the charleston office definately not plush

[savage25xtreme]

Its a good thing EE makes money on the 14 pages of ads in the premium, the over priced ribbons and the 80some cent post cards then....none of which am I complaining about.

All I want for Christmas is a search function in EE that works.

[Aaron Homburg]

But I thought the reason was.............Someone was .............

Breathe and Back away from the keyboard Regards,

Aaron

[Granddaddy]

Its a good thing EE makes money on the 14 pages of ads in the premium, the over priced ribbons and the 80some cent post cards then....none of which am I complaining about.

All I want for Christmas is a search function in EE that works.

Ad revenues are the property of the Retriever News and don't even pass through EE. EE just includes the ads provided by Retriever News in the catalog layout (you do understand that the Retriever News owns the retriever entry services of EE?). Even so, advertising in an event catalog is no source of riches because ad pricing is based upon circulation. The "over-priced" ribbons are bid annually and offer a lower price than can be had by clubs directly from the same source (EE just gets a better price because of annual volume). But clubs can buy direct if they choose. Post card pricing goes up with every USPS price increase, the EE charge for printing and handling has remained the same since 2008. The search function improvement is on the list to be improved/made more reliable but its price tag for software costs will delay implimentation. Point is, EE is & has been a break even proposition at best with losses in most years since 2005.

EE offers a valuable service and convenience to clubs and individuals who enter events and was never intended to bring riches to its owners. And because of the services that EE offers, it actually encourages participation. In my personal case, I used to enter 5-8 events per years when entries were manual/send to the club with check by mail affairs. Since EE was begun, my personal event entries have increased to 12-18 events per year primarily because of the convenience of entry & a summary knowledge of events in one place that I could use for planning purposes. Also there are very few clubs that could attract and keep a club secretary or treasurer who would want to handle all the details related to holding a trial or test that are accomplished by EE in a reliable, inexpensive manner. Proof is that clubs can still opt to handle there events in a direct, manual fashion. In that regard, I don't know if there is even one club that chooses to handle their events in a manual manner anymore.