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Is Active.com the new ticketmaster?
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My wife just registered for Steelhead and paid $22 just for the processing fee. She isn't an annual member of active.com, as that would have significantly reduced fees. But at $99 per year, most people are not likely to ever break even with the fee reduction. Unfortunately, active.com is the only registrar for most triathlons out there. This reminds me of another shady website that fees us all to death. Ticketmaster. Since there really isn't anything else I can do, I figured I would complain on the internet. That seems to solve everything.
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [Mr Brightside] [ In reply to ]
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complaint heard!

but how to fix anything is the bigger question
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [Mr Brightside] [ In reply to ]
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This has been discussed multiple times in multiple posts over the years. Slowman has discussed the issue.

In my opinion, it's not the cost. It's the transparency (or, as Southwest Airlines says, transfarency). We're going to pay for the registration service fees one way or another. Either the RD will incorporate the cost in the base price (boosting the price) or it'll be added as a separate fee. In the later case, it should be disclosed up front rather than when checking out.
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [Mr Brightside] [ In reply to ]
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An extra $20 for a sport that usually costs me a couple grand a year seems pretty reasonable.
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [notadistancegod] [ In reply to ]
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notadistancegod wrote:
An extra $20 for a sport that usually costs me a couple grand a year seems pretty reasonable.

Concur. Worrying about that $22 causes you more than $22 in stress and harm to your health.

Not worth getting worked up about.
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [notadistancegod] [ In reply to ]
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yeah, but how much are you getting for thst $20. it is a rip off not money well spent

2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [Mr Brightside] [ In reply to ]
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Keep in mind that these registration outfits generally provide kickbacks to the event as a means to get the registration business, and offer a means to the hosting organization to make a few extra dollars. This kickback can be anywhere from a dollar (typical small events) to half of the processing fee on larger events, after first subtracting the credit card fee. So when you complain, you should include the hosting organization because they share responsibility in ripping you off (so to speak). Its a racket, and as long as people pay it these fees will continue, and probably continue to increase.
Last edited by: NealH: Nov 19, 17 13:22
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [Mr Brightside] [ In reply to ]
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Agreed. Hard to imagine that it actually costs anywhere near 22 per registrant. Wonder why participation is declining,


5 bucks to register a kid for winter swimming. The swim team fee was 50.

Edit. I thought it was 25 per kid it was only 5 but still.
Last edited by: rhayden: Nov 19, 17 19:56
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [rhayden] [ In reply to ]
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Don't get suckered into the ironman payment plan. Active.com will charge you a fee for each payment.
Last edited by: turningscrews: Nov 19, 17 14:28
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [Mr Brightside] [ In reply to ]
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Not to be a conspiracy theorist or anything - but if I’m not mistaken, Mike Reilly, the voice of Ironman, was a founding member of Active.com and the VP at one point. Not sure if he still is involved, but if you need a reason to wonder why tris get hit with so many fees.... especially WTC races...

___________________________________
MS: Exercise Science
Your speed matters a lot, sometimes you need to be very fast, where sometimes you need to breakdown your speed.
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [turningscrews] [ In reply to ]
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turningscrews wrote:
Don't get suckered into the ironman payment plan. Active.com will charge you a fee for each payment.

Do you actually believe that paying 8% on 3 smaller payments somehow costs more than paying 8% on one larger payment?
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [IKnowEverything] [ In reply to ]
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Can you show me a third party registration company in any industry that doesn’t collect a fee?
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [ChrisM] [ In reply to ]
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I can show you sites that only charge a fixed fee, not one proportional to the cost of the event... cause that’s what really annoys most people, I think.

___________________________________
MS: Exercise Science
Your speed matters a lot, sometimes you need to be very fast, where sometimes you need to breakdown your speed.
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [IKnowEverything] [ In reply to ]
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It’s not proportional to the cost. It’s based on the number of anticipated participants

What online race registration has a fixed fee regardless of race distance or size?

I’m really just commenting on your claim that active’s fees have anything to do with Reilly
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [rhayden] [ In reply to ]
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rhayden wrote:
Agreed. Hard to imagine that it actually costs anywhere near 22 per registrant. Wonder why participation is declining,


5 bucks to register a kid for winter swimming. The swim team fee was 50.

Edit. I thought it was 25 per kid it was only 5 but still.

Actually, my Swimming Master's team doesn't charge any fees for online registrations/renewals...

Isn't it great to live in a free market society without choices?
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [ChrisM] [ In reply to ]
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ChrisM wrote:
Can you show me a third party registration company in any industry that doesn’t collect a fee?
Fair point, but can you show me a reason Ironman needs to do this through a 3rd party? Taking payments on the web isn't exactly a new thing.
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [spudone] [ In reply to ]
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Obviously, the solution is for the race to somehow strike a deal with Active not to charge a processing fee.... then raise the entry fee to $121 per entrant and pay Active themselves.
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [windschatten] [ In reply to ]
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windschatten wrote:
Isn't it great to live in a free market society without choices?

I admit it's harder these days, because WTC have squeezed the competition; but people really should consider an Ironman brand hiatus. If they don't, the alternatives will dwindle even more. I've managed without a WTC finisher medal for just over 2 years now, and I'm still racing. It's a bit like the 90s :)

I think it's called voting with your feet.

29 years and counting
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [NealH] [ In reply to ]
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Keep in mind that these registration outfits generally provide kickbacks to the event as a means to get the registration business, and offer a means to the hosting organization to make a few extra dollars. This kickback can be anywhere from a dollar (typical small events) to half of the processing fee on larger events, after first subtracting the credit card fee. So when you complain, you should include the hosting organization because they share responsibility in ripping you off (so to speak). Its a racket, and as long as people pay it these fees will continue, and probably continue to increase.



A bit crude, but more or less this is what's going on.

It's important to note that the actual registration company that you end up using as a participant in a race, is the decision of the race organization. This is a Business-to-Business deal between the registration provider and the race itself. It's easy to default to being critical of the registration provider, but really, if you genuinely don't like the registration experience, and the "service" that is being provided, then you really should be directing complaints and criticisms towards the race or event organization itself.

Now, this may seem useless at first, but there is more power in the hands of individual participants than you think right now. With participation numbers down or flat, smart Race Directors should be paying attention to the WHOLE of the participant experience of their participants - and the actual registration process is a part of that experience. It's VERY competitive now race-to-race (this is also true in running & cycling) for participants. Consequently, smart Race Directors will see this as a problem and look into a change of resignation provider. So send those emails to the Race Director, and onsite when you are at a Race and you see the Race Director, pull them aside when they are not busy and nicely explain to them that you really did not like the registration experience.


Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [spudone] [ In reply to ]
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spudone wrote:
ChrisM wrote:
Can you show me a third party registration company in any industry that doesn’t collect a fee?
Fair point, but can you show me a reason Ironman needs to do this through a 3rd party? Taking payments on the web isn't exactly a new thing.

If you believe the conspiracy theorist, they aren’t using a third party, just a division of “WTC” ;)

As to the question, not having access to WTC’s books or budgets... no, I have no reason to know why they make that decision.
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [Jorgan] [ In reply to ]
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Jorgan wrote:
windschatten wrote:

Isn't it great to live in a free market society without choices?


I admit it's harder these days, because WTC have squeezed the competition; but people really should consider an Ironman brand hiatus. If they don't, the alternatives will dwindle even more. I've managed without a WTC finisher medal for just over 2 years now, and I'm still racing. It's a bit like the 90s :)

I think it's called voting with your feet.

This right here! I've had a lot of fun racing non WTC events. I still do a couple of WTC events per year, but I'm tending toward other options because I'm tired of WTC and their "F*** you pay me" attitude.
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Re: Is Active.com the new ticketmaster? [Mr Brightside] [ In reply to ]
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Active sucks

https://www.outsideonline.com/...me-race-registration

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin
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