FOSS4G'13

Claire has previously mentioned that GeoComm gets the occasional dubious registration, relating to visas, so I guess we need to be careful about that, but at the same time it would be a shame to cause difficulties for genuine attendees. I'd like to get back to this chap today, even if it's just with a holding message. Any thoughts?

Jo

Well it seems to me to depend most on when we have to count people to confirm services such as catering. Like so many things with the EMCC this is still a little unclear. I'd suggest 100% refund more than a month before; 50% from a month to a week before; and 0 closer than a week, but we'd allow a registration to be swapped to another person right up to the moment someone turns up to claim the (paid) registration.

FOSS4gNA has a clear statement of refund policy on the first page of its registration system:

Refunds: Refunds will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If you would like a refund, please contact registration@foss4g-na.org. No refunds will be given after May 1, 2013. Any refunds prior to that will be less a $50 service fee

I'm not saying that we have to adopt that policy, but I think we might get a lot of 'whats the refund policy?' emails if we don't make it as clear as that. Soon.

Can you let him know to register and to let me know ASAP if he does not get his visa.  I think because he has contacted us direct he is a genuine delegate and I will not count his registration until he confirms he has his visa.

Thanks Claire- I'll respond to him and then we should get a generic policy up on the site asap

Jo

Claire- do you mean you won't charge him until he confirms the visa?

No he will need to pay.  We will refund him the full amount if he can not get the visa.

Done, and cc'd Claire. Thanks!

Okay, so further cancellation information requests are to be handled on an individual basis? This doesn't sound very efficient. Can we not get a policy on the web page?

I think there's always going to be an element of individual handling for cancellation requests, but yes we should definitely get something up on the site for people to not read. 

My question- how much of a handling fee should we charge? How much does it cost us to process a registration and then cancel it?

Jo

This is what is in the t&cs on the registration system:

If you find you are unable to attend after registering for the FOSS4G 2013 Conference you have 3 options:
1. Transfer your booking to a colleague: one replacement delegate per registration is permitted and must be confirmed by email to Claire Gilmour on or before Friday 6th September 2013. Any further replacements will incur an administrative fee of £20+VAT.
2. Reduce your attendance days: you may change your registration by reducing your attendance days, charged at the advertised rates. Changes to your registration must be made by email to Claire Gilmour on or before Friday 16th August 2013 to qualify for a refund on the balance of your registration fee, (less a £20+VAT administrative charge). We regret that no refunds can be made on registration changes from Friday 16th August 2013 onwards under any circumstances.
3. Cancel your registration: you may cancel your registration completely on or before Friday 16th August 2013 and receive a full refund, less a £20+VAT administrative charge. We regret that no refunds can be made on registration cancellations from Friday 16th August 2013 onwards under any circumstances.

I would rather leave it as is and if someone like the person today who contacts us (there may be 1 or 2 more but it wont be a lot) we can sort it on an individual basis.  If we start putting up about cancelling their place free of charge if they cant get a visa etc will just get too many people asking for no admin charge.

Claire

I agree, Claire. If we've published the T&Cs already, I don't think we can go changing them after people have booked and paid (at least, not without going back to existing ticket holders).

I don't think we need to change them,  just publish them where people can find them again. Any objections to me copying the above onto the website?

I am attaching the full t&cs

I'm going to add this to the site then.

Jo

Now added under the registration section on the menu, with the tiniest bit of editing to state the relationship between the AGI and FOSS4G LOC in the final paragraph

Jo

Hold off a minute

Whether they were previously published or not we cannot go forward with these cancellation terms.

Option 1 is OK but I would question the date of 6th September, should we bring it forward a bit to avoid a flurry of late activity. Perhaps make an admin charge of £20/25 for any change of registered name after 31st August say.

Option 2 is very messy and with changes etc and could be considered as the same as a cancellation. Why not scrap it?

Option 3 suggest change to:

1. Cancellation up to 8 weeks before event 25% charge (minimum £50 inc VAT)
2. Cancellation 8 to 4 weeks before the event 50% charge (minimum £50 inc Vat)
3. No refund after 16th August

The page is now down again (draft and not in the menu)- I'm out of the office tomorrow so I leave to you all to sort as you see fit :-)

Jo

Will wait for feedback to my suggestions before changing the web page.

Claire will need to mirror any changes in the registration system or link from there to the T&C's on the foss4g web site may be better.

I also suggest that anyone who has already booked and subsequently seeks to cancel and references the original cancellation terms on the registration site will have those terms honoured.

has anything been progressed on this?

I am out of the office until Wednesday next week so unless I change it today it will have to wait until I am back.

Claire and Barry/Jo

Can we change the Cancellation Policy to:

If you find you are unable to attend after registering for the FOSS4G 2013 Conference you have 2 options:

1. Transfer your booking to a colleague: one replacement delegate per registration is permitted and must be confirmed by email to Claire Gilmour. Requests to change a delegate's name before 16th August will not incur a charge thereafter replacements will incur an administrative fee of £20

2. Cancel your registration: 

1. Cancellation up to 8 weeks before event will incur a 25% charge (minimum £50 inc VAT)
2. Cancellation 8 to 4 weeks before the event will incur a 50% charge (minimum £50 inc Vat)
3. We regret that no refunds can be made on registration cancellations from Friday 16th August 2013 onwards under any circumstances.
   

We could just use a link in the registration system to the terms and conditions on the FOSS4G website or we could duplicate this text on both.

NB anyone who has already booked prior to these changes in terms and subsequently seeks to cancel and references the original cancellation terms on the registration site will have those terms honoured.

Have added that text to the main Registration page now.

I've also put it on the current Draft T+C page, but I think it needs to be on the main registration page.

Its Live.

I have updated the t&cs on regonline.

Thx to Barry and  Claire

I have added the T&C's page to the menu under Registration on the FOSS4G site

Barry or Claire can you reply to the guy who mailed us starting this thread

Jo has already emailed him to say he can have a full refund if he doesn't get his visa.
This is obviously contra to the T+C we just published. Do we just need to tell him that he's a special case, and that if he cancels for any other reason the T+Cs apply?

Sounds like it, Barry.