| How
does a new member get started in the club? |
1. Go to the JOIN page and start
your membership.
2. If you don't get an e-mail informing you are on the e-mail list, send
an e-mail to thecolaclub@yahoo.com
3. Create your Profile by logging in, clicking
on the blue profile button on the left side and selecting "Create Profile".
This helps other members know who you are and what you look like.
4. Find an event that appeals to you and sign-up. We generally recommend
Happy Hours, Movie Nights, Billiards Nights or a Bonfire as good first time
event as they are very social and non-threatening.
5. If you are shy, ask a colleague or friend to accompany you. You're always
allowed to bring guests.
6. Contact the leader of the event you are attending via the "Chicken
Messaging System". Click on the leaders name and let them know you
are new and don't know anyone yet. They will be sure to look for you.
7. If you have a question take a look at the FAQ
page. If your question is not answered here, send a message to:
thecolaclub@yahoo.com
8. When attending an event, ask people how long they were in the club. You'll
be surprised to see that not everyone is a veteran member. Many members
are new and some are on their first event.
9. If you think of an event that we don't have posted, let us know. The
newest members tend to have the newest ideas for cool events and this keeps
the club interesting. Email thecolaclub@yahoo.com
10. If you attend an event and someone makes you uncomfortable or the leader
did something wrong in your eyes, PLEASE let us know. Your name will be
kept confidential and we need input from the members to keep this club fun,
safe and our leadership effective. |
| How
does the auto-billing work? |
Members who subscribe for
monthly membership will be billed every 31 days from the day they joined.
Billing continues every month unless we are notified otherwise in writing
via fax or letter. This MUST be done in writing since emails can be altered.
Members who join for 6 months or a year are not automatically billed when
that time period ends.
There is no obligation for anyone to stay a member of the club and there
is no initiation fee. |
| How
do I get a refund on my membership? |
| This club does not refund
member dues once they are paid. If you are moving out of the area we will
allow you to transfer the remaining portion of your unused membership
for a one-time $15 fee. This allows you to sell it to someone else who
is remaining in the area. If this is the option you choose, please email
us and let us know. The address is at the bottom. Also, if you move
to a city where we have an affiliate group, you can transfer your membership
for free! Please check their rules for transfer as they vary. |
| How
do I convert my membership to 6 months or 1 year? |
| At any time, you can add membership
time to your expiration date by simply visiting the main page, clicking
on Pay Dues and entering your username, email and CC info. The membership
term you select will be appended to your current membership. |
| Why
do couples pay the same as singles? |
Logically it would seem that
a couples who has two incomes should pay more for a membership than a
single member. Few people know this but very few couples are actually
members. There are lots of married members but only one party ends up
joining and the other often is not active at all.
Given this, and the fact some couples have dropped out since they perceived
the club as a singles group, the decision was made to allow the spouse
to be a free member. Keep in mind, the club's guest policy is very relaxed.
We always allow members to bring guests, even the same guest as often
as they like. So, a boy-girlfriend situation, roommate or friends conceivably
benefit in the same way as a couple since only one needs to join. Our
definition of couple means, the people are married, share a last name
and a residence. The only difference for couples is that either can attend
any event. |
| What
is the refund policy regarding prepaid events? |
If an event is cancelled or
the date is changed by the event leader or club owner the member is entitled
to a refund in full within 3 days. A credit would be issued to the member's
same credit card if that was how the charge was placed for the event.
If the member cancels after the payment deadline of the event, no refund
will apply. If we get notice before the event payment deadline that the
member wishes to cancel, we will retain a credit (we call them Adventure
Bucks) on the members record that can be used for future events or towards
membership. Please note that Adventure Bucks apply to membership
renewals or events, with the exception of payments paid to a third party
directly like a Travel Agent or Tour operator. |
| Am
I required to pay for membership or events via credit card? |
No. If you wish to mail a
check, money order or even pay by cash you are welcome to. You will need
to mail it to:
Columbia Outdoor & Life Adventures Inc
PO Box 2701
Columbia, SC 29171
Upon receiving the check, your membership time will be increased or your
reservation for the prepaid event will be setup. |
| Does
this club work with Multi-Level-Marketing companies? |
Absolutely not! This club
has a very strict policy of not endorsing or associating with any MLM's.
People join this club to make friends, get active and enjoy life. We do
not want our members to feel pressured to buy anything and certainly not
on any of our events.
The Cola Club does not allow events like plastic kitchen storage ware
parties, Holiday Candle sales or any event where the intent is to sell
something to our members. As a member, please know we wish to keep this
club fun, marketing-free and as inexpensive as possible. |
| Does
this club allow businesses to advertise on the website? |
| No. We try to keep this a
commercial-free site. Occasionally, we may add a link for a vendor,
restaurant or fun place we have scheduled an event with. We do this
to try to secure special pricing for our members and in return, we wish
to acknowledge them. There will not be any banners or pop-up windows
generated advertising businesses. On our LINKS page we want to let
you know about some local businesses that we have screened, that we believe
will benefit our members. |
| May
I bring my children to an event? |
Generally
kids under 18 are not allowed at events because the events are designed
for adults. Not all leaders are comfortable with kids on their hikes.
If the event does not explicitly say, "Children are allowed to attend",
then they are not.
If children are allowed, we must limit the number to two children per
parent or legal guardian. Kids over 18 are allowed at all events excluding
those events where alcohol is served. Dinners are fine, but remember
to RSVP for you and a guest. |
| How
do I get added to the email list to receive the E-Weekly? |
| Simply go to our HOME page
and put your name and e-mail address in the red box in the top right corner.
To unsubscribe, just click on the link at the bottom of the E-Weekly. |
| How
do I contact The ColaClub? |
By e-mail: thecolaclub@yahoo.com
By mail: PO Box 2702
West
Columbia, SC 29171
By Phone:
803-309-6372 |
| How
do I send another member a message? |
| In order to have member messaging
turned on, you must create a profile for yourself. After this is done,
look either under the member profiles by clicking the PROFILES button
or look at the people signed up for events. By clicking on the name that
is underlined, you will then see a link that says send this member
a message. By clicking on that link and sending a message, they will
see an animated icon in the top right of their screen the next time they
login. |
| Why
am I not getting email reminders? |
First thing to check... is
the email we have for you valid? To check this, login, click on the My
Information button and see what is listed. If it is wrong, please change
it.
Technical Improvements:
Back in March 2000 messages were BCC'ed (blind carbon copied) by the system
to all people signed up for an event. Unfortunately, anti-spamming software
often blocked messages with multiple recipients. To correct this problem
we had the server send each email individually in a loop. We've done significant
testing and found that this fixed the problem.
Large companies like AOL do sometimes lose email, either by bouncing,
getting blocked or just disappearing.
Also, from our experience, people often use the excuse that they didn't
get the email when in fact, they were tired and didn't feel like going
out on the event. Keep in mind, we have a log file reference and know
if any message sent was delivered properly. The best solution is to have
a 2nd email account in our system. |
|
How do I change my e-mail address in the The Cola
Club system to reflect my new e-mail address? |
| In order to have member
messaging turned on, you must create a profile for yourself. After
this is done, look either under the member profiles by clicking the
PROFILES button or look at the people signed up for events. By clicking
on the name that is underlined, you will then see a link that says
send this member a message. By clicking on that link and sending
a message, they will see an animated icon in the top right of their
screen the next time they login. |