Attention VCA Officers - Past and Present

Black SRT

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<FONT COLOR="#ff0000" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by Rick Martino on 12-17-2002 at 08:26 PM</font>
 

VOI9 ASP

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Off the top of my head... The following things are reserved for VCA members - Special events planned by each region are for VCA members only, Special discounts are offered by many suppliers across the country to VCA members on Viper related items. I'm sure there are many other reasons like the above not to mention the friendships you can make with other Viper owners across the country / world. Making friends in the VCA is much easier than trying to find other Viper owners that are not part of the family.

I'm sure the wait for our cars will be well worth it. I know in my business of home construction there are many delays. Some we may be able to control - others we have no control such as weather or governmental issues. If I had to contact each buyer every time there was a delay in the building of their home, we would never get any work done. I'm sure the automobile business is the same in some respects as my business - we make our money when we deliver the product to the buyer. This happens when the product is completed and as perfect as we can make it.

"There will be no Vipers until their time"
 

Eddie N

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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Venom 2K:
The following things are reserved for VCA members - VOI's are for VCA members only..

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

since when? its called the Viper OWNERS Invitational, not VCA Member Invitational.. the only criteria is that you are a viper owner, but you do not need to be a VCA member..
smile.gif


- eddie -
 

Bill Pemberton Woodhouse

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Rick,

I would say that alot of what Steve said bears some fruit, as virtually all our orders are with VCA members. I question why your dealer would know, since he really would be interested in just taking care of a customer, and he probably wouldn't ask. I can tell you in confidence that most of our orders are for VCA members ( as there are alot of repeat buyers) and it is probably due to the info in the magazine and this board.Granted there a plenty of folks that use the board that are not members, but I believe the majority are -my personal opinion. I hope this is of some help as I can understand your frustration, but I guess since we can't do a scientific analysis, it might be beneficial to hear from another source.
 

SRT10

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I wonder if VOIs' would even take place if the VCA didn't exist. A lot of people take for granted the personal time and effort the VCA officers spend. I don't see a flood of people volunteering to run for any elections. The VCA is a car club for Viper enthusiasts to get together and have some fun. Dodge and the VCA make VOI as great as it is. How many other car companies and car clubs do the same? -
 

GTS Bruce

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100 bucks is chump change.The price of a halfway decent dinner for two.The price of a halfway decent hotelroom.Three fillups on my dodge ram.Less than the price of a pair of decent sneekers.Couple of bottles of decent booze.A few good cigars.less than the price of your wife's or girlfriends next purse or pair of shoes. etc............. Bruce
 

46hemi

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I only wish I could have a product that I could act this way on, and still have people clamoring for. Lets assume that I tried this same tactic in my line of work I would be bounced out so quick it would make my head spin!

The key here is communication. Most people are very reasonable especially on this level. If there is a problem that needs attention most people will understand and be willing to wait. For those who do not they can simply move on, no harm/no foul.

I have no interest or stake in this years SRT. I can tell you that I have many years in the service industry and what is going on with this car is a joke. If I found out one of my employees was treating one of my customers in this fashion they would be promptly terminated. Boy I wish my customers were as understanding as the Viper community.
 

Lee00blacksilverGTS

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Let's not forget all the work that Steve, Joe, Tony, etc. did to get us this program, I mean DC had to basically fight the dealers to do this, they didn't just wake up one morning and say..."Hey, wouldn't it be fun to cut the profit to every dealer in the country and give the advantage to the current Viper owner to dictate price to the dealer, yeah that should be fun I bet we get about 800 angry calls from dealers." SOMEBODY talked DC into this!
Additionally, where anyone stands in the line right now as far as status, vin, and von probably has a LOT to do with your dealer and how well they took care of business when the orders were sent to DC from the dealer, remember that little step? I know my dealer was aggressive in reminding me to get my paper to him, and I bet he didn't send them in via snail mail either, so how a particular dealer handled this compared to other dealers probably made a huge difference. And if someone regarded their business relationship with the dealer to be not that important and beat the poor guy down to $25 bucks over invoice, well, if you were a businessman would you place the order for the lowest margin product first or last? And if the order was placed with the smallest dealer in Timbuctoo who never ordered a Viper before, well, maybe "some pigs are more equal than others" to DC. And if the order was placed with a dealer who was cutting deals with guys for certs. to flip cars and quoting prices to do so, and there is a dealer in new england who did that, and I know because I talked to them and was offered the deal, then maybe DC is quietly not favoring that dealers orders. And finally, your dealer should be COMMUNICATING with you on what's going on. We didn't buy from DC, we bought from a franchised dealer and the franchisor (DC) sees that (communication) as the duty of the franchisee.
 

Joseph Houss

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Rick,

We can only try to give you the facts that are handed to us by our friends at Dodge.

Essentially, we, the VCA, were given tons of information regarding when, where and how you were to apply and process your certificate the moment it was communicated to us (now if that's not a VCA perk, I don't know what is!). We were eventually told that Dodge would try to comply with "first in, first out" ... with color being an additional factor involved, as they were going to be building the SRT-10's in blocks. There could be a few factors that could effect a straight sequential build. Do you know the colors of the SRT-10's not in "status" yet? Additionally, please realize that there were tons of dealers entering orders at the same time, so there might be hundreds of entered orders in a modest amount of time it took the dealer to enter or fax the orders.

Cars in "status", unless in G, I, or KZ, mean nothing more than a chassis was assigned to the order, etc, so it really doesn't have much of a bearing on when you will get the car

The bottom line? The VCA is proud to be the first stop in the communication chain between Dodge and the general public. We can only communicate to our members, what we know, which in most cases, can be MORE than the dealers are even aware of! I don't believe we ever insinuated that VCA membership would have a "jump" over the general public in ordering their SRT's (although we would LOVE that to be the fact!), but, we will continue to provide an unbelievable amount of information through the VCA mediums, such as this website, and VCA Notes, and even first class mailings, that will surely make you as knowlegable about Viper related info that you could possibly be.

Reason to join the VCA? C'mon Rick! Silly question (especially when you ask VCA officers!) Great Club, Great People, unbelievable resource for Dodge related information, and surely a strong association to communicate our thoughts and suggestions to Dodge! .... and I can assure you, they listen!

.....and stay tuned for some fantastic zone rendezvous next year! and plenty of more surprises!
 

Y2K5SRT

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Well, as a past (local Treasurer) and present (local President) officer, I would like to make a few comments.

First off, I think the organization goes far beyond this web site. I thought that "suspending" certain members from the site was a mistake, but hindsight is indeed 20/20. However, if this website were an exclusive benefit to VCA members, I would say that it was not worth the $100. Don't get me wrong, the web site is a GREAT place to hang out and talk Vipers. However in its current form it provides little benefit to the VCA member over a non-member Viper owner. Basically, an avatar and I think some uploading capabilities (and free classified ads - which is a VERY good deal when it comes time to upgrade your Viper).

So, putting the website aside, there are a ton of reasons to join the VCA. They have been listed before, but I would emphasize a few right here:

1. The discounts given by most of the Viper vendors to VCA members (pays for your membership real quickly).

2. VIPER Magazine, national newsletters, and regional newsletters.

3. Viper raffles. While not for everybody, you MUST be a VCA member to purchase a ticket.

4. Local events. While we have certainly welcomed some non-members to some of our events (one Lotus seems to show up at all of them), we don't advertise them and unless you are a VCA member, you are unlikely to hear about them or get an invite.

The fifth reason and one that deserves a paragraph all of its own is the SRT. Did VCA members get "first in line"? Doesn't sound like it. I don't remember any promises or indications we would, but that is okay by me either way. What IS absolutely critical is that being a member of the VCA gives you a very strong voice with DC that you would probably not have otherwise (unless you are Jay Leno). It is interesting to read almost every review of the SRT and see "the Viper Nation" referenced, Sports Car International being the most recent. Almost without exception, the reviewer notes that the SRT is the product of what current Viper owners have been asking for. And who represents those owners the majority of the time? The VCA. While I don't doubt that many non-members have written letters and made calls to suggest improvements, I would almost guarantee that none of them carry the weight of the VCA (unless you are Jay Leno
wink.gif
). The bottom line is that this is one of the very few consistent reviews I have read where the owners input really did affect the final product (with the possible exception of the actual look of the car). Those owners are represented by the VCA, just as our elected officials represent us in Congress, etc.

A final comment on the lack of communication from DC and the hints from people "in the know". I am as frustrated as anybody here. I recently sold my pride and joy to make room for what I hope is a not-too-far-off SRT. So unlike many here, I am completely Viperless right now and it *****. I don't care if they release it next week or next March, I just want to know what is happening. The problem is that the information could potentially cause more problems than what it is worth. We have figured out that the emissions issue is probably not the big problem. The heat issue is a known problem, so that could be the bulk of it. But what if it is a bit more? What if there was a mechanical problem that causes the car to put out only 460 hp? What if there is a problem with the rear end that causes it to fail under heavy load? None of these problems are real as far as I know, but what if they were? The heat issue alone is making Dodge look bad in the press and really taking away from this car. It has already shown skidpad numbers that are nothing less than stunning (1.15 g) and braking that is absolutely world-class. Yet the car gets mediocre reviews because of the heat issues. Just imagine if it got out that there was a more serious problem with the car (and I am NOT saying there is). It could practically KILL the car - and perhaps the entire Viper program - if a major problem were made public. We are not talking about a mass-produced car here, but a niche vehicle that is very expensive to build. Poor press and I suspect you would see no more Vipers in any flavor.

Anyway, that is just my opinion. I appreciate the "hints" no matter how vague or accurate. I hope that we hear some good news in the not-too-distant future.

Chris
 

gtsviper

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crying.gif
Some Viper owners are just not happy unless they're whining.
crying.gif

Anyone interested in starting a fund for those who think $100 is too much to pay for dues?... Didn't think so. Oh well, guess they won't be joining for 03...See Ya
seeya.gif
 

Steve Ferguson

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Rick, one of the main reasons I do not list any tech talk is that I do not understand it. Because of my lack of understanding, it makes it a little easier for DC and PVO people to talk to me because they KNOW I can't repeat it because I don't understand it. There are also occasions like what is happening with the SRT/10 when I might understand it but am strictly told in confidence, and if I was to post something it would all but close up any future "insider" position I might currently hold. But even when we do post something that we are told to, like how we were told the "selection process" was going to be handled, that doesn't satisfy all. No Manufacturer deals direct with the end user. We have a unique relationship which allows us some insider info and the ability to influence programs, even though we are really the dealers who sells the cars customers. The legal issues to circumvent the dealers just on this program took almost two years and hundreds of hours of work to implement. At the end of the day they had to offer to all owners not just VCA members because of legal issues.

One last thing Rick, some information if put out in public view could literally affect stock pricing and could be viewed as insider trading. If the VCA had anything to do with that we would be cut off permanently. I am sorry if you do not see things as I have listed, but we get more than any other car organization out there. We should be thankful for what we have, not what we don't.
 

Ron Hickey

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(I posted the following response a few weeks back to another "What do I get for my 100 bucks?" post. While it's not as eloquent as some of the other responses here, I think it bears repeating. The response is not directed at any individual, and it represents my opinion and not necessarily that of the VCA.)

The VCA represents a unified voice for Viper owners. The VCA provides this message board. All the VCA regions sponsor Viper events where members can get together, swap stories and tips, and in general have great fellowship. Even if you don't want to or can't attend VCA events and you don't give a rodent's rear end about "fellowship" with other Viper owners, you should consider supporting the VCA with your membership because its existence is a good thing for Viper owners.

It amazes me how often we've seen posts on this board lately about "what do I get for $100" and "I disagree with your moderating policies", etc. If you honestly believe you're getting nothing for your $100 membership, then I would like to challenge you to swear off visiting this board at all for a couple of months. If you want to have a Viper question answered or spout off about some theory of yours as to why supercharging is inferior to turbocharging, I'm sure you can find some other venue on the Internet to satisfy your appetite. After all, the VCA -- who provides this board -- doesn't do anything for you. You don't need the VCA, so, as a person of principle, you shouldn't need to use the forum the VCA makes available to its members. There are other auto forums on the Internet -- try them.

If you take my challenge and discover, probably after a few days, that you really can't stay away from this board, your "I get nothing from the VCA" argument has just gone down the toilet. You now have to admit that this board (again, provided by the VCA) is giving you a considerable amount of knowledge and certainly a lot of entertainment. The next time you have a question or problem about something related to your Viper, this message board will be the first place you go. When you decide to sell your Viper or some parts, once again the Classifieds on this board will be the place you’ll put your ad. (Of course, if you’re not a member, you'll probably get a friend who is a member to post your ad, so you don't have to pay anything.) So the real reason you're not a member has nothing to do with not getting any benefits -- it's just that (and I'll try to put this delicately) you won't pay for something when you can get it for free. Just spare us the "I don't get anything for my membership" BS.
 

Tony Cantafio

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Steve:I seriously doubt the status of SRT-10 would be considered "insider" info, since it isn't large enough to have any adverse financial material impact on DC. I do, however, appreciate certain factual insights you bring to the Forum, and fully understand DC's use of certain individuals as information conduits. It is up to us to separate the facts from the speculation, although it would be helpful for the conduits to refrain from speculation. Thanks again for keeping us posted with whatever info is available. I'm sure the PR folks recognize that the continuing dearth of information will eventually lead to media queries. While not financially important to DC, the SRT-10 is their image car and should be treated accordingly.
 
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Black SRT

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<FONT COLOR="#ff0000" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by Rick Martino on 12-17-2002 at 08:26 PM</font>
 

VOI9 ASP

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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Rick Martino:
Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down” poll was a good example with 213 people voting ”thumbs down” and only 45 voting in favor. Dodge certainly can’t be happy with these results
Rick Martino
2000 RT/10, blk/blk[/B]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree. I would be very disappointed with only being able to sell out their first years production in a matter of a few weeks. What a failure. It seems there were more than the 45 that chose to vote in favor of the car that liked the new design enough to place a deposit and order one. Not to mention all those that were purchased by people that voted against the new design. They must not have been too disappointed!

If you see no value in the VCA, There is none for you. The VCA is just like anything else... You usually get out of something what you are willing to put into it. It seems your answer is nothing.

That's ok though. The VCA isn't for everyone. That doesn't mean you still can't enjoy the car.
 

Steve Ferguson

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Rick, using a poll that anyone could respond too, not those that can even get a SRT/10, proves nothing. Like Jerry posted, the fact that the first year sold out in a few weeks is all the proof DC needs. And the fact that dealers have enough orders to fill the 2004 production orders is also a FACT that shows a poll of the ***** does not equate to what Viper owners want. If you want to use a poll as a gauge then you have to do it so it reflects those who can buy the car. And with so many complaints from owners that did not qualify, how do we know if they were voting no just because they were mad they could not get one?

Based on numbers the VCA is not for everyone, I agree with you on that point. It is however a great organization that offers more to it's members than any other car club on the planet. If that is not a value to you then so be it.
 

MiamiJeff

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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Steve Ferguson:
...a poll of the *****... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Steve, Glad you didn't write "pole" or you'd be in trouble!
 

gtsviper

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How many times do we have to read how this guy is not joining VCA?
Why does Rick think it is the responsibility of the VCA and Officers to "sell" him on the benefits? I thought the VCA was an owners association run by owners who had a common interest in the Viper. I thought the purpose was to jointly work to coordinate activities of interest and to provide technical information. Why does he hold Dodge in such contempt for providing more club support than any other manufacturer? Is it really about the $100 dues? It reads like Rick has a personal vendetta against someone or some event. Instead of quitting, why don't you run for local president and try to change the things you think are of little value? Help make the VCA a better organization through efforts instead of whining. The VCA and Viper are supposed to add to pleasure to your life. If one or the other doesn't, you've wasted a lot of time and money!
 
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Black SRT

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<FONT COLOR="#ff0000" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by Rick Martino on 12-17-2002 at 08:27 PM</font>
 

George Murray

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Rick - two recurring threads of dissatisfaction seem to be running on this site lately:

1. Owner stress about falling Viper values

2. Delay in the launch of the SRT-10

A resurgent economy will (possibly) cure the former, and the release of the SRT-10 will cure the latter. Not to oversimplify, but the current frustration level could be a symptom of the powerlessness of VCA members themselves to resolve the problems.

Anyway, that's one take on the situation.

Well, enough of that...this ZR-1 babe...pictures?
 

Russ Oasis

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Rick,
I don't get the beef...honestly. Just because someone is an area president or even the national president, is he (or she) not entitled to their opinion about the car or something that DC does? If all officers always agreed, you'd probably then be calling them "kiss-asses."
The VCA isn't perfect, but for $100 a year, it's pretty **** good. How many factory supported clubs have elaborate events like the VOI? You want to talk about your ZR-1 girl? When was the last time she went to a GM sponsored Corvette event and raced her car on a track against engineers like Herb Helbig? When did she have access to heads of racing programs like John Fernandez? Who is the Corvette equivalent to Eric Peterson who heralds a purpose built spec racing Corvette?
The VCA is a loose organizational structure, developed so that we DO have access to the management of DC. They in turn, have a way of disseminating information to us.
No doubt, some local clubs are better than others. It takes a lot of work to make events go smoothly, and if members do not contribute their help, it becomes an overwhelming task for one single person.
For $100 a year you get Viper Quarterly, insurance on your car for club events, certificates to buy the car a close to dealer cost when the rest of the country can't even get one, and local events (good and bad) where you can hang with other Viper friends.
I don't get your beef.
 

Joseph Houss

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Originally posted by Rick Martino:


People of little experience, but well versed in the application of double standards. For example, we have the VCA president that criticizes me for complaining about the VCA, yet he openly badmouths the SRT-10.


I'm confused? Tony E is the National President, and LOVES the SRT-10.... and I'm President Elect, and feel the same.... so who are you talking about?


Two years ago, Joe Houss deleted a lengthy post of a fellow ZR-1 owner, because he felt it wasn’t relevant to the Viper board. Well, she never came back and it’s too bad because she may have been a Viper owner today.



Moderators don't normally delete posts...if they are irrelevant, they move them to off-topic. My memory fails me on this one, but this board, in its' current form, does not delete posts unless they go outside the policies of the board, and discussions on other cars, definitely doesn't.


The biggest Viper event in New England (Fall Foliage Run) is sponsored by Fitzgerald Motor Sports. ..... I recall no mention of the event on this board to help spread the word, or any thanks extended to Fitzgerald for monies spent on behalf of the VCA.


This would surely be an issue that can be solved! It is up to the Regional officers to create the marketing editorial that is used for an event. Please, Rick, speak to your newly appointed regional President and have him describe this event in more detail to the editorial staff of Viper Mag and VCA Notes. ...and also, with your energy, how 'bout getting involved with your Region, as you can definitely make all these issues disappear!
 

Steve Ferguson

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Rick, I also am confused. I have not seen you attacked by the VCA President? Did it occur here or somewhere in person? As for me doing anything about posts on this site, I have no authority to remove anything.
 

-RUNNR

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He was refering to 2 threads I have made comments in, one while a president, and the most damaging one when I was not an officer.
And just to clarify Rick, what I said is the truth. Personal experiences with dealers/tuners are allowed to remain on the board, heresay is not. That is why they were not deleted. Had nothing to do with me being the regional president.

Also, every newsletter we mailed out, we have asked and asked for comments, suggestions, etc. Never once did I hear from you on anything. By all means, contact Dave Dugal, let him know what you think needs to be done. He does not read these boards on a regular basis.

On a side note, we also had many other events this year besides the Fall Foliage tour, which btw WAS coordinated between Dan and myself. Please don't think the VCA had nothing to do with it.

I'm out. (and I'm sure you're happy)
 

MiamiJeff

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C'mon Rick, sorry but you're not going to receive a lot of agreement with your perception of lack of value for the $100 annual VCA dues (but you're still able to post your opinions as are the VCA officers; don't think it's too legit for you to be
You must be registered for see images
on them). Notice too how no evil moderator has closed this thread?

Rick, to give any credibility to your argument, a posting of that cute ZR-1 babe seems to now be a necessity
You must be registered for see images
.
 

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