Member deals or member frustration

by Frank Kraemer, QC

Both the B.C. Branch of the Canadian Bar Association and the National organization operate member services programs. Indeed, the B.C. Branch is the only Branch to operate its own member services program.

The National member services program offers services such as car rentals and national hotels and, through the related organizations of Canadian Bar Insurance Association and Canadian Bar Financial Services Corporation, insurance and financial services including an RRSP program.

The Branch has arrangements for such things as Canuck hockey tickets, Whistler/Blackcomb ski passes, some live theatre performances, local hotels, and so forth. The Branch program is developed and monitored by our diligent Member Services Committee chaired by Victoria member Hunter Gordon.

From time to time, I have experienced the wrath of members who have made enquiries of member service providers, particularly car rental and hotel accommodation providers, where the rates that have been quoted to them as CBA members are substantially higher than rates they are quoted without reference to their CBA membership.

When we receive those complaints, we investigate them and almost invariably, the lower rates have been provided because either the car rental company has put on a special deal or the hotel has a substantial number of vacant rooms and wants to fill them. Although we have negotiated that our members will never pay above the CBA rate, we have never been able to negotiate that they will always receive the lowest possible rate. It is for this reason that we advise members to enquire as to the lowest available rates.

Some of our B.C. member services provide undoubted value to members and generate few if any complaints. One of the best that springs to mind is our ability to provide lawyers’ briefcases and barristers’ bags with custom embossing at very competitive prices. Hockey tickets and ski passes are other top-of-mind examples.

There is no question though that from time to time members feel that they are in fact, not getting preferred rates from those suppliers endorsed by the Branch. This leads me to ask the question: should the Branch bother with such arrangements at all? They do take up a substantial amount of staff time to negotiate the arrangements, to advertise them, to collect the orders and to distribute the products.

On the other hand, many service providers furnish the Branch with direct revenue in exchange for access to our membership. That revenue assists the Branch to enhance the services it can provide to members because this is revenue generated over and above membership dues.

I raise all of this to invite members to provide their views to me as to whether or not the Branch should continue providing these types of member services. It is my intention to raise this question directly with the Branch’s Member Services Committee as part of its annual work. Also, if there are other services you would like the Branch to make available, I would like to hear about them. Please feel free to contact me here at the Branch, 10th Floor, 845 Cambie Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 5T3 or by e-mail fkraemer@bccba.org.

This article was published in the December 2006 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2006, all rights reserved.