I just spent an hour, or so going through the 2000 TAC member responses. It appears that I was wrong. I thought that everyone is just going to follow the push of the president and vote yes on the loan and happy to keep the club closed. From the comments clearly people want:
A return to normal utilization
“No” to the Loan
“Maybe” on the dues increase, but only if #1 above is reached,
The only thing I can think of for why we are on the current trajectory is the decision maker has bought into the ‘we-are-all-going-to-die-virus’ narrative lock, stock, and barrel.
I was really shocked by the majority scathing responses. Members clearly want to be involved. From my review approx. 80% of the reviews were in this camp. The remaining 20% were ‘you’re doing a great job’ despite the club being closed still and various member groups sprouting up to help fix the situation.
It’s great to see members are keen to get involved with the decision making.
Recently I went to the membership office to cancel the membership for my wife. We decided to change our membership just to me as the TAC is fundamentally still closed. We can’t use the facilities freely, we can’t bring guests, and we are under threat of raising dues and loans that we don’t see the necessity for.
When I visited membership, the line was 5-6 members deep. Everyone there at that time was there to cut costs. It was very discouraging to see what was once a great place to enjoy as a part of our social experience since we moved back from Europe, has no become useless. As I am getting charged for service I can’t use, it would seem obvious that our club president needs to fix this ASAP.
At this point I have to say I am extremely disappointed. My visit to membership showed I am definitely not a minority. Sadly, if this doesn’t get fixed soon I am seriously considering dropping my membership. The value is not there. If I am thinking this; it’s clear that others are too. Wake up TAC now or you may be putting the club asleep permanently.
I hope to be saying HELLO again soon, not auf Wiedersehen
A recent note from a member to the BoG regarding why they voted ‘no’ on borrowing more money…
The club is closed until it normalizes to surrounding businesses. I can take clients to any restaurant in Tokyo – except TAC. I can work out at a gym any time I want to – except TAC. I have an option, to wear a mask, or not, at any establishment I know of in Tokyo – except TAC. I could go on…
My fear is the availability of additional funds will allow us to maintain this absurd risk-adverseness. This fear multiplies when I think of the triple whammy of increased indebtedness, maintaining the clubs closed status; then, we raise dues – leading to an exodus of members, leading to borrowing the entire $10 mm, leading to $2.5 mm per year increase in debt service on top of the massive amount we already have. The net result, of course, handing over the keys to Mitsubishi. I bet they are just licking their chops.
I can’t speak for others, but I am hoping in the unlikely event that the loan is rejected by the members it will force us to look at our only other ways to survive: increased revenue (open the club), and decrease expenses. I also hope it might force us to consider creative solutions such as the proposed new membership tier where people can buy into an elite status with certain perks.
I like to think the businessmen who built TAC without borrowing money, and ran it primarily on membership dues with a balanced budget were also smart enough to write into the Bi-laws the check-and-balance found in the requirement for 80% of American members voting in favor in order to put a lien on their property. I think this is exactly the type of circumstance they feared.
I have been a member most of my adult life. My kids grew up at TAC. My social circle is at TAC. Believe me when I tell you that this is no flippant response. The turd is circling, and in my opinion we need to make some difficult decisions and take a little risk to survive. Perhaps running out of money just might shake things up enough for force bold action. Borrowing more money should be our last resort, not our first.
Members received request from the volunteer management to approve a loan for club.
The purpose of our group (MABT or Making A Better TAC) is to encourage positive and active involvement in the club membership in decisions that involve money.
Although not same group, there is another MABT type private group (that we know of) on social media. It looks like will surpass 200 concerned members today according to the group. There are comments on this website as well as in other groups that get you thinking about all the options our club has with such wonderful members in our midst.
What are your thoughts on the Club borrowing more money as they continue to limit the operations of the facility? Please remember be creative and positive as other MABT editors have mentioned.
It seems the plan is already decided to simply raise the dues.
Why is there no true engagement with TAC members? How can members trust that taxes won’t be raised again??One of the commenters (Mark C.) suggested.
To raise revenue, before racing all members, why not consider a second membership level with some perks? Example, provide special parking status and provide a special phone line for reservations. Limit it to 99 members reflecting the member nationalities Yen 2 million? Sign me up! Problem solved.
There are other ideas in our comment section. TAC is a fantastic gathering of very able people, it’s best to engage those who want to help or be involved in making true decisions.
If you’re a TAC member and have any other suggestions, please comment below. (Comment policy here)
According to the latest stats, there have been 947 deaths due to Wuhan Corona virus in Japan. In the 2018/2019 flu season there were 3,400 deaths. Wuhan Corona hasn’t even hit one third.
Those who are fearful avoid the actual numbers. They just talk about infections, of whom most recover, and try to suck others into their darkness. They also also seem to be too fearful to use their real names on comments like the rest the members on our forum. Just seem to troll, spout negativity, and hold everyone else back.
As other writers have posted, we agree that face masks are politicized for the fearful and this virus fear really is a ‘phantom virus’ like others posted. In Japan, it’s there but not as big as people blow it up to be. In fact, the best test is to ask a fellow member “How many people do you know in Japan directly, that got infected with the virus?” You will have a difficult time finding anyone.
Time to move on. If a member is fearful they should definitely stay home. Don’t let the fearful pull club and it’s majority of bright people down.
Thanks to everyone for your tireless effort to fully reopen the club in a safe, financially sound way. Our group has been discussing the current situation. The club is a politically charged environment with people on various ends of the spectrum. From those overly concerned for their health to accomplished business professionals who ask, “show me the numbers”. We must filter out the negative and focus on the positive. Putting it in perspective, one medical firm TAC Member CEO said yesterday, “If you are young and healthy, you have better chance of dying by lightning strike in Japan.”. Thankfully we don’t know anyone struck by lighting.
The board has been transparent with the financial side. The key now, as responsible members with business acumen, is come up with creative ideas to support our leadership act in a way that will bring longevity to the club. Also, we must remember that the board are volunteers, putting a lot of time and effort into navigating the club.
Let’s put our ideas together and bring our club to the next level. Please be sure to respond to the survey.
Thanks everyone for your various posts, comments, and ideas. This is a members site. We are what powers our cool club.
