From: David Ball (vought@msn.com)
Date: Tue Mar 04 2003 - 11:21:09 PST
I have been to hundreds of swap meets and lots of MVPA Conventions and you
can't please all the people at any time.....
It is true the ball rolls on and if this is the first time you have been put
out consider yourself lucky.
I asked the MVPA President years ago about a very important issue that had
happened to me and what I got was a pass the buck answer "its is up to the
locals putting on the show" and some cover a** stuff you do not want to
hear.
This kind of stuff has happened to me and friends many times. Ever show up
to a camp out and swap meet and someone else was given your spot even though
you had prepaid a rollover the year before and there was none left it
happens all the time in California.
Who gets hurt more me our the poor sucker I made tear his tent down and pack
up his parts and get out.....
The issue I refer to was at an MVPA convention in Oregon years ago I had
brought my newly restored prototype 1940 Bantam Trailer to show, it was pre
registered and put inside with the prototype Jeeps on Friday night and
locked up in the building. Well the next Morning I get to the building to
open up my vendor table and I walk to get a cup of coffee and guess what my
trailer is missing... well this really pissed me off. I went to find the
gentlemen running the show will call him Mr. X to protect the dumb and
dumber this person tells me they moved it outside so they could move some
stuff around that morning. So me and my brother in-law Kim run outside just
in time to see it leaving hitched to the back of a Ford pickup... Well after
some heated word a couple wrinkled shirt lapels on the driver who by the way
said he "mistook it for his that he left here yesterday" and he said was
sorry to the security guard and the local Barney Fife who let him go on his
way as long as he promised to never do it again.
My point if you are complacent enough to think the persons running these
shows and swap meets give a sh** about you and your issues forget about it
you need to call the day after last years show is over to pay in advance and
get receipts. Then get really mean when they scr** you. By not showing up
they have won. You need to get a large crowd of pissed off people and go to
war on them do not for one minute think by staying home you have done a
thing to hurt them you actually helped them prove that it will just go away.
meaning the problem and you. Go get in there face, talk bad about them, make
there day, every chance you get.... Why make it easy for them.
Dave
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ronzo" <rojoha@attbi.com>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 8:02 AM
Subject: [MV] WARNING!!!! VENDORS !! 30th Annual East Coast Rally or The
road to hell...
> Is paved with good intentions, or so the saying goes.
>
> For those vendors who received the "Registration Form For Spaces" from
> the WAC/B&G MVT in a mailing that occurred on or about January 20th, 2003
or
> are going by the ads in MV Mag or Supply Line, and read the line on the
form
> that states "Yes: I want the same spaces from May 2002 Rally____ Note;
only
> held until 15 March 2003" and think you still have time to send in your
> money. NOT!!!!!
> Your spaces from last year are GONE!
>
> Check out the site: http://www.wacbgmvt.org/ecr/index.html
>
> I received the mailing on January 23rd, 2003. On Feb 3, 2003 a change
> was posted on the Rally WEB SITE saying, Oops...never mind. If you want
your
> space, send in your money by 15 February or the spaces will go to whoever
we
> want to give them too.
> No postcard notification to the folks who were mailed Registration
Forms
> just 11 days earlier with the now bogus info. Just a note on the rally
web
> site. What about vendors who don't have time to check the website EVERY 20
> minutes for changes?
> The same ad runs in the March 2003 Supply Line on pg 21, and on page
142
> of the February issue of MV Magazine.
>
> They run a great rally, volunteers or not, but you can't, morally,
> change the rules in the last quarter of the game.
>
> When I queried the change yesterday, and I must say I didn't use a
> single four letter word, I received a reply where the registrar tried to
> find us (2 folks involving 5 spaces, but there were actually 4 of us
> involved in a block of 8 spaces{now gone} ) equal space, but no longer
> together.
> He stated he was doing the best he could.
>
> " This is a non-profit event, all proceeds go to charitable
> organizations, e.g. Scouts, Museum, etc.
>
> "I do what I can, we are all volunteers in a club of about 200 so its
> death by committee. I am lucky enough to be point man handling the
> registration. Too many competing demands for additional display space to
> accommodate the Convoy coming in on 8 May and the re-enactment units. All
> of those in Row A as well as those nearest the display area in first 3
> aisles had to move. "
>
> They didn't know this was happening at the time of the mailing?
>
> One of my 'neighbors' also weighed in on the subject, and while
> strident, said nothing that could be construed as abusive. ( All emails
> exchanged so far can be forwarded off line if anyone is interested.
Contact
> me off line)
>
> The reply that was then sent out by the rep of the "WAC/B&G MVT" at
> 0602 this AM was :
>
> " Hello
> Choose from what is available to meet your (groups needs) needs, pass
on
> the Rally...... I am not in a position to debate the fairness or
legality
> of holding spaces through 15 March.
> Regards...."
>
> Take it or leave it, not my problem.....
>
> Any lawyer types on the list willing to offer an opinion on this
> situation?
> Any other MV Club officials who run rallies and flea markets
agree
> with this type of attitude?
> Why is there an attitude that 'Oh well, your just a vendor....
Tango
> Sierra. Get over it.' ?
>
> What is a clubs responsibilities when it runs an organized, advertised
> rally. If it makes statements in national publication advertisements and
> mailings, are they accountable for what they print?
> This is more than idle curiosity, since my club runs several rallies a
> year. When does 'just a volunteer, up to my butt in alligators " stop
being
> a defense? When monies collected for an event, for what ever reason pass
> what amount....$500, $5000, $15,000?
> What about if it is a sanctioned event by the MVPA? Anything required
by
> the MVPA regarding rules on last minute changes? Or how MVPA members are
> supposed to treat each other, and the public?
> Remember how back in the 60's, a man was judged by his words and
deeds.
> A handshake was binding? Now you can't even believe in what gets put down
on
> paper.
>
> This is one of the absolute high points of the MV hobby for me each year,
> and it just turned to ashes in my mouth.
>
> After this post, I will probably not be allowed to purchase spaces,
but
> a heads up is in order for anyone else involved in this fiasco but not yet
> aware of it.
>
>
> Heck of a way to run the Hobby....
>
>
> Regards, Ronzo
> MVPA 18999
>
>
> ===Mil-Veh is a member-supported mailing list===
> To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: <mil-veh-off@mil-veh.org>
> To switch to the DIGEST mode, send e-mail to <mil-veh-digest@mil-veh.org>
> To reach a human, contact <ack@mil-veh.org>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Wed Apr 23 2003 - 13:25:47 PDT