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Pahaska · 05-28-2010, 12:05 PM

I just received an email from Cindy Reed at WBCCI HQ. Seems that WBCCI is selling the 1997 30' mail trailer that was used at International rallies for $17,500. It is at Jackson Center. Electric only and no bathroom or galley facilities.

I guess this tells me 2 things:

It is a desperate way to get some badly needed cash in the till.
International rallies have dwindled until it is no longer needed and there is no prospect of a revival

This trailer is custom built and it must have been a pretty expensive investment for the club in 1997. My, how the club has withered in 13 years!

rluhr · 05-28-2010, 01:03 PM

Maybe the club has simply decided to dump the mail service at Internationals? In this age of mobile Internet, cell phones, and email, the need for a mailroom has probably declined.

Regardless of the reason for selling, $17,500 seems pretty steep for an empty trailer with no plumbing. I suspect the price will have to go down before it sells.

dwightdi · 05-28-2010, 01:06 PM

Back in those days Airstream company was a sponsor of WBCCI and they likely got the unit for almost nothing. The trailer is pretty much an empty shell with very little benefits inside for he average user. I hope they find a buyer. Maybe they could make a hamburger stand out of it with all those windows on one side.

RickDavis · 05-28-2010, 02:17 PM

It is interesting thst they can do a mass mailing ( I got one on it also) to sell a trailer, but they have never done one to give us timely club information

wheel interested · 05-28-2010, 02:52 PM

If WBCCI is allowing free Airstream classifieds by e-mail to all members rather than having members have to pay for listings on the WBCCI forum that is a brand new benefit. I am certain the e-mailing wil provide much more exposure than the even the WBCCI forum and without the cost. I always thought it was a nice feature that members could list and find their Airstreams in the club in both the WBCCI forum and on the Airstream forum without having to pay for classifieds ads. I don't know why they ever decided to take that away.

dwightdi · 05-28-2010, 05:03 PM

It seems this is Cindy's first attempt at using "Constant Contact", which is leased e-mail distribution system that she has been evaluating for mass mailings of information to the members. "Mail Chimp" is the system I recommended to her. They will likely use it for direct distribution of the International President's monthly newsletter in the future, as well as other information. It could also be used to provide links to recently posted data on the Web (example - "June issue of the Blue Beret online has just been posted here {link}".) We have had the 3,800 e-mail addresses of the members in a database in Jackson Center for three years, we might as well use it to keep in touch with the 60% of our members who have e-mail.

2Tex4Fun · 05-28-2010, 06:11 PM

Obviously, they were not concerned about "resale" in 1997. Seems they are reaching out to all avenues to bring in some cash.

Zeppelinium · 05-29-2010, 07:02 AM

Rich, Congrats on post #1000!

Quote:

Originally Posted by rluhr

Maybe the club has simply decided to dump the mail service at Internationals? In this age of mobile Internet, cell phones, and email, the need for a mailroom has probably declined.

Regardless of the reason for selling, $17,500 seems pretty steep for an empty trailer with no plumbing. I suspect the price will have to go down before it sells.

Yes, this windows-on-one-side Airsteam would be great for, say, a betting window at the track or an info booth at Oshkosh. I admit I am mystified regarding getting mail at a venue that lasts only one week. Mail is something that should sit on your desk for a month or more, until the pile gets high enough to pay attention to...

Zep

RickDavis · 05-29-2010, 08:27 AM

for the last several years mail has been handled using space in whatever place the rally was held.
A mail "drop" is needed to get all your replacement parts sent to fix the things that broke on the way there

StreamNTyme · 05-29-2010, 01:21 PM

That is interesting that they can send us ALL an email yet don't when it comes to important issues.

wkerfoot · 05-29-2010, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeppelinium

Yes, this windows-on-one-side Airsteam would be great for, say, a betting window at the track or an info booth at Oshkosh. I admit I am mystified regarding getting mail at a venue that lasts only one week. Mail is something that should sit on your desk for a month or more, until the pile gets high enough to pay attention to...

Zep

Zep,

We have used the mail service twice, once to have a part shipped to us (it would not arrive before we left home) and once to have the handicap placard (which we left at home) mailed to us.

It was nice not to have to look for a post office for general delivery, UPS facility or FedEx facility.

You don't forward mail from home, but when you need something sent to you it works.

Bill

Buttercup · 05-29-2010, 09:10 PM

Well, does this mean that there will be no mail service? or just that WBCCI is just selling it to perhaps recoup some funds? Are they going to still have some sort of mail service?

BTW (and I couldn't resist mentioning this) but to pay to mail messages via Constant Contact is a waste of club funds. The club, with a properly managed Web Site, could have sent this message out for free and had all the same features that Constant Contact provides - for free!

As an example, I sent notice to all of the VAC members that the next newsletter was coming out and that the Online version is up and running for all to see. The cost - Zero! But I can say that we do get the same stats that Constant Contact gives on who sees the message - again, for free. I am just saying.........

Silvertwinkie · 05-30-2010, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rluhr

Maybe the club has simply decided to dump the mail service at Internationals? In this age of mobile Internet, cell phones, and email, the need for a mailroom has probably declined.

Rich brings up a good point. This is the more likely scenario, though conspiracy theorists will disagree and say all kinds of things negative, with little to no factual data to support their claims (notice it's the same folks over and over?).

If you think otherwise, look at the state of snail mail via the US Postal Service. It would seem to me that with WBCCI doing more and more things electronically this trailer is as obsolete as writing checks to pay bills or to send something through the US Mail, etc. Many corporate "mail rooms" have decreased in size dramatically from where they were pre-Internet. As another example, Home Depot has a rebate on paint for this holiday weekend. You can apply for the rebate right online, with no mailing of the receipt and having to fill out a paper rebate form.

The technologies have come down significantly in price and the performance of the offerings so good that even land based phones are on the steep decline. With the continual growth and use of electronic portable means to communicate and share information, this trend won't be decreasing. When 4G eventually becomes the minimum standard of service (or greater), many of the staples we've grown accustomed to may be history. Just like rotary phones, the telegraph, etc.

wheel interested · 05-31-2010, 08:03 AM

The International President has stated the reason why the mail trailer has been put up for sale in his June President's letter, "The Airstream that was used for the Post Office is being sold because of the expense of having it towed from one International Rally site to the next." That is not unlike the decision of Airstream corporate not to send representatives or the store from Ohio to the Internationals anymore due to the high cost of travel and expenses.

RickDavis · 05-31-2010, 08:37 AM

It actually makes sense to use a room at the rally for mail instead of bringing a trailer out there. I tow part time for a transport company and was asked to bid on moving the mail trailer a couple times in the past..

I would guess the current cost of moving the mail trailer would be in the neighborhood of $1.35 a mile more or less and then it would have to be returned to Jackson Center after the rally. That means several thousand dollars to have the trailer there.

While I think it is good to have mail service at the rally, I am sure the volume of mail is way down from a few years ago as we can pay most bills etc. on line.

Selling the trailer is probably a wise move.
Hopefully the distribution system used for sending that e mail will be put to use for other things, like the IP newsletter

HowieE · 05-31-2010, 07:44 PM

Why does this Leadership always have to spend money to get anything done. This Club has 6,000 members all of which have the capacity to tow a trailer, are you telling me that 20 or 30 individual members could not shuttle that trailer cross country in the course of a year and drop it at a receptive members location until the rally.

This is just one more indication of the fact that they can not think beyond the last Lawrence Welk tone.

Frank's Trailer Works · 06-01-2010, 04:27 AM

Is there a rest room trailer also? Would be very useful for someone planning to offer extra service for a large rally in the future.

RonH · 06-01-2010, 06:52 PM

Come on, let us not miss the chance to give the self-selected elite an "atta boy" for doing something right for a change.

mistral blue · 06-01-2010, 06:56 PM

"Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while." ~ Old Chinese saying

wheel interested · 06-01-2010, 07:06 PM

Maybe they should turn it into a coffee/soup and sandwich/appetizer/cocktail bar and cafe.

They could even add a piano bar to the mix.

Or maybe a keyboard... Ice cream or breakfast at a nearby Ramada Inn for a gathering after driving well across country to get onsite just doesn't cut it... I like to walk to gatherings once there and sure could use a refreshment now and then without having to go back to the Airstream or bring out the truck and drive the city in hot pursuit.