Richard

You are making some massive assumptions here regarding the club, based on the original posting by the anonymous member (I am the MC of the club concerned and feel that I should take some time to state the facts from this side but will not hide under anonymity as there is nothing to hide).

Yes the member sent the email as stated word for word but less than 48 hours notice which is required for membership and I responded as stated.

I personally can't see why anonymous member feels that the first reply was unhelpful, although the rather terse "your loss" which was after his follow up may be considered as such and I'll return to that, but concentrate on the original reply.

It gave all the details that we can stretch to in order to allow a person in with less than 48 hours notice and remain within the club rules for premises without a PEL, signed in as a known guest of a member (affilaited clubs EFDSS etc), and answered his questions about floor spots. Yes we do often get a lot of singers, not residents, so to fit in as many as possible it's frequently one song/tune/monologue whatever each and, yes (to answer his start time query) we have a resident band who play from 8.00 as people are settling and during the interval to manintain an ambience which people like. They do not hog the evening or take up floor spot time unless nobody turns up in which case they may play a little longer. It has long been a tradition of clubs around this area to have an opening house band (it ensures a prompt start)

Now can either the anonymous member clarify what was unhelpful there or can Richard explain how he made assumtions about our club and rephrased the reply in a manner which if it had been the reply would have been arrogant and unhelpful. Also the checking of bona fides thing is a red herring (I won't copy the parts of the further email from Mr Anonymous which he has left out as it may identify him, and he clearly doesn't wish to be so identified) but all it said was, and I paraphrae "look check here and you'll see I'm a bona fida folkie". Being a bona fide folkie doesn't get round the 48 hours notice rule I'm afraid and the email did not state, that's OK I'm a member of efdss etc which we would be happy to accept

It was the rather, to me, arrogant "You know what? I don't think I'll bother.... check out etc" which came across as "Don't you know who I am?" that prompted the "your loss" response, in a bit of grumpiness I suppose, because I believe it is his loss if he found information in the original response that stops him coming to our club, because I can't see it.

So what is the problem Mr Anonymous? Is it that you can't be bothered meeting some very simple rules to come, which I agree are aggravating but that's the way with the PEL thing, or is it that you can't be bothered turning up if you might only get one song?

And Richard Re-read the original message and explain how you made such assumptions about a club, that I guess you don't know, from it. I'm sure our house band and regular singers would be fascinated to hear why you assume they are self indulgent and self important without coming.

I've recently contributed to a few threads here as a guest because a member suggested I might enjoy it more that umf. I'm toying with registering but there seem to be as many people hiding behind cloaks of anonymity and making unsubstantiated statements as elsewhere.

Still I'm an easy going chap so I'll stick with at as guest for the moment.