The front during a volleyball tournament

While most people are thinking about the upcoming holidays, we are already thinking about next summer! Projects for 2016 are in the planning stage and we have even begun hiring the summer team. Membership and campsite invoices were sent last week to all members. By now, most people should have received their invoice(s). If not, please contact the office.

 

Early Payment Discount

Invoices are not due until April 1st. But if you pay by January 11th, you save 3%! That is the equivalent of an annual interest rate of 12%!!

NEW: This year we are also giving that early payment discount to members who go on a payment plan.

 

Coupons

New this year: each membership gets 3 free day visit coupons for their guests and 3 half price coupons for friends. A big thank you to those who introduce new people to our naturist utopia!

 

Glitches

With over 700 members, we had to automate the annual invoicing this year to make it manageable. It worked fairly well but there were a couple of glitches that we have already heard about.

  1. A few members who are in a family membership were each sent a membership invoice. That is because they are recorded as singles in the computer. Obviously you only need to pay for one membership. Please contact the office to have that fixed.
  2. Some campsites had to have their reservation redone in the computer system. The team member who did it neglected to zero out the duplicate charge which resulted in those invoices showing an amount owing from last year. Those have now all been fixed and we are contacting all of those affected. But if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
  3. There could be other glitches. We hope not. But if you find something you are not sure about, please contact the office.

 

Paying Cash

We appreciate it when people pay cash because it saves us the credit card/banking fees. But if you pay your invoice or account with cash, please take the receipt and save it. We had two situations this year where a member believes that they paid their account in cash but could not provide any evidence nor could they tell us the date or the team member who took the payment.

That creates an awkward situation for everyone involved. We hire great people to work at Bare Oaks each year. But often they are new to our processes and they have to learn. So mistakes are sometimes made that result in payments not being recorded in the right place. In the case of a cash transaction, there is no way to trace the error without the receipt. Our team members are supposed to offer you a receipt. Please take it and keep it. If they forget to offer it, please ask for one.

 

New Gate

Directions to the beach, camping and other amenitiesWe plan on installing gates at the road entrance this spring. They require a whole new control system which means your current access key fob will stop working. Each member will need to come to the office to exchange their access key fob(s) for the new type. This new system will control access to the new gate, old gate, and clubhouse. We will give you several weeks’ notice. An announcement will be sent to the email list and posted on the bulletin board, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

 

Saving on the Cost of Propane for Members with Campsites

We have negotiated a new contract for propane which provides everyone with a significantly lower price per liter, a lower tank rental fee, and better service.

If you currently have a propane tank, you need to return the paperwork that is included with your invoice no later than 6pm on December 23th, 2015 or call the office to make alternate arrangements. Otherwise your existing propane tank will be removed without a replacement.

If you do not currently have a tank, there is a one-time special offer to have one installed. That is also included with your invoice.

Photo by Michael Willems