GOLD CIRCLE IS A JOKE - VDJ

I am so glad to be involved in this forum where i can share the utter disgrace i have had to deal with with regard to Gold Circle and the circus they run at Greyville. I know there are GC members on this forum so i hope they read this and someone can actually answer my question.

The whole event is around the hiring of a box for the Durban July in 5 July at Greyville.

The initial email ( i have removed email addresses of parties not invovled)
From: tessaw [mailto:tessaw@goldcircle.co.za]
Sent: 31 May 2014 10:39 AM
To:
Cc: niresh birbal
Subject: VODACOM DURBAN JULY -

Dear Sir/ Madam

We have boxes available for the Vodacom Durban July, and have the pleasure in advising the following regarding the hiring of our facilities:-

Box Hire - R30 000.00 (Excl. Vat.) Free entrance tickets, catering tickets and a parking ticket.

Liquor Dep. - R6 000 (You will only be invoiced for liquor consumed)

Catering - Own catering

The boxes are situated in the Member’s enclosure, on the third floor.

If you are interested in the hiring the Box for VDJ 2014, please contact me on the numbers below.

Many thanks

Kind regards
Tessa Webster
Racing Administration Officer
Direct Line (031) 314 1631
Fax (031) 314 1647
Cell 082 876 2439

I replied that I was interested however I would only be willing to pay R20,000 for the hire of this box. Graeme Hawkins agreed to this price.

The necessary forms were filled in and i was ecstatic i handed landed what i believed to be a good deal. I rounded up some clients and some mates and we were excited that we had the luxury of a box for the big day.

I received the invoice yesterday and upon looking closely i saw that i had been allocated box 54. I have hired boxes before at Greyville and i was certain i had hired this box in the past. I emailed Tessa to confirm where the box was in relation to the finish line. I was informed it was 50 METERS FROM THE FINISH LINE

I could not let fathom where this box was situated and i still had the feeling i had hired box 54 before, so i went digging through old bank statements and old emails. Well guess what......

Below the emails that followed

From: Richard Smart [mailto:richard@arconsultants.co.za]
Sent: 09 June 2014 09:26 PM
To: tessaw
Cc: niresh birbal
Subject: RE: BOX 54 HIRE- VDJ 2014

Good evening Tessa

Please note I would like some clarity before taking this any further. I do not wish to hire box 54 at R20,000. This box is 200m form the finish line and I know this because I hired this same box a year ago. What I cannot believe is that this is the box you first tried to sell for R30,000 and then still expect R20,000 when I paid R600 for this exact box for a normal gold circle event. I understand fully that the prices are inflated for July day but I believe this to be ridiculously out of proportion. Attached please find all my payments and emails with regard to the hire of this box last year.

Please can you give me some clarity on how you expected this box to be sold for R30,000 if this is indeed the case, which I hope it is not. I have 16 clients I have already promised tickets to now that I would be embarrassed to take to that box at that price.

I await your response before any deposit will be paid.

At this stage Tessa replied that she would forward my request to Graeme Hawkins

Below is the final email i received.

From: tessaw [mailto:tessaw@goldcircle.co.za]
Sent: 10 June 2014 03:22 PM
To: Richard Smart
Cc: GraemeH
Subject: RE: BOX 54 HIRE- VDJ 2014

Good afternoon Richard

Please let us know if you are still interested in the Box at R20000.

If not, we do have a long waiting list to revert to.

Many thanks

I replied refusing point blank to pay that price and reverted that they may con anyone they like into paying that price.

I am not sure if i am more upset that nobody actually dealt with my query, or the fact that a box i paid R600 for on a non feature day was now 500 times more expensive? I urge anyone to please contact Tessa or Niresh and ask to see box 54 and give me your view on whether that box is worth the money. In my opinion this is an utter con and its short shortsightedness like this that turns the young people away form racing. i for one will not be taking any further friends or clients to racing in a private box.

Rant over!

:

Yup that sure does sound like them.. Welcome to our world which exists daily-- ()

its only 50 times more expensive not 500 times but still iv been to that box many years ago and its about 200 metres from the finishing line

Price is supply and demand Richie, if some are prepared to pay it then they will charge it. Yes, it could well be short-sighted but that won't change them and perhaps they need to charge around that amount for this event simply because so few go racing on other days. I don't know, just saying.
If it were me, I would be more inclined to question their integrity over the issue that the box was 50 rather than 200 from the finishing line. If you had that in writing and had used the box then it may give you grounds to sue them.
Secondly, it was an extremely rude and uninformative final response which they should be ashamed of but, in reality, are likely not to give a sh1t about. Typical of the age we live in though I'm afraid, money is 99% all that matters, service of any type is not really important. Hence why all the old complaints departments have disappeared, managers and the like won't take phone calls etc etc it is all a take it or leave it, like it or lump it attitude. Bunch of sissies in the top jobs now, not man enough to stand up and justify themselves, take a little heat when they get something wrong or admit to a mistake.
And lastly, just from a business point of view, if there really is this huge demand which allows them to charge these kinds of prices, what the fark are the fools doing accepting 20k when they have a long waiting list willing to pay 30K??? (or did they simply give you a cheaper box when you offered to pay only 20k rather than the 30k but declined to inform you of that?)

and here I thought that only in Britain do you get ripped off

You couldn't hire a box at Ascot next week for 10 times that amount

Morning Richie, you should be more worried about getting a box at Scottsvile for the 25th! Seriously though, I will call you later but on July day everything changes. As a member I don't get the same facilities as I normally do. I know a number of box owners who if not racing on the day hire out the boxes at 3/4 times the yearly cost and make a nice profit. A few years ago an owner with a box was offered R70000 for one of the new boxes for the day. He turned it down as not enough. This day is when GC makes a huge amount of money to help through the next year.