www.CostaRicaTicas.com

There is another thread going on in which some members who no longer pay for membership are complaining about the Trip Reports and information from around the world section being moved to the PPV section. Rather than focus on the negative or on why a person no longer pays I thought I would focus on the positive or the benefits CRT provides.

I have been a member for 7 years. By the time I signed up I had been going to the CR for about 2 years. I originally joined because I had began staying at the Presidente and the discount was around $30 per night for a spa room. Back in 2007 it was difficult to get a room at the Prez because it was real popular at the time. I got a room off a travel website and paid more than I would have had I been a CRT member. I took the spa room because all the regular rooms were always booked up and it was the only way I could get in the Prez at the time. Several CRT members explained the benefits of joining (that I was dumb for paying the rack rate for the room) so I signed up. I purchased a membership before my next trip and saved $120 my first time using the CRT card discount. I have continued to save money for the next 7 years.

I have only used my CRT card for hotel discounts and maybe the bar or restaurants within those hotels. However I would estimate my savings directly attributed to my CRT membership to be around $2,000. I have also received an indirect financial benefit when other posters posted air fare discount specials in the transportation section of this website. Over the years I have probably saved another $1,000 or more because I happened to read CRT on a particular day.

I go to the CR much less now than I used to as I have switched to the DR as my primary hobby spot. However when I go I stay at the La Amistad and continue to save $$$ now all because I joined 7 years ago. In addition I have acquired a lot more knowledge about CR, and other places, because of reading the board. I am not a person prone to joining clubs and things of that nature but joining CRT 7 years ago turned out to be a very good decision for me. If you are a newbie who plans on going to the CR in the near future, and are reading this thread, I would strongly encourage to you purchase a membership as it will more than pay for itself.

I wouldn't go quite that far. I found CRT fairly recently, and I don't think I would have pulled the trigger to convert to a paying membership if there were no activity at all on the forum. To take that to an extreme, if the posts had no value, you could just get rid of the forum and make CRT a discounting club with some basic information on the scene in CR. But I do agree that the monetary value of any individual posting and driving discussion is quite small, as long as enough people do post.

You know, Mike - I don't blame you for being annoyed - you have - in the previous thread you mentioned - 2 guys - with WELL OVER 1000 POSTS - who are unpaid members, with all sorts of bogus "justifications" as to why they will not pony up some/a little $$ to support the site.

While their position is really not defenseable, what is most irritating to me is the statement about their posts being of value - is nonsense - only an idiot or a troll would state their posts have no value; the board has to be supported.

I think mine are funny, well written, insightful and add to the site - so what - bills still have to be paid, and although some in Washington are trying, we have not yet eliminated earning a profit as a reason to own a business.

And since I doubt the poster in question has seen a copy of the sites financial statements, he is hardly in a position to comment on the expenses in running such site - he may be correct in what he states are the costs of operations, but its hardly the point.

Also, when the purchasers bought the site they knew they were buying a site with many lifetime members - again, so what - they knew this when they made the offer after doing their due diligence - obviously thought - despite the number of lifetime VIP's that the reasons for saying yes to the deal outweighed reasons to say no.

Like many, I have zero objection to a "trial period" or allowing new, or non paid guys a limited number of posts - but when you have the amount of the guys in the previous thread, and try to justify it with nonsense, its irritating.

But you know what? Lots of people are cheap, in our entitlement society no one is ever wrong, everyone needs to be told what they believe, want to do, whatever, is correct - their feelings are validated........

And its symptomatic of much of what's wrong with our society today. No, not some guys too cheap to support a message board they use frequently, but the reasons given for not doing so.

You guys are cracking me up. I have never seen so much brown nosing in my life. Its funny indeed when someone has so much of their self-worth tied up in being a "paying member" of an internet forum. Owners got to love it though with all the high pressure salesmen on board pushing memberships. How about renting a room with Admin so the love fest can continue.



Thats debatable. I would describe it as a lot of bloviating


And, one other thing:

TICA = WHORE

Some, no doubt, would agree with you - but the point is, regardless of the opinion one has of the worth of their post(s) (you raised the issue in one of yours; my comment was simply in reply) the fact that someone posts does not negate the responsibility to financially support the site.

You also left out the entire paragraph:



I think mine are funny, well written, insightful and add to the site - so what - bills still have to be paid, and although some in Washington are trying, we have not yet eliminated earning a profit as a reason to own a business.


You are probably not a bad guy, I just think you are so wrong on this subject - and since I'm unlikely to change your mind and you are not gonna change mine - maybe we should just leave it.

Also - for the record - I've never met, nor have ever had any communications with the Admin's of this site (and while I have my suspisions about ownership, I honestly do not know for certain who currently owns CRT)

OK guys, a lot of people are communicating with me. Many are very pissed off. Basically, admins are deep sixing the NON CR threads. Those threads will die in the VIP section.

Here is one theory being advanced:
The sponsors here and I believe also the present owners are invested in CR tourism, and perhaps do not want other destinations promoted at all if the truth be known. The owner of the La Amistad for example has been particularly vocal going off on guys who claim Colombia is better. He lit into Vince the Prince a while back for that, then recently had a cow when a guy started a thread praising a Medellin hotel, insisting that they become a sponsor. Therefore, moving the "around the world" thread to VIP section just insures that no one sees it except those who are currently invested in CR... By taking it away from the public view certain sponsors and/or owners may see the information as less of a threat to their livelihoods... Removing it entirely though may have been seen as too drastic a move...

This fits with the recently banning of one of the apartment rental companies in Medellin who used to be an advertiser.

Estabanh: What's wrong with what the admins are doing? Clearly this is a website designed to promote the hobby in the CR. To have a bunch of people touting Medellin all the time with numerous redundant threads is contrary to the best interest of this website and it's sponsors.

Last night, after our little internet head butting contest, I opened up about 10 Medellin threads and a majority of the post are by non paying members. You guys are like little rodents who wont go away. I always wondered why one of the guys doesn't start their own website and have a nice life? Why have a bunch of threads on a Costa Rica site when one of you guys can start a Medellin site?

BTW: I do not know the current owners , I knew Tomas as I meet him at some CRT functions back in the day, and on a couple of occasions I delivered some CRT cards to San Jose for him. I have no financial interest in this site or any of it's sponsors.

Now back to the the original topic, you purchased 4 yearly memberships at the cost of $156.00, you must have been saving a few $$$ of your card or you would not have renewed. Was paying 4 times by the year a smart move or not?

I dont have a problem with Admin focusing his business on CR. If he has to do that to retain his current advertisers, that sounds like a rational business decision. But keep in mind that there are a lot of guys who like Costa Rica and Colombia and he is pissing off a lot of them. In the interest of good will and promoting the general hobby, the previous owner so the site thought it was a good thing to have those threads.


As far as not buying a lifetime membership, I guess I'm stupid as you have pointed out numerous times like a broken record. Any other invective you got, let 'em rip.

Esrebanh, though I have enjoyed LMFAO at some of your totally asinine grudge, bitterness, and hate inspired comments, they are getting rather old to say the least!

You have nothing but some time invested in CRT! You have no interest in Costa Rica so what are you so concerned with what this site does and does not do with discussions about other places. After all this site was started and is here to promote mongering in Costa Rica, not the rest of the world-if it was here to promote other places it would have been called WSG, but then there is already a site with that name and that does a pretty good job of what it's intent was/is!! In fact the CRT section on other locations around the world DID NOT EVEN EXIST ORIGINALLY. It was added so members who did on occasion travel to other locations could post about them without having to do so in the trip report section for CR.

OH, wait, My first comment in this paragraph is incorrect!! You wasted $156 buying yearly memberships that are now of NO VALUE when you could have spent $139 and would be a life time member and have the right to complain!!

In my opinion (I know it is not worth much, but as a long time paid member and frequent poster I am going to express it) you have NO right to complain nor disagree with anything this board does. Yes, you may have posted a lot in the past, and some of those posts may have had some informational value but as a non paying member you are an outsider looking in; an observer if you will!!! It could be compared to companies-only stock holders (those who have financially invested in the company) have a right to vote on what the company does or does not do!!

I have the perfect solution for you:
YOU seem to think you know so much about how to run a mongering site, GET OFF HERE AND USE YOUR TIME, RESOURCES, AND ENERGY TO START YOUR OWN SITE!!! Then you can do what ever the hell you like with it!! Then lets see how much you like nonpaying, non contributing members telling YOU how to run YOUR site!

And before you start accusing me of brownnosing the present owners, I have been probably one of the most critically outspoken members here of some of the things that have transpired since they took over the site. My comments have nothing to do with whether they are doing things right or wrong, but whether YOU have the right or grounds to complain about anything they do or don't do!!!

By the way, I am not at all sure of just what the new owners have/are doing concerning non paying members posting. It seems, and has been stated that non paying members can only make 30 posts without becoming a VIP. BUT it seems several of the older (long time) nonpayers are being allowed to continue to post as much and as often as they wish (another example of the new owners not keeping the membership up to date on policy!!! I personally feel that no one should have the right to post more than 30 times without becoming a VIP!! If you want to have access to all the VIP sections it is very easy, PAY UP!!! If you want to post, PAY UP!! If you want the right to be listened to, PAY UP!! If you want the right to complain about policy, PAY UP!!! If you don't want to pay up, then read and learn from others but keep your mouth shut!! End of discussion !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JMHO

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

You know what BB, you are right. The new owners changed the rules last year. You have to be a VIP after posting a number of times. F U C K THAT.

I wont pay dog shit for this site

It aint worth.

Go ahead and ban my ass.
=

Estebanh I have nothing against you but you are overreacting about such a small issue. My guess is that there is something else at play here totally unrelated to your membership issue.

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The most dangerous adversaries are the ones that come with a smile instead of a sword

CRT is a wonderful resource for those of us that discovered Costa Rica. Where else can a unique group of fellows share the tricks and traps of having fun in a lovely country. For less than the cost of one bad experience, this brotherhood is certainly a value. Meeting new brothers, in person, keeping in touch with compadres with PM, sharing info on the beautiful ladies, and the value of suporting the advertisers and discounts work only to improve the quailty of all our trips to CR.

( however, it needs to be said, clearly, that although most of the posts begin as useful and informative, they somehow or another end up being a shouting match between two 'writers' who veer so far from the subject , offer no direct knowledge, and demonstrate some, arguably, mentally unstable disrespect to themselves and others. )

The free membership is fantastic for the newbie, and the casual observers. Moreover, In my opinion CRT has been overly generous and provides more open forums to the free user than most websites on the planet. When the freeloaders complain, there is only one response- 'Get Lost ' .

The admins have done a great job providing a superior product. They have stayed on point, and have demonstrated the patience of saints as off the wall rantings and ramblings take over the forum.
they may consider that, Catagories, like Trip reports from around the world , probably should be member only, as well as most of the picture section ( which was really, really , really good,, at one time - whatever happened ??? )

Keep up the good work Admin

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Having too much fun. 8)

IMO opinion a major change that affected the board (with veteran members anyway) was the change in ownership. Hundreds of us had met the original founders or at least Tomas and considered him a friend. We shared good times in the gulch, knew he was passionate about CR and the board which motivated many of us to contribute to help the site succeed. Now we have no idea who owns or admins the site and their lack of communication makes it appear that they really don't care about your concerns. It is a shame to lose current info posted by non VIP guys on the ground in MDE, one thread was 71 pages long. Consensus is it's either a smart business move or a dumb one that will cause even less participation.

All the speculation and arguing about what's best for the board, profits and bandwidth is interesting, but why wouldn't an admin take 2 minutes out of their busy day to make a post on this topic that affects so many explaining their actions and settle things down? Their silence is deafening, "good work" my ass!

Personally, I take any post by most non-VIP people with a grain of salt. They can post anything they want, correct or incorrect, and not be held accountable for for the content. How many times have you seen outlandish posts by a non-VIP person, and then that person (username) disappears, probably to re-appear as a different username? At least a VIP member can be somewhat held accountable for the content of his/her posts.

I will concede that there are a few non-VIP members living in Colombia who provided useful information. We have lost their future input, but I think there will be others who will take up the slack.

Hmmmmmm. Interesting topic.

I have been a lifetime CRT member since they were first offered in 2003 or 2004. They were originally $99 which I felt was too cheap. They are now $150 according to the young lady working the front desk at Sportsmen's Lodge.

I just returned from Costa Rica yesterday after having not visited the country for 6 years. But I found something very interesting: My Lifetime CRT Membership is STILL paying dividends after all these years.

I received discounts at La Amistad, Dunn Inn, Sportsmen's Lodge and Zona II. Now if a person feels that a savings of approximately $200 in one trip, not to mention the comradery of like-minded individuals, isn't worth enough to buy a membership then that person either has no sense of travel value or is just an idiot.

But I've met plenty of both so it's really not surprising.

Is CRT what is was in it's heyday? No. But is it still a valuable resource for information and travel discounts? That is a resounding YES.

Make your own choices but I have always felt that non-paying members have marginal credibility on this site. I have also felt that about 90% of the content should have been restricted to paying customers only from the very beginning.

Wit