VOC Special Tools Loan Scheme

[foggyjames]

Brian does make a good point about this not being simple - there are, in fairness, good reasons why the scheme has not been successful historically. Someone with space for storage and time for admin is required, plus the scheme needs to be correctly marketed...and probably many other reasons, were it to be thought about in more detail. The club has clearly struggled to find someone (or a team) who can fulfil that role, historically (over the past decade or two, that is). That doesn't mean that it couldn't have been made to happen, though, or that the scheme couldn't have worked.

Andrew - I applaud the sentiments in your message, and it's exactly what we need...but...in this particular case it's a bit like fastening the stable door after the horse has bolted. The tools no longer belong to the club. For my part, I knew a new home was being sought, but I didn't treat it with the urgency I would have done had I realised that disposal was on the cards. Anyone getting involved now would need to be very clear that they were volunteering their time and money to assist a business which intends to use the tools as a loss-leader. I'm not against that, and I think that while Dai could have been greedy with his hire charges, he hasn't been...but he has also made it abundantly clear that the tools are his, and any return will involve the exchange of currency.

In that sense, I feel the most productive direction for this thread would be to discuss how to avoid such a situation in the future - where the club management ends up in a situation where it feels it has no option but to dispose of a valuable asset (and no, I don't think the word "valuable" is up for debate!). I'm uninterested in pointing fingers at individuals - this is a systematic failure, the roots of which go back many, many years. For the record, I consider myself to play a role in the failure.

Finally...some may be wishing this discussion would go underground. Entirely wrong, I say. I've been discussing the future direction of the club with a few friends since this news broke, as I feel it is symptomatic of the pivotal moment the club is heading for. The point I've kept coming back to is that the club needs to increase its base of willing volunteers significantly if it is to stretch its current capability to remain relevant in the future. That means having open and frank discussions about the club's needs. That is not a sign of weakness! My experience has been that the community of members can achieve remarkable things...when asked.

I'm not having a dig at anyone here, but the culture which has existed within the club for decades has to change. I think it is unfair and unreasonable for a membership of thousands to expect a team of 7(?) to run the club...but that team needs to get help by asking the right people, and asking in the right arena. I'm far from faultless when it comes to responding to such requests, but I'm certainly not proposing myself as a solution to any problems either!

cheers

James

[LJD]

Originally Posted by s60ben

I've read some bo**ocks in my life, but that takes the biscuit!

I can guarantee, if the likes of Foggy & Co were fully aware of the fact that the tools needed "rescue" from being scrapped, they'd have been collected like a shot by true enthusiasts.

and, dare I say without the fictional 600-900 pound "costs" I've since been informed about that you allegedly wanted from the club for your "rescue"...

So you couldn't be arsed to do anything with the tools until you "owned them".. what a fine upstanding example of everything that is wrong with the club.. As it stands, it shouldn't have taken a financial viewpoint for the club to do anything.. foggy and co would have done it all foc. And as for "financial sense" you must be taking the pi $$... what is contrary to "financial sense" is giving them away FOC..

furthermore the reason for the low take up of tools, is due to most having no idea that the club owned such a resource.. if it had been made online, it would have been great...

As it stands, you have now made it fairly clear that you intend to utilise them for commercial advantage.

Not bad the club disposing of literally tens of thousands of pounds worth of assets and giving them to a bloke who quite frankly is a scary LPG 'installer' and who appears to have none or little interest unless he can force the clubs hands into giving him thousands of pounds worth of stuff for bugger all...

I won't mention the selling of tools on Ebay then either......

This sounds like it's going to get interesting ,,,!!!!!!!!

[classicswede]

The funny thing is the point you have missed there is that I never even claimed any expenses for rescuing the tools. No one else was willing to do it that had been approached. The tools were supposed to be at least mostly sorted on the tool boards but they were just dumped into big boxes.

If the club had decided to dispose of the tools before I rescued them they would have been lost forever.

There is nothing stopping anyone who want to from loaning any of the tools without buying anything else. On many occasions I have lent out my own personal tools to club members for no charge because that is the way I am.

The system the club had with the tools was a complete failure with a lot of tools haven being stolen.

There had been an offer from another well know Volvo specialist to take the tools and run the scheme. For them the same as me they could see the tools being a good customer service. As soon as they found out the tools were not sorted out they very quickly retracted the offer. They were not prepared to go through them and sort them out and who can blame them.

As to selling tools on ebay I do not sell anything on ebay so no idea where you get that one from.




I also have to agree with Foggy here that the BoD does need to be more accountable for its actions. Very little does get discussed with the membership. We do have the VOC members section on this forum that can be used as a channel between club officials and the membership. Things do need to be more open, just the same as the forum admin here need to more accountable and discuss things with the members.

[classicswede]

Originally Posted by LJD

Sounds like its time to move forward and "re build"
I can fully understand stuff been "nicked". It's real life and some people don't give a poo about others .

Seems many of you have good intentions....so use them collectively

But expect the old ego to shed a tear from time to time !

My long term plan is to rebuild the collection. By selling off the duplicates that will help to replace some of the missing tools. It is going to be a very long job and I do only have limited time to put into it.

I just hope the tools get used a lot more than what they have in the past

[mollusk]

Originally Posted by classicswede

The sad thing is had it been anyone else they could have been scrapped and lost forever and that very nearly happened before I rescued them.

Thanks Dai, that shows little understanding in the intentions or motivation of either myself, or the Chris C, Foggy, +,+ group.

To dispell any misunderstandings -
There had been much talk amongst board members as to what to do with with the sizeable tool collection - weighing in for scrap was one favoured option. The board, rightly or wrongly saw the collection as attracting ongoing costs.

The collection had been taken on by Dai some time (whilst he was a register keeper - but nothing had been done with them).
It is however important to understand that many "choice" tools had disappeared long ago (I, as do others, have our suspicions but I'll not comment) and the tools had been badly neglected well before Dai took them on.
In the interests of balance I will state that is likely that the state of the tools was a major reason why Dai made no progress with the "club" tool scheme.
Owning the tools has provided a "commercial" incentive - but in fairness Dai's hire rates will never make him rich.

My intention was to at least make the 300 tools freely available to club members and those of the wider 300 community, whilst Chris & Foggy wished to create a reference collection of tools (including tools owned by ourselves) and make them available to club members - most probably through the register keepers, or local sections.
I will state that had I, or Foggy/Chris C acquired them there is no way on this earth that they would have been scrapped or lost to the club (regardless of what
Dai suggests).

Mollusk.

[classicswede]

Sorry not the best choice of working there and I in no way was I trying to suggest any of you would have scrapped them off.

More the point I was trying to make is that the tools were very nearly sent for scrap and scrapping was right at the bottom of the option list for the tools when no new home could be found. If they had been left with the last guardian then there would not be any tools to be talking about here.

Had the offer from either yourself Chris and Foggy etc been taken up they would have been in safe hands. Equally they could have ended up in other hands and in a uncertain future.
One option had been to split the tools between the register keepers. Big problem there is that so many of the tools cross over a number of models so would not have worked. There could have also been issues getting the tools back should any of the register keepers fall out with the club. It has happened before.

And just to be clear again there is no way any of you guys would have scrapped the tools in my opinion and I was not suggesting you would have either.

[s60ben]

Originally Posted by classicswede

My long term plan is to rebuild the ccourseion. By selling off the duplicates that will help to replace some of the missing tools. It is going to be a very long job and I do only have limited time to put into it.

I just hope the tools get used a lot more than what they have in the past

Once again, round in circles...

Deny the ebay claim, then cough to selling "duplicate" ones.. of course, nobody has a clue...

[classicswede]

Not a single tool has been sold but some are likely to be to fund replacing the lost tools.

Please back up your ebay claim. I can honestly say I have not sold a single thing on ebay for over 6 months or more likely over a year. If you are going to make accusations please back them. You will not be able to as it has never happened.

[s60ben]

Originally Posted by classicswede

Sorry not the best choice of working there and I in no way was I trying to suggest any of you would have scrapped them off.

More the point I was trying to make is that the tools were very nearly sent for scrap and scrapping was right at the bottom of the option list for the tools when no new home could be found. If they had been left with the last guardian then there would not be any tools to be talking about here.

Had the offer from either yourself Chris and Foggy etc been taken up they would have been in safe hands. Equally they could have ended up in other hands and in a uncertain future.
One option had been to split the tools between the register keepers. Big problem there is that so many of the tools cross over a number of models so would not have worked. There could have also been issues getting the tools back should any of the register keepers fall out with the club. It has happened before.

And just to be clear again there is no way any of you guys would have scrapped the tools in my opinion and I was not suggesting you would have either.

It's imho an absolute sodding disgrace.

So you have the balls to say you never claimed "expenses".. but it was made abundantly clear that had the club not given you the tools, you were after money to give them back...

The club shouldn't be about "claiming expenses" it is after all "meant" to be an enthusiasts club, that just shows what its all about...

I'm sure a lot of you have missed a trick or ten.. I'm sure the "hire charge" will be quite reasonable at 50p or so.. but I bet shipping/handling costs will be made very profitable..

As for the tools being in bad condition, I'd be very surprised if they were that bad..

Sounds like a shed load of convenient excuses to excuse both the attempted cover up and poor reaction from members.

As it stands, the "old guard" are still up to the same old tricks.. after my initial post I was contacted via private message by a club director nontheless who wanted me to call so the "current position" could be explained...

Funny how they have time to read the post, send a PM but can't / won't post about it publically.. Same old sh*t, different year!

[classicswede]

Ben can I ask are you a member of the VOC?

You have accused me of selling off the tools on ebay, now any decent person would either back it up with evidence or if the accusation was made in error stand up and apologise.

All I am trying to do with the tools is what the club should have done years ago but on a private basis.

I did not ask to be given the tools and the decision was made by the BoD without any input from myself. Within a few moments of getting the news I was in contact with Mollusk to inform him what was going on and I would make sure the tools were kept safe.