Well after 3.5 years, finally done with this place. It’s just not the same fun, friendly atmosphere that I would find myself wanting to spend days at a time in. This also comes at the fact that we can’t even use the space, yet still being charged for a membership. So with that, my only question is how do I go about canceling and how do I get mine and my gfs storage box?
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Edit: @Team_Infrastructure What’s the preferred cancel membership and pick up your box process right now?
Edited, thought better of it, be the better person and all.
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Members can cancel anytime with the billing system (not unique to the pandemic, this has always been a thing). I don’t think there’s a way to pickup boxes at this time.
@Team_Logistics will be the ones to contact regarding boxes once we can let people back inside.
for cancelling, https://accounts.dallasmakerspace.org and after selecting the service there is a big, red cancellation button available.
That works. As far as my boxes go, how do I get them? I see that members, board or otherwise, have still been there giving updates. I don’t want my boxes to end up “lost” bc of some clerical error.
Once we open back up, contact @Team_Logistics and arrange to retrieve your things.
4 posts were split to a new topic: (split) Banned member discussion
no worries about your bins, when the space is opened back up we will contact anyone about bins if they are no longer members.
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Since we are announcing departures. “Remember the white zone is for loading and unloading only!”
But since you bring it up. How could we be a fun family friendly atmosphere when the county/state has closed us? If we turned off all billing we would not have any income so therefore no makerspace. So thanks for letting us know you are a customer. Now we will see how many members stick with us.
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I think there’s a balance. Some folks who really care about the space can’t afford it right now. We should be sensitive to that.
I don’t know the original poster. Just saying. Shit’s fucked right now. Let’s not exacerbate things.
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You are correct that I should not exacerbate things. Just his note in the cancelation request is such a departure from the moderately nice feedback above.
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It’s the idea that if they cancel now, they might have to pay $10 more per month when they rejoin. I get it. I also understand the board’s reluctance to say “if you cancel now due to Covid you can come back at the old rate” because we know that would lead to a bunch of drops.
But then I also understand math - if I cancel for two months at $50, then rejoin at $60, I’ve made up most of the difference in dues for my first 10 months back. And I understand that I can cancel again whenever the cost outweighs the benefit.
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“Let’s not exacerbate things” goes for everyone. Including departing members. 
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Having not spoken with any Director nor Officer on this topic, I think the reasoning falls more to the extra volunteer effort required to allow the re-purchase of an item no longer “on the menu”, rather than the immediate concern of all the drops this might enable. WHCMS is not the most controllable beast, from what little witness I can bear, and turning it on a dime like that is…sketchy, at best.
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Handling billing in there is nuts. Try not to touch it.
Exactly why not guaranteeing the grandfathered rates is a bad business move. But I tried that discussion and honestly it’s screaming at a wall to have it. I don’t think bringing these members back is going to be quite as easy as everyone thinks.
Well since you want to bring my cancellation notes into it, let me be clear since I was trying to be simi decent on talk. I DID love the place…I USE to go all the time. Yes the place is closed and obviously we can’t use it, but that isn’t the reason im leaving. Im leaving for the same reason I stopped doing tours there…bc on the surface it seems like a happy go lucky place but it’s far from it. It’s become a place of favoritism and underlying, as I put in my notes I believe, high school drama and bullshit between old members, new, departments and the God awful BOD. I can’t get on Talk or go to the space in the last year or so without hearing, either directly or indirectly, hate coming from every corner of Makerspace.
Between that, policy changes (like how I was told I would need to retake classes I had already taken) and Chairs who are power hungry…im done.
Hell on one occasion I was told by a BOD member that a shirt I wore (the one on my profile pic actually) was “offensive” to others and if I would consider not wearing…to which my reply aired more on the side him going touch himself.
I can’t even feel good about showing/talking to potential new members about the space without also warning them about the drama. Which isn’t misplaced bc I’ve said in a previous post, that I’ve had SEVERAL friends join, just to be turned away by the actions of others there.
So there are a dozen reasons im over Makerspace…money isn’t even the issue. Just that’s it’s no longer a good investment to me. I’d rather move to another Makerspace or spend my money on the tools.
Take it as you will.
Hello! I’m gonna jump in and disagree/agree with you on some bits here!
–I’m sorry you quit doing tours. I love conducting them and I never felt like I was representing a place full of terrible people as you make it seem.
DMS is run by human volunteers. Things are going to get messy, they are going to have their highs and lows. Why not strive to be part of the good and help influence positive change?
I routinely went all over DMS and idk who you were hanging out with, but I didn’t hear the hate. I see it on Talk every now and then but honestly even Talk has improved.
–Policy changes suck and I get that- but retaking a class is not hard. Maybe you could have helped others in the class or brought your experience to the table. If you look at everything negatively it’s all you’re going to find.
–That shirt is inappropriate. I don’t care what you wear or where you wear it PERSONALLY but I don’t think its rude to request that profanity not be displayed outwardly. (and I cuss like the sailor I am) It’s a generally accepted rule within our society.
–DMS has changed and is changing. I’ve been a member for over a year now, and while that’s not long to most I def saw and heard a LOT of drama initially. I can say that it has drastically improved over the past 7-8 months or so. It’s a slow process, but sustainable progress usually is.
These are growing pains. Sometimes things have to suck while they are improving. When we get use to something change can be a real b**** even if it’s for the better and we know we will be happier for it.
I personally wish you the best and hope that you even decide to come back in the future.
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And pray tell, what the BoD did which makes you so unhappy? The fact we enforced rules and kicked out the thieves? The fact that the moderators are actually shutting down trolls on talk?
Or is it just this:
Which, you know, any business might ask you to not wear such a shirt on their premesis. If the BoD wanted to be harsh they could have asked you to leave, but no it was a courtesy to consider those around you that apparently is too much for “your sensitivities” so to speak.
And somehow “our BoD” is the source of the drama and rudeness? Please.
And which chairs are those? First I’m seeing complaints about power-hungry chairs. Besides complaints of, you know, “I don’t like that I have to follow the rules” I’m not aware of any complaints coming from you specifically either; if these things were happening why not, you know, say something?
Outside of the woodshop 1-4 situation, training typically only changes and requires a retake when the tools themselves do. Even woodshop didn’t require taking the 1-4 if you had basics, just a supplemental “here’s a crash course on the rest of the stuff that wasn’t in the original class”
I’m unaware of any committee that makes you go through any retaking of training for tools you’ve already learned. So please, enlighten us so as a space we can discuss it.
I find the irony of your avatar here palpable BTW; people like to point out how the BoD or officers are being harsh etc, but are just enforcing the damn rules already in place.
You aren’t supposed to be a customer here, you’re supposed to be a member.
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(Just a general reply, not directed at you, Jim)
While I find the drama on Talk and the cliquish behavior of certain groups of members offputting, I have found a remarkably simple way to make DMS an enjoyable place to be.
I show up, work on my shit, hang out with the people I like and then go home.
It’s quite easy to avoid the drama and just get shit done.
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