Problems including billing errors, lack of student participation and disrespectful representatives caused several Muncie business owners to end their participation in a program that gives Ball State students discounts at local businesses. Ball State University became involved with Student Savings Club in late Fall 2005, said Marsha Hahn, the company's chief operating officer. Despite the availability of discounts, many business owners said they have not seen much student participation. Those businesses that have had students use the card said that they see the same faces again and again. Tina Fang, manager of First Wok, a Chinese restaurant on Bethel Avenue, said she does not plan to renew her membership with the club once it expires in January 2008. Fang said she has not seen a lot of student participation and those students who have used the card to obtain the discount are often frequent customers.Hahn attributed the lack of student participation to the fact that the savings club is a fairly new program at Ball State University and that building program awareness takes time. "At a school your size, it does take time," Hahn said. "Word of mouth is one way it will travel." Student Government Association President Asher Lisec agreed that low participation at the beginning was expected. Mass e-mails will be sent to students next week telling them about the discounts, Lisec said. SGA is also forming a Facebook group to promote the club and will be putting up posters, provided by the savings club, around campus, she said.Other than lack of participation, several businesses have faced other, more complicated issues. Hahn said Student Savings Club had apologized to Buffalo Wild Wings general manager Mat Townsend in response to an earlier incident in which a representative from the savings club spoke disrespectfully to Townsend."We are very sorry that happened," Hahn said. "We have made every attempt to make it right with him." General manager Mat Townsend, a previous member in the program, was offered a one-year membership at no charge but declined further participation in the club, Hahn said.Stephanie Haskins, the assistant owner of JR's Tropical Tan, said the Student Savings Club first tried to overcharge her for a membership. Once the price of the membership was resolved, the company tried to bill her twice. The mistake took a month to correct, and as a result of the experience, Haskins said she would never again participate in the club, or any others like it. "I don't see any benefit in it at all," Haskins said. According to the club's Web site, Ultra Image Tanning Salon is listed as a participant in this year's program. When first contacted for comment, salon owner Becky Reece said she was not even aware her business was listed, although she was a participant last year.Reece said after being notified that there would be delays in getting her membership cards last year, and then never receiving any cards at all, she contacted the company and asked them not to call her again to participate.Even though Reece had a bad experience with the Student Savings Club, she said she would probably participate in a similar program if it were through a different company or organization."We all want to have faith in the system," Reece said. "I've done cards like this before." Although the incident has lessened the credibility of SGA, Reece said she does not place the blame on them. Instead, it will make her ask more questions in the future before participating in such a program. Fourteen businesses joined the club this year and each paid a one time fee of $350, Hahn said. Businesses from the previous year, however, were not charged an additional fee to participate because the club recognized that it takes time for programs to gain student participation. Letters will be sent out in February to these businesses, letting them know they will not be charged for the current year's participation, she said.Hahn attributed the problems the businesses have faced to the fact that this is the first year the club has had students register online to participate and then show their student IDs at businesses to obtain the discount. In previous years, students registered for the discount and received paper discount cards to use at the businesses. "As with anything new, there's always a little confusion, and mistakes happen," Hahn said. Any businesses that have experienced problems will be contacted to make sure any lingering problems are resolved, Hahn said. While SGA has never experienced problems with the Student Savings Club in dealing with them in the past. Lisec said the problems that local businesses have encountered will be taken into consideration when it comes time to renew services.
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