Disgruntled New Person

[holymoly]

Hi, I am sorry that my first post to the forum is because I am so upset. I am Stephanie and my husband Pat and I are new to mini horses. I have met many really nice people while looking for the right horses to build my herd, got lots of good advise and tidbits from them, etc... One thing I was told time and again is that one organization is somewhat 'friendlier' than the other. My husband and I have a small cattery and in the cat world, this is true also. One organization has a reputation for being friendly while the other has the reputation for being stuck up so we are used to this.

However, the reason I am upset is because I called the 'friendly' people, introduced myself, inquired about what steps I needed to take to get a membership and save my farm name which is also my cattery name. I was told what to do, sent the paperwork. When I received it, I filled it in and sent it back to them with payment. That has been over 3, maybe 4 weeks ago. I called today to make sure they received it and check on the status and was told at first that they didn't have it at all. Check to make sure my check had cleared the bank. It hasn't so then I am told it must be in a big pile in Accounting. I am also told that the fee to save my farm name has went up ridicoulously from what they had told me on the phone and on the paperwork I was sent. How is it possible, it can go up when I sent it immediately back in? The paperwork they sent me had $20 on it and now they are saying that they are charging $200?

When I expressed my confusion, I was told she "didn't have room to play with me on this". I have no idea what was meant by this as it is not a very playful matter to me! Am I wrong to be steaming over the fact that I was told one thing and now they are trying to change it on me? I am wondering if it's even worth working with this registry if this is how it conducts business?

Sorry for the vent - but geez! Not a great start into the mini horse world for me!

Stephanie

 

[New2Minis]

I am new to the mini world also and to me if your paperwork says $20.00 then it should be $20.00!!!

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

Well the price went up at Convention ruled by the BOD no members had any notice other then the ones that were there and they thought it would be up to 100 however the BOD decided and voted on 200.

 

[Songcatcher]

I THINK that if your work order was post marked before the price change took effect that they will honor it. However, it does say on the form that prices are subject to change without notice. Still, that hurts and is not a good first impression.

Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is friendly. Like Mary Lou said, both registries have their good and bad points. I am a member of both and keep all my horses double registered.

Welcome to the Forum. Hope your experiences improve.

 

[Jill]

I'm sorry you are having an issue right off the bat, and I understand how you feel. I wish that the could let you have it for the old rate (do they stamp a date on mail as they receive it)?

For what it is worth, I have actually found BOTH registries to be helpful and friendly. I've recieved very good customer service and communication from both AMHR and AMHA over the years.

Hopefully, the rest of your dealings will be easier and more pleasant.

 

[holymoly]

Thanks for all of your understanding. I have no idea what date the price changed. I know that I called as requested the info and that's when they told me on the phone the prices. As soon as they sent it, I filled it in and returned it.

They told me when she called back after I posted that the application was dated 11-13-06 but it was marked received 12-4-06. That didn't make any sense to me as it was returned immediately. But then again, they also told me this morning that they had not received it at all. :no:

I have at this point told them to cancel everything and return it. I am not sure exactly how I want to proceed at this time. It is just frustrating. I am not sure if I will send my membership back in or not at this point.

Has anyone worked with the World Class Miniature Horse Registry? I have seen the name on some sites and wondered about them. They have some really nice horses on their front page.

Stephanie

 

[Laura]

[SIZE=12pt]Stephanie,[/SIZE]

I'm so sorry you had that experience. That individual should *not* have spoken to you that way and that type of behavior is NOT typical of that office staff. I do agree that your fee should be applied as to the postmark, not the time they opened your work order. You can IM me or e-mail me at [email protected] for the name of a nice lady to talk to there.

As to your question about the world class registry, I hope no one is offended by this, but many in this industry do not see that association as a ligitimate registry. I, as a long time breeder, would not buy an only WC registered horse unless it was eligible and WORTH hardshipping with AMHA and then AMHR. It would have to be a HECK of a horse.

I am still interested in your website services BTW

:

 

[FoRebel]

I have worked with the WCMHR. They are a little slow with stuff. I have found that you really just need to call and ask questions instead of emailing. I waited for my colt's papers for 6 months (Then again it was foaling season so they were swamped with registrations.) I know that the membership fee is $32 for adult, $5 for youth and $250 for lifetime. The down fall to the WCMHR is if you have a mini that you want as a family horse with everyones name on it, you can do that with the AMHA & AMHR... BUT with the WCMHR you can only have 2 names. I do know that you can also register horses that are already register with the AMHA or/and AMHR with the WCMHR too. Or for that fact completely unregistered horses can be registered with them too as far as I can tell.

Hope this answers some questions!

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Hi Stephanie,

I'm sorry you have this as your first impression of AMHR - I don't think it will always be that way. I know it's probably hard for you to believe right now, but there are way more fun and friendly people in miniature horses than boring and mean people!!! Unfortunately you stepped right into what is probably one of the more controversial issues there has been - the registration of prefix/suffixes. I too got "caught" in the middle of it.

Hopefully things will work out for you and your future experiences will be better! Welcome to minis!

 

[cmcwc]

Keep in mind there was a holiday between when you sent it and they received it.. Could have been a reason why it's taken so long..

I'm only a member with AMHR and haven't had a problem, I plan on registering with WCMHR too..

 

[Sonya]

Regardless of how long it took them to "open" your stuff (my hunch is it was sitting there for a month), you should be charged based on your postmark - end of story.

 

[tagalong]

I also get weary of hearing that only AMHR is friendly and that only AMHR does anything right... when I have seen AMHA shows be just as "fun" and just as "friendly" - it is the people and not the registry that counts...

AMHA registration and DNA procedures are much better, to start with - thank goodness AMHR is starting to head the same direction... but the bottom line is that good experiences (and bad) can be had with both registries... both can be notoriously slow to get paperwork back to you - or surprisingly fast - we have had it both ways! :lol:

The best thing to do is experience things for yourself...

:

 

[AJ]

I also had a "postmark not read" situation and they were very quick and happy to call me a liar and return my $1000. cheque and forgo thousands of dollars in future registration fees.

 

[holymoly]

Well, I am officially registered with AMHA and my farm name is the same as my cattery name - HolyMoly. Not all of my horses will be AMHA though as some are taller and are only AMHR. But for now, at least I have my farm name in the one. I will also register in WCMHR but just don't know about the AMHR yet.

Thanks to everyone for the advice and info.

Stephanie

 

[nootka]

I feel the same as tagalong. Honestly, I have never gotten an unfriendly response from AMHA, nor AMHR. I have gotten a lot stronger dose of unprofessionalism from AMHR, and yes, for some things, AMHA is more expensive, but as a rule, I have had a great deal of enjoyment from both registries and they are the ONLY two registries I will use. WCMHR has little to NO value in this region at this time, or ever that I've heard. There are NO shows and it's just another thing to pay for, to get a piece of paper that has no substantiation to it (as in it's not like there's dna or photo proof required, nor even a precedent of registry, so I could buy up a bunch of non papered minis and add these papers, which to me is next to worthless as it proves nothing, and I KNOW the other registries started out this way, so I'm not making any comment other than the truth as this registry relates to me. I just don't need to pay more fees for something that adds NO worth or value of any kind to me).

What I WOULD pay more for is if somehow I could get all the TRUE ancestors of my horses (as in friends have helped me research the Shetland pedigrees back to, in some cases, when they were imported to the US at or before the turn of the century, and of course there's no dna testing to back it up, but it's probably fairly accurate as it stands beings as the shetland background of these horses is fairly well known), and offered identity as well as member services. I don't hear that about WCMHR. I hear they have one or two shows a year in the East and even those are not run well, but I may be wrong, and I'm sure the ones that show and use them have a lot of fun there, too.

Anyway, I didn't mean this as an attack, just make sure and research the value this registry can offer you before you spend a lot of money on them.

As to the AMHR thing, it's silly the way it's structured right now (the name reservation) and has been a source of frustration and aggravation for years. To me, a new farm should be able to register one prefix for the old price or thereabouts (heck even $50 isn't bad), and any extra should be charged higher. There's a thread about it so maybe you can read the precedent and why it ended up this way.

Welcome and I look forward to hearing more about you and your horses!

Liz M.

 

[HGFarm]

I too, agree with the postmark rule. That is not fair that they didnt open them for a month!

I belong to both registeries, A and R and have not had really any unpleasant things with either. They have both always been very helpful when I had questions, etc...

No, I do not bother with the other WC registry either.

 

[wpsellwood]

I show in both and find the people in both registries friendly. I would try to speak to someone else in the registery. This person might of just got some bad news or something and unfortuneatly took it out on you.

 

[SweetOpal]

Not trying to create any conflict but I read your post as it was post marked 11-13-06 and I believe they made the price change from $20 to $200 effective 11-11-06. When it was voted on at the Convention it went into effect immediately. If it was postmarked 11-13-06 or opened 12-4-06 not really much difference becuase it had already be made effective before the post date.

I understand completely the frustration, but there was a reason behind the increase. And you do have every right to be disgrunted and upset. I myself have not had bad experiences with either registry. And I can imagine that from the changes the office has more than likely been getting regular calls and complaints. Again not excusing any mistreatment to you!

 

[holymoly]

Wouldn't they have posted a note on the front of the website when it went into effect? I did check the website before I sent it in. I had no idea what day the change took place as I called in one day, rcd the info in the mail a few days later and sent it back in.

As to the WCMHR, didn't the other 2 registeries start with open registrations? I don't know much about them but I thought that was how they all started out?

Anyway, thanks for the warm welcome everyone.

I look forward to becoming more involved in the mini horse world.

Stephanie

 

[~Karen~]

Hi there! :saludando: Welcome!

Sorry you had such a bad experience trying to join the registry. I'll clank in my 2 cents and you can take it for what it's worth... I don't have but 1 mini, and it seems she is only pet quality (which is ok with me for what we bought her for), but I sympathise with you on the unprofessional tone this person took with you. With you being completely new to the registry, she should have taken the time to explain what you have come to this forum to learn. It is her job, and that is what she gets paid for. But by the same token, no matter what, any time you must deal with people and business, you will run into someone unpleasant from time to time. Please don't let this experience ruin your desire i the mini horse field. I am sure that there are way more friendly people than there are unprofessional people. If your hearts desire is to be a part of this registry, please don't let this one experience keep you from the doors that await you.

I wish you the best,

~Karen