As promised in our latest newsletter, here are some questions some you have asked so far. If after reading this you are still unsure about some details, email us.

You may like to contact the clubs directly to find out how they manage memberships. See links above for contact details.

Will cardholders that aren’t club members now be charged $20 per hour?
Yes. We would love for you to join a club. The annual card fee of $20 has been waived for the coming year, so at an approximate cost of $100 to join a club for an adult (check details with clubs), you only need to play for 8 hours a year to make joining worthwhile! If you join, your current rate of $12 will drop to $10 – and we think that’s a pretty good deal. Most clubs will offer payment plans if it’s the $100 one-off payment that worries you. Juniors, families and couples enjoy discounts at most clubs, too.

How do I prove to you that I am a club member?
Just tell us. We’re polling the clubs for their members’ list regularly, starting next week. If you’re not on the list, we bump you up to the $20 rate.

Who has to be a club member?
As a member of the public you can continue to use the hall as a casual user by getting your one-off card at the dairy, you don’t have to be a member (but we’re encouraging you!). However, if you’re playing in any OBA event, such as A Pool, Box Competition or are representing Otago at Junior, Senior or Masters level, you need to belong to a club.

I am not a club member and don’t want to join. I used to pay $12 per hour and now it’s $20. I just added money to my card last week! Can I use this up at the old rate?
No. We have reserved the right to change the prices at any time and the ‘currency’ added to your card is dollars – not court hours. You have three options: Use the credit at the new $20 rate, become a club member and use it at the $10 rate, or transfer your credit to someone else’s card and walk away with the cash.

Can I get a refund for the admin fee I paid last year?
No, we’re not refunding the admin fee that was last charged in June 2011, but we’ve decided to waive it for 2012. It is effectively included in the club fee when you join up.

I usually play with a bunch of friends and we’re using three courts at a time. We have one card between all of us, what’s our rate?
If you don’t join a club, your rate will be $20 per hour and you can book multiple courts at a time. If one of you joins a club, the rate will drop to $10, but you’ll only be able to book one court at a time.
You may be better off for three of your group to join a club, to effectively get three cards and be able to book three courts at $10 at once. Talk to the clubs!
Note that we can give you three cards that link all to the same account so that you don’t have to keep track of three different card balances.