X-Message-Number: 8707
Date: Sat, 1 Nov 1997 20:09:36 -0600
From: Steve Jackson <>
Subject: Clouding Our Minds

When I got the note from Alcor inviting me, as a member, to participate in
one of a series of "round-table" phone discussions with other members,
hosted by Micahel Cloud, I was happy to agree. I was glad to hear that
Alcor was soliciting member feedback, and I thought I might learn something
myself.

I learned something, all right. When I hung up the phone, I felt angry,
disillusioned and used.

Why? Because the "round-table" was a pretext for a sales pitch, pushing
Alcor's lifetime memberships.

We did a round of "introduce yourselves" and a round of "what is Alcor
doing right and wrong?" Then Fred Chamberlain took the floor for a long,
rambling discussion which wandered around the subject of life memberships,
and how they were going to be good for Alcor, and how it was really all
right if we didn't buy them, but the price was going to go up and up and up
. . .

Then Michael Cloud took over and started asking the members, one at a time,
what they thought about what they had heard. Whenever someone responded
positively, he jumped in for a close - "Can we have (some other salesman)
call you and work out the details?"

When he got around to me, I told him that I was unhappy about getting a
sales call under false pretenses; that what he was doing might, in the long
run, be good for Alcor, but I really disapproved of the way he was doing
it. Neither he, nor Fred, nor Linda, nor Carlos Mondragon who was also
present, had a reply.

On reflection, I don't even think it's good for Alcor. Why? It's dishonest!
Taking members' time, on the pretext of asking for feedback, and then
pressuring them to send in more money . . . that has no place in a
reputable organization. That's the way cults work, or multilevel marketing
organizations. In fact, that's exactly what this felt like. Have you ever
been invited to dinner at a "friend's" house, only to find yourself the
target for an Amway sales pitch?

This kind of behavior shows contempt for honesty, and contempt for the
membership. If I'm going to entrust my frozen body to an organization, I
need to feel a high degree of trust. Shabby little marketing tricks are NOT
the way to earn trust. The honest approach would have been "Can I call you
to talk about life memberships?"

Hey, Fred? WHOSE IDEA WAS IT to bill this as an "opportunity to give
feedback" but turn it into a sales pitch? Now that you think about it, does
it BOTHER you that you did that? This is the second time under your
management, Fred, that I've seen Alcor descend to scammy, low-class
marketing, and it worries me.  Do you think you might STOP, or is this the
way you LIKE to reach the public?

Hell, Fred, maybe you DO care about our opinions. I know you're going to
tell us that you do, and maybe it's true. But you've made it harder to
believe you.

I'm blowing the whistle for two reasons. First, so the rest of you will
know that these "round tables" are the foot in the door for a sales pitch;
if you agree to participate, you'll know what to expect. Second, because I
hope some of our directors are reading this. If not, maybe it will
encourage other members to look for alternatives, inside or outside Alcor.
(Yeah, I know there was a rival group started by that woman, can't remember
her name, the one who puts her picture on her stationary. I heard from them
when they got hold of Alcor's mailing list. No, thanks.)



The irony? I had already intended to sign up for a life membership. I may
still do it, but I'll look a lot harder at the deal.




 Steve Jackson - yes, of SJ Games - yes, we won the Secret Service case
  Learn Web or die - http://www.sjgames.com/ - dinosaurs, Lego, Kahlua!
          The heck with PGP keys; finger for Geek Code. Fnord.

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=8707