Interesting. 

Let's try a few FACTS:

1) AWS membership is up and increasing steadily and regularly.  When I became a member it was about 50,000, it is currently closing in on 70,000.  Corporate membership is also up to record numbers. 

2) Member retention rates are about 85%.  That is pretty good for any organization.

3) Even before I became a Section officer for AZ, anyone I called answered the phone over 60% of the time.  If I did leave a voice mail they got back to me fairly quickly as long as I left a proper message with contact information.

4) My emails got the same kind of response.  And they would contact me even if they were passing my question on to someone else because I had the wrong dept or committee. 

5) I have had questions answered about publications, exams, seminars, application of codes, requests for info on qualifications for particular certifications.  You can find the results of that right here on the forum in the 'Bolting' section when we put together a whole bunch of info on the whole program that was not easy to find by oneself. 

6) When I first tried to get info on getting involved with a local section they got a hold of my local officers and passed on my contact info to them and they got to me within a week.  That's pretty good considering how busy most local officers are with their own families and work. 

7)  I have never gotten anyone I could not understand.  Most of the accents I hear are no different than the difference between Texas, Maine, Oregon, or Arizona.  I have never had to ask for someone else because I couldn't understand what they were saying.

Have a Great Day,  Brent

Hey awspartb!!! Glad to see your back! How is that union retirement going?

commonarc, so why are you still here?

To all,, please release "commonarc" from any obligation real or conceived to AWS. he is very unhappy and needs to move on and if it's not to late he could throw his hat in the ring for president (of what I am not sure).

Commonarc,

We don't always provide 100% satisfaction. Certainly there are some times, like during the show that we had this week, when our staff may not be responsive or the "second team" is handling calls. Letting your Section chair know is a good way to have your complaints brought forward and dealt with quickly. We are primarily an organization of volunteers -- the people who I really work for are volunteers, and they write the codes and define how the certs work and build our programs. Paid staff is actually pretty small for an organization of about 70,000 members.

My direct line is (800) 443-9353 ext. 226. Sometimes I am able to figure out what folks actually want and find the right person to get their question answered. Some people call in who are a bit distracted by life's pressures or have had maybe some kind of head injury and can't precisely express what they need, but I often can decipher what kind of help is needed. Give me a call and I will try to get that pipeline going right away.

Ross
AWS Marketing