With the NBL pre-season Blitz over and something lame, often referred to as the Australian Football League Grand Final about to be done and dusted, we should be seething, and ready to pounce over the new NBL season. Yes we should be…
However, that isn’t yet quite the case. Things have been happening off the court that has left sour tastes in the mouth of many NBL fans.
NBL tv subscribers from last season. Perform Group, the organization that operates the NBL tv product; has gone about getting pre-authorisation on all your credit cards so they can deduct $99 as payment for NBL tv for the upcoming season. Some of you may not have realised that by signing up for NBL tv you also signed your right to have the account automatically billed each subsequent season, which in itself is fine, however, the lack of communication is not.
Keen eyes would have spotted the following text in their proof of purchase of last season’s NBL tv package:
“Purchase Details: Pre-Registration Bonus Offer to NBL.TV for AUD $59, for one year. Pass automatically renews to annual repeating subscription of AUD $79 per year unless cancelled.”
Oh, so not only is Perfrom Group ready to charge your credit card without as much as a courtesy email, they are also going to charge you more than you had signed up for.
Yes, NBL tv’s “Important: Terms and Conditions” on their website does give them the right to change the cost of the product but goes on to state that “existing subscribers will be provided with a minimum of 30 days notice of any price change prior to their rebill date.”
NBL tv’s Facebook & Twitter accounts have been inactive for months and the inboxes of its subscribers have been devoid of such news. So, NBL tv. The ball is in your court. Your move.
The NBL has been in the process of separating from Australia’s governing body of basketball and to the credit of both the NBL and Basketball Australia; the process has largely been going on in the background with both parties still keeping busy with their own independent affairs.
Competitions have been ran and won however, BA looks like it is coming up short when it comes to handing out the prizes. The winner of a BA ran competition back in June has never been contacted by Basketball Australia let alone received their prize despite trying to make contact with BA on a number of occasions.
It is these sort of actions that lead the sceptics and critics of basketball to question the level of professionalism and commitment given to the game. If someone simply cannot contact a competition winner to get them their prize, then you do need to wonder what they are capable of. Basketball in this country is at a stage where it trying to grow. Alienating and ignoring your fans isn’t the way to do it.
