The case of the hungry parrot, and other retention fee collection stories
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's annual retention fee collection exercise can be stressful for some pharmacists. It can also be traumatic for the Society staff charged with collecting the fees. Richard
Anderson, of the Society's registration team, explains
Members of the Society’s registration
team: left to right, James Edmonds, Alison Bartlett, Richard
Anderson and head of registration Andrew Gardner (other team
members are Warren Chambers and Stephen Craddock)
|
My first experience of the retention fee process was in 2003 when everything
that could go wrong did go wrong and everything that did not seem to
go wrong probably went wrong too, except that we were in too much of
a panic to realise. I like to think we have improved things since then.
As the fee collection process approaches I always feel a sense of trepidation — not
quite the same trepidation as eating one of my mother’s Yorkshire
puddings, but it is still a time of worry.
Our first concern is the retention fee form. What have we spelt wrong
on it
this year? Is it “practice” or “practise”? Is
it “you”, “your” or “you’re”?
It does not take
an eagle-eyed pharmacist long to spot our mistakes and berate us for
our grammatical incompetence.
Then the telephone calls start. Thousands of them. Questions, problems,
grievances, groans. Happy pharmacists, grumpy pharmacists, confused pharmacists.
Not to mention Mr Jenkins wanting to know when his new fridge will be
delivered.
Do not get me wrong. We are always happy to help members who have problems
with the retention fee process. But, with 47,000 members and only five
registration staff, the lines can obviously get very busy, and I would
recommend that before picking up the telephone members first check the
retention fee information on the “payment
of fees page” in
the registration
section of the Society’s website.
Despite all the information published on the website and in The Journal,
we still receive every question imaginable. “How do I pay?” “Where
do I pay?” “What do I pay?” “ Is it really that
much?” “Will I get a receipt?” And then there are the
unpredictable telephone calls.
“My parrot has eaten my retention fee form” |
My favourite strange call from 2003 was: “My
parrot has eaten my retention fee form. Can I have a new one please?”
In 2004, we had: “I didn’t know I had to my pay my fees.
Next year could you put an advert on during Coronation Street?” And
in 2006: “What is an upper case letter?”
The team works hard throughout the year to ensure that the retention
fee process is as smooth as possible for members. In recent years many
members have benefited from the introduction of online payment and instant
receipts. This year, by registering to use the “myRPSGB” section
of the Society’s website, members can gain access to permanent
records of their payments — not only for 2007 but also from previous
years.
In a perverse way I do enjoy the retention fee process. It is incredibly
hard work, sometimes funny, sometimes tearful, but there is a sense of
great achievement when all the queries have been answered and finally
the last of the stragglers have paid their fees. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal