I request everyone not to skip this long review as I have took time and written this just for you. I’m sure at the end you will thank me. Now lets get started. There is huge misunderstandings when it comes to Country Club membership.
Many of us think they are cheaters, and in one sense they are because their sales team promise and lie a lot about the facilities and ownership cost. Also they lay the trap very well to convince you to take the membership. And their after sales service sucks. Every time you have to chase them. After taking membership you will never get a call or mail regarding club activities. You will get your membership cards(only 2, 1 for you and 1 for your wife) through courier that too you have to call them for that.Every time you have to go in person to know about events. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS. They can’t send even a mail to their customers.
What kind of hospitality business they are running.
This is not a lifetime free membership product. One has to pay yearly maintenance fee lifelong which varies from 6000 to 3000.
But at the same point its good in one sense that they are giving you a facility to use which no other company can offer currently in India. Think about it. You can book rooms anywhere in India for your vacations(and the rooms and CC premises are good, if you go from outside for any delux hotel you have to pay at least 4000/ but with CC you have to pay 2000+ per room+ country vacations premises are spacious and overall good) (after taken the membership as per your membership category you will get minimum 6 Nights and 7 Days stay free for 5-6 years, after that as I said you have to pay 2000+ for a room per day).
Most important you have a club culture which your kids and friends can enjoy during weekends and summer holidays. If you are a person who is bothered about his job and EMIs and dont really understand and need clubs then PLEASE DON’T GO FOR IT. You will regret that you have lost your hard earned money. You can always go for vacations anywhere in India and choose the hotel as per your wish and budget. Also can join any near by gym. And I think most of the medium budget apartments now days have at least gym facility and in some cases swimming pool also.
Here is how Country Club works:
Apart from ONE TIME PAYMENT for membership, which strangely varies from 60000 to 150000 one has to pay compulsory Rs. 6000+ every year as Maintenance fee (AMC) at least for first 5 years. After 5 years the minimum AMC cost one has to pay is 3000/(But this will not include Gym and resort booking, its just to tell that you are a member of CC). If you don’t pay the maintenance fee, you can’t book any rooms in CC resorts or clubs. Also Gym is not free, it is tied with(6000+)AMC.
You stop paying AMC for a year you lost the Gym. And Gym is strictly for you, your wife and children. your friends can’t enter it. If your AMC is 3000+ then to use gym you have to pay 1200/ every month(what a joke). Rest other facilities like pool etc can be used by your brother/sister/friends/relatives also by paying Rs 100+ per head, per visit. Without paying AMC for suppose 3 years, when you try to book any room or gym they will ask to pay 3*6000+ rupees as due amount till date.
I think if you are very regular visitor this amount is worth or else definitely one will be heart broken as the sales guys never reveal all these hidden cost and policies, when they convince you that this is a life time investment worth to go for. [Its a trap for most of us].
Here is how to book a room with CC or resort.
[ Though they say you can book online but its not safe, better go to the office where you have taken membership and book the rooms].
- First they will check in computer whether you have any AMC dues. if yes they ask to clear it else no bookings allowed. [you can’t escape this procedure, they will catch you if you have any dues].
Its around 6000+ AMC per year(for first 5 years) which gives you 6Nights 7Days stay in any of the resorts nationwide.
- Suppose you have no AMC dues and you pay the AMC regularly all the years.
Then at the time of booking for every room per night they will ask for Rs 700/ as tax(if the resort doesn’t belong to them). If its 100% Country Club/Vacation property then booking is free(for 5 years with 6 nights and 7 days per year) after that 2000+ per room per day.
[You can’t book more than 2 rooms per day, even for 2nd room there is no guarantee, generally they say one can book only 1 room. total non-practical if you are with your parents or friends]
For food you have again to pay some amount to get the coupons. These coupons you have to show to the resort guys when you visit them and you food is taken care. I’m not sure but it is around 800/- per person per day(BF+Lunch+Snacks+Dinner). and generally the food is good but not excellent.
For each of your vacation plans or any paperwork, AMC payments, gym joining letter, room bookings etc. you have to go to the office where you have taken the membership, you can’t just go to any Country club or Country vacation office in India for the above work. So better choose the Country club/vacations office near to your house. You have to chase them for each any every work, they behave like typical govt. employees(need to visit them and chase them for every work). And its disgusting.
Its like buying a car in Delhi and when you take the car to some Mumbai service station they say you have to go to Delhi showroom for fix the problem. NONSENSE business model on CC.
DON’T GO FOR COUNTRY CLUB IF YOU ARE NOT THAT KIND OF PERSON WHO WANTS TO USE THE FACILITIES IN REGULAR BASIS. AND YES BEFORE YOUR PAY THE FEES, SALES GUYS WILL SAY OK TO EACH AND EVERY OF YOUR CONCERNS, BUT AT THE END CC OPERATES THE WAY I MENTIONED ABOVE. EVEN I’M NOT SURE HOW MANY MORE SURPRISES ARE THERE.
So the Total Ownership cost is
Joining cost(from 60, 000 to 1, 50, 000), they call it life time membership.
6000+ AMC for first 5 years, thus making it (Rs. 30, 000) (with this AMC every year you get 6 nights, 7 days country vacations room booking facility).
minimum 3000+ AMC after 5 years for lifelong( I’m not sure but I think you will not get any Country Vacations room booking facility with this AMC)
At last mentioning the plus and minus together:
Club culture for your kids and family(but first you need to ask yourself, do I really need this).
Good premises(now don’t compare it with star hotels. :)
Nice room and premises for vacations.
Nice dinning with economical price list.
lack of transparency, (at the time of joining they will never tell u about hidden charges like AMC, terms and conditions and many more).
need to chase them every time (they have beaten sarkari babu’s to this).
AMC every year(sometimes I think its ok, even they have to give salaries to their employees & need to maintain their properties, but I also believe that AMC should be reduced further)
Non members can come and use pool etc (except GYM) by just paying Rs 100/- per head. Now as a member I have to pay initial membership amount and yearly AMCs. Even if I pay a minimum of AMC of Rs 3000+ per year, a non-member is getting the same facilities at very very very cheap price. This is not at all fare. If I’m NOT interested in Country Vacations (outdoor room bookings) then I would prefer to be a non-member and pay Rs 100 per head for my every visit to Country Club. It would be very cheap for me and my family.
the economics will work out only when the club is near to your house or you are regular about your annual Country Vacations and visit Country Club with your wife and 2 children, else I think its a waste of money(how many of us are ready to drive 25-30 kms during weekend or 3-4 times a week just to visit the club)?
Thank you for reading.