REGISTRATION UPDATE & FAQs
RE: CMI

To all VCAA families:

Thank you to all who have promptly responded to our urgent email of last week and have taken preemptive steps by disputing your credit card payment to CMI for registration. Thank you also for your support and understanding. If you have not yet contacted your credit card company, it is not too late, although we strongly recommend you contact them immediately with no further delays.   If you know of anyone from our league who may not yet be aware of this situation because they either did not receive or read the original email alert to this problem, please direct them to the VCAA website (www.vcaa.org) where the initial letter is posted, and also forward this letter to them.

After receiving many emails and hearing about many different experiences, we are posting below some answers to FAQ’s related to this situation that we hope will be helpful while we all wait out the conversion of conditional credits to permanent credits from our respective credit card companies: 

 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’s):

·         IS MY CHILD STILL REGISTERED?

• Slots are being held, until this matter is resolved, for all who went through the registration process and are affected by this CMI matter.

·         DOES VCAA HAVE FUNDS IN THE MEANTIME FOR THE SEASON TO BEGIN?

• The League has a modest reserve and we anticipate no impact on the timing of our spring schedule, beginning with assessments  in January.

·         WHEN DO WE WRITE THE CHECK, AND WHERE?

• We are asking that you do not send a check until you are satisfied that the credit is permanent. Once the credit is permanent, we ask that you notify the league immediately and send a check to: VCAA , PO Box 17413, Encino 91416.

·         MY CREDIT CARD COMPANY SAYS THEY WON’T ISSUE THE CREDIT AND IT’S BETWEEN VCAA AND CMI.

• Our understanding is that is incorrect information. PLEASE EMPHASIZE IN YOUR DISPUTE THAT YOU WERE ADVISED BY VCAA THAT YOUR REGISTRATION IS NOT COMPLETE.   Since CMI did not pay VCAA, you as the cardmember were not credited by VCAA as having paid your registration.  And since the actual product or service is being purchased from VCAA and you have not received what you paid for, the credit card company is obligated to protect you. NOTE: We have heard opposing stories from the same credit card company depending on the representative handling your dispute. When people who received an unsatisfactory response called back and spoke with another representative, the dispute was processed and conditional credit given. Keep in mind different credit card companies behave differently, as do reps within the same companies, but their ultimate obligations remain the same. And you should not accept any response short of them granting a conditional credit.

·         MY CREDIT CARD COMPANY SAYS I NEED TO CALL CMI AND FILE A DISPUTE WITH THEM TOO.

• We disagree that this is necessary and suggest you pursue the strategy above and set forth in the initial email regarding this matter (as posted on www.vcaa.org). However, for informational purposes, CMI’s contact number is 1-866-268-6863 or 425-638-9000 (Arena Group,  Parent Company). 

·         I USED A DEBIT CARD. WHAT DO I DO?

• After a little extra work by some of our families in explaining the situation to the bank, the result, particularly with Wells Fargo, has been one of understanding and credits have been issued pending investigation with CMI. While it may require a little more effort and “toughness” with the reps, we’ve had 100% success in obtaining conditional credits with debit cards for those who have responded.

·         THEY SAID IT COULD BE MONTHS BEFORE THIS IS SETTLED.

• Reps from the same credit card company have offered timeframes of anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. Our thinking is that as soon as the first one becomes permanent, we’ll use that as precedent to push for the same on all other conditional credits with the same credit card company.

·         WHO DO I CONTACT AT VCAA?

• Please email the League Treasurer, Kaarel Hamersky, at treasurer@vcaa.org with any additional questions as well as to confirm that you have made the call to dispute your charge(s) including your child(ren)’s name.

We are trying to work with all families that experience any difficulties relating to this matter

Thank you again for all your help and support with this Difficult Situation

Board of Directors