Life is too short

We read at the iMember offices today that we are shaking off our quiet British reserve of saying "Oh yes, the soup is lovely" - when presented with a luke-warm bowl of watery slop; or "They fit perfectly" - when your new pair of running shoes has given you 13 blisters on their first outing. Instead we have become a nation of complainers.

Every 1.2 seconds we (Britons) make a complaint about something or someone and, according to the Ombudsman Service's research, it is energy companies getting the majority of the complaints, followed by shops, internet providers, transport companies and tour operators. That is, by our calculations, 72,000 complaints every 24 hours. Now of course it may be that many of these complaints are valid but on the other hand, they take a lot of time to make and at the end of a lengthy complaining process, you may not end up with any type of resolution.



We think maybe life is too short for these complaints - so instead, why not make sure you are getting all the benefits from these various companies that you should be. When you signed up with your energy supplier you were possibly promised money off here or discounts there - can you remember? Did the shop that you took a loyalty card from promise you excellent member benefits - can you recall? All the companies and shops out there want YOUR business and they want to keep you happy and attract you with a mountain of benefits to get your business. Millions of pounds worth of benefits go unused every year simply because we don't remember we have them.

So if something's gone a bit awry and a complaint is brewing - perhaps think again, don't waste time complaining, approach the problem from a different angle and ensure you are getting all the benefits you are entitled to from these organisations. Register (for free) with iMember at wwwiMember.co.uk and we will remind you of ALL your member benefits and discounts. 

University challenge

With more and more school leavers heading off to university and continuing to be an "expense" item for their parents, iMember wanted to remind you of all the long term benefits from your university days. Not just the degree and life experiences you have emerged with and hopefully made good use of; not just the deep and long-lasting friendships you made; we remind you of the "alumni" that most each and every university has. 

These alumni allow you to keep in touch with the university and old friends and encourage you to lend a helping or "mentoring" hand along the way. In return for your membership they offer a whole range of benefits, discounts, rewards or two-for-one offers at various outlets up and down the country.

We have so many universities listed on iMember and are always adding more as new benefits arise.

Registering (for free) with iMember at www.iMember.co.uk allows you to see (on screen with thumbnail icons) all of the benefits you are entitled to from your old university. You can also download a free mobile app that enables you to be alerted of membership benefits whenever you are within a certain radius of one. It's not just your old university that will be offering you member benefits though - whilst you're on the iMember website, register your gym, private healthcare, newspaper subscriptions, breakdown service... All the organisations to which you belong will have initially offered you membership benefits which you have long since forgotten about but which you are entitled to.

www.iMember.co.uk - Remember you're a member

Affected by the tube strike?

How secretly happy we are in the iMember office that we have not had to fight our way to work today on (or not as the case is) the tube in London. A general tube strike causes general chaos as thousands of people look for alternative modes of transport to get to work. Taking the car in central London is really not an option. The bus is seems a good plan but they are limited in the numbers they can carry. How about getting there under your own steam - walk, jog or even cycle?

It's days such as these (strike days) that can make you change the routine of your every day life. If you decide to give the cycling a try: firstly - be careful! But it is an excellent way to get around London as thousands of cyclists are proving every day. And thanks to cycling campaigners such as the London Cycling Campaign, the city is becoming a nicer, safer and healthier place to cycle in.


Of course the benefits of cycling go further if you become a member of a club and the LCC looks as good a place as any to start! They offer insurance, a free magazine, invitations to group bike rides and fairs in London along with a huge host of specially negotiated discounts at 120 London bike shops, plus special offers on holidays, books, maintenance....

And this is where registering with iMember comes in. The LCC will deliver your magazine to you and send you emails about events going on but they can't remind you whenever you are near one of the places that you can get discounts. iMember can! Simply register your membership of LCC (and also any other organisation to which you belong) on our website www.iMember.co.uk then download the free app to your mobile phone and you will receive an alert whenever you are within a certain radius of one of your member benefits.

It's so simple and it's all there for the taking. Make a change to your life today.

www.iMember.co.uk - Remember you're a member 

A bit of culture

We like to think of ourselves as a well-rounded bunch at the iMember offices. We enjoy the everyday things in life:- the school run, walking the dog, going to work (obviously!), a work out at the gym...you're familiar with the routine. But we love to make good use of our free time and a bit of culture is right up our streets. 

The Times is publishing a guide to art each day this week (and this iMember Blogger is such a Times aficionado) and led us to thinking about arty type membership discounts on offer out there. Cue the iMember website www.iMember.co.uk - register and see what arty bonuses are waiting for us.

One of the great things about iMember is that, although you may not currently be a member of an organisation offering discounts and benefits in the area you would like them, you can still register (for free at www.iMember.co.uk) and then search for suitable organisations to join that may appeal to you. 

Our search for "Art Galleries" brought up "engage, the National Association for Gallery Education" and with membership costing as little as £32.50 pa you can benefit from a host of concessionary access opportunities to galleries up and down the country. You can get discounts up to 25% in related shops. iMember can remind you about all the membership benefits offered once you have registered with us at www.iMember.co.uk. 

We've also created a free app you can download to your mobile phone so that if you are near one of your member benefits, you will receive a phone alert.

Let's get a bit more culture in our lives - who knows where it might lead to!

www.iMember.co.uk - Remember you're a member