It's like when your mate tells you about a great new bar he's found, Drink-Club.
"It's like a standard bar but it serves mostly free drinks for members of the Real Ale Lovers Club" he shouts excitedly to anyone who will listen.
"Ok", he says a little more quietly, "it has a few less features than a standard bar but given membership of the Real Ale Lovers Club also gets you a bunch of discounts elsewhere and even some free stuff I really think you should join and then we can go visit this awesome bar! Tell all your friends, it's going to be great!"
Fast forward a week or so later and unfortunately there are issues with the bar management and a particular aspect of the seating arrangement which is claimed to be dynamic turns out to be causing problems.
Your mate delays your visit to the bar but you join the Real Ale Lovers Club anyway because though you really want to go to this bar there's plenty of other deals on offer elsewhere and since you need your Real Ale Lovers Club card these days to visit any bar with your friends anyway it seems like a no-brainer.
So you sign up, visit a few of the bars that give discounts or free drinks. Some of them are even pretty good and you have some fun but at the back of your mind you're still keen to try Drink-Club.
In the meantime you see your Drink-Club loving friend and he mentions that the scale of what you get for free as a Real Ale Lovers Club member at this new bar has changed. The bar itself hasn't but what YOU get for free has. He apologises and says you misunderstood the word "few" and that "few" really means "most". You remember he left you an answerphone message about it way back in the day but when you check you think he might have edited it to cover his tracks.
Hah, you laugh it off; hell, he's a good guy, you can trust him, clearly this was no more than a misunderstanding. You're not too bothered. Hey, at least you can try the bar before you commit to paying for any of the more expensive drinks you think.
Pretty soon the new bar is due to be opened and you and your mate plan to go to opening night because Real Ale Lovers Club members are invited with no cover charge. Awesome you think and take the day off work so you can get stuck in and won't have to worry about getting up with a hangover the next day.
When you arrive on opening night it turns out there is still an issue with the dynamic seating and there just isn't enough room for everyone. All deals are put on hold for Real Ale Lovers club members but you're told that if you want to go to Drink-Club you still can. You just have to pay for a Drink-Club badge for roughly the same cost as your Real Ale Lovers Club membership.
You really want to go to Drink-Club but you think, you know what, I'll wait it out for now, I've already paid for my Real Ale Lovers club membership and I don't really know what this place is like, the atmosphere might not be great anyway. Surely the wait won't be long?
A month or so later and you've kind of forgotten about the place. A few other people have bought their Drink-Club badge and seem to really love the bar and do their best to keep further news positive, assuring you constantly that the dynamic seating is fixed now, at least for Drink-Club badge holders.
You want what you were originally promised as part of the Real Ale Club membership though so you hold out a little longer.
Eventually you notice that the Drink-Club badge is being heavily discounted. You wonder if this is because Drink-Club badges haven't sold as well as hoped but reign in your cynicism and take the view that hey maybe it's just a nice discount given to mitigate the issues servicing the Real Ale Club and the big queues to get a drink at Drink-Club. You buy one and that night head out to Drink-Club to get the party started.
As soon as you arrive you are given a complimentary drink and you are shown a nice seat to yourself in a private booth and everything is going great, you have a fun night enjoying the atmosphere and the decor, you think the staff aren't all great but hey it's not the end of the world and most bars are similar.
The next day you think you fancy a dip into the social lounge at Drink-Club but unfortunately three out of the four times you try to get into the members lounge the bouncer kicks you out before you're through the door and when you do manage to sneak in, after your first ale you get kicked out and have to queue again.
You wonder if it is because you are wearing trainers and the next night you try again with your Sunday best shoes on. This seems to work most of the time and you get let into the members only lounge far more often than before. You think it's strange you can't always get in but everyone tells you it's fine for them so it can't be a general issue.
You enjoy the lounge but a lot of the other members are dicks, unable to drink cleanly and throwing their booze on you at every chance. You ask the door man if any private lounges are available but you get no response. You'd like to talk about it further but you can't because the managers of the Drink-Club bar have no customer facing enquiries website or telephone number and only appear to promote themselves though Facebook and Twitter.
Everyone tells you that they have no problem getting into the members lounge so it must be you. Perhaps you should try a designer shirt they say.
You wonder if the door-man has it in for you and since you can do nothing it sours the experience a little. You go back to drinking alone and think to yourself I wish I had waited for the Real Ale Club issues to be sorted out.
You see your friend who originally told you about the bar and he's excited about the fact the Drink-Club is expanding and now serves food. You ask him about it and whilst it seems with your original badge you do get some free side orders and a table to eat them at, the main dishes are not free and cost extra. Your friend calls it the VIP pass and tells you how great it is, several times.
You think, I'd like to try those VIP areas but you know what, I've lost faith in my friend so I'll not bother thanks. You tell him that and he calls you a fool.
"How can you possibly not see the incredible value man? Drink-Club is the best bar of all time ever dude and these VIP passes are just such good value. You clearly can't appreciate good food and drink."
You laugh it off.
Soon you know you'll have seen pretty much all there is to see of Drink-Club and though you know you'll visit now and again you really think you won't become a regular again until all of your friends can come too.
You wonder if Real Ale Club members will ever be allowed into Drink-Club without paying for a badge but you don't know....
