RECEPTIONIST (Canadian): Thank you for calling Guildford Park Aquarium. This is Karl speaking. How may I help you?
WOMAN (Canadian): Uh, hello. I’d like to talk to someone about your membership program.
RECEPTIONIST: I can answer your questions. Are you thinking about registering for a membership?
WOMAN: Possibly. Some of my friends are members and they recommended I check it out. My kids and I do go to the aquarium quite regularly, so it might be worth our while to become members.
RECEPTIONIST: Great. Well, as a member you receive numerous benefits and also support good causes.
WOMAN: Support good causes? You mean supporting the aquarium?
RECEPTIONIST: Yes, but also a third of your membership fee is donated to conservation, research and education initiatives that our organisation is affiliated with.
WOMAN: Oh, that’s wonderful.
RECEPTIONIST: But, uh, probably the most popular benefit is that you have unlimited admission. You can come as many times as you want and will never pay the admission fee.
WOMAN: Mm.
RECEPTIONIST: You also don’t have to stand in the regular entrance line. As a member, you go to the fast-track line and are in the door within minutes. This is really useful on weekends or days when there are special events.
WOMAN: What if I come with someone who isn’t a member? Do I have to go through the regular line with them?
RECEPTIONIST: Not if you get your companion a guest pass. You do have three guest passes per year, and any guest of yours goes through the fast-track line as well.
WOMAN: OK.
RECEPTIONIST: Also, there are some invite-only events that members will have exclusive access to.
WOMAN: What kind of events, exactly?
RECEPTIONIST: For example, every year we have a members’ end-of-the year party. These kinds of things.
WOMAN: I see.
RECEPTIONIST: Um, one last benefit is the discounts that members receive. You get a 20 percent discount at all of our cafes and gift shops, and a 30 percent discount on large-group event bookings. So there are a lot of savings to be had by becoming a member.
WOMAN: But what are the costs of this membership?
RECEPTIONIST: For an adult, a one-year membership is $70 and a two-year membership is $130.
WOMAN: Are there family rates?
RECEPTIONIST: Yep. A family membership for up to two adults and four children between the ages of 4 and 18 is $185 per year or $330 for two years.
WOMAN: What about children under the age of four?
RECEPTIONIST: They get in for free.
WOMAN: Oh, OK. And what is the typical admissions fee?
RECEPTIONIST: Without a membership, a one-time admissions ticket costs $25 for adults and $20 for children.
WOMAN: So, a membership pays for itself rather quickly.
RECEPTIONIST: That’s right.
WOMAN: Now, for the yearly memberships, do I need to register at a certain time, or…?
RECEPTIONIST: Nope. You can sign up any time and your membership is valid for 365 days.
WOMAN: OK, that’s good. But what if I want to cancel it?
RECEPTIONIST: We don’t give membership refunds, so it wouldn’t make sense to cancel it.
WOMAN: And what if I wanted to add someone to my family membership? Like, if I wanted to add a niece or nephew to mine?
RECEPTIONIST: You can add people onto an existing family membership. That costs another $30 per child and $60 per adult. Per year, that is.
WOMAN: Uh-huh. So, how do I go about registering?
RECEPTIONIST: Come see us, and we’ll have you fill out a couple of forms. Then we’ll make you a photo ID on site. If you are going to sign up for a family membership, bring passport-sized photos of everyone you’ll be adding to the account.
WOMAN: Sure. Is it possible to have the membership registration requirements sent to me by email so that I don’t forget anything?
RECEPTIONIST: Absolutely. What’s your name and email address?
WOMAN: Carol Henderson. H-E-N-D-E-R-S-O-N. My email is chenderson@gomail.ca.
RECEPTIONIST: I’ll send that right out. Any other questions I can answer?