What actually happens in the chat rooms?
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Eight rooms total. Five open on Trunk: #general-bs (smoko banter), #gear-talk (honest kit reviews), #war-stories (near-misses you learn from), #tree-id (photo in, ID out), #tips-tricks (old-mate shortcuts). Three behind Canopy: #canopy-lounge (senior crew shop talk), #hiring-yard (trade-wide marketplace for contract climbers, groundies, plant operators and truck drivers) and #classifieds (gear & machinery for sale, by tree people). You vote on what opens next.
Where's the chat actually live?
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The clubhouse runs on Circle — a proper chat platform. Photo + video sharing, threads, mentions, mobile + desktop, push notifications you can switch off. Your ARBCLUB login carries you straight in — no second password. Sapling members post in #general-bs; Trunk unlocks all 5 open rooms with full posting; Canopy adds the 3 professional rooms — Canopy Lounge, the Hiring Yard and Classifieds.
How does the trial work? Will I get charged?
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Every tier starts free — 14 days on Sapling, 60 days on Trunk and Canopy as a launch promo. We take card details upfront but charge $0 for the trial period, and email you a 7-day heads-up before the first charge. Cancel anytime in your trial, pay nothing. After the trial it's $9 (Sapling), $19 (Trunk) or $49 (Canopy) a month, billed monthly.
Is this for tree workers, or for bosses?
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Both — and that's the point. Arborists, climbers, groundies, loppers, apprentices, crew bosses, owner-operators, contract climbers, contract groundies, plant operators and truck drivers. Workers and bosses share the open rooms (smoko, gear, war stories, tree ID, tips). Bosses, contractors and senior crew get the 3 Canopy rooms — the Canopy Lounge for shop talk, the Hiring Yard for finding work or hiring contractors / operators / drivers, and Classifieds for buying and selling gear and machinery. The vibe is mates around a smoko, not a corporate Slack.
Do I need to pay to win the monthly prize?
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No. Australian trade-promotion law requires a free entry method, and we have one — anyone can submit a no-cost entry on the rewards page (no signup, no card). You earn entries through activity instead: Sapling 1 entry/month at 1×, Trunk 2× per action up to 10/month, Canopy 5× per action no cap. Prizes rotate each month — saws, harnesses, climbing gear, course vouchers — members vote on what's up next.
When does the first prize draw run?
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First draw runs end of September 2026 — once our ACT trade-promotion permit clears (required under Australian gaming law for any prize draw). Your entries are already banking from day one. We'll email all members the moment the permit is in and the first draw goes live. September: Clogger Zero chainsaw trousers ($529). October: Protos Integral helmet ($749). November: Stihl MS 261 chainsaw ($1,649). After that, members vote.
What if I want to cancel before the first charge?
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Cancel anytime during your trial and you pay nothing. We send a 7-day heads-up email before the first charge so you don't get caught out. After your trial ends, monthly billing kicks in at $9 (Sapling), $19 (Trunk) or $49 (Canopy). Cancel any month after that, no questions, prorated for annual subs.
