Same old same old from the folks at ReedPOP.
Over the past 3 years, getting tickets to New York Comic Con has been harder and harder. Not only do they sell out faster every year, but the system ReedPOP (the convention managers) uses to sell tickets is so terribly broken, that you would have had an easier time signing up for Obamacare the day it came it out. Starting last year, ReedPOP introduced a new “Virtual Que” system in which “ideally” you open the tab and are automatically taken to the purchase page when its your turn. Except that more often than not, that isn’t what happens.
You either time out, get stuck loading forever, or the que page simply never ques. All you need to do is look at the NYCC facebook page to see how just how widespread the issues with the “virtual que” are.
And it just goes on, and on, and on, thousands of replies.
What you are left with is a teeth grinding experience that leaves you wanting to put your keyboard through you monitor. For example, I was in the Que at 12:00 on the dot when it opened, as were 4 of my friends. My que went nowhere, meanwhile one of my friends was able to checkout. I sat in the que for 12 minutes until finally getting a timeout error, and then another, and another. Finally I got to the ticket purchase screen, put a VIP pass in my cart, clicked check out, and was met with another timeout error. I refreshed and the page and it loaded for 5 minutes.
I refreshed again.
Nothing.
I hit the back button.
Nothing.
MEANWHILE, not even 30 minutes after tickets on sale…….
And I’m like
Finally I closed to page and started over (by this time VIP passes have already sold out). What fallowed was an hour of frustration trying to get the que to work, meanwhile passes are selling out left and right. The NYCC facebook page is bursting at the seems with people trying to figure out what is going on, with the only official response being
Great, thanks for the help.
I never was able to successfully check out with a ticket. If not for a good friend of mine who had the good since to pick up an extra pass, I would probably be out of luck. The most frustrating thing of all, is that THIS EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED LAST YEAR. Last year all the VIP, 4 day and 3 day tickets sold out while I was stuck in the que to no-where. I ended up having to buy 4 individual day tickets, and spending a good deal more than if I had been able to buy a multi day ticket. But I did manage to buy bus tours from Halifax to NYC. And I’m excited to see all the sights on the way there.
So why hasn’t ReedPOP fixed this issue? Why dont they take a page out of San Diego Comic Con’s book and let ticket holders from the previous year reserve tickets early? No response from ReedPOP last year beyond a half hearted “sorry things didn’t work out” and I don’t expect anything more this year.
If the last two years have taught me anything, it’s that
A: ReedPOP has no idea what they are doing,
and
B: It’s just not worth it.
Now dont get me wrong. I love Comic Con. I love visiting New York, It’s probably my favorite city on the planet, I love visiting my friends that live there, but ultimately I don’t need to attend NYCC to do either of those two things. On top of that, there are SO MANY conventions now a days that beating my head against the wall every year for a pass to NYCC just seem all the appealing anymore. I will be attending a convention next year, and I will visit New York, but Comic Con will NOT be a part of those plans.
