Gencon Follies: My boiling point (rant/question)

[DonTadow]

Ok, I've reached my boiling point with the ineptness of Gencon. Every year its always something. It's like watching I love Lucy, you know something's going to screw up you're just waiting for it. The Gencon registration follies began for me with being one of the 200 and rolling from there.

I've done the email and pitching of ideas over the years, but they just fall on death ears. Two threads have been shut down after people started venting their frustrations. So, I turn to the reliable free speech Enworld to post my rant. The last bit came when Gencon gave some non-committal foo foo date for event registration.

So, I'm sitting here, and in my five years pondering over the number of follies that I've experienced with Gencon in our brief six year relationship. Sure, the event being late is a minor thing, but its a small thing in a list of follies Gencon seems to make every year. In no particular order are the things I can expect from genco nevery year.

1. Event day server crashes. Five years and their tech is really crappy.

2. NO definite date to anything until the date is really close. Being a day off isn't bad I guess when I consider that three years ago they delayed it by weeks. Five years ago, the event catalog came out shortly after new year, not a week before registration.

My favorite folly though and what set me off at the beginning of the year was the 200 snafu that was handled poorly from a customer service and public relations point of view. I have no intention of this thread being another pointless thread of useful and insightful advice that Gencon will ignore yet again. I want to know what others think Gencon's foleys are?? .

 

[Vrecknidj]

I don't have much to add. I've made almost every GenCon since about '93, and a went to a few in the 80s. I like going, I love the Exhibits, usually the games are fun, and it's basically my only vacation every year.

That said, it is tiresome all the weird glitches and problems that come up. You'd think that with 40 years of experience, they'd have things a little more oiled by now.

Dave

 

[HiLiphNY]

I can't emphasize enough how disgusted I am with Gencon customer service, too.

I'm now well past the "write a letter to Peter" stage. If people ask me about the Con, I tell them not to go unless they are a really hardcore fan of gaming. What else should I do? I'm a firm believer in capitalism and it works like this:

• Find a Product
• Evaluate said product
• if there is a problem, ask for remedy
• if remedy is insufficient, ask again for remedy
• If there is STILL a problem, send your dollars, and those of anyone you know, elsewhere

I will be attending Gencon, again, this year. I am hardcore. This said, I urge anyone else in my area to attend either Ubercon or Dreamation. Much better value for your dollars.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I don't know what issues others are experiencing. I went for the first time last year and had absolutely zero problems. Registration was fine, even registration was fine, games were good, location was good. People were friendly, both attendees and the locals who had to put up with us. I'm looking forward to this year.

 

[Lalato]

I guess I've been lucky, I haven't had any major issues with event registration. My first year, I didn't pre-register for anything... and waiting in line was a pain, but apart from that, no problems.

--sam

 

[kenobi65]

I don't know what issues others are experiencing. I went for the first time last year and had absolutely zero problems. Registration was fine, even registration was fine, games were good, location was good. People were friendly, both attendees and the locals who had to put up with us. I'm looking forward to this year.

Well, the specific problem that Don refers to this year was (IIRC) that the system for reserving hotel rooms got turned on before it was supposed to, and 200 or so people made their reservations (and got confirmations) before somebody over there (at either Passkey or GenCon) realized what was happening and shut it off. The PR idiocy there was that they then wiped out those 200 reservations.

In past years, their online registration system has almost always had big-time snafus on (a) the day that badge registration opens, and (b) the day that event registration opens. It seems like they just can't figure out how to anticipate / cope with the demand.

In some years, they've also had big-time problems with onsite registration (a couple of years ago, the line for onsite registration on Saturday was multiple hours long, due to computer problems).

This is now the second year in a row that I'm going to Origins instead. The Origins system isn't anything to write home about, either, but it hasn't been quite as much of a foobar.

 

[DonTadow]

Geesh this incompetence just gets worse

Event schedule is out, if you wantto call it that.

A big disclaimer on the front says that the schedule they are releasing is only 75 percent done and won't be complete for days (no definite date) . Last year the schedule was released April 24th, two weeks before events went on sale, events will go on sale for gencon 2007 in five days and there's still no complete schedule.

This makes me hope that WOTC puts enough into Winter Fantasy so that it can become a top tier convention one day and give us a suitable choice for this luancy of Gencon Registration each year.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

3867 events isn't enough?

 

[Steel_Wind]

This makes me hope that WOTC puts enough into Winter Fantasy so that it can become a top tier convention one day and give us a suitable choice for this lunacy of Gencon Registration each year.

I've been to a WotC run Gencon and GenconLLC's gig.

Sure - there are frustrating moments and I almost got screwed out of a room earlier this year. So I have my right to bitch long and hard.

That said, given a choice between a WotC Gencon and a Gencon LLC Gencon?

I'm with Peter Adkinson all the way. Take a breather Don. It'll be alright.

 

[DonTadow]

I've been to a WotC run Gencon and GenconLLC's gig.

Sure - there are frustrating moments and I almost got screwed out of a room earlier this year. So I have my right to bitch long and hard.

That said, given a choice between a WotC Gencon and a Gencon LLC Gencon?

I'm with Peter Adkinson all the way. Take a breather Don. It'll be alright.

I think if gencon had some competition they'd put a little more effort into the preperation for the event.

I am, I'm not even going to the site for a few days, its obvious that a real sched wont be out for a while. In the mean time ill concentrate on my tangathon and gamathon.