re: FROGGY Photo charges & CHANGES

[absinthangel.livejournal.com]

.
Thougth this worth a post & wondering how others are feeling about it.    

..those of us that have already paid THE ADVERTISED $60 for a phot op with Mr Leonard Nimoy, have this last week, suffered the disclosure that  'oh that price was wrong/a mistake  - it is supposed to be $80 - oh but if you have already paid  $60 you must still pay the extra $20 now - oh and if you want a refund instead you have to wait until after D*C (practically a month) for it'.... if I hadnt already made a costume for the photo I would be wanting my money back .... and IMMEDIATELY.

How is it DragonCon can allow a precedence like this to be set?    If a vendor/dealer/photographer can do it once, they can do it again and to every price on their site! ... what guarantee do we all have that there will be no further increases to current advertised prices of other photo ops, excused as 'mistakes' but the customer has to cop the loss for the vendor's mistake?

Comments

[veracity]

And Eric wouldn't appreciate the comparison. He'd just use Froggy as a snack between meals. He needs at least two more so it's not a monopoly. Because those prices are getting outrageous.

[littledrow.livejournal.com]

Indeed! There is someone else I've heard mentioned, and if I knew more about the contracts and how to, I'd look into it. That's a bit more than this little fish could bite into, however.

[veracity]

I've heard mention of that other person but know nothing about them. I didn't even know there was another person until after I paid for Froggy. I just wish the con would let at least one more person have the option.

[littledrow.livejournal.com]

There might be some sort of no competition clause involved. I don't know how it works and can only speculate, but from the "flavor" of the post the director of D*C put up, I get the impression they weren't too thrilled either.

[veracity]

I wonder if they could fire Froggy for the bait-and-switch (and let's face it, that's exactly what they're doing) on customers. Since they're essentially a vendor. I wish there was no exclusive clauses. Hell, that's why I hate Atlanta half the time. Because it makes it difficult to get a fair deal.

[littledrow.livejournal.com]

Well unfortunately, it would be a horrible mess if they ditched Froggy at this junction. They would have irate celebs with actionable legal rights and frenzied con goers. Not to mention it would be bad form on D*C to do that. They can't exactly tell someone how to run a business. However, they can let this ride then tell him not to come back next year and announce that. However, good business practices means they can't exactly badmouth him. They have to put it in terms that essentially equate to The guy's an ass and we don't want that at our con instead of outright saying that. Leaves them with the higher ground.

[veracity]

Well, I meant more for next year instead of this year. But yeah, make sure he can't come back next year because his actions also reflect the con. Which puts their business in jeopardy. Imagine all the people not on LJ or Facebook assuming this normal behavior. They certainly wouldn't come back.

[littledrow.livejournal.com]

Especially first timers. I can't help but wonder if there had been notifications sent out or were some people who aren't on LJ or Facebook who were going to show up and be told they had to pay another $20 on the spot. Such a rude slap in the face, having expectations yanked out from under you, it would definitely send me running straight to the D*C people.

[veracity]

Precisely. It seems like the notifications were hit or miss. I mean, I can imagine a friend finding the link for Froggy on LJ or something and passing along the presale without any context. They might not have the same support system outside of the major communities. And that's a major problem.