Selling Tickets?

[philstar22.livejournal.com]

So my dad and I were planning on going this year. However, unforseen medical expenses mean that we can no longer afford the hotel or air fair. So I'm going to need to sell our tickets. But I have no idea how to do this.

We bought them in January, so at the $95 rate.

Comments

[mirana.livejournal.com]

http://www.dragoncon.org/?q=membership_pre_sales

"Refund/Transfer Policy

Please note:

Dragon Con memberships are non-refundable and non transferable.
Dragon Con memberships cannot be transferred forward to the following year."

They also request your license/ID when you pick up your badge. :/ The policy changed a couple yrs ago.

[philstar22.livejournal.com]

Ugh. That's really stupid. I knew they'd changed the policy so you couldn't transfer 30 days or sooner before the con, but I hadn't realized they had gotten rid of transfers altogether. Did they give a justification for that decision?

[jackwabbit.livejournal.com]

It was way too much work for the handful of volunteers who did it. So much paperwork, so many people requesting transfers, so few to do them, etc.

It's in the com about two years ago.

It's rough, but I understand. No one got paid to do that stuff, so I get it.

[mirana.livejournal.com]

It slowed the process of picking up a badge too. Transfers went to another booth, but nearly everyone stood in the long line to get to the booths in general, so...

I don't understand the non-transferrable to next yr part though. No name-change stuff needed, just push those names to the accounting for next year. Have a cut-off date to prevent badges being wasted, but it seems pretty simple to me.

[jackwabbit.livejournal.com]

Indeed it did.

Honestly, as little as Dragon Con charges for admission, relative to other things, and as fan-run as it is, I can understand the latter, too. What a ton of work! But I see your point, too.

[rap541.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I know I am attacking a windmill on this but....

Its a *for profit* con. It wouldn't be happening at all if the con wasn't *turning a profit*. Dragoncon's membership fees are totally in line with other for profit cons. I went to Phoenix Comic con last year, they had more people and very similar guests and my Saturday day pass was 45 dollars. There's a point where "we don't feel like paying anyone to do anything" is kind of a dumb excuse. There's a point where "its a fan run con so we can't expect any sort of services or accomadations unless someone volunteers" is ridiculous when you consider that it is actually a business... a business that turns a profit.

I don't mean to yell at you. I just hate the "its fan run so bend over and spread your cheeks" excuse when it comes to Dragoncon

[jackwabbit.livejournal.com]

Oh, you're not yelling. You're presenting a valid argument. One that I understand and even agree with in some ways.

But I am just very grateful for all the volunteers. I've been a volunteer. Several good friends of mine help run Phoenix Comic Con, actually. (I was big into Kids Need to Read for a while and since that's PCC's chosen charity, well...yep.) It's a ton of work with little reward, so I just try to acknowledge that.

No offense taken. Both points are valid here.

[rap541.livejournal.com]

Thank you - I also completely respect the people who volunteer, which is why I don't like it when corporate policies are blamed on how its just too hard to expect the volunteers at "a fan run con" to do x, y, and z....

Someone at Dragoncon has made the decision that ticket transfers are not profitable. Its not an unreasonable choice, and its not fair to pin it on volunteers just not wanting to do the work - that's why I don't like "its a fan run con" trotted out as an excuse. It has nothing to do with fans just not manning up for the grunt work, its very much a cost decision and the for profit con should own the fact that they prefer to not spend the money on it.

They make money and turn a profit. I hate that any and all issues get turned into "its fan run so you have to lower your expectations even though you're a paying customer, and if you complain, you're just shitting on a fellow fan who volunteered".

No. This was a corporate decision, and management needs to own it. I'd respect the decision a lot more if someone running Dragoncon would just cop to the fact that they thought it was too big a waste of time and didn't want the hassle instead of suggesting thye just couldn't manage because its fan run and no one was willing to step up.

[andrew norton (from livejournal.com)]

People were buying them in September/October for $60-70ish, then 'transferring them' April-June for $100+, a few bucks under the then-current price.

[fiawol.livejournal.com]

As noted, the convention policy says they don't do refunds/transfers, but it's worth at least a note to the Dragon Con contact page, being sure to mention the medical situation, and asking them if they would be willing to send you some merchandise from the Dragon Con Store. They have tons of previous year's merchandise they would love to get rid of, but it all depends if you reach someone willing to work with you. If it's any consolation, I've also advance-paid for convention memberships, and when the date came around, found myself unable to attend. After that, I've had to decide "Is the pre-sale price savings worth the possible risk of not being able to attend the con?". You may have to treat it as "lesson learned" and move on. Good luck!