Blizzard: FAIL!

[furtech]

I tried twice to get a ticket to Blizzcon. Twice I failed-- I was in the 3-4K range when they sold out each time. And this is with constant refreshing and clicking through-- less than a second-- to get my spot in line. I think the best I ended up with was 8,400.

Blizzard is a multi-billion dollar company. One would think that a company with those resources could figure out how to sell tickets to a VERY popular event. This is the first year I know of where at least the servers didn't crash when ticket sales opened. I can understand this happening the first year (unexpected)-- but that same thing happened for several more events!

Their solution to make it "easier" is to split the ticket sales into two batches. Their brilliant thinking, I guess, is: TWO CHANCES! Woo!

All that does is give the bots and others two chances to buy tickets. If they had sold it in one batch, I would have gotten my ticket. Instead, I was in the 8k spot in line twice. Yay.

If the Nitwits-in-charge at Blizzard just limited everyone to -one- ticket at -one- sales event, most of the people who really want a ticket would get one.

/endrant

Comments

[okojosan.livejournal.com]

I think the whole thing is a fail. $175 a ticket? REALLY? For a day-and-a-half event (or is it actually two full days)? I guess the tickets sell out because botters grab them up but with a price like that, guaranteed I could never afford to go. They ought to give me a ticket for free considering I've been paying for their game nonstop since 2004. 9_9 Not that I could afford the airfare.

I have other friends who have gone to past Blizzcons who can no longer afford it either.

How much is a membership at Comic Con these days? That's an event that lasts from Wednesday-Sunday, right?

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Yes, but here's the rub: you can sell your swag-bag for usually more than the membership costs. So much so that some people re-sell the membership and the bag separately and make a couple of hundred dollars.

The con is two full days, including a concert. Some concerts have been "eh" while others have featured The Offspring, Ozzy Osbourne and Foo Fighters...the chance that they might find another great band makes attending potentially excellent.

[okojosan.livejournal.com]

Interesting, I thought most "real" fans, if they want the pet, could just pay the $40 for the streaming content and get it that way. Is there really that much swag in the bag?

It really is too bad they can't figure out how to sell the memberships to people who want to attend, as opposed to those who want to profit. As it is, even if I had the money, I won't bother trying to get a ticket through their ridiculous system.

None of those performers interest me in the slightest. :D I'd be going for real game content.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

The two big items in the swag bag are the pet and the beta key, apparently. The rest is worth about $20 bucks.

Even their contests are run pretty sloppily. I was runner up the first and last year I entered. First place got a high-end gaming laptop; second place (me) got a copy of the game. Gee. Thanks.

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

Looks like Comic Con is about the same price now http://www.comic-con.org/cci/2013-badge-purchase ..though you do get the extra days.... It does sound like the swag bag is less impressive, but overall the more days for attendance may mean slightly better value.
I've been to every CCI since 1985, and not a single BlizzCon.