ComplaintsforDragon Con, INC

• Initial Complaint

  10/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I spent around $180 or so on a VIP ticket for the con. These company is so greedy that they rather steal money from customers then make sure their business is doing well and customers are satisfied. Firstly, their no refund policy is not very forthcoming and it is almost as if they hope you cancel so that they can take your money with absolutely 0 consequence to them. I recently had an emergency on the day of the event which meant I could in no way make it to the con. I tried contacting them immediately to let them know of my situation and they did not care one bit. Instead I received horrible customer service from someone named: ********************* . This man seemed happy to take my money and even though I did not use their service at all and there was 0 loss to them by just sending my money they are greedy and do not send it back. I contacted my bank to open a dispute and this company is beyond greedy as they are doing everything to fight against the dispute.

• Initial Complaint

  11/09/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  My wife and I purchased 3 tickets, for the Dragon Con event in September, on August 1st. The tickets were $200 and we accepted the agreement for purchase. The agreement stated policies about refunds and such, which we were fine with upon purchase. Prior to the event, Dragon Con changed their policy which required COVID vaccination or negative testing onsite, and wearing a face mask. My wife and I did NOT agree to the new policy and contacted Dragon Con to dispute the policy. Dragon Con did NOT retract the policy change, or make reasonable accommodations, and refused to provide a refund. Because my wife and I did not agree to this policy change we believe we are entitled to a refund, as it was not made known at the time of purchase. Dragon Con has received $200 from us, and NO services have been provided. While my wife was on a call with a Director at Dragon Con it was stated by, the Director, that NO services or refund will be provided.

  Customer response

  11/10/2021

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  The response provided is not a response, but rather a poor effort at customer service by copying and pasting information from a website. It does not answer any of my concerns and feel that that I am not being taken seriously. My wife and I recieved no service or reasonable accommodation after paying money to this business. Please read my initial response where a policy change was made AFTER we purchased tickets and no refund is provided.

  Business response

  11/10/2021

  From our website:
  
  https://www.dragoncon.org/updates/
  
  Are refunds and/or rollovers to the 2022 event being offered?
  
  No. We will, however, be providing free streaming memberships to anyone with a current membership who is unable to attend the in-person event. To take advantage of this, simply email the office. Please note, the office will be closed for requests from August 30th to September 9th. Requests will again be processed from September 10th - September 17th.
  
  We have a long-standing policy against refunding memberships. Whenever membership orders are placed in the Dragon Con store, the IMPORTANT INFORMATION warning is always listed. Having accurate pre-registration and registration numbers are critical to making sure Dragon Con is the best possible event year after year. It drives our budget, particularly what we invest in attracting guests, as well as our program planning and space allocation. If we allowed refunds, our ability to plan - and ultimately deliver - a great convention would suffer.
  
  
  
  It's important to understand the difference between a membership and an ordinary event ticket. A Dragon Con membership gives you access to other benefits that are not available to the general public. Our members receive a regular newsletter, merchandise discounts, and partner discounts throughout the year. For instance, members can take advantage of rental car discounts through National Car Rental or Enterprise Rent-a-car any time of the year, in any city. Delta Air Lines offers our members a 5 percent discount on air travel to fly to Dragon Con.
  
  
  
  Second, you may ask about transferring memberships to another individual. Though Dragon Con had allowed membership transfers in the far away past, we had to change our policy several years ago, after reselling memberships became an issue. Some people had discovered that memberships purchased for half price immediately after the convention could be sold 11 months later at a price that was profitable to them, but lower than the full price of a membership through Dragon Con. This is a case of a few bad eggs who have caused the company to make the changes seen today.
  
  
  And finally, due to the financial nature of contract changes from year to year, and technology/software changes...it's near impossible for Dragon Con to be able to keep 100% track of a roll forward membership. So, we can't do those at this time.
  
  
  We know every instance has its own special set of circumstances, and we wish we could accommodate them. Unfortunately, we cannot.

• Initial Complaint

  10/03/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  I purchased passes about a week before event. When purchase was made, Dragon Cons Covid Policy was to wear a face covering so I clicked to accept their no refund policy. A day or two before the event they changed their policy to require a vaccine status or a negative covid test be shown before passes could be picked up. If this had been their policy when I purchased passes I would not have agreed to the policy nor would I have agreed to the no refund policy. The day they changed their policy I called them for a refund in which they refused, stating they had a no refund policy. I feel this company changed their terms after my purchase was made and I feel at that time I should have been given the opportunity to either agree or disagree to the new terms. No such opportunity was ever given. I feel Dragon Con has stolen $270 from me unlawfully.

  Business response

  11/09/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2021/10/12) */ Thank you for your patience as we uncovered transaction information and timeline details. Mr. ****** purchased single day memberships on August 9th, almost a month before the convention. On July 28th, Mayor Bottoms of Atlanta issued an Executive Order for indoor mask wearing until further notice. As a Georgia resident of an Atlanta suburb, Mr. ****** should be aware of leadership mandates that may affect his travel plans. On August 1st, the Dragon Con company made posts on social media and their website reflecting these city mandated policies. https://www.dragoncon.org/updates/ On August 17th the Dragon Con company made video, social media, and website updates about available vaccination and testing on site throughout the event. All of this aside, even in a non pandemic year Dragon Con does not offer refunds. Here is our decades long policy that includes all things financial (in regards to our memberships). Thanks for your questions to Dragon Con about the company's no refund/no transfer/roll forward policies. We have a long-standing policy against refunding memberships. Whenever membership orders are placed in the Dragon Con store, the IMPORTANT INFORMATION warning is always listed. Having accurate pre-registration and registration numbers are critical to making sure Dragon Con is the best possible event year after year. It drives our budget, particularly what we invest in attracting guests, as well as our program planning and space allocation. If we allowed refunds, our ability to plan - and ultimately deliver - a great convention would suffer. It's important to understand the difference between a membership and an ordinary event ticket. A Dragon Con membership gives you access to other benefits that are not available to the general public. Our members receive a regular newsletter, merchandise discounts, and partner discounts throughout the year. For instance, members can take advantage of rental car discounts through National Car Rental or Enterprise Rent-a-car any time of the year, in any city. Delta Air Lines offers our members a 5 percent discount on air travel to fly to Dragon Con. Second, you may ask about transferring memberships to another individual. Though Dragon Con had allowed membership transfers in the far away past, we had to change our policy several years ago, after reselling memberships became an issue. Some people had discovered that memberships purchased for half price immediately after the convention could be sold 11 months later at a price that was profitable to them, but lower than the full price of a membership through Dragon Con. This is a case of a few bad eggs who have caused the company to make the changes seen today. And finally, due to the financial nature of contract changes from year to year, and technology/software changes...it's near impossible for Dragon Con to be able to keep 100% track of a roll forward membership. So, we can't do those at this time. We know every instance has its own special set of circumstances, and we wish we could accommodate them. Unfortunately, we cannot. Consumer Response /* (3000, 11, 2021/10/12) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) My argument is not with the Mask Mandate. My argument is that when I purchased the "Membership", which are just passes to the event, there was absolutely no mention of Vaccine Status or Negative Covid Test requirements to enter the event. These requirements were added after I purchased the passes and added to the companies "Policy" only a day or two before the event. If the requirements would have been in place when I went to purchase the passes * would have never agreed to the no refund policy. I just want my $270 back please!! I still feel my money has been stolen.

• Initial Complaint

  09/02/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I purchased a membership for the 2020 convention, before it was canceled, when things were just starting to shut down due to covid, I reached out to them by email to see if they were offering refunds or what their plan was. They said they were not offering refunds or canceling at that time but they would let me know. A few months later, I started getting emails saying that my membership had rolled over to 2021. I didn't want that because I'm medically at risk, covid is still a very real threat, and the convention is several states away and I am not able to attend. I reached out again and was told that they already offered refunds and now it is too late. They said it was announced on social media and the website but I don't follow them or go to their website regularly, like a lot of people.Why did they announce it where they knew not everyone would see? They sent emails for everything else but not for people to get their money back? They have since refused to speak with me any further.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩