FAN EXPO CANADA™ - August 27-29, 2010 - TORONTO, CANADA

[Raphael]

I think correct term is ``schwag``

[DrWatson]

If you want to get technical, the correct term is "screwed."

[Pirate]

If want to get technical, the correct term is "screwed."

 

my lovable redneck

[KEY ISSUES Comics]

Good thing this wasn't a GUNS'N ROSES concert in Montreal!

[Bruno_s4]

Good thing this wasn't a GUNS'N ROSES concert in Montreal!

 

Ya, SOME people from Montreal love to start riots!

 

You better be good for U2 next year.

[KEY ISSUES Comics]

Good thing this wasn't a GUNS'N ROSES concert in Montreal!

 

Ya, SOME people from Montreal love to start riots!

 

You better be good for U2 next year.

Man, we start riots when we're HAPPY RE: HABS making it to round 2 years ago \. For the record - I'm a WINGS FAN.

 

As for U2, well, their fans are as conservative and calm as they get. I know, I used to be one. Now, I'm a rowdy comic book collector!

[Bruno_s4]

Good thing this wasn't a GUNS'N ROSES concert in Montreal!

 

Ya, SOME people from Montreal love to start riots!

 

You better be good for U2 next year.

Man, we start riots when we're HAPPY RE: HABS making it to round 2 years ago \. For the record - I'm a WINGS FAN.

 

As for U2, well, their fans are as conservative and calm as they get. I know, I used to be one. Now, I'm a rowdy comic book collector!

 

I'm both. But I would riot if someone took away my U2.

[hogations]

Man, we start riots when we're HAPPY RE: HABS making it to round 2 years ago \.

 

Years ago? You mean last year!

 

Seriously, if FanExpo was in Montreal and what happened here happened there, there would have been deaths.

[BeachBum]

I don't know if the masses who attended noticed the "apology" letter that apparently went up on their website last week:

 

http://www.fanexpocanada.com/

 

 

[Raphael]

I also received an email

[ignimbrite]

I don't know if the masses who attended noticed the "apology" letter that apparently went up on their website last week:

 

http://www.fanexpocanada.com/

 

 

I also received an apology e-mail.

[Kevin Boyd]

The 2010 attendance was 64,992. Up 9.7% over 2009.

 

Watch for news shortly on our upcoming 2010-2011 one and two-day show schedule. The first comics one day show is schedule for Sunday, November 21st at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=4304574#Post4304574

 

Fan Expo Canada 2011 is scheduled for August 26-28, 2011.

[mndb369]

The 2010 attendance was 64,992. Up 9.7% over 2009.

 

Watch for news shortly on our upcoming 2010-2011 one and two-day show schedule. The first comics one day show is schedule for Sunday, November 21st at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=4304574#Post4304574

 

Fan Expo Canada 2011 is scheduled for August 26-28, 2011.

 

Kevin,

 

Not sure if I will be attending the one day show this year or ever again at a Hobbystar event - even with my VIP pass free entry.

 

Today I had to contact James to find out where my Stan Lee collectible was (part of the Stan Lee Experience Package), only to discover that they were not obtained at the NYCC as promised. It has been a week and a half since the close of NY and who knows if I would have ever been notified had I not e-mailed James directly.

 

This is a classic fail for Comic Events and although I truly appreciate the fact that I met Stan Lee because of your show, I believe I paid fairly for that right.

 

It has been almost 2 months since the close of Fan Expo and the fact you took the time to tell everyone how great the attendance was without finalizing your customer service issues is disappointing.

 

Regards,

 

Marco

[DrWatson]

[Kevin Boyd]

Understandable, Marco. I realize your patience has been stretched to the limit on this. No excuses, I was not aware that this problem had not been resolved. If James does not have the missing variant comics that Pow! Entertainment was supposed to provide us in NY, I don't know what to say other than I'll look into it.

 

It was not my intention to brag about our attendance figures. I was told that the information could be released to the public, as many people wanted to know what the official figures were, so I posted the information.

 

 

[mndb369]

From James at Fan Expo dated October 26th:

 

Greetings. This is a note just to let you know that I have not forgotten about the Stan Lee Collectible that we owe you. Unfortunately, Stan Lee's people did not bring us the items when we met with them at the New York Comicon, so we are back to waiting for them to ship the items from California. I apologize for the wait, this has really been one thing after another and I thank you for your patience. I will get the item out to you as soon as it arrives. Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

 

James Armstrong

Fan Expo Canada

 

It has been almost a month since the last communication I had with James at Fan Expo regarding my Collectible that I was owed from the Fan Expo show in August. That is three months in total waiting.

 

Kevin, regardless that this isn't your department you should be embarrassed for a company that continues to convince themselves that it is ok to have patrons wait 3 months for items they have paid for.

 

I have ordered hundreds of comics from the States and the longest I have ever waited for anything is 3 weeks from Hawaii. There is no excuse for not being able to acquire these collectibles from, I will assume, California.

 

I would appreciate an e-mail with a resolution to this right away. Have a nice show today in Toronto and hopefully I have made some of your customers and future ones aware that they should be weary of buying Fan Expo VIP or specialty passes.

[Kevin Boyd]

From James at Fan Expo dated October 26th:

 

Greetings. This is a note just to let you know that I have not forgotten about the Stan Lee Collectible that we owe you. Unfortunately, Stan Lee's people did not bring us the items when we met with them at the New York Comicon, so we are back to waiting for them to ship the items from California. I apologize for the wait, this has really been one thing after another and I thank you for your patience. I will get the item out to you as soon as it arrives. Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

 

James Armstrong

Fan Expo Canada

 

It has been almost a month since the last communication I had with James at Fan Expo regarding my Collectible that I was owed from the Fan Expo show in August. That is three months in total waiting.

 

Kevin, regardless that this isn't your department you should be embarrassed for a company that continues to convince themselves that it is ok to have patrons wait 3 months for items they have paid for.

 

I have ordered hundreds of comics from the States and the longest I have ever waited for anything is 3 weeks from Hawaii. There is no excuse for not being able to acquire these collectibles from, I will assume, California.

 

I would appreciate an e-mail with a resolution to this right away. Have a nice show today in Toronto and hopefully I have made some of your customers and future ones aware that they should be weary of buying Fan Expo VIP or specialty passes.

 

Okay, let's clarify things.

 

HobbyStar and Pow! Entertainment worked together to bring 100 people the Stan Lee Ultimate Package at Fan Expo Canada in August. One of the items promised at the event at the request of Pow! Entertainment was a limited edition collectible that they would provide.

 

Up until the weekend of the event, we did not know what it was going to be. In fact, on the weekend itself we were not told what it would be. One of the questions I was asked the most over the weekend was "what is it and when can I get it?" Most of the time I did not have an answer other than to tell people to go to the Pow! booth at the Stan Lee signing area.

 

When I asked Pow! what they were and when people could get them, they said the items were not delivered to the show as promised for Friday (something to do with customs) and that they were working to get them to people.

 

I gather they took possession of the items (a box of comics from Marvel Comics) some time between late Saturday afternoon and early Sunday morning and the items were signed by Stan Lee on the spot.

 

These were made available for pick-up at the show from Pow! until Stan Lee had to leave, at which point they were left with Desert Wind Comics to hand out while they finished up their paperwork and other signings at Fan Expo. The majority of the 100 Ultimate Stan Lee package holders came and picked up their signed comic.

 

At the end of the show, Desert Wind Comics took the remaining unclaimed comics home to return to Pow!.

 

Those few people, like yourself, who did not get their comic, then contacted HobbyStar as the primary contact for the packages and asked for their promised collectible. I referred many individuals, like yourself, to James at the office. Our office contacted Pow! about the items and were told that instead of shipping the books up they would give them to us in New York in Mid-October at which point we could send them to people like yourself.

 

The books weren't sent to New York as promised, so James sent you a notice that we had not forgotten about you (which you copied) and we were going to get the books sent up from Pow! --- and Pow! promised to send them. Yes, if they send them, they shouldn't take longer than a week or so to reach us from California. When you posted about it here I called to find out what was going on, and was told that Pow! was sending the items and this would be resolved within 1-2 weeks.

 

HOWEVER, as of this week (a little over three weeks after your last contact from James), we still don't have them from Pow!. Someone from Hobbystar called last week to follow-up and they confirmed that they had not sent them and reaffirmed that they would. We are trying to follow-up on this again today to find out if they have or not. We want this resolved as much as you do.

 

My question to you is, were you offered an alternative collectible item by any of our staff? Some managers have indicated that alternative items were offered to those few who did not get their item in lieu of waiting for their collectible from Pow! Entertainment.

 

Some accepted while others turned down the offer of a different item, preferring to wait for the item from Pow! (and they are therefore still waiting as they have not been sent to us).

 

If you were not offered an alternative, are you interested in receiving an alternate item from HobbyStar instead? We do have other variant comics like the ASM638 variant, or the Uncanny X-Men 500 variant, prints and other items.

 

If you were offered something else and turned it down, then we're all stuck waiting, and you can continue to write reports here attacking the company and slagging me for being part of the company because we still don't have what you want from the supplier. We will contact you when we do get it and send it out to you.

 

[mndb369]

I too will clarify things:

 

1. The only way that the 100 or so people received their collectible was on Sunday - I asked the staff several times at the event on Friday and Saturday if the collectible had arrived and it did not. For me to have received it I would've had to have been there on all three days and unfortunately I couldn't. Some of us can't stand being in overcrowded uncomfortable enclosed situations with their kids that ensures their safety and well-being.

 

2. Let's be clear the responsibility is on Hobbystar 100% to ensure that customers receive goods/services that are advertised or paid for. Knowing there was problems receiving the item someone from Hobbystar should have been responsible to contact Stan Lee package holders. It would have been so easy for you to contact the 100 or so people who bought the Stan Lee package to ensure they got their collectible with a simple e-mail. You had all of our contact info when we paid for the package. I had to follow-up myself by phone nearly two weeks after the event because I received no call or return e-mail (as per your instructions Kevin I sent an e-mail on September 2nd and did not hear back until September 8th).

 

3. I was NEVER asked about a replacement collectible. EVER. All that I received from Hobbystar was a replacement ASM638 Variant for the bent one that I received in my VIP bag. To prove how STELLAR the service is from Hobbystar I attached a scan of the envelope which my replacement ASM638 Variant (sandwiched between two standard backboards in a bag) arrived in from James at Hobbystar:

 

 

Oh boy - I would have gladly paid you that whole $2.00 in postage to be able to pick it up and avoid a second bent book. Didn't happen.

 

Kevin - as you can see I have EVERY RIGHT to say how I feel about the facts. And the fact is all Hobbystar cares about is how much profit they made on the show and to h-e-l-l with its customers - even those that paid for VIP and for Stan Lee.

 

Maybe someone can offer me one of the several dozen "unwitnessed" signed copies of the show variants that I saw being handled by Fan Expo staff.

 

Respectfully yours,

 

Marco Di Bernardo

[joeypost]

[MattAllen]

Hi Marco,

 

I'm not speaking on behalf of hobbystar but, just FYI, I handled all of those books you saw being signed. Those were ALL, for Stan (or his people) and were taken back with him when he left on sunday. Hobbystar doesn't have them.