Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: 2011, 2012, comic con, comicon, san diego, ticketleap, tickets

The Day San Diego Comic Con Brought TicketLeap To Its Knees (UPDATE)

Published Sat, 05 Feb 2011 12:26:30 -0600

Last updated Sun, 01 Jan 2012 08:21:56 -0600

UPDATE: Get past the green screen of death and it looks like the Junior 4 Day Pass may be about to sell out…

"Why don't you use a proper ticketing company" was the cry after San Diego Comic Con had failed to sell tickets for the third time, as their site kept crashing. Expense was cited as the issue, but enough was enough. They bit the bullet and signed up with TicketLeap, a professional company used to dealing with the biggest demand for the biggest events in the world.

Three minutes in and the site crashed.

And as people around the world keep clicking their F5 button to see the green screen of death, it's becoming clear that San Diego Comic Con is a bigger deal, drawing such fervent demand than any other ticketed event on the planet. It may be that there is no company can cope with so much demand focussed on such a small timeframe.

And even those that get through are finding that, with such slo going between selecting tickets and getting to pay for them that, after a fifteen minute window, they are snatched from them.

Comic Con themselves have tweeted;

We're obviously not happy with this morning's events. We are trying to find answers and get to the bottom of this.

While Ticket Leap themselves are trying to put a brave face on it, saying;

Hey @Comic_Con, @ticketleap is seeing lots of transactions going through. Keep trying!

And then retweeting the successful few, such as

Awesome! RT @khiq Got em. #SDCC http://tkt.ly/eqcBYS #ticketleap

Congrats! RT @AudioMikeXLR it worked!!!!!!!!!!! http://tkt.ly/eqcBYS #ticketleap

RT @Charged4life @ticketleap i got mine!!!!

It's clearly not enough.

tophersgirl1 Dear @ticketleap: You keep using that word… "momentarily". I don't think it means what you think it means.

ZeoVGM It's ridiculous. @Ticketleap is RTing people saying "i got mine", like it matters. MOST people got screwed.

kgtennispro So glad I've wasted over an hour of my life today staring at @ticketleap 's stupid "Over Capacity" screen trying to get @Comic_Con tickets

SeanwithaS please stop sucking @ticketleap ! i want to go to @comic_con real bad

SamShotFirst my brother and I are both in wheelchairs. And even we can't get tickets.

jainamsolo STOP RTing successful pass-buys. It's really rubbing it in the faces of those who still can't get through

xLEGIONxN7 I have been trying for an hour and 10 min and I've gotten no were. How could you fuck this up this bad?

thatreenagirl Comic KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

And those that do manage to get through, despite TicketLeap's assurances, are finding there are no four day ticket passes available.

Founder and CEO of TicketLeap Chris Stanchak has joined the fray telling people;

@chrisstanchak @comic-con Keep trying we are going to bounce up and down for a little bit.

One thing I can bet after all this? The longest queue at San Diego Comic Con 2011 won't be for the Twilight panel in Hall H, it'll be for tickets for Comic Con 2012… and they will start queuing immediately!

Of course other attendees have different demands on their sanity. Harry Knowles tweeted;