Registration 2016

Started by fanimefreak, November 02, 2015, 05:06:54 PM

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InsaneDavid

I want to stress that there has been no official announcement or OFFICIAL response from Experient or Fanime but this is what many of us have seen...

Registration, under CMR, worked as normal up until a few weeks ago.  You'd get a QR code e-mailed to you after payment and could log in and change your registration information or view / reprint the QR code at your leisure.

The login option for registration disappeared one day and the system was now hosted by Experient and was for new registrations only.

If you had a problem or wanted to view your memberships / badges, the option no longer existed.  If you contacted CMR they would apologize and state that they are no longer handling registration, as this was now being done by Experient.

Experient customer service is extremely slow, unresponsive, and unhelpful.

An Experient employee has posted a couple times on the unofficial Fanime Facebook group that they would be handling registration and the old QR codes would no longer be valid.  Instead Experient would be e-mailing new barcodes over the next few days.  At this time this information should be taken as UNOFFICIAL as it has not come from Fanime or Experient as a company.

Some of us have received new barcodes (not QR codes) from Experient (not CMR) via e-mail for badge / membership pick up.  Although it was assumed at one point that this was a mass e-mailing heading out, it now seems that they've only been e-mailing the barcodes to people who have contacted their "customer service."

The FanimeCon website, under the Registration FAQ, still lists both QR code and barcode as valid for pickup - "Confirmation E-Mail with QR code/barcode that was sent to you after membership payment"  This clashes with what the Experient employee has said in the unofficial Facebook group but we don't know for sure one way or the other until we hear an official word from Fanime.

Personally, I was sent the new Experient barcode six times this morning, along with the non-answer to my registration questions.  Five of those are exactly the same - my two person group.  One of them is a single registration pickup code for the other person in my group.  I say this as if you have been sent multiple e-mails from Experient and are picking up badges / memberships for your group, make sure you have the right e-mail in hand that has everyone listed.

It seems that if there is to be a mass new e-mailing that it has yet to happen.

The biggest gripe many of us have is up until the changeover, and in QR code years previous via CMR, you could always view and reprint your code via the registration website.  Experient's registration site does not allow you to self-service view your barcode if you were registered prior to the handoff from CMR, basically any registration prior to something like three weeks ago.

The second biggest gripe many of us have is that this is something that Fanime fixed two years ago and since then has done better than any other convention.  Why such a change was made so late in the game, with an event management company that to this point has shown nothing but being unresponsive to customer issues, makes no sense.  It just seems like a huge step backwards.
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InsaneDavid

#61
Quote from: YaoiCat on May 23, 2016, 03:45:29 PM
I haven't gotten a new email with a barcode yet, but this is a facebook message that I just received from Fanime staff:



Thank you for posting this!  Another piece of the puzzle drops into place.  However "There will be ways to look up your registration even if you don't have the barcode." sounds to me like the old manual system and we know how slow that could be.  Confirmation that a new e-mail is forthcoming is very helpful.
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Nina Star 9

A friend of mine emailed about the registration issue, and was told that confirmation emails (presumably with the new barcodes) will be sent out tomorrow. That's at least a solid date. Hope for the best here!

I can see if she'll send me a cap of the email, if anyone wants more confirmation than "a friend of a forum member" haha

svatoid

If you go to this website:

http://www.fanime.com/registration-faq/


It states:

"What to bring if you paid online:
Valid photo ID such as: a student ID, passport, driver's license, or state issued photo ID card
Confirmation E-Mail with QR code/barcode that was sent to you after membership payment"

So it sounds like they will  take the QR code if you registered under the old system

InsaneDavid

Quote from: Nina Star 9 on May 23, 2016, 04:28:41 PM
A friend of mine emailed about the registration issue, and was told that confirmation emails (presumably with the new barcodes) will be sent out tomorrow. That's at least a solid date. Hope for the best here!

I can see if she'll send me a cap of the email, if anyone wants more confirmation than "a friend of a forum member" haha

Cool, thank you very much.

Quote from: svatoid on May 23, 2016, 05:25:43 PM
If you go to this website:

http://www.fanime.com/registration-faq/


It states:

"What to bring if you paid online:
Valid photo ID such as: a student ID, passport, driver's license, or state issued photo ID card
Confirmation E-Mail with QR code/barcode that was sent to you after membership payment"

So it sounds like they will  take the QR code if you registered under the old system

I've mentioned that above but Experient, who is handling registration now, has stated that the QR code is now no longer valid and the barcode is what they want.
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Freud



What I got in reply to emailing them about this situation.

InsaneDavid

Quote from: Freud on May 24, 2016, 09:04:39 AM


What I got in reply to emailing them about this situation.

Your link isn't displaying, perhaps because it's a .png file, URL link for those interested: http://picpaste.com/pics/Screen_shot_2016-05-24_at_9.03.12_AM-zHTOCvES.1464109935.png

They just keep cutting it closer and closer.
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OtakuAngel87

I just want to update everyone that I did email fanime registration to question about the new Barcode and surprisingly got an email back this morning with the Barcode, it was fairly small at the end of the email. So I believe they are starting to send out those emails, if you're really freaking out i suggest that you email them that might make it a little faster. Good luck everyone.
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Mikuzukin
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InsaneDavid

Quote from: OtakuAngel87 on May 24, 2016, 10:19:21 AM
I just want to update everyone that I did email fanime registration to question about the new Barcode and surprisingly got an email back this morning with the Barcode, it was fairly small at the end of the email. So I believe they are starting to send out those emails, if you're really freaking out i suggest that you email them that might make it a little faster. Good luck everyone.

Yup, just received the e-mail you are talking about myself.  It's the same as the one that Experient e-mailed me earlier except it says "Final Confirmation" at the top.  However it only lists me, not the other person in my group the way it did before.

Also confirmed in the new e-mail, "This confirmation E-Mail with Barcode: QR codes from previous email will not work."
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Master Roshi

Going to be serious problems if people who paid good money for themselves and others, and who do not receive an update, are not provided their badges at the con.   A ripe situation for a class action suit . . . I paid over $200 for group registration and I will be more than a little upset if I'm given ANY hassles about my badges.  This should have been through out well in advance of any change in the registration group. 

YaoiCat

I just received my "Final Confirmation" emails.  I'm a group leader and they sent me a separate email for each person in my group ... so I'm not sure if that means I'll have to present each barcode separately when I go pick up the badges. 

InsaneDavid

Quote from: Master Roshi on May 24, 2016, 11:27:24 AM
Going to be serious problems if people who paid good money for themselves and others, and who do not receive an update, are not provided their badges at the con.   A ripe situation for a class action suit . . . I paid over $200 for group registration and I will be more than a little upset if I'm given ANY hassles about my badges.  This should have been through out well in advance of any change in the registration group.

It seems to be smoothing out, late, but smoothing out.  I was just sent the same e-mail again, an hour apart by the timestamp.  Fanime has commented (there's a screen shot in a post above) that even if there is some issue getting you your barcode, they will be able to look up your information and get you your badge.  Of course, that slows things down.

Don't get me wrong, if there are any problems they (Experient staff, NOT Fanime staff / volunteers) will hear about it.  I'm a big Sicilian guy and I'm far beyond not calling people out on their BS these days.

Completely irrational joke:  I was joking with my girlfriend that I picture a three line scenario - Barcode, QR Code, No Code.  Barcode, you walk up, staff checks your ID, scans your barcode, gives you your badges.  No Code, staff looks up your name in the database, matches your ID, and prints your badge or prints a barcode.  QR Code, it's like the freaking NOC List from the first Mission Impossible movie, you have staff trying to match your "code name" (QR code) with your "real name" (barcode) so you can get your badge.

I'm bringing copies of everything I have and if there's an issue with it not flagging both my badges I'll have the "re-send" e-mail from before that shows everything as well as the old QR code e-mail that shows both people.  Of course, we're all talking worst case scenarios now.  New e-mails ARE being sent out, the lack of communication up until this point is the real problem.  I'm glad this thread got people talking about this and helping each other out.
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InsaneDavid

Quote from: YaoiCat on May 24, 2016, 11:57:28 AM
I just received my "Final Confirmation" emails.  I'm a group leader and they sent me a separate email for each person in my group ... so I'm not sure if that means I'll have to present each barcode separately when I go pick up the badges.

I got that before when they "re-sent" my confirmation yesterday.  One e-mail (five times) with everyone, and then one e-mail with just the other person in my two-person group.  I'm assuming your numbers are all sequential?  My two numbers are.  I'm printing them both out and if there's any issue with the "main" barcode giving me both badges then I'll raise a stink with them.
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YaoiCat

Quote from: InsaneDavid on May 24, 2016, 12:00:49 PM
New e-mails ARE being sent out, the lack of communication up until this point is the real problem.  I'm glad this thread got people talking about this and helping each other out.

Yeah, I'm glad I check the forums.  It sucks for the majority of con attendees who don't check the forums and have no idea that this is happening.  I hope Fanime makes an official announcement soon so that people are aware they need to look out for an email with a barcode, otherwise a lot of people are going to show up without it and reg lines are gonna get really backed up with everyone needing to be looked up by name.

svatoid

Just got my confirmation e-mail with the barcode. What a  relief!!!

Kyra_Maverick

I got another email as well. 2 emails, one for each member of my group. My other group member will be there with me, but I wonder how that will work for group leaders of larger groups?

I still have the first barcode I got from my inital email from Experient and that has both my group members on it. I wonder why the new emails broke up the groups?

Nina Star 9

I also just got my email. Such a relief!

Hopefully people will pay attention to the new emails and not just ignore them and bring the old barcode.

Ecchi ja Nai

I've been following this thread but haven't been too concerned.  I figured they'd be able to find my info one way or another.  Just thought I'd chime in though to let people know I just got my final confirmation email with barcode (not QR code), myself.  I haven't reached out to Fanime's reg dept. or to Experient or anything at all, so it does look like everyone should be getting this final confirmation.  I'll leave the how's/why's/no-communication comments and questions for other people.  I'm kinda over all the drama and am just looking forward to unloading a bunch of my stuff at swap meet.

I was a single reg, by the way, so it's not just going out to people with group reg.

InsaneDavid

Quote from: Kyra_Maverick on May 24, 2016, 12:16:47 PM
I got another email as well. 2 emails, one for each member of my group. My other group member will be there with me, but I wonder how that will work for group leaders of larger groups?

I still have the first barcode I got from my inital email from Experient and that has both my group members on it. I wonder why the new emails broke up the groups?

Maybe it's their way of covering everyone since this change / mass notification came so late?  I'm going to bring the original e-mail with both people on it myself, as well as the individual one, and present the printout with both of us on it first.  I mean, both names are on there and the numbers are sequential, I don't see why that would be an issue even if "my" code only triggers "my" badge.

Quote from: Ecchi ja Nai on May 24, 2016, 12:34:48 PM
I'm kinda over all the drama and am just looking forward to unloading a bunch of my stuff at swap meet.

Pretty much except I'm looking forward to buying a bunch of stuff at Swap Meet.  It's like Fanime is having a midlife crisis this year or something.  ;D
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OtakuAngel87

i did email. Them back regarding group badges and they said all badges can be picked up with just the leaders Barcode but since they sent out one for each member as well I'd print all just to be safe
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Mikuzukin
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Sailor Moon