CHICAGO – Thousands of ticketholders shelled out big bucks to attend a popular convention, but now they are left with more questions than answers after the event was abruptly canceled only days in advance.
Epic Cons Chicago 3 (ECC3) was scheduled to take place this weekend at Navy Pier.
Attendees say they haven’t been able to get their money back because they can’t reach anyone at the company.
What we know:
What ticketholders say would have been an epic event, has turned into an epic letdown.
Since flights were already booked and hotels were paid for, many convention-goers are still spending the weekend in Chicago — with no convention to attend.
“I was just really disappointed in how they handled it,” said Emily Kremer, who traveled from Minnesota with her daughter to attend the convention. “Especially when they email almost every other day, saying, ‘Here, buy some more tickets, here’s some more opportunities, here’s some more people coming.’ They have so many people riding on it and expecting it, I felt for the actors and actresses as well.”
ECC3 was set to dock at Navy Pier on Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27. The convention would have featured stars from popular TV shows, including Superman and Lois, The Vampire Diaries and The Rookie.
“I was looking most forward to getting a photo with Eric Winter. It was my birthday present,” said Jaelynn Koenig, who is visiting from Oregon.
Fans had already purchased meet-and-greets, autographs, and photo-ops with their favorite celebrities. They say they have followed up — but haven’t received answers from the company about refunds.
Some fans who reached out to FOX 32 Chicago said they spent upwards of $3,000 for the convention and its add-ons.
Vendors also say they’re out hundreds of dollars after paying to rent space at the event.
As recently as July 11, the event company was still promoting sales on its Instagram account. Plus, until this week, the website advertised tickets and a convention schedule.
RELATED: Vendors, fans out thousands as Chicago convention abruptly canceled
Now, the site has gone dark, with only this message left:
“We regret to inform you that due to unforeseen circumstances outside of our control, we are canceling Epic Cons Chicago 3 for July 26-27, along with all upcoming events. If you had purchased tickets to any of the upcoming events, please check your email.”
Those circumstances appear to be tied to two lawsuits filed this month.
Epic’s owners, Alexis Arnold and Anna Owen, have been sued by two lenders for breach of contract and past-due payments.
One of the lawsuits, filed by Kash Advance, LLC states: “There remains a balance due and owing to Plaintiff on the Agreement in the amount of $611,818.62 plus interest, costs, and disbursements.”
Ticketholders Speak Out:
One family from Oregon and another from Minnesota are still waiting for refunds from the company.
“Admission for Epic Con was about $365,” ticketholder Sara Koenig said. “I’ve gotten no email, I’ve had no phone call, no forms of communication.”
Now, Koenig and her daughter, Jaelynn, are left empty-handed.
“I was devastated,” Jaelynn said.
“Honestly, it makes me not want to purchase from other events, it makes me nervous because that’s a lot of money for us and that’s really hard,” Sara added.
Like the Koenigs, Emily Kremer and her daughter, Freyja, also traveled to the Windy City despite the event company pulling the plug on ECC3.
“I was really in shock, because I didn’t think would happen. They’ve done multiple other events, and this was their third year,” Freyja said.
“We were bummed, but we just figured we would still see a Broadway show and sightsee,” Emily shared.
The Koenigs and Kremers have disputed the charges and are hoping to see that money again soon. Until then, they’ve found a silver lining — in new friendships.
“We’re going to spend the weekend together!” Sara said.
The mother and daughter duos have already enjoyed pizza and a segway tour together — and have much more on the weekend agenda.
What’s next:
Since FOX 32’s original report on Saturday, July 19, we has made multiple attempts to reach the owners of the company for comment and answers about when ticketholders can expect their refunds, but we have not heard back.
The Source: Details for this story were provided by Epic Conc Chicago 3 website and reporting by Fox 32’s Kasey Chronis.