YuleLog Ornament Collector's Bulletin Board Forums Discussion Ornament Collecting Discussion I am so MAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of my friends called me tonight to talk about the guest dinner reservation with no guest registered for Saturday. She told me that if you call the number that was used originally for the Friday dinner and Saturday event registrations says that the Kansas City event is sold out.

We don't understand how you can register a guest for Saturday if the event is sold out. I'm wondering if they are saying that until they know how many additional guests will be registered based on only having a dinner registration and maybe they'll reopen it once they get those totals trued up.

To quote a line from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?": "this don't make no sense!"

helo all... i am just curious? i have collected for yrs,but just became a koc member last yr for the first time. i have never been to any of the events,and want to know which is the better one to attend, the friday or the saturday event? what are the differences? i am close to orlando, and they still have tics, so if i wanted to go, id like to know which day to reserve.. please help me here..thank you

Nancy, a guest would not be allowed to purchase product (they never have been allowed to in the past either). So, maybe Hallmark thinks that they shouldn't take any more reservations for Saturday because they might have reached a number in which they'll run out of products to sell. Since there are only 3 events and Kansas City will be the last, maybe merchandise will run to the limit.

Hallmark has said that no merchandise will be sold afterwards, as has been the case before...so they (Hallmark) may run the merchandise low so as to not have very many leftovers to destroy. Just a thought...

Terri

Curt, While they are related, the event and dinner are two different things. The dinner, which in the past, was held only for local clubs is Friday and will have a costume contest and probably artist chat. They've had trivia and other fun things at dinners past.

The event has the games, drawings, artist signings, sneek peak presentations, decorating ideas and event product for purchase.

From previous posts on this thread, you are not allowed to attend the dinner without registering for the event. If you can, you might try going to both.

Terri, I have not seen anything that states guests will not be allowed to purchase product. In the past they have not been able but this is a whole different ball game.

I agree with Diana, I would like to know what the products (for purchase) will be. Any gifts can be a fun secret.

Stacey

Last night, while talking to my friend, I remembered that in 2001 the Friday evening event (Just Desserts) in Kansas City sold out. The limit on the number of tickets for that was based on the fire marshal's limit for the room where the event would be held. Later, when Hallmark was able to get the larger room at the Hyatt, they opened up ticket sales with the maximum being the number of people allowed in the room based on the fire marshal's number.

That's what I was thinking of when I asked how you could have allow more guests to attend the Saturday event. And from what was posted earlier, based on the limited and very sketchy information posted on Hallmark.com, the guests aren't prohibited from purchasing merchandise. I know that they usually have been limited like that in the past, but I was just thinking of headcount.

It's almost a moot point because apparently from other threads on YuleLog, you are permitted to attend the Saturday event without attending the Friday. But you aren't allowed to attend the Friday night dinner without registering for the Saturday. So, you'll have to go to Saturday for sure, and then if you hurry, you can attend the Friday dinner.... but you'll have to hurry because I heard a rumor that Orlando registration is about to end.

I'm confused on the product purchase though because I thought that they did allow at least some non-members to purchase event product in 2005??? I know for a fact (because my friend's aunt got one) that mailings were sent out to non-KOC Gold Crown members that year towards the last inviting them to attend the event (for a fee, of course) and that mailing said they could purchase product. This really irked my friend because she's a charter KOC member, and her aunt never belonged to the club.

I'm still wondering if they'll stick to their promise of not selling any of the merchandise that might be left over, or whether we'll suddenly see some of the secondary market dealers with quantities to sell.

Edited to add: I thought it was said that guests will not receive signing tickets and product vouchers at this year's event. I don't know if that was official or just what someone had heard? Anyone know for sure?

[This message has been edited by Ginny (edited 05-11-2007).]

Well, it's over. I talked to a KOC supervisor who talked to "head office" and I got the call back today from the liaison between the head office and the KOC and they're sticking by their rules. Irregardless that I have 2 memberships registered for the Saturday event and 2 dinner tickets, they're insisting I buy the "guest" dinner ticket a Saturday event ticket as well and won't change over my 2nd Saturday event membership to the guest dinner ticket. It doesn't matter to them that their reps gave me the wrong information in the first place that could have avoided this whole situation and they refuse to do anything to make that right. So I've canceled both dinner tickets, the 2nd membership Saturday event ticket and will be canceling my 2nd membership altogether. The money I'm getting back will NOT be spent on Hallmark at all.

I'm also writing a letter to Corp Hallmark with a cc to the KOC to give them the facts & details of how they just lost an 18-year member of the KOC. I'm finishing out the year on my other membership just to get the window ornament but will have to rethink whether I renew that at all or just pick up any future window ornaments on eBay. At this point, I'm inclined to just go the eBay route just on general principle. This takes a bit of the shine off Hallmark for me. If I was losing interest before, this went a long way to killing it considerably. I don't want to stop supporting my local stores but am definitely not giving my money to the KOC any longer.

P.S. I know there are people out there hoping for dinner cancellations and picking up the dinner tickets but, per KOC, the tickets are nontransferable. I don't know how they plan to enforce that and/or if they'll check IDs but I'd hate for someone to pick up a canceled ticket only to not be allowed at the dinner because he/she wasn't the original ticket owner.

Hmm, this could just be a knee jerk reaction but now I'm thinking of canceling out of the event altogether and getting the other Saturday event ticket canceled. My flights are non refundable but I can apply them to a future flight so I won't lose any money there. I think I can also get a refund from the Flamingo so I'll have to check. I'm just pretty disillusioned right now and can think of better ways to spend the money (and again, it won't be on Hallmark!). I'll miss seeing/meeting all the other collectors and artists but if I'm not going to be happy while I'm there because this whole thing sours it for me, I probably shouldn't show up and be a drag!

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A meaningful life is built on purpose.

[This message has been edited by homemadebycarol (edited 05-15-2007).]

Carol, I'm in the same boat. It's a pretty dumb system and set of rules to say the least.
I started a new thread asking if anybody is taking a guest ONLY to the Saturday event. Maybe some collectors will let us register their guest for them? Then they cancel their Saturday guest registration, pay us the registration fee, and we mail them the guest Saturday event tickets or hand them to them at the event. That would satisfy Hallmark's dumb rule that it has to be under the specific membership number that has the guest Friday dinner, and there wouldn't be any additional registrations or costs involved. The only drawbacks are that the KOC members attending Saturday would only have a "guest" pass for the dinner - so can't participate in the costume contest and might miss out on other KOC member priviliges for Friday night.

That's really too bad.

Sounds like top management is not customer focused....we could very well start to see the demise of Hallmark as we know it.

Everything considered, I�m not too happy with Hallmark either. I�m not attending any of the events, but had been seriously considering it. I had considered going until I heard the Friday night dinner was sold out. Then after everything else I read here, it just cemented my decision. I�m not going to drive 10 hours there and 10 hours back just for ONE day, and not even be able to attend the dinner.

The only thing I was really disappointed about was the possibility of buying leftover products. For HOW many years now have they offered leftover product to members that were not able to attend the events. NOW that this is the first event I'll not be attending in several years, they decide to reverse it and not allow leftover product to be sold at all. I wouldn�t be so upset if they hadn�t even started offering leftover product in the first place, but to offer it for some events and not others I don�t think is fair. I never had a problem with them offering leftover product, I just wish they would be CONSISTENT. Thanks to eBay, hopefully I�ll be able to get a few of the ones I was hoping to purchase at the event.

Maybe the next big anniversary event will be better, but I�m not holding my breath.

Syl in Kentucky

I decided it would be dumb of me to cancel the dinner and 1 event ticket only to keep the other event ticket and still go while trying to do things out of principle. No point in doing things by half measure if it's really about "the principle of the thing". Never thought I'd get to this point but I'm "done" with Hallmark.

So I've canceled both Saturday event tickets, both dinner tickets, my Flamingo hotel reservation and my & my mom's plane tickets to Vegas. Fortunately I didn't lose any money from any of it and it's actually been quite liberating to cancel out of the whole thing altogether. I don't have to expend any more energy to "fight" to give them my money and go to their event. My sister just bought a house so I'm taking all my refunds and buying her gift cards she can use to outfit her new house - something good has to come out of all this crappiness .

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A meaningful life is built on purpose.

[This message has been edited by homemadebycarol (edited 05-15-2007).]

Carol,

I know exactly how you feel. I think I explained to you in a previous email that I was literally on the phone with Hallmark to cancel my family's Saturday event registrations because the dinner had sold out. I had thought long and hard about it and after making my decision and feeling good about it, Hallmark told me there would be more dinner tickets available. I kept the registrations and did get the dinner tickets (even after purposely waiting two hours before calling that second time) but I'm not thrilled about any of it now. Too much water, so to speak.

Since then, Hallmark hasn't helped with their lack of information and they haven't done anything to stir up any excitement.

I have till June 1st. to cancel and my husband and I are still debating the whole issue. He seems more set on going than I do.

Stacey

Ginny, I called the Hallmark registration line and they did say that reservations will end on May 24th.

I just got an email that said registration will close on May 20th at midnight.

Carol I am definitely sorry that you won't be coming to Kansas City. This is ridicilous on Hallmark's part.

I can't even find the words to comment on how KOC/Hallmark has handled this situation ....... it's just inconceivable!

Stacey, I received this same email today.

There is some openings for the Saturday Event only in Vegas.

Dinner and Event for Orlando is still open.

Carol, Good for you. I can tell your decision did not come easy. I'm sure HMK and all big companies figure that people will put up with whatever is dished out. Companies continue to take advantage of customers because the customers let them.

Principle is an important reason not to do something. HMK has no principles, no customer care/service, certainly no loyalty to its oldest customers and evidently a crappy computer system.

Could someone give me the 800 registration number for Vegas event?? My sister, daughter & I are going and I need a ticket for my brother in law if they are still available. Thanks!!

[This message has been edited by decorlady (edited 05-16-2007).]

shame on you hallmark if hallmark likes to read the boards to steal new ideas for ornaments.. then maybe they"ll also see the bad feedback they get here.. and next year do better.if it were not for the loyal members at hallmark, there whould be no hallmark

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