Epic Cons Chicago convention abruptly canceled at Navy Pier, leaving ticketholders confused and disappointed
Epic Events and Entertainment hosts popular events around the country. The company was set to host Epic Cons Chicago 3 at Navy Pier this coming weekend.
But days before the event, Epic posted a notice announcing that the convention would not be happening.
"We put all of this into it, and now we're not able to go, was definitely really frustrating," said Ben Parker, who had been planning to go to the convention and had bought passes.
Parker feels they were nearly robbed of $1,400. They and their mom each paid $500 for the main event, and another $200 per person for the meet-and-greet.
"It's frustrating because they ran all of these sales in the last two weeks," Parker said, "and it was like, 'Oh, you weren't running sales for us. You were running sales to collect more money.'"
It was eight days before the convention was set to take place at Navy Pier that Epic posted the following message online:
"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."
"Do you understand how many people that you let down?" Parker said.
Parker has been to a previous convention in Virginia.
But red flags went up when the PayPal account they paid said "Anna Owen" and "Alexis Arnold," instead of "Epic Con." Parker said the receipt soon switched to "Epic Events and Entertainment."
"That should have been a red flag for a lot of us," Parker said.
At the same time, Epic Events and Entertainment has been named in two lawsuits.
One of the lawsuits filed by Kash Advance LLC states, "There remains a balance due of more than 611 thousand dollars plus interest, costs, and disbursements."
CBS News Chicago has not been able to reach anyone with the company for comment on the lawsuits or the convention cancellation.
"It's not unforeseen when it was something that they definitely were aware of," Parker said.
CBS News Chicago also reached out to Navy Pier about the abrupt cancellation. It turned out Navy Pier officials found out about it through social media as well.
In a statement, Navy Pier said: "We have not been formally informed of the cancellation. Our team has reached out to show organizers for further comment and clarification, but have not received any updates on the future of the event this weekend and beyond."
Parker said they won't lose any money. PayPal will return what they spent on the tickets, and the hotel they booked has refunded the money for a room. They will also have a credit for a Southwest Airlines flight.
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