Complaint Review: Joonbug Productions - NY New York

Best View of the Ball Drop Live- Kiars! Scam artists!

Started with trying to pick up our tickets...not notified of new pick up address for tickets as were about 20 people from Australia, all at the same address thinking we have been scammed! Wasted 4 hours of my holiday time tracking down the right pick up  location.

Upon picking up my tickets I am furious and ask for the manager. Audrey Gabel, CEO's wife informs me one of my tickets is incorrect wants me to pay for tickets all over again & then she will refund me back, like yeah how stupid does she think I am, I refused, anyway had no money left (nearing the end of a month long holiday). She eventually reprints one ticket to correct mistake, one ticket VIP 21+ one ticket VIP under 21

On NYE 2012 we wait in line out front of AMC theatre one hour earlier in the VIP line. Security guards yell and scream at everyone to make sure that VIP are in ONE line and General Admission in another line,then coz the line is just too long & snaking up & down the side walk they scream for the VIP line to get in one line as we are taking up too much room on sidewalk. All the people at the END of the line get pushed IN FRONT of all of us people who had been waiting for over an hour, complain to security, they do NOT care!

Doors were to  SUPPOSSED to open at 7pm, Doors opened at 7.45pm. My daughter was busting to use the bathroom by 7pm were denied access, told to go to Appelbys, Appelbys refused entry said AMC could not refuse use of bathroom IF you have a ticket, she is literally about to wet her pants!

Kim-Events Manager comes to the front door to deal with a very angry guest (were quite a few already)and I move forward and interrupt her and ask her if she knows Audrey, CEOS wife. This gets her attention, I beg for my daughter to use the bathroom, she checks our tickets and wristbands and keeps our tickets and she so nicely lets us in time was 7.40, she went to the bathroom immediately.

We go back down to ground level where the Joonbug staff are including Kim. Show my ID, get checked in and I get back my ticket stubbs, I take this opportunity to complain to Kim about the not good start from days ago trying to get my tickets, to the line being stuffed up, to the security guards, to the fact my daughter can't use the bathroom after having to wait and extra 45 min AFTER our supposed entry time and the fact that the whole event being badly organised. Kim at this stage was polite, apologised and explained that they had many problems with staff not knowing what they were doing this was why there was such a long delay of everyone being allowed to enter.

We make our way up to level 6,VIP only floor, a lot of people there already quite crowded. We want to watch a movie at 9pm, my daughter goes in and gets us seats, I wait in the line for food for myself from approx 8.15pm, food kept running out, when I finally got near the tables, all that was left was cheese, crackers etc. As I was waiting I spoke to people in the line as you do when you are standing around doing nothing and had a young couple bragging to me, showing me their red ID bracelet, telling me how they paid GA and are supposed to be on the 4th floor and no one checked their bracelet and how cool is it, they only paid $75 and are getting free food, drinking spirits and "are gonna get onto the terrace later"

Gave up on the food, went and watched movie, missed the start due to waiting for food scraps until 9.20pm. When we came out of the movie at approx 10.30pm level 6 VIP exclusive area was a nightmare it looked like a packed nightclub! When trying to get through the crowd both my daughter and I were groped and hassled by very drunk men.

My daughter (17 years old) was feeling very scared and uneasy and wanted to leave all together already. The crowd around the doors to go onto the terrace was ridiculous, especially as there were already a lot of VIP people already on the terrace, most of these people around the doors were trying to get onto the terrace, they were obviously NOT VIP guests, they were general admission guests.

Eventually found Kim- Manager, spoke to her told her my concerns, she was rude, but she did agree in the end to my request to get us escorted through the crowd and onto the terrace safely.

NYPD security guy escorted my daughter and I right back up to the 6th floor terrace and  eventuallu pushed through the large crowd that were blocking the door ways to get us safely onto the terrace that was approx 11.30pm

The crowd outside the doors to the 6th floor VIP access terrace was getting louder and giving all the security people a hard time,they were all pushing forward, several people snuck in right behind or under the security guards noses,

Just before midnight the large crowd around the doors leading to the terrace PUSHED THROUGH the security guards and more than 50 people were able to run on to the terrace and watched the ball drop live for FREE!! Pushing through and bowling people over in the process and definitely pushing into people, knocking a women security lady to the ground! As soon as the ball dropped we waited for the crowds to die down so we could safely GET OUT

I spent over $20k coming to the US for this holiday, NYE in NY at the AMC theatre was supposed to be our highlight, it was the lowest moment of our month long holiday and really ruined NYC for us. I did not get VIP access to a VIP ONLY 6th level floor, I did not get a VIP area that was exclusive and was monitored by security staff to prevent non-VIP ticket holders from accessing these areas

This information on what I would get for my money for a "Best View of The Ball Drop Live" VIP access was false and misleading, I have been trying since then to get a full refund. I have made so many phone calls to Joonbug, CEO etc and written so many emails etc and they have rebuttled the most pathetic excuses and lies its really a joke, they are a pathetic excuse for a company and they should not be trading! I have submitted a complaint to the NYC consumer affairs, they agree with my claims and tried to contact and get a response from the CEO Jon Gabel and has not recieved anything!

They have advised me to take them to court, but since we live overseas i need to find someone to lodge it for us on our behalf, I am not giving up! They cant get away with ripping people off, they just dont care, I just wish I researched it more on this site and trip advisor etc, as I have now read so many different complaints about them its not funny! Its not that much money, Im not doing this for the money, I am going to fight them some how for the principle of the matter!