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[Bigwig]

Subject: booking confirmation required for for visas for russian furs

Yes, the issue was filed to those anounced EF channels, giving one example:

2012-05-09 @ vice-chairman@eurofurence.org : request about hotel confirmation
2012-05-16 @ chairman@eurofurence.org : - the same -
2012-05-23 @ reg@eurofurence.org and travel@eurofurence.org : - the same -

and all they get for over 3 weeks are automated ticket responses. These guys
need it, they do have dates with embassy to present their papers, they cannot
shift it, that are deadlines threatening visas killing whole vacation trips not just
EF. That is not a hotel for the first night, they DO need to present confirmation
on request for the whole period of the trip.

They have paid timely and now are let down by letting their request starve in
long queues. You did not even ask for timelines or offer it to be addressed until
a certain date: How can you let it happen? 3 of the guys are actually friends of
mine but it affects almost 30 from russia.

Please DO something now!!!  


Sample of the paper content required:

Confirmation

Dear Sirs and Madam,

Eurofurence is the biggest European furry convention and (as of 2006) the longest standing one still active. It
was founded in 1995, and Eurofurence 17 in Magdeburg, Germany saw more than 970 attendees.
Eurofurence 18 will be held from August, <x>th till September <y>th at the Maritim Hotel Magdeburg, Germany with
approximately 1100 Attendees from all over the world.

I hereby confirm for visa matters, that Mr. <Firstname> <Sirname>, <Country>, <Zip-Code> <City>,
registered for Eurofurence Attendance with Registration Number <n> as a Guest staying from August <x>th till
September <y>th. The Membership of Eurofurence Convention was fully confirmed with his payment by January
<z>th to our paypal account.

Please hand him out the Visa to Germany.
Yours
<RL name EF-Official>  <signature>
Eurofurence Accounting Director

[Wawik]

I'd like to add that it totally not helps sending requests in duplicate and triplicate.

Besides, these people knew already that they'd need the documents when they were registering, so why do I still see them pouring into the ticket queue now, months after the convention is booked out solid? 

[Bigwig]

I am talking for those which have already a ticket please do not mix up cases to obfuscate a clear view.
Regarding your typical cynical answers this quite neutral comment makes me hope you see the problem.

Fine, now next in line, anyone who can actually solve it and give those guys a valid timeline? Something different
from "trust an anonymous system someone will deal with it someday and hope it is not too late when he does?!

[Wawik]

I am talking for those which have already a ticket please do not mix up cases to obfuscate a clear view.

Okay, you've claimed the following action was taken, so a little breakdown if you like -

2012-05-09 @ vice-chairman@eurofurence.org : request about hotel confirmation
2012-05-16 @ chairman@eurofurence.org : - the same -
2012-05-23 @ reg@eurofurence.org and travel@eurofurence.org : - the same -

This generates four individual tickets. Three of them are in roles that can not help you.

Therefore, this does not speed up process. The only appropriate address that handles these requests is reg@eurofurence.org, while the others will either a) close the ticket because of an obvious duplicate request or b) forward the ticket to the reg queue.

I've had two people pop up in the travel queue today (which I handle). These TWO people opened a total of TWELVE tickets in the ticket system since they each sent their email twice to three different recepients. Of these twelve tickets, ten are completely unneccessary.

Fine, now next in line, anyone who can actually solve it and give those guys a valid timeline? Something different
from "trust an anonymous system someone will deal with it someday and hope it is not too late when he does?!

Everything that has been sent to reg@eurofurence.org at some point will get a confirmation from the registration manager. And since he's a volunteer who is doing that work unpaid in his free time, it may well take a while. Additional moaning, opening of unneccessary request tickets etc. will not speed that up.

(And on a personal note, when I see people writing that they have registered in *January* and now decide to apply for a visa in *June*, I can just laugh.... it's ultimately their problem if they need half a year to get that sorted out.)

[Bigwig]

- you've choosen deliberately a "way" of organizing a convention. you are not slave to the system. If one person
  cannot do it assign the task to a second. If this raises costs people depending it are certainly willing to pay.

- if you suddenly need 6 months for confirmation of hotels - says so somewhere. It worked better the years before.
  Noone could expect this would become a problem this year.

- your permanent laughs on other people problems is what makes you so little sympathetic to me.
  I don't understand why people like you post here only in a destructive manner.

[o'wolf]

Bigwig. Seriously. We are a volunteer organization, not a travel agency. Furthermore, the letter of confirmation needs to be signed by a member of the board, otherwise it likely won't be accepted by German visa authorities. We cannot just let it someone else do. Sending multiple e-mails with the same content just increases the amount of time required to sort things out. Time that could better be used to actually answer requests.

As this thread degraded to bickering I'm closing it.