(From a press release.)
Attorney General Michelle Henry announced an agreement to resolve pending litigation against Easton-based Great Conventions LLC and its owner, Christopher Wertz. Under the terms of the agreement, consumers who purchased tickets to the Great Philadelphia ComicCon event — originally scheduled for 2020 — may be eligible to receive refunds.
Great Conventions organized the event to be held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center from April 4-6, 2020. After repeatedly rescheduling the event due to COVID-19 restrictions, Great Conventions canceled the event in March 2021.
In November 2021, the Office of Attorney General filed suit against Great Conventions and owner Wertz, alleging that they violated the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law by failing to either reschedule the convention or give consumers their money back.
“If an event is canceled, ticket holders deserve their money back, plain and simple,” Attorney General Henry said. “These defendants thought they could skirt the law by postponing the event as long as possible to hold on to the money they made from ticket sales.”
Under the terms of the consent petition, defendants will pay $20,000 in restitution to be distributed to consumers who purchased tickets to the event and have filed complaints with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Great Conventions LLC will also be permanently prevented from operating and/or selling tickets to conventions or other public events in Pennsylvania, and any practices that further violate the Consumer Protection Law.
To be considered for restitution, consumers should file a consumer complaint form before May 10, 2024, and attach a copy of their receipt showing they purchased a ticket to the event. Consumers may file a complaint or contact the Bureau of Consumer Protection or at 800-441-2555.
The Consent Petition was filed in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas by Senior Deputy Attorney General Debra Djupman Warring.
