Sams club registering

[Smokin Mike]

How do you sign up your team tonight?

Thanks, I could not figure it out.

[JD McGee]

Here ya go... http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124317 Good luck! :thumb:

[Jeff_in_KC]

Great! KCBS site is crashed. I can't load it. Anyone else having the same problem?

[jrbBBQ]

can't load it either, I've been trying for 10 minutes

[Leatherheadiowa]

Yep, I picked my contest, and OOOPS!:tsk:

[Q Haven]

Me too. Looks like the countdown has restarted.

[GQue]

Me too cant do anything - however I saw the main screen where it looks like some folks are getting through

[quarters69]

Also crashed for me. Won't do anything.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Meat@Slim's]

Slim's is in! Jersey!

[DawgPhan]

http://kcbs.us/sams-club-series-register.php?id=xx

where xx is the id of your event gets you to the registration page.

marietta is 41

[Mornin' Wood]

Signed up!!

[Dan - 3eyzbbq]

Well this is fun....

[Ron_L]

I got in and when I tried to register it told me that my member name or number has already registered???

[Fat Freddy]

Wont load for me, I wonder if it is because of a lot of people on right now?? I know I have had issues with several sites today Brethren(which has been talked about in another thread) pelletheads, this Sams sign up, and accuweather earlier.

[Leatherheadiowa]

I had two Ipads and my desktop all trying and SHAZAM, I'm in, paid, and all set!

[dmprantz]

I got the same thing as Run. All Messed up!

[afreemaniii]

I entered my team information, then the site timed out before I was asked to pay. I went back to start over and got a message that my team name or member number has already been registered. I don't know if I'll get an email to pay or if I'll be able to call the office tomorrow, but I hope my team gets into the contest 5 minutes from my house.

Update-I got screwed. There was one team registered when I went through the previous steps and after calling the 800 number on the site I was told that I wasn't registered. By the time I got back through, the contest was full. What a crock of ****. Two damn years in a row we've been screwed out of competing in our hometown by ****ty technology. Here's an idea for the KCBS, get a website that can handle the traffic this is going to generate. What a joke. Woodbury, MN here we come again. This pisses me off beyond all measure.

[dmprantz]

I'm wondering if they didn't clear the database from last year....

[DawgPhan]

I got in and when I tried to register it told me that my member name or number has already registered???


yep got that error message as well.

[dmprantz]

Got in finally

[Sledneck]

I think im in?

[ique]

A bit slow but I got signed up for Medford NY

[daveinwestmont]

The site is a mess!!! to much traffic

[Muzzlebrake]

I got in and when I tried to register it told me that my member name or number has already registered???

me too:crazy:

[dmprantz]

Paid!

[scm1226]

Smokin' Irish BBQ is in for medford!!!

[luckyduk]

good to go......no problems here except I forgot my paypal password and had to redo that

[Ron_L]

I tried again and on the fourth try I was successful for Madison, WI! Not sure what was going on the first three times.

[ibrisky]

I had two Ipads and my desktop all trying and SHAZAM, I'm in, paid, and all set!

Did you get a confirmation, I registered and paid as well but didn't get a confirmation

[Mornin' Wood]

....

[SCSmoke]

Just got my confirmation email. See some of you in Madison WI:grin:

[Sledneck]

how do i
pay?

[GQue]

Got in....Keep trying...eventually you will get through

that's about all I have to say about that (in forest gump voice)

[Ron_L]

I posted the issue on the KCBS FB page and they responded a minute later that they think they took care of the problem, and they did :-D Can't complain about that service.

[Sledneck]

i keep getting the already submitted thing

[BBQ Nuts]

Just got in for Laurel!

[3hmbbq]

2 computers and an ipad and finally got through. See you in Madison Captain Ron!

[hogzgonewild]

I got in and paid!!!! See you guys in Bentonville after we take Marietta! ;)

Did anyone get a confirmation email from KCBS or just payment email from paypal?

HogzGoneWild

[SeaDogBBQ]

Well this is fun..... Dan are you in with Laurel? We got in woohooo!

[Squeeze]

my iPhone was the only thing that was able to get through....it worked. In and paid for Huntsville, AL.

[worthsmokin]

Took me awhile, but finally got in to Des Moines, IA

[Brew-B-Q]

I got a confirmation from paypal, and then kcbs a few minutes later.

[mobow]

I'm in for DES Moines. Keith

[Muzzlebrake]

"Big Guns BBQ

This email is to confirm that you have registered and confirmed your position in the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour event in Pleasantville, NJ on August 25, 2012.

For the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Rules and Regulations click here.

Good Luck in Pleasantville!"

[afreemaniii]

I tried again and on the fourth try I was successful for Madison, WI! Not sure what was going on the first three times.

Lucky you Ron. I tried for Madison over and over again and it never went through. After that contest was full I switched to the Woodbury contest and everything went through like lightning. This system is complete crap.

Maybe it would make more sense to stagger each region. Have each region 1 open at 8:00 est, then region 2 at 8:30, region 3 at 9:00, and so on.

[Bob S]

Blazin' Buttz is in for Medford, NY!

[Logjammin]

You would think they'd be prepared for this based on last year's traffic.

Either way I managed to get us registered. See you all in Madison, WI!

[Cue's Your Daddy]

we got in. wow that was frustrating.

[roksmith]

Brutus and Company is in for Canton...wow that was fun this year

[daveinwestmont]

THIS WAS HORRIBLE!!! ON WAITING LIST FOR MADISON BECAUSE THE SITE WAS JAMMED WITH TRAFFIC!!!!!!!!! This was poorly designed!!! The web site servers are obviously undersized for the traffic that hit it. They should have staggered the regions either by hour or night so everyone wasn't tripping over eachother trying to get signed in. I started pinging the site at 7:30 Eastern and it was already slow by then. :mad2::mad2:

[Dan - 3eyzbbq]

. Dan are you in with Laurel? We got in woohooo!


Yea, after 25 minutes.....

[roksmith]

why in the world they don't host the signup on another site I'll never understand

[Sauced!]

I got the already registered message the first time i entered my info. they must not have cleared the database from last year. 2nd time i went through it worked and took me to paypal. All paid up and in for Greensboro.

[jrbBBQ]

I had my team name, number, e-mail entered for lenexa when it showed 11 teams registered, and then the screen went white, no e-mail or anything. I don't know what happened

[Sylvie]

Computer kept timing out and took quite a while to finally reload. I am in and confirmed for San Diego. Not many teams confirmed for Region 1 compared to the other regions.
Lady of Q

[Sledneck]

how the **** does this work?

[Sledneck]

If im already registered where do i pay?

[kihrer]

It says my number is already registered but I never received a confirmation or a way to pay. Does that come through email?

[mjl]

Um...isn't there a KCBS technology committee?

[TTNuge]

Butts, MAK n Que is registered and paid for the Woodbury, MN contest!

[daveinwestmont]

how the **** does this work?

ANSWER; not very well!!!!

[Smoke'n Ice]

That was brutal. I'm on FIOS and after multiple timeouts, started to register, registered, went to pay, time out, tried again, registested, tried to pay, timed out, again rigistered, and then paid but no return, time out. They took my money. Finally, got an email In for Dallas.

The new board has some very good and savy it types, work on this PLEASE!!!

[Dan - 3eyzbbq]

If im already registered where do i pay?

There is a link once you register to pay via paypal.

[Ron_L]

I received the success page at KCBS and the Paypal receipt, but no e-mail from KCBS yet. I hope that I'm really in.

[kihrer]

! The member number or team name submitted has already been registered. You can only register for one event.

How do you pay???

[Coz]

Well after 27 minutes of trying to get in so we are on the wait list.I would surely hope with the new board thats coming in that the comp affiliated folks would see if this can be improved.

[Muzzlebrake]

If im already registered where do i pay?

after I clicked register, it took me to Paypal. I paid there

[quarters69]

Done. Paid up and ready to go.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kihrer]

after I clicked register, it took me to Paypal. I paid there

Thanks. That did not happen for me and now I think I may be screwed.

[Sledneck]

after I clicked register, it took me to Paypal. I paid there

no getting that option, all it keeps saying is im already registered

[jrbBBQ]

well, I just call kcbs... guess I didn't get it.... f'n bs website.. they KNEW they were gonna have this kind of traffic... sorry i'm just a little bitter

[kihrer]

Every time I call the 800 number it says please enter the area code and phone number.

[Sledneck]

they confirmed im in for medford, they said to call tomorrow to fix payment option

[SmokeInDaEye]

Done. 1 of 3 contests for 2012.

[Muzzlebrake]

they confirmed im in for medford, they said to call tomorrow to fix payment option

Sweet!

Good Luck, remember babybacks never win in the northeast

[Harbormaster]

I'm sure this is gonna go over like a fart in church with some of y'all but we're confirmed in Madison.

[This Is How We Que It]

Great! KCBS site is crashed. I can't load it. Anyone else having the same problem?

Uh ya!!!!

[Ron_L]

Every time I call the 800 number it says please enter the area code and phone number.

they are monitoring their FB page, Ken. Post on there and they'll respond.

[kihrer]

Wow! What a royal pain. I finally got through on the 800 number and was able to pay by phone. I am in for New Jersey.

[Divemaster]

I got in and when I tried to register it told me that my member name or number has already registered???

yep got that error message as well.

We got the same message so I removed the space in our name and it worked. My guess is that they are combining both this and last years DB and that tells me they didn't test it for chit!

I received the success page at KCBS and the Paypal receipt, but no e-mail from KCBS yet. I hope that I'm really in.
I got my confirmation email from paypal and then 22 minutes later it got the one from KCBS.

Looks like we are going to Madison!

I can't find the 800 number... Can some one pass it on so I can get the team name corrected?

Got the number, Thanks Ron!!!!

[Captain P.J.]

We are all registered and paid for the comp in Woodbury,MN. Hope to meet some new friends there!

[kihrer]

we got the same message so i removed the space in our name and it worked. My guess is that they are combining both this and last years db and that tells me they didn't test it for chit!


I got my confirmation email from paypal and then 22 minutes later it got the one from kcbs.

Looks like we are going to madison!

I can't find the 800 number... Can some one pass it on so i can get the team name corrected?

1-800-963-5227

[BBQchef33]

james and I loaded up with 5 computers running... we got in the first minute........checked in and it said 1 registered, 1 confirmed, and we had the confirmation in my mailbox.

:)
im a geek.

[kihrer]

For those of you who got the "already registered" message did you try submitting prior and receive a timeout. That is what happened to me but it actually submitted. I didn't make it to the pay page but when I finally got through on the 800 number I was registered. I then paid over the phone to confirm. So, if it says you are already registered, you probably are.

[timzcardz]

Grim Reaper Smokers are in for Medford!

[jelser]

I believe you have 48 hours to pay
from the KCBS Facebook page

The Kansas City Barbeque Society (http://www.facebook.com/KansasCityBarbequeSociety) ‎Kimberly A Stull Green (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1226944026) payment does not have to be remitted until 48 hours from now. Try paying tomorrow. Fred Nevill (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1572637859) Chad Thompson (http://www.facebook.com/cthompson.fb) looking into it, keep trying until.

[Nordy]

Dr. Nordy's BBQ - Registered in Midwest City...

Events like this are never scaled adequately... from KCBS up to apple with iphone/ipad launches...

[Divemaster]

For those of you who got the "already registered" message did you try submitting prior and receive a timeout. That is what happened to me but it actually submitted. I didn't make it to the pay page but when I finally got through on the 800 number I was registered. I then paid over the phone to confirm. So, if it says you are already registered, you probably are.

Nope it was our first time in when we got the message.

I'm trying to call the 800 number to correct our team name but it's still busy.:doh:

[Trucky1008]

We tried to get registered for Madison and were told it was already full, so they put us on a waiting list, but not by our choice. By putting us on a waiting list they refused to let us attempt to register for an event that still had openings. DesMoines was our next choice and it had openings for quite a while but we couldn't register! You should not be considered registered until it has been confirmed. Very poor registration process! And of course they didn't answer their 800 number.

[Coz]

I'm sure this is gonna go over like a fart in church with some of y'all but we're confirmed in Madison.

Ifn I was you I wouldnt close my eyes tonite.:mad::mad2::mad2:

[trucky9754]

Well this was a total pain in my butt. I tried to get into the Madison event. I was waiting for the countdown to end and as soon as the registration came up, I clicked on the list and noticed there were already 7 teams registered and I believe 5 confirmed. It would have been impossible for all this to happen. It was less than a minute when I got in. Something smell and it ain't bbq. So I finally got registred but was put on the waiting list. Now I can't even try and get into a different event. I checked the rules and it clearly states the following. "Once 30 teams are confirmed, 10 teams will be allowed to sign up for a waiting list." Well I just checked and there still are not 30 teams confirmed. So I tried to register to another event and was told I couldn't register for a second event. I am on the waiting list, I wasn't asked to be put on the waiting list I was just thrown there. This is a horrible way to run a registration process. Guess I won't be doing the Sam's Event this year.

[kihrer]

We tried to get registered for Madison and were told it was already full, so they put us on a waiting list, but not by our choice. By putting us on a waiting list they refused to let us attempt to register for an event that still had openings. DesMoines was our next choice and it had openings for quite a while but we couldn't register! You should not be considered registered until it has been confirmed. Very poor registration process! And of course they didn't answer their 800 number.


Go to their facebook page and see if you can get removed from the wait list.

[dmprantz]

The forced waitlist thing sucks. My advice, post it on the KCBS facebook page. Some one may be able to take your team off the waitlist.

[Divemaster]

Well this was a total pain in my butt. I tried to get into the Madison event. I was waiting for the countdown to end and as soon as the registration came up, I clicked on the list and noticed there were already 7 teams registered and I believe 5 confirmed. It would have been impossible for all this to happen. It was less than a minute when I got in. Something smell and it ain't bbq. So I finally got registred but was put on the waiting list. Now I can't even try and get into a different event. I checked the rules and it clearly states the following. "Once 30 teams are confirmed, 10 teams will be allowed to sign up for a waiting list." Well I just checked and there still are not 30 teams confirmed. So I tried to register to another event and was told I couldn't register for a second event. I am on the waiting list, I wasn't asked to be put on the waiting list I was just thrown there. This is a horrible way to run a registration process. Guess I won't be doing the Sam's Event this year.

We had two computers going with multi tabs and the count down was almost 30 seconds difference between the clocks.

[Red Valley BBQ]

After the troubles they had last year, one would think that someone at the brain trust that is the KCBS would have figured out that having each region register on a different day would alleviate the trouble with the website server.

[kihrer]

The forced waitlist thing sucks. My advice, post it on the KCBS facebook page. Some one may be able to take your team off the waitlist.

I just read on the Facebook page where they want you to call KCBS. I guess that makes sense since the person doesn't know for sure that it is you asking to be removed. At least over the phone they ask me for personal info to verify who I was.

[Divemaster]

Well, I'm guessing that they are still having problems because now when I call I'm getting their voice mail....

[Trucky1008]

Well, I'm guessing that they are still having problems because now when I call I'm getting their voice mail....

That's the problem that we had, called the 800 number to try and get off the waitlist and it went to voicemail every time. How were we supposed to know that KCBS is handling alot of the inquiries on thier FB page, that certainly wasn't published anywhere.

[Ron_L]

I'm sure this is gonna go over like a fart in church with some of y'all but we're confirmed in Madison.

Umm... there's no farting in BBQ :-P

Well this was a total pain in my butt. I tried to get into the Madison event. I was waiting for the countdown to end and as soon as the registration came up, I clicked on the list and noticed there were already 7 teams registered and I believe 5 confirmed. It would have been impossible for all this to happen. It was less than a minute when I got in. Something smell and it ain't bbq. So I finally got registred but was put on the waiting list. Now I can't even try and get into a different event. I checked the rules and it clearly states the following. "Once 30 teams are confirmed, 10 teams will be allowed to sign up for a waiting list." Well I just checked and there still are not 30 teams confirmed. So I tried to register to another event and was told I couldn't register for a second event. I am on the waiting list, I wasn't asked to be put on the waiting list I was just thrown there. This is a horrible way to run a registration process. Guess I won't be doing the Sam's Event this year.

Sorry that you had issues, Don!

[Just Smokin' Around]

.....I was waiting for the countdown to end and as soon as the registration came up, I clicked on the list and noticed there were already 7 teams registered and I believe 5 confirmed. It would have been impossible for all this to happen. It was less than a minute when I got in. .....

I noticed while waiting that if you left the KCBS home page with the countdown and then went back, the clock was way off. So, I refreshed the page and the clock reset (and I watch the time on my computer). I got in right at 8 and didn't see any teams registered for any events. Even after I registered, I later hit the back button on my browser to go back to the home page and the countdown clock was telling me there were 3 minutes to go - this was after 9:00 EST. Sorry you go messed up. The site was slammed all at once.

[Baraboo Q]

Wow, that was stressfull!! Somehow it all worked out and we will see some of you in Madison, WI! There is certainly room for improvement with this process!

[Harbormaster]

Ifn I was you I wouldnt close my eyes tonite.:mad::mad2::mad2:
You have no idea how sh!tty I feel about this Coz.
The registration is terrible. I was on the registration page at 7:00 sharp, and I could not get a response when I clicked on team registration until after 7:15.
Refresh the page, time outs, connection lost. I have no idea how I wound up getting through the process.

[Ron_L]

That's the problem that we had, called the 800 number to try and get off the waitlist and it went to voicemail every time. How were we supposed to know that KCBS is handling alot of the inquiries on thier FB page, that certainly wasn't published anywhere.

I just took a chance on FB as a last resort. I posted here as soon as they responded to me.

[mjl]

You have no idea how sh!tty I feel about this Coz.
The registration is terrible. I was on the registration page at 7:00 sharp, and I could not get a response when I clicked on team registration until after 7:15.
Refresh the page, time outs, connection lost. I have no idea how I wound up getting through the process.


Don't feel bad. Bring some extra Maker's. We will bring our own chairs.

Matt

[Coz]

You have no idea how sh!tty I feel about this Coz.
The registration is terrible. I was on the registration page at 7:00 sharp, and I could not get a response when I clicked on team registration until after 7:15.
Refresh the page, time outs, connection lost. I have no idea how I wound up getting through the process.

Dont sweat it brother. We started trying to get on to the site at 10 to 7 and didnt get o there till 17 after. When we got the screw you your on the waiting list we tried others and couldnt because we were on the waitlist.By the time we saw others post you could get off the list anything we would have went to was full.

[Sticks-n-chicks]

Well that was fun, I was at the KC event last year and couldn't get in this year, was able to register then told....you already registered...onto Des Moines...

[dmprantz]

Imagine that. Between Tampa and Ocala, they have 31 teams after almost four hours. Good thing Florida got two so close together and Tennessee, which is in the same region, didn't get any. I mean, it took almost 30 minutes for Huntsville to fill up! I shouldn't complain too much. Huntsville was originally supposed to be in Savannah.

dmp

[Lion Bout The Q]

What a joke that was.. you would think they would be ready for it this year.. I couldn't even get their website to load for 12 minutes. we are out.

[RangerJ]

Weird..had no issues, registered in about 2 minutes.

Though I totally forgot about it until 1.5 hours after it began. Did not end up with first choice but in nonetheless.

[Brew-B-Q]

I was able to log in, register, and pay in no more than five minutes. It was slow, but not bad. I signed in to the KCBS site and I don't know if that made any difference. My team mate, who isn't KCBS member, experienced all of the timeout issues that others are talking about. I think the forced waitlist is very unfortunate.

[SCSmoke]

I was able to log in, register, and pay in no more than five minutes. It was slow, but not bad. I signed in to the KCBS site and I don't know if that made any difference. My team mate, who isn't KCBS member, experienced all of the timeout issues that others are talking about. I think the forced waitlist is very unfortunate.

I had the same experience. Sounds like we were some of the lucky ones. See you in Madison.

[Harbormaster]

I think the forced waitlist is very unfortunate.
I agree. A registrant should be given the option to be placed on the wait list or attempt to register for another location.

[Iamarealbigdog]

Two computers and a touchpad, Two screens on computer one with three tabs open and multiple refreash hits. One screen got throught the othere timed out.

The Black Pig BBQ will be in Southgate, Mi. Got our confirmation email from KCBS 8:10 think we were the second confirmed.


Mike

The Black Pig BBQ
London Ontario Canada

[Ron_L]

I agree. A registrant should be given the option to be placed on the wait list or attempt to register for another location.

I think it was just a matter of the timing and the level of activity. If you go to the schedule and click on Team Waitlist for an event now the registration page shows this message...

! 30 people have already registered for this event. You may still register for this event's waiting list, for a chance to participate in the event should a previous registrant fail to make payment.

With the flurry of activity last night its possible that someone was already on the registration page filling out the info when the 30th spot filled up and they never saw this message.

[dmprantz]

I agree. A registrant should be given the option to be placed on the wait list or attempt to register for another location.

I've thought about this over the last 12+ hours, but I'm a software developer, so that's what I do...think about software. It's not really unexpected to waitlist people. If you think that a comp can take 40 teams, and the first 30 can pay and become entered, the last 10 are waitlisted, but the process for getting on that list of 40 is the same. Then you think that under normal circumstances, a user will either click "Team Registration" or "Team Waitlist," go through the same flow and end up there. No real problem because teams get what they want.

The problem here arose because no one thought, "Hey, what if some one clicks on 'Team Registration,' but the event fills up before the process is completed?" I'll try to refrain from saying too much about the developer of this system, but race conditions and just in time corner cases like this are something I always try to handle correctly, while most developers I know just don't care and presume the odds of them happening are too low to matter. As we now know, it was quite possible and bad.

The worst part of this is that no one wrote in special logic to allow some one to register for one event while on the waitlist of another. Logically it should be allowed, but it's just not there:(

dmp

[ique]

Pretty simple way to solve the problem is to have a 48 hour enrollment window.

If more than 30 teams enroll for a contest, randomly pick the 30 teams from the enrolled pool.

[Jorge]

I'm fairly confident that this will be looked into. :wink:

[Ford]

25 contests. 13 still need teams. 9 need more than 10 teams. Everybody knows that a few hundred tried for Lenexa and only 30 get in. Time to move on, find another one.

A week in Florida with 75 temps sounds like a good idea for those northern teams.

What's up out west with nothing filling up? Pretty poor showing.

[SCSmoke]

Pretty simple way to solve the problem is to have a 48 hour enrollment window.

If more than 30 teams enroll for a contest, randomly pick the 30 teams from the enrolled pool.

This would make it hard for teams willing to travel to more than one contest location. For example I choose the contest closest to home first. If I wasn't able to get in that one I would have tried to sign up for the next closest contest. If it was a random drawing and I didn't get in the first choice I would be out completely (assuming the other contests filled up as well).

[Fat Freddy]

I believe you have 48 hours to pay
from the KCBS Facebook page

The Kansas City Barbeque Society (http://www.facebook.com/KansasCityBarbequeSociety) ‎Kimberly A Stull Green (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1226944026) payment does not have to be remitted until 48 hours from now. Try paying tomorrow. Fred Nevill (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1572637859) Chad Thompson (http://www.facebook.com/cthompson.fb) looking into it, keep trying until.

I got confused when I read my full name in someones post :confused: but I now realize that this must have been directly copied from the KCBS facebook site when I couldnt get in. I now realize that the system was just overloaded from too many people trying to get on at once and by the time I was able to get on my top 2 choices were gone. No biggie on my end. Iowa has 2 contests that same weekend all the same distance from me, so I will just do one of those instead and save $50.

[Jorge]

Pretty simple way to solve the problem is to have a 48 hour enrollment window.

If more than 30 teams enroll for a contest, randomly pick the 30 teams from the enrolled pool.

For the sake of discussion lets go with that to start.

I don't think that it's unreasonable to expect 60 teams to register for Lenexa. Everybody has the same 50/50 chance using your proposed system. that guarantees that half of them will be pissed off, and unable to enter another local until after the draw and their selection may be greatly reduced as other locals fill up.

I think it's apparent that there were one or more technical issues last night, and after those are addressed I'm not certain that your proposed system decreases the # of members that are less than pleased. It's something to consider, though.

It's been suggested multiple times that the various regions be staggered. That opens the door for complaints about which region is first, or which is last, which region was favored because of cook X....

Trust me, the ATT mail server I use probably choked on the volume of mail I had last night and I have some choice texts and voicemails to reflect on. :laugh: Some people were understandably pissed off, and others offered suggestions. I'll keep all of that in mind. I'm open to all ideas.

[ique]

Why should those with a faster internet connection - or internet savvy - get an advantage?

Simply have people enter 1st choice, 2nd Choice, 3rd Choice. Pull names out of a "hat" until all contest are filled.


For the sake of discussion lets go with that to start.

I don't think that it's unreasonable to expect 60 teams to register for Lenexa. Everybody has the same 50/50 chance using your proposed system. that guarantees that half of them will be pissed off, and unable to enter another local until after the draw and their selection may be greatly reduced as other locals fill up.

I think it's apparent that there were one or more technical issues last night, and after those are addressed I'm not certain that your proposed system decreases the # of members that are less than pleased. It's something to consider, though.

It's been suggested multiple times that the various regions be staggered. That opens the door for complaints about which region is first, or which is last, which region was favored because of cook X....

Trust me, the ATT mail server I use probably choked on the volume of mail I had last night and I have some choice texts and voicemails to reflect on. :laugh: Some people were understandably pissed off, and others offered suggestions. I'll keep all of that in mind. I'm open to all ideas.

[Muzzlebrake]

I didn't junk it was that bad, little slow and I had a moment of panic she. I got the "you are already registered" message but they fixed that pretty fast. It was certainly thought it was much easier than trying to get a concert ticket on Ticketmaster.

I think the waitlist thing could be improved, at the least you should have the option of being on it or not.

[DawgPhan]

Pretty simple way to solve the problem is to have a 48 hour enrollment window.

If more than 30 teams enroll for a contest, randomly pick the 30 teams from the enrolled pool.


I thought that you would be a old school mail order person and not a lottery person.

I say we make everyone mail in an index card with a money order.

[kihrer]

I am not sure how many servers they were using but it looked like they were using a third party behind the scenes (I can remember the name I saw during some of the connection process but I saw something other than kcbs.us). It would make sense for them to use a third party but even more sense if they used one that could ramp up to the demand. Let's face it, there were probably less than 2000 people trying to hit the site last night. That shouldn't be a problem unless they only had one server behind the scenes handling the traffic. The smart thing to do would to have contracted with a company that allows for server ramp up during critical times. One server may be plenty for normal operations but having the ability to bring on additional servers with load balancing during times like last night. I also agree with dmprantz that the software should know how to handle cases where the entry number hits 30 between the time you started your registration through when you hit submit. A nice message such as "entry list is now full. Do you want to go on the wait list or do you want to select another venue?" shouldn't be that difficult to implement. Hopefully it will improve next year.

[Jorge]

Why should those with a faster internet connection - or internet savvy - get an advantage?

Simply have people enter 1st choice, 2nd Choice, 3rd Choice. Pull names out of a "hat" until all contest are filled.

Fair thoughts. I'll keep that in mind, once I know what the technical issues were on the KCBS side. Based on what I've heard from members I suspect that I know what the issues are but am waiting to form an opinion until I have some facts.

One thing I will say is that everything I've been told, or read, is that the office staff handled every issue placed in front of them as quickly and efficiently as they could. They put in a long day, and in some cases dealt with some pretty excited members:becky: They deserve some recognition.

[Slamdunkpro]

It's been suggested multiple times that the various regions be staggered. That opens the door for complaints about which region is first, or which is last, which region was favored because of cook X....

The issue I see with the stagger approach is this: Let's say they do it by regional numerical order. I'm in Region 5 but my second choice event is in region 4. If I get shut out of my first choice it's too late to go back and try for my second since registration has been open in region 4 for some time.

Something else to consider as far as slow response times (before we light the torches). Yesterday was the SOPA protest and a number of large servers and switches were turned off. Internet response here was pretty crappy all day yesterday.

[Jorge]

Something else to consider as far as slow response times (before we light the torches). Yesterday was the SOPA protest and a number of large servers and switches were turned off. Internet response here was pretty crappy all day yesterday.

Already looking into that.

[dmprantz]

Tuesday night my wife told me she thought it would be a mad house with all the people. I said something to the effect of "I bet they learned their lesson last year and have servers in a CoLo facillity with an increased bandwidth agreement. Maybe even two facilities!" I would have lost that bet. I think Azure would have been just perfect for what they did last night.

dmp

[kihrer]

One thing I will say is that everything I've been told, or read, is that the office staff handled every issue placed in front of them as quickly and efficiently as they could. They put in a long day, and in some cases dealt with some pretty excited members:becky: They deserve some recognition.

Absolutely! The person I called on the phone was extremely kind and helpful. When I used Facebook to ask my status, the person responded quickly and answered my question. No complaints there on my part. I think the issues were technical and can be resolved for next year. I am sure that you will be most helpful in this effort. Thank you.

[Ron_L]

Trust me, the ATT mail server I use probably choked on the volume of mail I had last night and I have some choice texts and voicemails to reflect on. :laugh: Some people were understandably pissed off, and others offered suggestions. I'll keep all of that in mind. I'm open to all ideas.

I didn't even think of calling/e-mailing/texting you! :becky:

[afreemaniii]

I'm sure this is gonna go over like a fart in church with some of y'all but we're confirmed in Madison.

I only wish I had gotten in to go against you. I'll stop by and say hi and will probably have mjl in tow. Best of luck to you and all the others that are lucky enough to compete in this great city.

[JD McGee]

25 contests. 13 still need teams. 9 need more than 10 teams. Everybody knows that a few hundred tried for Lenexa and only 30 get in. Time to move on, find another one.

A week in Florida with 75 temps sounds like a good idea for those northern teams.

What's up out west with nothing filling up? Pretty poor showing.

We were considering signing up but the projected gas prices ($5 gallon) and work obligations will keep us close to home...besides...the closest local for us PNW folks is Salt Lake City...:cool:

[Harbormaster]

I only wish I had gotten in to go against you. I'll stop by and say hi and will probably have mjl in tow. Best of luck to you and all the others that are lucky enough to compete in this great city.
Thanks Aubrey. I wanted to get in to Madison in hopes of you and Coz being there, so I could compete against you guys. I was really looking forward to that and am truly disappointed it won't happen.
You will most certainly be welcome at our pit.

[Rich Parker]

I am not sure how many servers they were using but it looked like they were using a third party behind the scenes (I can remember the name I saw during some of the connection process but I saw something other than kcbs.us). It would make sense for them to use a third party but even more sense if they used one that could ramp up to the demand. Let's face it, there were probably less than 2000 people trying to hit the site last night. That shouldn't be a problem unless they only had one server behind the scenes handling the traffic. The smart thing to do would to have contracted with a company that allows for server ramp up during critical times. One server may be plenty for normal operations but having the ability to bring on additional servers with load balancing during times like last night. I also agree with dmprantz that the software should know how to handle cases where the entry number hits 30 between the time you started your registration through when you hit submit. A nice message such as "entry list is now full. Do you want to go on the wait list or do you want to select another venue?" shouldn't be that difficult to implement. Hopefully it will improve next year.

I kept seeing MMACreative.com but that could have been anything slow to load on the page.

[YankeeBBQ]

I got the "you are already registered" message but they fixed that pretty fast.

Pretty fast was probably fine for events in NY and NJ that aren't even full yet but I'm Sure Lenexa and Huntsville filled up in the first 5 to 10 minutes of registration. Any delay in being able to register for those events was the difference between getting in or not.

[CMALANGA]

No problems registering. Bad Ass will be in Medford.

[timzcardz]

Thanks Aubrey. I wanted to get in to Madison in hopes of you and Coz being there, so I could compete against you guys. I was really looking forward to that and am truly disappointed it won't happen.
You will most certainly be welcome at our pit.


I would recommend against this, as it could result in a DQ for both of you.

Refer to rule 5.


5. Teams are allowed to register for only one local qualifier. In the spirit of fairness, teams are not allowed to compete in more than one local qualifier. A team’s head cook and team members cannot enter the assigned cooking area of another team at another Sam’s Club contest.If it is determined that a head cook or team member is abusing this rule, both teams will be disqualified.

[kihrer]

I kept seeing MMACreative.com but that could have been anything slow to load on the page.

Thanks. That was the company that I saw, too. Here is what Bloomberg says about the ad agency:

It offers Web interactive services, such as Web graphics and site construction, Web content management systems, custom dynamic Web applications, interactive/multimedia development, search engine strategy, email list management, and hosting and domain name registration.

Not sure what all KCBS uses them for but they probably were responsible for that registration site.

[dmprantz]

Pretty fast was probably fine for events in NY and NJ that aren't even full yet but I'm Sure Lenexa and Huntsville filled up in the first 5 to 10 minutes of registration. Any delay in being able to register for those events was the difference between getting in or not.

For what it's worth, I started trying to register for Huntsville at 19:00 on the dot, dealt with poor performance, and got the already registered error. The error went away and I was registered by 19:11. I was the eleventh team to register for that event. By 19:26 when I checked again, Huntsville was full. I think that the error sucked, but I do appreciate how quickly they got it resolved. Did not affect us in the end.

dmp

[dmprantz]

Not sure what all KCBS uses them for but they probably were responsible for that registration site.

MMA is KCBS' marketing team. They sell merchandise, organize programs, and are some-what in charge of the Sam's Club series, along with WalMart's marketing team. MMA is also responsible for the KCBS.us website, and I would bet for the Sam's Club registration process.

dmp

[Trucky1008]

One thing I will say is that everything I've been told, or read, is that the office staff handled every issue placed in front of them as quickly and efficiently as they could.


The key to your statement is "every issue placed in front of them". The problem was getting the issue to them! When we were forced on the waitlist we tried calling the KCBS 800 number over 10 times and all we got was either busy signal or voicemail. We were not able to reach any live person. It wasn't until I logged onto this site that I learned via a post by Ron that KCBS was responding to issues on their Facebook page. Although I do use FB I'm not there everyday and would have never thought to check that page for immediate assistance from KCBS. If they were planning on using FB for problems relating to registrations they should have made that clear up front. As it turned out we didn't find out about FB until our 2nd choice had already filled up and the next closest available contest was too far away. Our second choice was DesMoines and it remained open for at least 40 minutes, we would have been able to register for that event had we been able to get off the wait list.

[dmprantz]

VERY IMPORTANT If you had issues registering, please go to the following URL:

http://www.kcbs.us/news.php?id=450

[Trucky1008]

The real issue I have is how teams were placed on the waitlist. Here is an excerpt from their rules and regulations:

2. All local qualifiers are limited to 30 teams and registration will be on a first-come basis. Once 30 teams are confirmed, 10 teams will be allowed to sign up for a waiting list.

We were not "allowed to sign up for a waiting list", the system forced us on this list, thus preventing us from registering for any other contest. That needs to be changed for future registrations.

I guess the good news is we're the very first team on the waiting list. Here's to hoping somebody drops out!! :heh:

[mcbrew13]

What's up out west with nothing filling up? Pretty poor showing.

I know in CO there is an existing contest in Nebraska that alot of CO teams go to. However, I am surprised to see that Thornton still isn't full. Oh well, I will be there.

[Smoke Ring]

Please read this thread for an explanation of what happened last night.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124392

Garry

[afreemaniii]

I would recommend against this, as it could result in a DQ for both of you.

Refer to rule 5.


Thanks for pointing that out. That is a heck of a rule and a good way to limit one of the big reasons I do BBQ, hanging out with other cooks. I understand the rule and why it's there, but the unintended consequences are steep.
We'll be sure to stay outside of their area in the common traffic way.

[RangerJ]

I'll risk the DQ.

If I see someone I know, I'll go where I'm comfortable, pit area, RV, whatever.

Its Fricking BBQ....

[Jorge]

I'll risk the DQ.

If I see someone I know, I'll go where I'm comfortable, pit area, RV, whatever.

Its Fricking BBQ....

I could sound off, but I'm not a bullet magnet:laugh: I'll give that guy a call:becky:

[kihrer]

I would recommend against this, as it could result in a DQ for both of you.

Refer to rule 5.

I am pretty sure that this applies to different contests. If you and I are cooking at the same Sam's event then we can go in each others areas. If I am cooking in NJ and you in MD on a different date then I can't hang in your area if I were to visit the MD contest. This was put in place to prevent a cook from entering more than one contest by using their spouse or friend to get them a second entry while all along being the cook at two different contests under different names. Now if your guest is a cook but hasn't registered for any of the Sam's events he can help you or visit you all he wants.

[Ron_L]

This was posted on Facebook a bit ago... Good news for those who are on a waiting list and want to move to an open local.

Your feedback regarding the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour registration has helped us try to improve the registration process. In an effort to improve the current waiting list system for local event registration, teams are now able to remove themselves from a previous waiting list when they attempt to register for a new event that has open positions.

Simply click on the local event that is open, fill-in the required fields and agree to the on-screen prompt that will ask you if you wish to register for the new event. At that point you will be registered for the new event and removed from your previous waiting list.

If you would like to remain on your current waiting list in anticipation that a spot may become available, simply do nothing, you are on that waiting list.

Thank you again for your feedback.

[trucky9754]

This was posted on Facebook a bit ago... Good news for those who are on a waiting list and want to move to an open local.

Ron, I agree it's a good thing, but it's just a bit too late. The local we would have been able to go to is also now full. My biggest problem with the whole thing about being forced onto the waiting list is as follows. I don't have weekends off and currently work fulltime. I have to put in my vacation requests in the next few days for the entire year. According to the KCBS rules, if you compete in a local, the person who signed up must also be present for the regional and the national event if the team was lucky enough to move up. Which means if I still want to wait to get into the Madison contest, I have to put in vacation requests for the Madison date, then the regional date in Rockford and then the National contest date. Had we been able to sign up for the other local event in Des Moine, Ia. I would have been able to put in for those dates with confident. Now I have to put in for the dates for the Madison contest hoping one of the teams bows out. If it doesn't and we don't get signed up into this contest, well I just wasted 6 of my vacation days. :mad:

[Harbormaster]

Refer to rule 5.
Thanks Tim. I read the entire rule sheet before I posted that, and as soon as you posted I remembered it.

Guess I'll just bring some snow fencing to keep those damn dishonest BBQ cooks out of my pit area.

[BC Squared]

KCB$ really blew it....again. Time for a new association to stand up and show them how to treat customers.

[timzcardz]

KCB$ really blew it....again. Time for a new association to stand up and show them how to treat customers.

You've piqued my curiosity.

Did you vote in the elections last week?

The election has brought some new blood to the board and time will tell if they can effect improvements.

[Ron_L]

I noticed that there are a lot of spots that are still not confirmed. For example, Baton Rouge shows 27 registered but only 23 confirmed. Almost every local has some still not confirmed. Everyone knows that you have to contact the KCBS office within 48 hours to pay, right? After all of the issues getting signed up it would be a shame for someone to lose a spot because they didn't pay in time.

[Jorge]

KCB$ really blew it....again. Time for a new association to stand up and show them how to treat customers.

I've been elected to the board, but haven't taken my seat yet. Please feel free to share your concerns or gripes with me personally at either jorgebbq at sbcglobal dot net, or gmullins at kcbs dot us.

I've looked into what happened, and I can promise that it will be addressed and the process will be smoother next year.

As for how customers were treated...the office staff worked a really long day. They were in the office to deal with membership issues so that teams that had a lapse in membership would not be shut out. Instead they ended up fielding issues, and taking some heat that they had nothing to do with. I have yet to hear a complaint about what they did for members, including some that were pretty pissed off and probably said some things they shouldn't have. That's customer service, the way it should be done.

I wasn't on the board when this was planned or executed, but I will be in three weeks. It becomes my issue then, but I'll own it now. You've got my contact info, please feel free to use it.

[Smoke Ring]

There were a few thing that could have made the registration experience better. There is no problem using the same database table that still had last year's teams in it but the code that checked to see if you were already registered should have also checked the date. Also, it would have helped if the message that was displayed said something like:

You are already registered for the Sam's contest in Thornton, CO on May 5, 2012.

Then you would know you were registered for the correct contest. If you got a message that said:

You are already registered for the Sam's contest in Santa Fe, NM on April 4, 2011 then it would have been obvious immediately that there was a problem.

Also, if a contest already had 30 teams you were automatically put on a waiting list and unable to register for another contest. It should have asked if you would like to be added to the waiting list or register for a different contest.

A lot of people called the KCBS office, but the office staff wasn't running the registration, MMA was. The office staff stayed late in case a member whose membership had expired could contact them to renew and then register. They had no control, over the registration process. Don't blame them.

Those of you using multiple computers in an attempt to register just made the problem worse, mostly for yourself. Our server hosts 25 websites and has plenty of capacity to handle normal traffic. We can't afford to purchase a server with enough capacity to handle a once a year KCBS event when it isn't needed the rest of the year. Part of the slowdown was caused by mmacreative.com. The kcbs.us website contains content that is hosted on the mma server. I know many of you saw the message saying "waiting for mmacreative.com". It would have helped if the registration page had no external content on the page. Our server apparently has more capacity than mmacreative.com. I asked them to remove any mma content from the registration page because we had the same problem last year but it didn't happen.

MMA is a marketing company and they have done a good job for KCBS in the marketing area. But, I'm not sure it's the best idea for KCBS to rely on a marketing company for their technology needs. Just sayin'!

Garry

[dmprantz]

Our server hosts 25 websites and has plenty of capacity to handle normal traffic. We can't afford to purchase a server with enough capacity to handle a once a year KCBS event when it isn't needed the rest of the year.

Garry, if you don't mind me asking, where is your server physically located? I ask for two reasons. One, it's generally accepted that the closer you are geographically to a server, the shorter your latency will be to it. If the server is in PR, that may be a bottleneck in multiple ways. Two, I'm also curious as to how your bandwidth is setup: If you have the server in a CoLo facillity, they often have a way to ramp up available bandwidth for one-time events such as this, and that could have been useful.

MMA is a marketing company and they have done a good job for KCBS in the marketing area. But, I'm not sure it's the best idea for KCBS to rely on a marketing company for their technology needs. Just sayin'!

I don't disagree here.

dmp

[mobow]

I noticed that there are a lot of spots that are still not confirmed. For example, Baton Rouge shows 27 registered but only 23 confirmed. Almost every local has some still not confirmed. Everyone knows that you have to contact the KCBS office within 48 hours to pay, right? After all of the issues getting signed up it would be a shame for someone to lose a spot because they didn't pay in time.

And I wish they would hurry up and get confirmed so I can see who my playmates are. keith

[Ron_L]

Also, if a contest already had 30 teams you were automatically put on a waiting list and unable to register for another contest. It should have asked if you would like to be added to the waiting list or register for a different contest.


This was in there, but what wasn't handled was re-checking once you hit submit. As a test I went to the registration page for a comp that had 30 teams and there was a message in a yellow box that told me that I would b put on the waiting list. BUT, If I had hit the registration page before number 30 was registered, the software didn't re-check and warn me. I would be put on the waiting list with no notice. It seems like half the job was done.



A lot of people called the KCBS office, but the office staff wasn't running the registration, MMA was. The office staff stayed late in case a member whose membership had expired could contact them to renew and then register. They had no control, over the registration process. Don't blame them.


There was a toll free number on the registration page. That's what I tried calling when I hit the already registered error. Did that go to MMA or KCBS? I think it went to KCBS.

[Smoke Ring]

Our server is located in a data center in St. Louis. They claim to have a 500 gbit backbone and servers are connected to a 100 mbit switch. These are the WAN providers they use:

Level 3 (4 x 10 GBit), GlobalCrossings (2 x 10 GBit), cogent (3 x 10 GBit + 2 x 10 GBit)

It's hard to say if the issue was bandwidth or if the server has enough compute power to handle the flood of connections. I tend to think it was probably the latter. The server just couldn't keep up. Not that much data was being transferred. We are in the process of upgrading to a new, more powerful server with a quadcore processor but we weren't able to get it done before the Sam's registration.

If you had a difficult time connecting, or got a lot of timeouts, open a command window and type this command.

tracert kcbs.us

That will tell you how many hops there are from your location to the server.

The 800 phone number goes to the KCBS office. MMA is in Tennessee.

Garry

[mobow]

It is all kinda like ticketmaster when the Rolling Stones go on tour. There are 30 spots that 60 people want. Someone ain't gonna make it in. Maybe they need to look at a system other than time sensitive on-line registration. May be more fair to everyone to get your name on the list and then have a drawing. Maybe throw first choice second choice in the mix to add some compliction to it. keith

[dmprantz]

Our server is located in a data center in St. Louis.

Is it Datotel? I've worked with them before, and IMHO they have a solid CoLo product. I'm gonna be in town next week if you want me to check some things out and knock some heads ;-)

dmp

[timzcardz]

One thing that I have not seen discussed in this thread is that there was no login/user verification required process to register, and that surprised me as I was registering.

All that was required was a KCBS member number.

That means that if someone with a similar member number to yours miskeyed their number (now matching yours) for a contest that you didn't want, then it would appear that they are not registered for a contest and you are subsequently blocked from registering because your member number has now already been registered.

Let's face it, from reading this forum it should be apparent that a lot of us suffer from fat finger syndrome!

This verification could be handled with something as simple as requiring your member number and associated zip code.

[Ron_L]

Level 3 (4 x 10 GBit), GlobalCrossings (2 x 10 GBit), cogent (3 x 10 GBit + 2 x 10 GBit)


That's why... No Cisco :rolleyes: :cool: :becky:


It's hard to say if the issue was bandwidth or if the server has enough compute power to handle the flood of connections. I tend to think it was probably the latter. The server just couldn't keep up. Not that much data was being transferred. We are in the process of upgrading to a new, more powerful server with a quadcore processor but we weren't able to get it done before the Sam's registration.


It just doesn't feel like a server or hosting data center issue. I would think that the results would be more consistent for everyone if the issue was there. I think the issue was probably a variety of problems that include bottlenecks in the cloud, local access, local PC speed, etc.



If you had a difficult time connecting, or got a lot of timeouts, open a command window and type this command.

tracert kcbs.us

That will tell you how many hops there are from your location to the server.


I didn't have problems, but...

12 hops.


The 800 phone number goes to the KCBS office. MMA is in Tennessee.


Then that's why people were calling the KCBS office. If they were supposed to be calling MMA then the MMA number should have been on that page.

Thanks for all of your analysis on this, Garry!

[Rick Hamilton]

How about next year it is simplified by splitting the registration demands. For example...Region 5 event registrations open at Noon Eastern. Zone 4 and 3 at 2PM Eastern...Zone 2 at 4PM Eastern...Zone 1 at 5PM Eastern...or something along those lines so everyone isn't trying to crowd all at once.

And for the initial sign up to be signed up at all you have to pay. I don't get why there is 48 hour period for payment to be submitted.

By the way...I got into Greensboro without any issues on the 19th. Looking forward to see who else is there.

[SCSmoke]

There are 5 contest that only need one more confirmation until we can see the participating teams. HURRY UP ALREADY:roll:

[Queology]

We are confirmed for Charleston, SC, can't wait.

[TTNuge]

How about next year it is simplified by splitting the registration demands. For example...Region 5 event registrations open at Noon Eastern. Zone 4 and 3 at 2PM Eastern...Zone 2 at 4PM Eastern...Zone 1 at 5PM Eastern...or something along those lines so everyone isn't trying to crowd all at once.



That's not ideal either, as time goes on those with the later registration times not only have to compete with people in their area but they also need to compete with teams from other regions who didn't get into their contest and are willing to travel. While those in the last region won't have the opportunity for a second chance in a different region if their preferred choice fills up.

But it may work in some fashion since the contests are in regions and there won't be a large number of teams willing to travel great distances but we all know that there will be some. Perhaps having to declare your region before hand and not being allowed to sign up in a different region for the first 24 hours is one option. Or requiring a team to stay within the region and not allow them to travel.

Most solutions have downsides and few if any will make everyone happy. Gotta find the one that will satisfy the most though.

[bover]

Sounds to me like the first step would be to utilize a properly coded application. Get that taken care of then make an assessment on whether or not there needs to be a major process change such as staggering registrations.

[timzcardz]

Most solutions have downsides and few if any will make everyone happy. Gotta find the one that will satisfy the most though.

Quite honestly, Sam's is putting up a lot of money for this and therefor they are the only one that needs to be the happy with what happens, otherwise there may not be a next year.

Every other contest people are concerned about what portion of entry fees are being retuned in the prize pool. Here the prize pool greatly exceeds the entry fees. In the local conests alone, there are 25 competitions each with $7,500 in entry fees, each paying out $10,000 in prizes. And it only gets better from there.

If someone didn't get in this year, there may always be next year. And if you didn't get in and there is another contest around that weekend for you, then your chances at that other one, which may be a qualifier, may have just gone up.

Let's not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

[RangerJ]

There are 5 contest that only need one more confirmation until we can see the participating teams. HURRY UP ALREADY:roll:

There has been one team in Dallas since the initial registration, must have mailed in a check....

And as an FYI - with the carriers listed, there will be some Cisco hardware in there somewhere. Cisco is not an upstream provider.

[Ron_L]

And as an FYI - with the carriers listed, there will be some Cisco hardware in there somewhere. Cisco is not an upstream provider.

It was a joke... Hence the :rolleyes: :cool: :becky:

:-D

I work for Cisco.

[Diva]

I tried signing up for Lenexa. At 7:02 I got the FIRST error message of the evening. At 7:03 I was on the phone with the KCBS office. I signed up SIX times during a 23 minute period with Kelly Cain on the phone with me the entire time, still receiving the error message. (The office can only do so much, no blame there.) Brent tried signing me up TWICE from his workplace, he got the same message. We each then tried again and it was full.

If the issue was taken care of in 11 minutes then what happened? We'll never know. One thing I DO know is that I filled out the form on KCBS.us and the response was emailed this evening. 50% off the entry to another Sams event. Yeah, because $125 will cover the expense of going to Baton Rouge! Far cry from the 2 1/2 ride to Des Moines!

Sour grapes? Nah. Disappointed. UNDERSTATEMENT. There could have and should have been a better resolution to this fiasco.
I will be at Lenexa, cheering on my buddies and Slabs of Approval! I hope someone starts up a potluck!

[DawgPhan]

Does anyone know if KCBS is going to be closing the payment window on teams tonight?

Now should be 48 hours since those teams that first signed up got in. 3 are still unconfirmed for marietta...wondering if the waiting list might get a shot tonight.

[trucky9754]

Well according to the KCBS rules, teams must confirm withing the first 48 hours of registration. After the 48 hours, the team is dropped and the event opening is offered to the first team on the waiting list. Of course these teams only get 24 hours to respond and pay but I guess it's better than not being asked. Anyway, I was told by KCBS Dawn Endrijaitis that our team is the first on the list to be called as a stand by. I checked 5 minutes ago and it still shows only 29 teams confirmed for the Madison event. Well that means we are in because it's 1:41 hour past the registration time. We will see if KCBS goes by the rules or makes some type of change for some reason. I haven't gotten an email or a text or anything as of yet. I even emailed Dawn and left a message on facebook but still no response. I will keep you posted on what happens.

[trucky9754]

Well just got an email from KCBS and was offered the spot in the Madison event. Well needless to say, Pork Patrol BBQ will be attending the Sam's event in Madison, Wi. Can't wait.

[kihrer]

Well just got an email from KCBS and was offered the spot in the Madison event. Well needless to say, Pork Patrol BBQ will be attending the Sam's event in Madison, Wi. Can't wait.

Congrats!

[Ford]

There are now 14 locals that have openings. If you don't confirm payment you get dropped even if no wait list. Kudos to kcbs and mma on this.

[Muzzlebrake]

If any of you thought registering for this was bad, go to Ticketmaster now and and try and get Springsteen tickets!

[kihrer]

If any of you thought registering for this was bad, go to Ticketmaster now and and try and get Springsteen tickets!

What I want to know is do you have your Superbowl Tickets???:becky:

[Muzzlebrake]

What I want to know is do you have your Superbowl Tickets???:becky:

I can't get the $6500 past my wife without her noticing or I would be there!