BAD EXPERIENCE: MELINA AND BATISTA SIGNING IN NJ
- 05/07/2006 (9:02:21 pm)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
Lots more added….
Georgie - good to email you again. https://wrestlingfigs.com/
rocks and I have recently purchased merchandise from them and have been very pleased. Please find below a review of the Melina & Batista signing at Book-ends in Ridgewood, NJ:
If I were to come up with a line to describe the signing last evening, it would be titled: "Not Bookends finest Hour" or "Stick to book signings".
I have been to every WWE book signing/ event at Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ, and regrettably, this was THE WORST of all. In times past, with mega stars like Stone Cold, Ric Flair or even Trish Stratus promoting their CDs or books, fans lined up (sometimes for hours) and got their purchased item signed and were allowed to take a photo with the superstar (never allowed to go behind the table).
With this signing fans were charged $40 for a Polaroid with Batisita and/or Melina and then charged anywhere from $25 to $10 for an autograph (this was NOT a book or CD promotion).
The first bad move was Bookends did not allow you to use your own camera but HAD to use their Polaroid. Anyone knows that this stinks, due to the fact that you can not enlarge the photo, put it into your computer, etc. Secondly, and more importantly, you were whisked in and out like cattle. Your item was grabbed three people ahead, you had absolutely no time to say a WORD to the star you waited hours to meet (except a quick thank you) and on top of that, the air condition was needed BADLY!
In front of me was a child under ten years of age with Down Syndrome,. He was so excited to meet Batisita. The whole time while Batista was talking with him, there was a handler nearby yelling, "Move it along! Move it along!". C'mon! If Batista isn't having a problem with it, why should anyone else? No one in line would have minded waiting an extra minute. I wonder if this was handled by an agency instead of Bookends, for everything from the set-up stage (black curtained off) to the personal camera not being allowed was a disappointment for what usually is one of, if not, the greatest place to meet the true Superstars of the WWE!
Vince Gagliardi of Garwood, NJ
Vince, lately I have received more and more letters from fans who have been disappointed in a WWE autograph signing.
The worst one of all was the John Cena signing in Massachusetts, where over 1,000 fans showed up and police had to be called from 4 nearby towns. One fan was hit by a car in the parking lot. That is very sad. I received over 100 complaints from that signing, and I have decided I will NOT be listing anymore of their signings.
I'd like to explain why these stores try very hard to get as many fans as possible to their events. They need to TRY to recover the money they laid out to obtain the talent. And I've been told lately, that the WWE has raised the prices of their talent. Many store owners are happy to just break even. They have these signings to let the fans know about their stores so they can make a decent living. So I can understand that they want the line of fans to move along as quickly as possible.
But on the other hand, I do understand that the fans feel after waiting in line for hours sometimes, they would like to be able to just get a minute or two to say "Hi" to their favorite wrestlers. And when possible to snap a picture or two with their own cameras.
From all that I have been told, New York Sports Works holds some of the BEST autograph signings. They understand they need to make money to cover their expenses, but they also know that the fans are special and treat them with a lot of respect. They have had John Cena at least 10 or more times, and each and every time has had a HUGE success. There maybe fans at the arenas who boo Cena, but at the signings, he makes everyone feel special with his down to earth attitude.
Also many stores have gone out of their way to be kind to handicapped fans, by allowing them to be first on line so the talent can spend a little extra time with them. And none of the other fans would get upset by that. I also know that Batista, Shawn Michaels, Trish Stratus and others have actually told the store owners to cool it with rushing the fans along too fast, so at least they can say Hello and glad you came.
Thats why I appreciate when the fans let me know about the signings. It is a VERY important feature on our site.
I just wanted everyone to understand both sides of this situation.
Georgie......
Another feedback letter:
This was sent in by JOEYANKS33:
I also went to the Batista/Melina signing last night at Bookends and I must say that it was pretty much a waste of time. Melina was an hour late to add to the confusion and the basement of the store isnt really meant for an autograph signing. The fact that I waited in line longer than I had to didnt really bother me because I waited in line for 6 hours to meet Hulk Hogan there. What really annoyed me was that we couldnt get a picture with them with our own cameras, we couldnt get a personalization and we couldnt stop to say hi or shake hands or even make eye contact. We really were shuttled though like cattle with our stuff being flung across the table but I think Batista and Melina had it worst. They were non stop and they were trying to be nice and talkative but the people at the tables with them were snapping their fingers to position them for a overpriced Polaroid picture. They were basically treated like crap along with the rest of us. They also had the signing in the middle of the room which made absolutely no sense. I really think they need to stick to book signings because they barely had those under control.
Hi, I just read the column you posted with an e-mail from a customer who went to the Batista/Melina signing in Jersey. In your reply to his e-mail you mentioned that New York Sports Works in Massapequa gets it right. (I do realize that you prefaced this comment with saying "from what I heard). I disagree with this assessment that you've been getting from your readers. While they do have a separate line for disabled patrons to go first, which I fully support, they do not fully respect the rest of their customers. I myself have been to about 75% of their signings, dating back to Stone Cold Steve Austin in January of 2003 (I skip the Cena signings because how many times would I need his autograph?) Anyway, I do go to these signings to have the superstars sign my WrestleMania XX and 21 programs (or if they aren't in the programs, I get promo photo signed), so I do not pay for the polaroid photograph with the superstar. For customers like me who do not get to go behind the table, our items are grabbed about 2-3 customers ahead of getting to the table and before you even reach the table your item is signed and at the other end of the table. Adding to the madness if another staff member blocking the table and the owner taking the polaroids. You have to basically get in the way of the camera to even have a chance to even thank the superstar or get a handshake. The last signing I attended was the Angle signing in mid-March, which was absurdly oversold. I couldn't even bother try to get to say anything to Mr. Angle, all I was able to do was grab my WM 21 program from the opposite end of the table and leave. Granted the purpose of my visits is to have my programs signed, but I do feel extremely slighted when I do not get a chance to say anything to the superstars or get a handshake without being told to move along. This has been the case with most of the signings that I have been to at NYSW. Granted I will continue to go back and look forward to the RVD signing in June, but I still feel slighted every time I leave.
Thank you, Steve
Hello Georgiann,
I love to read your articles and the feedback from the autograph signings. In your one comment from a fan from the Bookends signing, you praised NY Sports Works for making a autograph signing a good one and one fan wrote back that since it was from what you heard, that might not be the case, but in my case, NY Sports Works goes all out for the fans. Even though they are out to make money to recover their costs, they still take the fans into consideration. My one and only time i went there was to take my 8 yo son to meet John Cena. Since i live near Philly, I called to make sure that he would be there when i got there since I had a long ride ahead of me and they assured me he would be. Of course on a fri, traffic wasn't that good and it was getting close to his time to leave and i called the store again and talked to the owner and he assured me that John Cena would wait there till we got there, since he took into account how far I was coming. We got there about 5 min before his departure time and we were the last customers they let in. The owner and John Cena made us feel welcomed as they allowed my son to talk to John and for us to allow to take pics of him and my son with my own camera and John also signed the CD, CD Cover, Poloroid and 8 x 10 that I originally paid for. Even as he was about to leave, he told us again how cool it was that he drove all that way to see him, and then shook our hand as he left. Even though most promoters are out to recover their costs plus make some, NY Sports Works does go all out with their fans. As far as Bookends, I have been to some of their WWE Signings as well as other celebrities and on a whole, they treat you with respect and usually allow you some time to talk with them or take a picture. I guess that day with Batista, they got overwhelmed and didn't know how to handle it, perhaps they will take that experience and make things better for the next superstar that appears and for the fans as well. Thanks. Mike.....
Dear Georgiann, I also went to the signing in Bookends store. After traveling an hour and 45 minutes from Bordentown, NJ we finally got to the signing and was rushed through there rather quickly for as much money some of the people in line spent (one family had 4 children who each received poloriods with both wrestlers) they could have at least given you a second or so to shake their hands or something. When I finally got to the front of the line my merchandise was thrown on to the table to workers were all rude and they rushed us so bad the wrestlers did not even look up and say a word to me. I have been to some bad signings but this was by far the worst.
Thanks, Sean Barr
Here is copy of letter Sean sent to [email protected]
To whom it may concern,
I recently went to an autograph signing at your store and it was the worst appearance I have ever been to. For the amount of time and money I put out to go there, I expect a certain amount of professionalism and respect. Your employees were extremely rude and ignorant and the people were rushed through the line like there was a fire. I witnessed so much unprofessionalism amongst your staff I felt I had to send this letter. Your employees were pushy and disrespectful to not only the people who wait hours in line, but also the merchandise that we had with us. When I was about three people away from the table, my figure and promo picture were ripped out of my hand and thrown on to the table. This was not limited to me, I watched as your staff carelessly tossed fans items at the wrestlers as if it were trash and then herded them by like cattle. Also, I had mistakenly brought my camera with me because I was unaware that the only pictures to be had were "cheap" $40.00 Polaroid's from your cameras on the premises. Your employees reaction to seeing my camera was to slap it almost out of my hand. I have been a wrestling fan for at least 20 years and in that time I have never been treated as badly as I was at this session. Because of the unprofessionalism and lack of respect you showed the fans, this was will be the first and last time I travel to your store. On the Internet I have read that many people had similar experiences with the employees in your store on that day and I am very interested in your response to the feedback you have been given.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Sean Barr
Hi Georgie, thanks for taking the time to post everyone's comments about the signing. I traveled over two hours for this signing and was completely dissapointed by it. My item, along with many other peoples' items, were just thrown down on the table. Now this is hardly a way to treat someones item especially when they are payng a decent price to get it signed. Not to mention that god forbid you talk to the wrestler, or even get to look at them, as the store had a 5-7 man army surrounding the table rushing you through. I actually had the privelage of meeting both superstars before in a non-signing type environment, and saw first hand that they are both very nice, personable people, so this had nothing to do with Batista or Melina. The people at Bookends should be ashamed of themselves, and should really learn how to conduct an event. -Silvio
Hi Georgiann,
I was reading your feedback from the Batista and Melina signing in Ridgewood, NJ and I thought I would tell you a little more. I am a huge collector of autographed wrestling items (thank you for your updates on this great site very helpful for me). I got to autograph signings all across the Northeast. I am from New Jersey and this particular signing was only about a haf hour ride for me so not that bad. Now you must understand when I go to some shows like when I saw Trish Stratus (32 items) I can get many things signed and at $20 or so a piece I at least like it ran smooth. When I was waiting on line I heard a lot of parents complaining about how they were rushed and how Batista was not as friendly as John Cena. I never get polaroids and I've seen some of the people that were working the signing and they looked very familiar to me. When I realized they are also at the New York Sports Works signings. Which by the way also does rush you very much sometimes so fast the wrestlers sign the photo, magazine or whatever in the wrong spot. So I guess what I am trying to say is that both signings you are rushed no hellos handshakes or anything but its not the wrestlers fault as the people they have working for them make them rush everything. It will not stop me as I will be at NY Sports Works on 6/10 for RVD and Jillian Hall ( how many people you know with 14 items just for Jillian to sign) but just wanted to let you now with any WWE signing you are rushed as they try and get as many people through the line as they can.
Thanks for listening Dan
I just got done reading about other people's autograph experiences. I have been to many autograph signings here in Michigan be it for wrestling or other sports. A few years ago I was at a Kurt Angle signing, and waited around 3+ hours from when I got there to when I left the store. In front of me there were three boys I would say not much older than 7-8. When they finally got to the table Kurt let them each take a picture holding the belt. (he was the champion at the time) They looked so happy in those pictures and the people running it at this store was trying to push them out of the way and bring me up to the table in order to keep the line moving. I wouldn't give them my item for Kurt to sign until I was sure the boys got every last picture they wanted. The people running this signing where not pleased with me, but I got a smile for a thank you from the lady with the boys. When I go to a signing I let no one rush me, I found that if you flash t he right look at the people running it that tends to buy me a little more time. (I guess it helps that I am not a small guy, and can at times be intimidating) At a Taker signing I went to he was more than willing to chat it up. I got a couple pictures (non behind the table though) and thanked him, got a handshake and be it small conversation it was still nice to talk to the person I just waited 5 hours to see.
Matt of Detroit, Michigan
Hello Georgiann,
I was reading the column about bad experiences and I want to give people my two cents on a lot of what they are dealing with.
1. The WWE has raised the price of their talent signing out of WWE environments. I know that a store owner in Illinois used to hold autograph signings and this was back in 1999-2001. The prices got so out of control that breaking even wasn't even worth trying to get a lot of the talent in. The signings that he did hold before call it a career, were always amazing, but I also think that has more to do with the wrestlers then it does the store. I've meet Mick Foley there and Kane. Both took the time to sign everything shake hands and talk with the fans. I would never complain about the wrestlers.
2. Because a lot of these places don't have pre-sold tickets, it is hard for store fronts to make sure all the fans in line get through in a timely fashion. At Wrestlemania weekend, people were told that the stars were there for such and such a time and only the first 500 to 1,000 people would get autographs. I don't disagree with this because they get scheduled for a certain amount of time. It makes it very hard on the store fronts to take care of the fans when there is an allotted time, so I don't blame the store fronts on this.
3. Talent showing up late is getting to be the norm. I'm sorry but the store fronts that are paying for 2 hours and getting 1 hour and 40 minutes. The talent should be held responsible for their own tardiness, some do and stay later, others don't and think they only have to live up to the contracts time from start to finish, not total time. So there I do blame the wrestlers and think that they are over stepping their boundaries.
4. I'm not trying to bash the New York signings. I don't know what they are like in person, but I used to get some of the autographs from someone that was on eBay that said he was part of the store. After several non-shipments of paid for autographs, I got the negative of their business dealings. One of the people that was selling on eBay did work with the storefront and more or less sold money without even attempting to refund anyone. There I think that being their in person and purchasing online is two different aspects in itself. I have not purchased online again because of the negative experiences with the New York signings. It was very unprofessionally handled and if the people worked within the store and the people that set up the signings don't or didn't know what was happening, then they are very shady business people, in my opinion.
Now, I feel for the people that think that the Melina and Batista signing was bad. I understand a fans disappointment. I also understand what a storefront goes through. But I think if you are serious about autographs and getting to meet wrestlers, the best bet is to make sure you hit places with good reputations and go to the wrestlers that are courteous with their time and commitment.
That's just my opinion on the situation.
Thanks, Mark M
Dear Georgiann Hi, I just wanted to say that I have been to New York Sports Works to meet Shawn Michaels. I had a wonderful time and was treated with respect and was not rushed along like cattle and I got to say "hi" to Shawn and got a beautiful picture taken with him. Shawn shook hands with us and was very friendly. I have been there twice and would go back again to see Shawn. But I do agree with the fans that wrote that they had a bad time at a signing because many times they do treat the fans that way they use to do that at WWE Cafe that is where I first met Shawn and they treated us like cattle and we waited on line for two hours outside and we were not able to take a picture with Shawn or say a word or anything other than just getting the picture signed. I hope that signings do get better because they do not realize that the fans pay a lot of money to see the wrestlers they love and they do not mind, but would like to be treated like the great people we are because the WWE needs the fans more than the fans need the WWE. Thank you. Yours truly.
Kathleen Madonia
I want to thank everyone for your feedback on the signings. It is very much appreciated.....
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