Click Frenzy’s annual sales event gets off to a rough start as the website crashes

Click Frenzy has issued an apology after online shoppers seeking bargains have been faced with error messages after the sale’s site crashed again.

Three things in life are certain — death, taxes and the crash of an online shopping event’s website almost every time it launches a mega sale.

Bargain hunters in search of everything from insane travel deals to discount clothing and homewares flooded to the website when this year’s Click Frenzy sale kicked off at 7pm AEDT.

Within minutes, the site had crashed under the weight of traffic, leaving would-be shoppers to vent their frustration on social media.

It’s not the first time Click Frenzy has been plagued by inadequate servers.

When it held its very first sales event back in 2012, which it dubbed “the sale to stop the nation”, visitors were unable to access any of the deals because the website crashes.

Customers and participating retailers alike weren’t pleased at the lack of planning.

The Click Frenzy website has crashed on a number of occasions.

During last year’s special sales night, the website’s hosting provider again struggled under the pressure and users received errors for much of the night.

Tonight, Click Frenzy issued a statement apologising for its latest snafu.

“We understand some users are experiencing issues accessing the Click Frenzy site. Our team is working to rectify full service for all users ASAP,” the statement read.

“We regret the inconvenience caused but rest assured we will be with you shortly.”

But people aren’t happy. Click Frenzy has been flooded with complaints via Facebook and Twitter, including from those who are dumbfounded how the same issues can keep recurring.

Grant Arnott is the boss of Click Frenzy and was hyping this year’s sales event as one of the best ever.

Given some of the previews of this year’s 24-hour discount bonanza, it’s easy to see why Aussies are flocking to the site.

The sale was set to feature more than 4000 deals across categories such as travel, fashion, electrical, homewares and accessories.

Yesterday, Click Frenzy managing director Grant Arnott said the sale would be a great way to stock up on Christmas gifts.

“The interest from the Australian public continues to grow exponentially each year. We attracted a staggering 2.2m visitors last year and search interest was even bigger than Black Friday,” Mr Arnott said.

“We want to provide Australians with a one-stop shop for all of their necessities at a fraction of the price.”

Travel deals were expected to be of particular interest, with Air New Zealand offering return flights from Australia to the United States for as little as $949.

Originally published as Click Frenzy’s annual sales event gets off to a rough start as the website crashes