Then yes, going to AX would be a big waste of 
time.  I've never been to AX (Can't afford the 
trip to California-so stop rubbing it in people 
who are there! :_(  ) But I've been to A-Kon a 
few times.  If you only go in the hopes of 
GETTING something then yes, a convention would 
probably feel like a total gyp for the reasons 
you already stated.

BUT if you go to a convention in order to have a 
good time, meet new people, and share a common 
hobby with hundreds of people from all over the 
place, then any cels you do manage to find 
(along with DVDs, posters, plushies, etc) will 
be the cherry on the sundae so to speak.  I know 
I mainly go for the camaraderie since I live in 
BFE and like to be around people who don't think 
that watching anime means I'm worshipping the 
devil (okay, so it's only that bad in a few 
places down here, but you get the idea).

I've gotten held up in some impossible lines, 
battled some volunteers (VOLUNTEER being the key 
word-they get like two hours of training and a 
LOT of fan-boys go insane once they get a taste 
of power), and had some interesting SNAFUs, but 
the fun I have usually outweighs any irritations 
because I don't ever expect anything more than a 
good time! Some of the most interesting 
conversations I've ever had were while I was 
standing in line.  Generally I come out of a Con 
experience feeling battle worn but happy.

I'm sorry you've had such crappy experiences!  
Maybe next time you could take along a bottle of 
chloroform and overwhelm the volunteer at the 
door ninja-style ;) I'd be glad to help.