Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/07/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am filing this complaint regarding my SeaWorld San Diego annual pass in 2023, which I purchased in April 2023 under the monthly EZ Pay plan. Upon contacting SeaWorld customer service, I requested an adjustment to my pass start date or a refund as I have not yet used any of the benefits after the year. My request was denied, and I was informed that my pass would still expire on the 11th of this month. I believe it is unreasonable for SeaWorld to charge customers for a service they have not received and continue to charge after the pass has been fully paid for after the 12 months. I have not visited the park or used my benefits as I was under the assumption it was fully paid for and expired; I am formally requesting a full refund for my passes after the 12 months. If SeaWorld is unwilling to issue a refund, I ask that my pass be extended to provide the full 10 months after the year of use that I originally paid for so far and canceling any further payments. I don't believe this is fair especially after payments were fulfilled on time after **************************** any company will keep charging you after a balance has been fully paid. I look forward to your response.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/17/2025

  Apologies for any disconnect regarding the auto-renewal stipulation.  Account may be reviewed pending cancellation and refund.  Please allow ***** business days to process.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/17/2025

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** *******
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/19/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On December 17, 2023 I signed up for 4 annual passes for myself and my family. The passes expired in November 2024. I looked up how to cancel the passes and the Seaworld website states to login to your online account and the passes can be cancelled there. I logged in and checked my account on ************************ using my email address ********************** and the passes were not showing as active and no payments were scheduled to come out so I assumed the passes did not automatically renew. This is the same email address that I received the confirmation of my original order in December 2023. In January/February 2025, I have been charged 3 charges of 52$ for renewal of my passes. I again went online into my online account and the passes still do not show. I have no way of cancelling these payments because they do not appear in my online *************, I called Seaworld around 2:00pm PST and spent over an hour with a customer service *** and a supervisor explaining my situation. When I spoke with the supervisor, *******, I explained my situation and the poor experience I was having and she began talking over me and ***eating the same line about terms and conditions without taking any accountability for the fact that I logged in to my online account to cancel and there was no option for me to cancel the 2024 passes. The only passes listed were the old passes from 2020/2021. She went on to explain that I needed to manually link my new passes to my online account which I would have no idea about. I was receiving emails from SeaWorld to my email address so the passes should already be linked. I have not used the passes in many months. I am simply asking for the three recent payments of 52$ to be refunded due to the system issue with my passes not showing on my online account. This is a very confusing system issue that SeaWorld is using to avoid customers from cancelling and to make it as difficult as possible, while calling in for support requires a 30+ minute hold

  Business Response

  Date: 02/24/2025

  Apologies for any disconnect with the auto-renewal stipulation.  Pass account may be reviewed pending cancelation and refund.  Please allow ***** business days to process.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/12/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My wife and I bought Sea World tickets to go with our kids who were gifted year passes. My wife bought tickets for both of us to go during 2024. We were billed again at the end of the year for 2025 even though we never asked for recurring passes and my wife did not sign up for autopay. We told the person at the gate that we wanted parking included so we upgraded at the park to the Gold for my account. Since when do year passes re-enroll without asking you and not even with an option to opt-out? I have called Sea World's customer service line 3 times for over 40 minutes each time, once for over an hour and no one ever answers. I tried different extensions as well and no answer at all. I tried calling first thing in the morning and afternoon and no luck. Now I go into my online account and there is no option to adjust what passes you want, cancel your pass, or handle complaints. This is a purposeful racket and it is sickening to see them try to scam people. How many tourists visit ** and have no recourse to this. They took a page out of Legoland's book which you should investigate as well! Sneaking someone onto auto-enroll for season passes and then not answering phone calls while not creating an online portal that is easy to cancel seems illegal. I would be happy to give my testimony to whoever would hear it. Thank you for your help!

  Business Response

  Date: 02/18/2025

  Apologies for any disconnect with the auto-renewal stipulation on the pass agreement.  Account may be reviewed pending cancelation and refund.  Please allow ***** business days to process.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/06/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am filing this complaint regarding my SeaWorld San Diego annual pass, which I purchased in March 2024 under the monthly EZ Pay plan. Due to personal circumstances, I have not visited the park since my purchase. Upon contacting SeaWorld customer service, I requested an adjustment to my pass start date or an extension, as I have not yet used any of the benefits. My request was denied, and I was informed that my pass would still expire in March 2025.I find it unfair that I am now left with only one month of benefits for an entire year-long pass that I never used. I believe it is unreasonable for SeaWorld to charge customers for a service they have not received.Given that I have not visited the park or used any benefits, I am formally requesting a full refund for my pass. If SeaWorld is unwilling to issue a refund, I ask that my pass be extended to provide the full 10 months of use that I originally paid for so far and canceling any further payments. Originally, I intended to upgrade to the Platinum Pass, but after experiencing SeaWorlds lack of customer service and unwillingness to accommodate a reasonable request, I no longer wish to do business with them.Given that I have never used my pass, I am formally requesting a full refund. If SeaWorld is unwilling to issue a refund, I ask that my pass be extended to provide the full 12 months of use that I originally paid for.I hope SeaWorld will address this issue fairly and provide an appropriate resolution. I look forward to your response.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/09/2025

  Pass account will be cancelled and refunded.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/09/2025

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ********
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/25/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  SeaWorld San Diego provided a donation to a fundraising gala for the **************************** in ****************. I participated in this gala and won 4 tickets for park entry and a beluga encounter for SeaWorld San Diego. I have been attempting to schedule my beluga encounter. I have called customer service four times, and have emailed multiple times without response or assistance. I have attached an image of the four tickets, which are for park entry. The document titled Seaworld Beluga.doc is from the **************************** showing the instructions of how to schedule with the barcode.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/14/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a SeaWorld San Diego Silver Pass on 1/6/2024. I had no intention of renewing the membership annually and notice of annual renewal was not provided at the time of purchase. I was billed for an additional year without prior notice on 1/8/2025. This is a violation of California law and I demand a refund and cancellation of the annual renewal.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/14/2025

  Auto Renewal is a stipulation in your contract agreement for the annual pass account.  Account may be reviewed pending cancellation and refund.  Please allow ***** business days to process.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/10/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I cancelled my platinum pass with Seaworld on December 9th 2024 . As a member for many years I was on a month to month payment. As I was told Today 1/10/25 by an employee, had I requested a refund at the time I would not have been charged the next months payment , which at the time I was not made aware of that option. Therefore a day after my cancellation I was charged an additional month on my credit card I was unaware of resulting in a late fee on my credit card plus the monthly pass payment of $42.96. Not only did I get charged the additional month , I didnt use the pass and it cost me a late fee on my credit card and a hit on my credit for having a late payment. Also I was told by their employee that their records of my transaction were miss dated. So I would like a refund of the pass and late fee and a correction of the recorded late fee. Records show I pay my balances on my cards every month.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/16/2025

  Annual pass account was reviewed, and a one-month refund has been entered. Please allow 7-10 business days for this to reflect in your account.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/20/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On Dec 19 at 1AM, I found a pending charge from ************* in *******, **. Initially I thought it was fraudulent, then realized it was the corp. office for SeaWorld San Diego. On their website I saw my Silver Pass had been renewed on Dec 18, something I did not want or authorize. Looking thru emails, I had received NO communication from SeaWorld of a pending renewal in the preceding days/months, and NO receipt of the transaction.I found a web link for cancellation and a note "You can also call ************ if you did not receive your email confirmation with summary of pass cancellation times based on current ************** of any selected passes". Cust svc was closed until 9AM EST, so I submitted the online cancellation then received an email at 2:06AM with "Monthly EZPay Renewal has cancelled" - even though I had NOT been using EZpay monthly as the form of payment for the Silver Pass.I called at 6:30AM PST and the agent said my cancellation request had been received, but it would only take effect in 2026. I said NO, I did not want the pass renewed and I want the charge refunded. He replied essentially saying 'too bad', the transaction could not be cancelled or refunded, and if I had an issue, take it up with the card provider. I again reiterated that I did not authorize the renewal and that I wanted this transaction to be cancelled. When he refused, I requested a supervisor but was told I had to wait 40 minutes. When I said this is unacceptable, he became very rude, finally saying 'I am disconnecting now', then he hung ***** 11PM Dec 19, I spoke with my credit card provider and advised the agent that SeaWorld refused to process the cancellation/refund upon my request, and that their practices may be in violation of California law, specifically the provisions of California Business and Professions Code *****, et seq. I am seeking that SeaWorld immediately cancel the renewal and fully refund the $157.50 they charged without authorization on Dec 18, 2024.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/23/2024

  Apologies for any disconnect regarding the auto-renewal stipulation on your pass agreement.  Account may be reviewed pending cancelation and refund.  Please allow ***** business days to process.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/24/2024

  As of Monday, 12/23/2024 this problem has not been resolved. The response from SeaWorld San Diego states: "Apologies for any disconnect regarding the auto-renewal stipulation on your pass agreement.  Account may be reviewed pending cancelation and refund.  Please allow ***** business days to process."
  
  Their response states the account "may" be reviewed, but does NOT affirmatively acknowledge that I was charged for renewal without notification or authorization and does not confirm that my pass will be canceled and a full refund issued.
  
  I only have 5 days to respond to their response (by Dec 28), yet SeaWorld wants me to allow ***** days for them to process their review (Jan 6-13, 2025). Once my full refund has been posted, I will acknowledge that the complaint has been resolved. As of today, the complaint has not been resolved.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/01/2025

  As auto renewal is a stipulation within your pass agreement that you authorized, we appreciate your patience as we review prior to cancelling/refunding. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/10/2025

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find this resolution to be satisfactory given that my credit card provider has indicated they have resolved the dispute regarding the unauthorized renewal charge made by Sea World.
  
  In all other means of this incident, I find the behavior of Sea World and its customer service agents very unsatisfactory, particularly in failing to admit that they did not provide proper notification prior to renewing the pass without authorization.
  
  As my credit card provider has indicated that they have resolved the claim, I will wait for the business to perform any and all required actions to complete this dispute, and if it does pending no further deleterious actions, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/30/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Today SeaWorld San Diego attempted to auto renew a membership I didn't even realize I had. In November 2021 I purchased passes on a Black Friday deal. We visited the park numerous times thought the 21/22 year but once our passes "expired" in November 22 we didn't visit again. Unbeknownst to our family we were auto renewed and charged $620 for 5 annual passes. We didn't visit once during this time. In reviewing my emails I didn't receive any notice we were auto renewed and we unfortunately didn't notice the charge. We received nothing in the mail either. Today, despite us having not visited since 2022, attempted to auto renew us again. Thankfully our card was expired and the charge didn't go through. However, I received a call asking for payment on our "due balance". Confused I called customer service. I was on hold for 45 minutes. It was at this point I discovered I was enrolled in auto renewal and had been charged for an entire year we never used and never requested with another attempted charge for another year we never requested. I requested if our payment from the previous year could at least be applied to this year so we could at least use the service which we paid and I was rudely informed that isn't possible. When I asked for a manager I was refused to speak with anyone else, refused to be given a name or email of any higher supervisor. I thought better of SeaWorld's business practices and am deeply disappointed in this situation.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/02/2024

  Apologies for any disconnect regarding the auto renewal stipulation with the annual pass agreement.  Pass account may be reviewed pending cancelation and refund.  Please allow ***** business days to process. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought two Platinum passes a year ago. I was not aware that they automatically opt customers in to auto renewal to renew passes after a year. I was charged $592 today. At first I thought it was fraud so I cancelled the card they were bought on before I realized what happened. The almost $600 is $200 more than what the passes are going for on the site right now. I looked in my account and there is no sign of the new passes, so I could try and cancel them. Per California law they are supposed to give you a ***** day notice before any renewal. I never got any notice. I looked through all my emails and no notice. There is a discussion online on how there is a cancellation window after auto renewal, though its hard to find the info on SeaWorlds website. I called the 877 number a couple times, and have given up after being on hold 20 then 30 minutes. I am going to file a claim through my bank to dispute the charges. From what I can tell they are violating California law.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/02/2024

  Apologies for any disconnect regarding the auto renewal stipulation on the annual pass agreement.  Pass account may be reviewed pending cancelation and refund.  Please allow ***** business days to process.