Consumers say Legoland refused to give back their money, even after closing in response to California’s stay-at-home orders.
Legoland California Resort is facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly not providing refunds or otherwise adjusting memberships during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Legoland, like many other California businesses, was closed as the state sought to mitigate the pandemic and limit novel coronavirus’s spread. The lawsuit, filed Monday, alleges that Legoland made no attempt to reimburse ticket-holding consumers during the time the toy-themed park was closed. It seeks refunds for any and all consumers who paid “for tickets, memberships and vacation packages” that have been cancelled as a direct result of coronavirus.
The class action also calls for damages to reimburse customers “for the loss of their money during a time when cash is at a premium for the many families targeted by Defendants that are struggling to get by.”
The complaint, adds NBC San Diego, accuses Legoland of breaking California’s consumer protection laws, false advertising, unfair competition, breach of contractor, negligence, fraud, and unjust enrichment.
Similar to criticisms levied against other industries, the lawsuit states that Legoland held onto money that could have been put to better use by cash-strapped Californians.
“Closing of these venues, and cancellation of these events, should have meant that ticketholders were promptly refunded their money—money that in many cases, was very much needed for other purposes,” the suit states. “But that did not happen for customers, who bought tickets, memberships, and vacation packages for Defendants’ attractions.
“Instead, Defendants failed to honor and perform their duties, responsibilities, and obligations under their uniform standardized agreements with their customers, thereby breaching their contracts, but nonetheless pocketed their customers’ money and converted it for their own use,” the lawsuit says.
Legoland’s parent company, Merlin Entertainments, is listed as a defendant alongside Madam Russauds Hollywood and San Francisco, as well as San Francisco Dungeon.
NBC San Diego notes that U.S. residents who have “paid for tickets, memberships or vacation packages from Legoland between March 13, 2016 and the applicable opt-out date are eligible to join the class-action lawsuit.”
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial to resolve its claims.
In the meantime, Legoland remains closed until at least July 1st. The resort is working in tandem with the City of San Diego and other local theme parks to configure a safe re-opening.
“LEGOLAND California Resort, The USS Midway Museum and SeaWorld San Diego reviewed its collective re-opening safety plan with County of San Diego officials today,” the park said in a statement. “While the attractions will all be ready to reopen on July 1 if authorized, the plan now moves on to State officials for additional review and guidance. As the San Diego attraction coalition, we were greatly appreciative to County staff for the opportunity to present our reopening plan to them today.”
CBS8 says that a similar claim has been filed against SeaWorld in San Diego. That lawsuit accuses SeaWorld of continuing to charge monthly membership fees to patrons, despite the park being closed due to coronavirus.
Sources
LEGOLAND California Resort plans for July 1 reopening
Legoland sued for not refunding customers during pandemic closure
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