FRISCO, Texas — Organizers of the newly opened Winter Wonderland in Frisco said they are offering refunds to people who were disappointed after attending the event.
Winter Wonderland opened in the Frisco Fresh Market on John W. Elliott Drive Friday. Tickets cost $30 for adults and $20 for children. Some of the activities, including a picture with Santa, are an additional cost.
Amber Strong of Aubrey said she paid $100 for her family to attend Winter Wonderland Friday.
“It felt like they were scamming people,” Strong said. “The stuff that they advertised is either not what they advertised or not there at all."
The Winter Wonderland’s website advertises two snow pits. Strong said there’s only one snow pit, describing it as “an inch” of sand on astroturf.
The website also says there’s an “interactive experience with our exclusive candy-making shop.”
“It was just like a candy store,” Strong said. “We walked through it, and we didn’t see anybody making anything.”
The website encourages people to get lost in an “exciting light maze.”
“It was literally like Rent-A-Fence that had cheap lights over it, and there wasn’t ever any turns to make it a maze,” Strong said. “You just kind of walked through it.”
Natalie Mayer and her family had a similar experience Friday.
“It sounded like everything you would want to take your family to for a wonderful kickoff to the holidays,” Mayer said. “Unfortunately, it’s not what we got.”
Mayer and her family paid $240 to get inside after reading about the event on the Winter Wonderland website.
“Everything that we were looking for, that was portrayed on their website – everything that we were looking for wasn’t there,” Mayer said.
Meanwhile, other families said the event lived up to expectations.
Eternity Edwards brought her daughter to the “Fairyland Interactive Experience.”
“I think it’s beautiful,” Edwards said. “I think the little girls – they can act like fairies and put the little wings on so it’s really nice.”
Winter Wonderland confirmed to WFAA that they are offering refunds to disappointed customers, despite their website saying "There are no refunds."
Below is a statement:
Hi All,
We deeply apologize for anyone who had an unsatisfactory experience at the Winter Wonderland opening night. Several of our attractions could not be used due to safety issues associated with bad weather, rain and wind along with various vendors not able to set-up and we’re sorry that this wasn’t better communicated in advance. Our number one priority is our guests safety at all times. With that said, we will issue refunds to anyone who was unsatisfied with their experience opening night or attendees can choose to redeem their tickles at another date during this holiday season. We invite everyone to come experience Winter Wonderland this holiday season and enjoy all the unique holiday activities we have to offer.
Best Regards,
Winter Wonderland Team
If you’re looking for a refund, event organizers told WFAA to submit your request through Eventbrite. Here’s what they told WFAA:
There is a "contact organizer" button on Eventbrite. It will email their ticket information through so it can be changed to a different day or refunded depending on the request.
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