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:10/08/2022

  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.

  We purchased 2 tickets to the Water Lantern Festival in Chicago on 9/5/22 in the amount of $65.92. On 9/19/22, we received an email that stated that due to “unforeseen scheduling conflicts” the date would be moved to a later date. They did not provide any information regarding refunds, just stating to email them with questions.
  
  We emailed them twice, contacted them via their website, messaged them on facebook and instagram, and have not heard back. We did more research on their social media pages to find that this has been a problem in other cities as well- last minute rescheduling conflicts and then hearing back from the company and thus not receiving refunds.
  
  Not sure why they even provided a support email address if they do not even respond to emails, especially when it pertains to money!
  
  We would like our tickets refunded by the Water Lantern Festival company asap.
  
  Registrant ID: *******************

  Business Response

  Date: 10/10/2022

  Thanks for reaching out to us. I think you may have confused our company with another companies social media pages as our events receive a positive response from participants and it's very rare that we have to reschedule an event.  Please e-mail our amazing support team at [email protected] and they can get you taken care of. Please allow 5-7 business days for a response as we respond to messages in the order they are received. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/26/2022

  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.

  My family I purchased tickets for ********* Water Latern Festival September 24, 2022. However, I did not receive an email nor did they notify us in advance from this "business" (Water Latern Festival) that they had rescheduled the date to October 8th, 2022. They also don't provide a refund, and my family and I belive they're a fraud/scam

  Business Response

  Date: 09/27/2022

  Thanks for reaching out to us. The ******* event was rescheduled for Oct 8, 2022 due to a venue scheduling conflict. Have you e-mailed our support team at *********************************** They will be happy to answer any questions you may have. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/03/2022

  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.

  I regret buying tickets to this Water Lantern festival for Sept 3, 2022, in St. Louis, MO. I’m not even going because of the weather due to rain and their refund policies. This event is honestly a waste of time/money if the event coordinators cannot deliver on what they advertise. I bought the date night package and it’s going to rain that day. Not only that their refund policy is valid only 4 days before the event. And get this, apparently their so called food trucks didn’t meet the requirements that they needed and stated in an email that they really only have one food truck. On top of that they are asking people to bring their own food and drinks to have a picnic there. Why would I pay that much for a ticket to basically have a picnic when I can have it somewhere else for free?! It’s their event, if they knew that these food trucks were not going to meet the requirements, did it dawn on them last minute to send notifications out stating that there will be only 1 food truck. When I attend events it’s nice to have a variety of food trucks to try out different things. In future I would not recommend this event. My main concern is that I don’t mind paying a lot for tickets as long as the event coordinators deliver on what they advertise. Otherwise it’s just a way to falsely advertise.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/03/2023

  "Thank you for letting us know your concerns. We are sorry you decided not to attend the event. It turned out great and we are looking forward to coming back during our 2023 season. While some things like weather are beyond our control, we strive to deliver a great experience to all of our attendees. If you need further assistance we invite you to reach out to our support team at [email protected]"  

  
  

  Thanks,

  
  

  David K

  Water Lantern Festival

  ****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/29/2022

  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.

  I purchased two tickets for the ********* Water Lantern Festival. This rushed and unprofessional Water Lantern Festival experience is not what I paid $70.11 for. It was raining with thunder and lightning on the day of the event. It was unprofessional to continue with the event and the event was rushed to completion due to the worsening weather conditions. Reached out to the company for a refund and was told Once your tickets are scanned we can't offer a refund. Have a great day, and please help spread the positive vibes! :) I understand that my tickets were scanned; however, I'm requesting a refund because the event was not what I paid for. This is not the Water Lantern Festival experience that was paid for, and there was nothing positive about the experience.It was raining, and there was thunder and lighting on the evening of the event. The event should have been postponed. To continue with the event when there was thunder and lighting is unprofessional, and making guests pay for such a poorly executed event is unacceptable.I arrived at 7:00PM1.5 hours before the scheduled lantern release time. Due to the fact that weather was getting worse, the rain getting heavier, and the lightning and thunder, the music events were cut short, and lighting and releasing of the lanterns started at 7:30PM in an attempt to rush the event to completion.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/30/2022

  Thank you for your feedback. We have issued a full refund. Please let us know if we can assist you further. 

  Water Lantern Festival

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/05/2022

  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 Date night tickets for $82.10 on July 29th, 2022 for the water lantern festival Location: *******, ** Date: 8/6/2022.Then I received an email from water lantern festival informing me of how they changed the date to a week later and the location to ****, without any apologies for doing so, simply letting me know about the unexpected and unnecessary changes for no reason. The new date and location dont work for us anymore, so I need a refund, tried the only way - emailing them about this, havent heard back from them yet.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/07/2022

  Thanks for reaching out to us. Refunds are being issued. Please reach out to us at ********************************** if you need further assistance.

  Water Lantern Festival 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/23/2022

  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 bought tickets for this event held on the same day, July 23rd. The tickets, as advertised, provide you entrance, a lantern and a bag. I was charged $70.11 total for 2 adults. The adults tickets were $25.99 each with an extra fee of $5.97. Facility fees $7.60. I realized when I got there that a ticket was not needed for entrance as everybody was walking freely in. No ticket was scanned or required to enter the event. The cheap poorly made lanterns were redeemed at a tent on the other side of the entrance which was surprising because it’s advertised as needing a wristband. The event uses misleading advertisement asking customers to purchase tickets for entrance when there is no entrance it’s literally just a public park. The website says no refunds available but this entire event is a scam. At one point in time the DJ even asked if anyone brought a frisbee because for $70 nobody has anything to do. I just paid $70 to sit at a park and I want a refund! An entry ticket was not necessary and the purchasing of it for entry purposes is a scam!

  Business Response

  Date: 07/25/2022

  Thanks for reaching out to us. While there are multiple entrances to the park, everyone was required to check-in at the registration tent to receive their lantern kit and participate in the event. The cost includes a Floating lantern kit (lantern, marker, and LED candle), a commemorative drawstring bag, and lantern retrieval and water clean up to ensure that the environment is taken care of and no lanterns are left behind. The cost also goes to help support the mission of Water.org in providing access to safe drinking water where it is needed most in developing countries. Please contact us at [email protected] if you need further assistance. 

  Thanks,

  Water Lantern Festival

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/25/2022

   
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: there was no wristbands given like stated and charging for entry was a scam. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* **********