SeaWorld Uses Fake Sales, Hidden Fees to Trick Online Ticket Buyers, Class Action Claims

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that United Parks & Resorts, the theme park company that owns and operates San Diego’s SeaWorld, tacks hidden fees onto purchases and touts fake sales to manipulate consumers into paying more than they otherwise would for tickets.  

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The 14-page class action lawsuit contends that SeaWorld conceals the actual price of tickets and interferes with consumers’ ability to compare prices and make an informed purchase by adding a “taxes and fees” charge that is not apparent until late in the checkout process.

The complaint argues that the additional charge added at checkout harms consumers and is comprised entirely of hidden fees, while SeaWorld allegedly attempts to “falsely pin the responsibility for these junk fees on the government.” Per the suit, after a consumer clicks the “Checkout” button, SeaWorld reveals that no taxes were charged at all and that the entire amount of “taxes and fees” stemmed from the defendant’s service fee.

“In reality,” the case charges, “taxes were never part of the equation.”

Furthermore, the complaint states that SeaWorld added to its website a “shot clock,” with a 12-minute countdown, when tickets are added to a consumer’s cart. The case alleges that the countdown creates a false sense of urgency, leading consumers to make their purchases quickly.

SeaWorld, the complaint alleges, “represents its tickets at one price and guarantees to hold the ticket at that price for ten minutes.”  However, the case says that SeaWorld “systematically fails to deliver on that promise and upcharges consumers within the twelve-minute period.”  

The lawsuit argues that concealing the true price of the tickets prevents consumers from shopping around and potentially purchasing tickets for other aquariums.  

The United Parks and Resorts class action lawsuit seeks to cover all United States residents who purchased event tickets from SeaWorld’s website during the applicable statute of limitations period. 

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