Season pass-holders sue Cedar Point’s owner over reimbursements for shortened season

Correct me if I'm wrong, but suing someone doesn't sound cheap. A gold pass for Cedar Point is $99 and a Platinum Pass is $250. Isn't suing a company way expensive than that. I also understand that times are tough, but is that $250 dollars worth all of this effort. Especially when it's in the fine print that there are no refunds. Even if he "wins" this case, he must still have to be in the negative to pay lawer fees

Who is paying $250 for a Platinum Pass?

People who buy at inopportune times like myself the first year. But not since with renewal discounts.

Yeah that's my other thought MrJohn. Not to attribute malice where negligence is applicable. But who is forking over the dough to take a suit out against Cedar Fair for a less than $300 (rounding up) pass, even if they get class action status, it is doubtful they will get back the pass value. Not counting the amount that's going to be spent on the lawsuit. Which makes me think the following.

1. Someone was oversold by a lawyer on what they are going to get.
2. Someone has more money than brains and wanted to sue "for the good of the people" (that note about millions bought passes and didn't get what they paid for is the basis for that idea) and I think they will be disappointed by the number that actually join on that ground. The minute I heard the park had to shut operations I bought more stuff ASAP to help. Maybe they can't open at all this year but I sure don't want them gone mindset.
3. Someone wants to get a settlement from Cedar Fair for more "free stuff"
4. Someone is jealous that Cedar Point (or other parks in general) got to open and their local parks didn't (the fact that Cedar Point was named as one of the top is the basis for that idea)

Again just my ideas but none of this makes sense.

Merely a coincidence that the ad on this page says, "Cedar Fair Season Pass Holder? Seeking a Refund We may be able to help. [...]"

Yeah, if I can't go next year I might want to pursue some option. But for now, I think what they did is fair...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

No not a coincidence, ref "The Social Dilemma" the programs are watching us.

MrJohnJLewis said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but suing someone doesn't sound cheap.

If a lawyer agrees to sue on a contingency basis, it doesn't cost you anything. If they win, they keep some of the money. A class action intends to represent many thousands of people.

I had forgotten about contingency. That is one optimistic law firm then. Does anyone have access to pull the full public lawsuit filing?

RideMan said:

But for now, I think what they did is fair...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

for you in your situation.

I have seen some class action lawsuits where the person that brought the suit, in the event of a win, gets a large lump sum and the other parties in the class action suit split the rest provided they put in a claim for it. Of course, the lawyers get their share first.

And who really "wins"?

The lawyers, of course.

When I first read this, for some reason my brain kept reading it as Cedar Point getting brought as a defendant, and not Cedar Fair. The dangers of skimming while tired.

It's hard to have an informed opinion without one key piece of info, which others have mentioned. Did Monica request a refund and was then denied? Have others made such requests and been denied?

That makes a difference, especially since the bringer's home park is Knott's, which never opened, which is also important. You may or may not like the restrictions in place at Cedar Point, but at least it is open with the opportunity to visit. That makes the free for 2021 more worthwhile, in case you thought your 2020 visit was "less than".

I've been considering it as having bought the 2021 season and potentially getting the 2020 season for "free". Obviously expecting that I will be able to visit in 2021, as I can't in 2020.

But then I have had a season pass since...I think my first one was 1994. I have every expectation of wanting to have one in 2021, just as last Fall I expected to want to have one in 2020. So that way of thinking works for me.

The trouble with it is that Cedar Fair didn't sell me a pass for 2021; they sold me a pass for 2020. Which I have not been able to use. That, of course, is the basis of the argument.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Yep; and I totally get that, which just begs the central question for me; is the chain honestly denying refunds to those who take the time to call/write and actually request one?

I would like to think that the park has been gratuitous in offering refunds; meaning, the lack of making it a public/obvious option was a move to negate a flood of requests while the actual working policy was to grant them if one was requested.

Simply put; a refund was possible, just not overtly. ......or was it?

Be glad it's not the Disney situation. I requested a prorated refund for our annual passes four months ago, and they still haven't done it for anyone. They insist that they're doing it now on a phone recording, but I'll believe it when I see it. They're allegedly sending checks if they couldn't refund to your credit card, which you can't in my case because it's no longer an active card. I'm absolutely certain that I'll have to call them several more times, and maybe just make a small claims court filing because they can't figure it out.

Depending on how many times you used your Disney AP previously, that prorated refund may not amount to much. I didn't realize people were still waiting for refunds because a couple of months ago there were several complaints on Disboards about the amount of refund received. Apparently people were receiving less than they calculated as Disney reduced the prorated amount based on the number of days the pass was previously used.

I know one person who finally got their refund, and it was time based. I don't take much stock in anything people on those boards say.

I've found Disboards to be a good source for Disney info. Like any internet message board (including this one), there's some fluff but on the whole I think it's a great place for someone planning a Disney trip.

That being said, I should've checked recent posts on the thread I mentioned before making my last post here. I remember reading the complaints I was referencing a couple of months ago. More recent data points indicate that you are correct, the refunds are based on time. My apologies for posting bad information. The good news is it seems like many who've been waiting for quite some time have finally been seeing refunds recently so hopefully you get yours soon.

Jeff as always with a solid, grounded response... good to see someone considering all perspectives!

I got my refund... for two out of three of us. It is calculated to the day as I expected. Why my wife's is separate when we paid with the same card and have the same address is beyond me, but I imagine I'll have to call.