ComplaintsforKalahari Waterpark Resort Convention Center

• Initial Complaint

  01/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I stayed at this resort for new years weekend. My room had no dresser to put away clothing. When I asked the front desk where we should unpack they told me “well I’m not a guest so I wouldn’t know” in a rude manor. My room also had no running water for one of the days I was there. We could not shower wash our hands or flush the toilet. We didn’t even know so we found out only after someone eliminated in the toilet leaving an inhabitable space. They were overcrowded to the point where we couldn’t even get a luggage cart to get our belongings up and down from the room. We had to survey other guests and wait outside asking people “are you done with that cart”. To make matters even worse at 4 am New Year’s Day while we were resting from a busy night a water leak in the roof of the hotel set off the alarm in the room blasting on our ears. Forcing us outside for 45 minutes in the cold. Nobody in their security was there informing guests what was going on. All of the rides were overbooked and there were no tubes and rafts just like the luggage cart. I paid top Dollar to try and give my family a fun getaway weekend and I just feel this hotel let us down at every turn. I don’t feel we got what we paid for.

  Business response

  01/19/2023

  Good afternoon **************,

  First and foremost, I would like to thank you and your family for choosing Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos. We are truly sorry to hear of the issues that you encountered during your visit with ** over the New Year. We understand you had multiple issues that impacted your family getaway and we certainly do not want to leave a negative experience with you and your family. A $500 Future Lodging Credit (excluding sales & room tax) has been created and will be mailed out to you over the next week. This will be sent via USPS to the address below.
  
  Mailing Address:
  *************************
  ** *************************
  Ocean, NJ *****
  
  Additionally,I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your day to make us aware of your Kalahari experience; it is greatly appreciated as we continue to try to exceed the expectations of our guests.

  Thank you for choosing Kalahari Resorts,
  *******************************

  Customer response

  01/20/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  My family does not wish to have future credit. We believe we did not get what we already paid for. 

  Regards,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  11/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On November 16th ,2022 I purchased 2 adult tickets to the water park, there computer froze and was told to reinsert my card, upon doing that I noticed the next day that I was double charged, I’ve called multiple times and left multiple messages, every person tells me the same thing, that they will have to check with someone to see how to resolve it, have not heard anything back weather or not I will be refunded my money.

  Business response

  11/30/2022

  Good morning **************,

  First and foremost, I would like to thank you and your family for choosing Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos. I am truly sorry to hear of the issues that you encountered when trying to purchase your waterpark tickets on November 16. Although, we cannot foresee when technical issues may occur, we do apologize for the inconvenience. With that being said, I have reached out to our Waterpark Experience Director, ***********************, who confirmed a refund was processed as of this morning. A refund of $119.98 has been processed back to the **** ending in ****. You should see it on your statement in 3-7 Business days.
  
  Additionally, I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your day to make us aware of your Kalahari experience; it is greatly appreciated as we continue to try to exceed the expectations of our guests.

  
  Thank you for choosing Kalahari Resorts,
  Ashley H*********

• Initial Complaint

  10/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have purchased a rope course for 2 of my kids in August 2022. The website was malfunctioning and not accepting the order. So I tried to purchase with another credit card belonging to my father and ultimately both orders went through withing a minute of each other. I emailed right away to cancel one of the order as it was a duplicate. I went to the Kalahari resourt Rope course right away to resolve the issue. They send us to the Kalahari resource concierge services. We spent an hour with concierge, but did nit have time and resources to complete the removal of the duplicate order. He took all of our information and assured that the issue will be resolved by end of the day and credit applied to my credit card account. Nothing had been done and I still paid for double order and only one set of tickets has been used by my kids.

  Business response

  11/03/2022

  Good morning **************,

  I would like to thank you and your family for choosing Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos. We understand and apologize for the issues that you had encountered while processing your ropes course payment. We see how this affected your family getaway and we certainly do not want to leave a negative experience with you and your family.
  
  I followed up with our Waterpark Experience Director, Alysse W******, who also oversees Gorilla Grove and Ms. W********* ensured me that a refund of $109.98 was processed and sent back to the original form of payment on October 25th (confirmation of refund attached). You should see this charge posted on your credit card statement within 10 business days.
  
  Again, we truly apologize for the inconvenience but thank you for taking the time out of your day to make us aware of your Kalahari experience; it is greatly appreciated as we continue to try to exceed the expectations of our guests.

  
  Thank you for choosing Kalahari Resorts,
  Ashley H**************

• Initial Complaint

  10/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I rented a locker at the Kalahari Waterpark in PA on 9/25/2022 using their mobile services. At the time of payment, I was asked to set up a pin for the locker and was assigned locker #****. I went to the locker and punched in the pin a handful of times. The locker did not open. I asked a Kalahari employee who was in the locker area assisting customers for help. I informed him I had trouble accessing my locker. He walked me to the locker and the first question he asked me was "ok, what is the pin?" After a slight hesitation, I told him my pin. He then punched in the pin while explaining that I must wait for an orange light to blink after inputing each digit. (This information was not posted anywhere in the locker area.) The locker then opened. At that point, I asked him, so now how do I reset the pin? His answer was "unfortunately we cannot reset pins" and walked away. I seriously doubt that pins cannot be reset because Kalahari manages the lockers (what happens when a customer forget their pin?). If it is true that pins cannot be reset, then the employee should have told me upfront that he can walk me through how to input the pin, but if I want to give him the pin and let him try instead, he would not be able to reset the pin.Because the person did not tell me the pin cannot be reset upfront and refused to help me reset the pin afterwards, I was not able to use the locker. If I had gone ahead with using the locker anyway, any lost items would be my fault for knowingly using a pin that is compromised. I would like Kalahari to issue a refund for the $25 locker fee.

  Business response

  10/11/2022

  Good morning ********,

  First and foremost, I would like to thank you and your family for choosing Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos. During your waterpark visit, I understand there was some confusion when you tried accessing your locker; which resulted in you receiving assistance from one of our waterpark associates.
  During your conversation with the helping associate, you were told a pin change for your locker was not possible. I have reached out to multiple members of our waterpark team and can confirm that we are unable to change any passcodes for our waterpark lockers. If a guest forgets their passcode to their locker, we have to open their locker manually with a master key. Upon request, we are able to provide new lockers for our guests; however, a new locker was not requested on this day. Although we do understand the concern of having your passcode compromised, please know the associate asked for your passcode for instruction and had no foul intentions.
  Unfortunately, there will be no compensation provided at this time but we thank you for taking the time out of your day to make us aware of your Kalahari experience. It is greatly appreciated as we continue to try to exceed the expectations of our guests.
  
  Thank you for choosing Kalahari Resorts,
  Ashley H***************

  Customer response

  10/12/2022

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the associate simply stated unfortunately we cannot reset pins and walked away.  He never tried to understand my concern or said we can get you a new locker instead.  Your associate should never ask for the pin upfront without disclosing that he cannot reset pins by the way.  I do understand that he was trying to help and do not believe he had foul intentions.  However, if I had proceeded with putting my items in the locker anyway and lost anything in the locker as a result of a compromised pin, it would be 100% my fault.

   This was our second visit to Kalahari.  Due to your refusing to correct this small issue, we will never visit again.  I really wish businesses would put themselves in customers shoes when looking at a problem.  
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  09/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I visited Kalahari 2/2022 with my 6 children. I really have no complaint about the facilities or the staff as they were typical. My complaint is with management, who I have been going back and forth with for months without resolution. Story is, I walked in from outside with a bunch of bags and realized I lost my car key. I sat my bags down and had my kids wait with them in the entrance. I traced my steps back to the car and did not find my key. When I went to the desk, I was told to hold on. The person went to the back and returned to ask me what was on the key. I described the keys and their sizes exactly and the ******** key fob. The lady returned saying there was no key found. I said, "odd then why did you ask me what was on the key chain." She proceeded to say that my description did not match what they had. So someone did turn in keys. I continued to search. To make the story short. I went to the desk to check several times for my keys and continued to search the parking lot, gutters, etc. I ended up ruining everyone's vacation. No, Kalahari ruined the vacation. I sent 2 of my older children 3.5+ hours home for my spare key and to drive back to PA 3.5+ hours the next day missing 2 days as did I searching for the key. Before leaving, I decided another go around at the desk and was still told they did not get them. I showed them the spare and said listen, it will be very expensive to replace the one you obviously have. How can I prove that is my key? Security walked with me to the car as I started it with the spare and then they started it with the key they had. I got my key and was told because I did not mention the ***** **** store tag they could not identify them as my keys. I have been playing phone tag with the managers including a higher manager Mr. A******** and recently the front desk manager Jay. In addition I paid for late check out for a disabled family member and was locked out at regular time. So upset, I just left. I could not go back to the front desk

  Business response

  09/02/2022

  Good morning ********************,  

  First and foremost, I would like to thank you and your family for choosing Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos.I am truly sorry to hear of the issues that you encountered during your visit with us back in February. I understand how this impacted your family getaway and we certainly do not want to leave a negative experience with you and your family. With that being said, I would like offer 30% off of a future one night stay in our Two Bedroom, Two Bathroom Living Room Suite w/ Balcony (see restrictions below).
  
  Certificate Details & Restrictions:
  30% off of a future one night stay in our Two Bedroom, Two Bathroom Living Room Suite w/ Balcony (up to 8 guests)
  
  Restricted dates: January 1-2, January 16, February 20, March 18-April 4, May 30, June 13-30, all of July,  All of August, September 5-9, October 10, November 3-4, November 10-11, November 24-25, and December 24-31. Dates are subject to availability. Certificate is not valid for Penthouse or Big Five Suites and cannot be combined with any other offers.
  
  If interested, I can have a certificate created and put in the mail today. Please just confirm the mailing address we have for you below is correct.
  
  Mailing Address:
  *************************
  *** **********
  West Babylon, NY *****
  
  In addition, a refund of $435.99 will be issued back to the card we have on file. This refund is for the VIP package (early check-in/late check-out) purchased on your previous stay. The credit should be seen on your bank statement in 7-10 business days.
  
  Looking forward to your response ~
  Ashley H*********

  Customer response

  09/02/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/27/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hello , my family and I recently booked a getaway at kalahari resorts in PA it would be our first time stay for my two young daughters. during the initial booking when I was speaking to a rep on the phone we got regular rooms. Once checking online I’ve seen that there are balcony rooms, so I had called back and gave my confirmation number to upgrade to a balcony with an extra fee of $30 so I didn’t get an email about the upgrade and when calling back another rep told me it shows you now have a balcony you’d just have to go the kalahari website and nester ur confirmation number with last name and when I did I then seen we do have double queen 1 sofa room. So upon arrival on 08/23/22 it was pouring rain there were no carts to help with bags so we rushed inside the line was long so we used the kiosk to check in, when we went to the room it was double sofa no balcony. So we went back down waited the ling line and We had a agent by the name of Matthew I believe who I told him my compliant but refused to believe I had a balcony room and refused to get me a manager and took the person behind me. Service there was terrible took a while to connect to WiFi then finally I was able to get on the website and enter the Confirmation number and pulled up our updated room. When I showed him he didn’t say a thing not even sorry went inside for a 5 minutes then comes back to tell me he’s going to give us the room “ because he has a good heart” I told him we paid for this room it’s not a free upgrade he then argued and saying well it’s not on the email we only follow emails I said that makes no sense! He still refused to assist us and told us his co worker will help we just need to go get out things from the old room. We we did that came back down we finally got the room right but this second agent gave us a hard time about our game cards I told him it was part of our package he then took another 2 minutes and said oh I see it’s here. The check in process is a headache when with kids

  Business response

  08/31/2022

  Good morning **********************,

  First and foremost, I would like to thank you and your family for choosing Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos. I am truly sorry to hear of the issues that you encountered during your resort check-in. We understand how this misunderstanding may have delayed and/or disrupted a proper Kalahari Experience and we would love to have the opportunity to redeem ourselves with you and your family. With that being said, we would like offer you 25% off of a future one night stay in our Double Queen Sofa Room w/ Balcony & (3) complimentary breakfast vouchers (see certificate restrictions below).
  
  Certificate Details & Restrictions:
  
  25% off of a future one night stay in our Double Queen Sofa Room w/ Balcony & (3) complimentary breakfast vouchers.
  
  Certificate valid Sunday-Thursday only.
  Restricted dates: January 1-2, January 16, February 20, March 18-April 4, May 30, June 13-30, all of July,  All of August, September 5-9, October 10, November 3-4, November 10-11, November 24-25, & December 24-31.
  Dates are subject to availability. Certificate is not valid for Penthouse or Big Five Suites and cannot be combined with any other offers.
  
  If interested, I can have a certificate created and put in the mail today. Please just confirm the mailing address we have for you below is correct.
  
  Mailing Address:
  *****************************
  ** ************
  Levittown, NY *****
  
  Thank you for choosing Kalahari Resorts,
  Ashley H*************

  Customer response

  09/01/2022

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  A few years ago I was gifted 2 Kalahari gift cards. When I recently went to redeem them at their Poconos resort I was told they were expired. Although the cards state, "it expires 5 years from the original purchase date", the cards are not stamped with a purchase date or an expiration date. I was not able to redeem them sooner because of COVID 19. After several attempts to resolve this issue, and being told someone will get back to me, to this date no one has called. This is why I am filing a complaint.The 1st card number is ****** ***** ******** * in the amount of $1000.00.The 2nd card number is ****** ***** ******** * in the amount of $1000.00.

  Business response

  08/17/2022

  Good morning ************,

  It was lovely speaking with you this morning regarding your expired gift cards. I am so sorry to hear that you were unable to redeem these within the 5 year expiration period. As promised, two gift cards in the amount of $500 will go out today via *** NEXT DAY to the address below.
  
  Mailing Address:
  *****************
  **** *******
  Brooklyn, NY *****
  
  *** Tracking Number: ******************
  
  If using your gift card to book a stay, please call us at 1-877-KALAHARI (525-2427). Gift cards are not available for online room reservations at this time. We're more than happy to get you booked when you call.
  
  We hope to see you soon!
  
  Thank you for choosing Kalahari Resorts,
  Ashley H*************

  Customer response

  08/17/2022

  I want to thank everyone for their support and prompt responses to resolve this issue!!
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked a 2 nights stay with kalahari resorts located in Pennsylvania. I booked the dates 6/26- 6/28. When I arrived , I checked in and was told my room was ready along with the room number which was ****. After the waterpark I went to shower and noticed the disgusting mold that was on the shower curtain and various other places in the room. I informed the front desk and was told someone would inform housekeeping to change it. It was never changed, the next day I informed housekeeping that was in the hallway cleaning and they both had attitudes . One said “I don’t know” and the other just stared at me. Then the remainder of my stay whenever housekeeping was outside my door I would ask for more towels and a plastic bag to put the used towels in and again they were annoyed just by me asking. Then the day of me checking out, I left my room and I notified housekeeping to please not knock the door that my family(an autistic child included) is sleeping that I am heading to the front desk to extend my check out time so I can get a little more sleep and the housekeeper had an attitude telling me I can’t do that and that there isn’t time for me to do all of that when she gets to my room she has to enter. Meanwhile I told her I already spoke with the front desk and they told me to come down so I can bring my credit card, ID and to scan my bracelet. The housekeeping could have been a lot better if they focused their attitudes towards cleaning the room and not towards paying guests . 

  Business response

  07/01/2022

  Good morning ****************,

  First and foremost, I would like to thank you and your family for choosing Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos. I have had some time to look over your experience and found it very disheartening to hear that you were not entirely comfortable during your stay. I understand that you had multiple issues with our housekeeping department throughout your stay. Please know that your complaints have been forwarded to the correct managers to ensure the appropriate action is taken.

  I would also like to ensure you that our staff generally does a fantastic job when it comes to maintaining our facility and preparing the rooms for upcoming guests. We are extremely sorry for not achieving our goal of providing you with a top-notch stay. We appreciate you staying with us on this visit, and we sincerely hope that you will give us another chance to restore your faith in our hotel and hospitality. With that being said, I would like offer you 50% off of a future one night stay in our Double Queen Room w/ Balcony (see restrictions below); therefore you and your family have an opportunity to return and receive an experience beyond expectations.
  If interested, I can have this put in the mail today. Please just confirm the mailing address we have for you below is correct.

  Certificate Details & Restrictions:
  50% off of a future one night stay in our Double Queen Sofa Room w/ Balcony (up to 4 guests)
  Restricted dates: January 1-2, January 16, February 20, March 18-April 4, May 30, June 13-30, all of July,  All of August, September 5-9, October 10, November 3-4, November 10-11, November 24-25, and December 24-31. Dates are subject to availability. Certificate is not valid for Penthouse or Big Five Suites and cannot be combined with any other offers.
  
  Mailing Address:
  ***** ******
  ****** ** ***, APT **
  Queens, NY *****
  
  Additionally, I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your day to make us aware of your Kalahari experience; it is greatly appreciated as we continue to try to exceed the expectations of our guests. Providing your feedback assists us as a company and becoming better at what we do. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly.
  
  Thank you for choosing Kalahari Resorts,
  
  Ashley H**********

• Initial Complaint

  06/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I made a reservation today for Kalahari Resorts for my son, my nieces and my nephew.... 1 graduated from High School, 1 from Middle School, 1 made it through her first year of college and the other made Honor Roll. I AM SO PROUD OF THEM. I am really big on education as I was the first college graduate in my family. I want to surprise them with this trip on July 4th weekend. After entering my credit card info, I was prompted to review my reservation and then prompted to "complete the booking".... the website froze and I wanted to know if it completed the transaction... I called Kalahari and spoke with a gentleman who could not help me and offered a supervisor.... after a long wait, a spvsr by the name of Yari came on the line only to tell me that in seconds the rate had gone up by $230 and there was nothing she could do. A similar situation happened to me once with a PA resort and the BBB came to my rescue and that it why I panicked and began taking pictures and a video. This is so unfair that they just dismiss people and that we just have to accept it. It is unacceptable to me. I want to surprise the kids, but I'm a single mom and could use that money to feed them while we are there.... it was not my error... they should be accountable for the errors of their website. I would appreciate your help..... thank you for any assistance with this matter.

  Business response

  06/22/2022

  Good morning **********************,

  First and foremost, I would like to thank you for being a returning guest at Kalahari Resorts. I am truly sorry to hear of the issues that you experienced while reserving your upcoming stay. I did want to let you know that our rates fluctuate often based on several different factors; therefore, a specific rate cannot be promised especially on a holiday weekend. I did try to look further into the rate you secured but unfortunately, I was unable to locate your reservation. Please respond with your confirmation number therefore I can look further into this. If a reservation was not created, please respond with the supporting documentation (pictures/video) for our error.

  
  I look forward to your response,
  Ashley H*************

• Initial Complaint

  06/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I came here June 5th and the check in process was very rude they couldn't find my reservation and the money was taking out my card so I can to wait a whole hour for that when u finally got in the room it was only one towel and one washcloth had to requested for a room change cause there was bed bugs in the room I never got the room change cause they said it was fully booked so me and they kept refusing to give me my money back had to basically get a hotel outside the resort and was till charged this place is horrible and and the staff is very rude

  Business response

  06/10/2022

  Good afternoon **************,

  First and foremost, I would like to thank you and your family for choosing Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos. I am truly sorry to hear that you did not get to fully enjoy your stay with us. Per your concerns, we had room **** inspected and verified as negative. If you disagree with this finding, we are more than happy to have a third party company come out for confirmation.
  
  We understand you were not entirely happy with your stay, resulting in your departure one day earlier than expected. Unfortunately, our system has you using the room until approximately 9:25pm on June 6, meaning your room was occupied for the entire day. With that being said, Kalahari will not be issuing any compensation at this time.
  
  Additionally, I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your day to make us aware of your Kalahari experience; it is greatly appreciated as we continue to try to exceed the expectations of our guests.

  Thank you for choosing Kalahari Resorts,
  Ashley H************

*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. ↩