FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Last weekend’s “Barbie Dream Fest” was touted as a multi-day experience that explored the legacy of the Barbie brand.

Fans from all over descended upon Fort Lauderdale for which was supposed to be an immersive celebration of Barbie fun, but for many, the fun stopped at the door.

Attendee Cherry Bon Bon, who drove from Orlando, spoke to Local 10 News about her experience.

“We have actually been thrilled since the beginning of January when I got the first ad,” she said. “I messaged my friend and I said, ‘I don’t care if you’re available, you’re going to be available. I’m buying these tickets for us.’”

She made that purchase with a promise of something out of this world, but what they got was anything but.

“We were promised a gorgeous, interactive Barbie Dreamhouse,” said Bon Bon. “We were promised a neon 80’s roller rank, a gorgeous bike course, an all-female symphony playing live music and accompaniment with the Barbie movie. And thankfully, they did have the orchestra and they were incredible.”

Still, walking inside wasn’t exactly the breathtaking experience that Bonbon, and many others were expecting.

“Honestly, we laughed,” she said. “We have watched for years, events like this happen, and we never thought it would happen to us. But thankfully, we were in a situation, we were like, ‘All right, we’ll do a charge back.’”

Now the questions shift to who is to blame and what the money that people spent on tickets was actually used for.

“They actually did end up sending an email saying that only 3-day passes were going to get two-thirds of their pass refunded, which was roughly still $70 on our end,” Bon Bon said. “Then last night they sent another email saying we were going to get 100% refunded, but in three-to-four business weeks.”

Tickets for the event ranged in price.

A day pass cost around $70 for an adult and $30 for a child, while a three-day pass ran around $150 for adults and $75 for children.

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