ORLANDO, Fla. — Some central Florida runners are wondering whether they've been scammed out of registration fees for a 5K that never happened.
The Color Fun Fest 5K and Carnival was scheduled for last Oct. 29 at the Central Florida Fairgrounds, but was canceled.
And more than three months later, people said they still haven't gotten refunds.
It echoes dozens of complaints about the same company in other cities.
"We got an email in the middle of October saying that the run was canceled because of a scheduling conflict,” said Cliff Jett, who had signed up to run.
Jett and his friends have been asking organizers for refunds, but so far, they have not gotten their money back.
"Unfortunately, I didn't really do my research before signing up for this. Apparently they've gotten a lot of bad reviews in the past,” said Jett.
Color Fun Fest, LLC has an F-rating with the Better Business Bureau, and 100 percent of its customer reviews are negative.
The majority of the more than five dozen complaints from people in several states said their 5Ks were either canceled or repeatedly rescheduled, and they were also fighting for refunds.
In Texas, where the company is based, the attorney general's office said it has 51 complaints filed against Color Fun Fest and the Just Care More nonprofit the 5K is supposed to benefit.
Jett, who was left with no bib or medal to add to his racing collection, just wants the company to pay up.
"I don't think it’s too much to ask,” he said.
Eyewitness News’ calls to Color Fun Fest haven't been returned.
Channel 9’s Len Kiese put in a request with the city of Orlando to see whether the company ever applied for permits to host an event in October, but has not heard back.
Cox Media Group
