Great company leads to a great time! I booked a hot air balloon ride for two about a month in advance for the boy friend's birthday. Carol, who answered the phones every time I called was very helpful. I booked the evening ride so we could watch the sunset, she sent reservation confirmation, explicit directions, and helped me decide on a place to book dinner for later that night (I decided on Firenze it was great). On the day of the flight, everything worked out. We ended up flying with a different company, since Skysurfer was totally booked and had to lease out their patrons, but no matter. They made sure we were connected with the other company, had the directions and were there at the site. The flight itself was amazing. For someone who is a bit height sensitive, it was hard to tell I was off the ground, it was so smooth - and so gorgeous. We watch the sunset and flew near the coast. It was great. read more

Skysurfer Balloon Co - In the Sky! - Tours Near Me - Del Mar, California

Amazing, spectacular, and totally worth it! When you are looking to celebrate your special occasion in a fun and different way, I totally recommend going on a hot air balloon ride with Sky Surfer Balloon Company. I recently did this for the 1st time to celebrate my birthday with 4 family members and friends. The staff was professional, hardworking, fun, and helpful. We called to reserve our spot about a week ahead of time, and then met at the Vons parking lot in Del Mar where they drove us to the launching site together. It was really cool to see the crew set up the balloons before we boarded and were off. We had a 12-person basket with 10 customers. Thank god they didn't fill us to capacity, because 12 would have been uncomfortably crowded. There are lots of very cool photo opps during set up, as well as during the flight! Our pilot, Phil, had 17 years of experience and was such an awesome pilot! He popped open a couple bottles of champagne mid-flight, took photos of us up in the air, knew everything about the landscape below, and laughed and had a great time with us! Of all the balloons that went up with us (a total of about 6?) he kept us up in the sky the longest, and gave us such an amazingly smooth landing. He really enhanced an already super-cool experience. Sky surfer has been flying balloons in the Del Mar area for 30 years, and advertised the best price I could find - $165 per person. But I was a little disappointed when they added a $10 "fuel charge" at the last minute without disclosing it on the website, or during the phone call when I booked. Ten bucks isn't going to make or break my decision to fly, and so I would have appreciated more up-front information about that. It just made me feel a little duped about the actual price. This is an amazing experience. Book at least 5 days in advance and expect a total of 3 - 4 hours for the whole experience, with about an hour of that actually in flight. read more

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I can cross off riding in a hot air balloon off my bucket list! I have always wanted to fly in one since I was a kid living in Mira Mesa. Back in my high school days I rode my bike everywhere. In those days the city didn't care where hot air balloons landed so one common flight path was near the Del Mar Fairgrounds to the Mira Mesa High baseball field. The field was grass and a nice soft place to land. Sometimes they would fly near my house and one day I decided to follow on my bike. It was great fun racing the balloon! I lost cause I had to go through traffic lights and watch out for cars. Think of that scene in Superman where teenage Superman raced the train. It was awesome being a kid and being invincible! After the balloon landed it was cool seeing how happy the passengers were as they had celebratory drinks. I knew one day I wanted to be the one flying up there and celebrating! I saw a half off deal on the Daily Save and went for it. Conni was very helpful in scheduling our flight. We had a cancellation due to weather conditions and I mixed up our appointment date. I was excited as launch day arrived and the friendly staff answered any last minute questions. We went up and had a great time! It was awesome seeing the city from various altitudes. My fav part was seeing the sun setting into the clouds while we were at 5,000ft up. http://kane.mariweb.org/vacation/2011.10.17balloon/index.html The pilot Pete was awesome! He told us about the history of the areas we flew over and about ballooning in general. He took us on a great flight and a gentle landing. I'll have to save up and go again someday! read more

My wife went through SPOT RESERVATION to surprise me with a private couples Balloon Ride for Valentines day ($2200), our trip was cancelled after we drove down to their 3rd party company (Skysurfer Balloon Co.) that does the actual balloon rides. After 3 more attempts to schedule our trip, taking days off work and even driving to San Diego only to waste our time because the trip was cancelled (due to weather - rather safe than sorry) which I'm appreciative about but not happy because it seems to be last minute every time I decided to request a refund of the $2200.00 she paid. This company hides behind Spot Reservations. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM - TRUST THE REVIEWS - GO ELSEWHERE I just called and spoke to Connie the owner of the actual Balloon company, come to find out my review was about "Spot Reservation" and not her but after speaking with this extremely RUDE lady and having her threaten to sue me and come after me for leaving a review I'd steer clear of her too! WOW is all I can say.... I'm not sure how this lady stays in business with this kind of customer service and attitude! BOTH OF THESE COMPANIES GET -1 STAR read more

I have to section this review into two parts. One for the initial customer service and one for the service at the day of the event! totally different! The service on the day of the event was nice and everything was smooth and the whole experience was great with beautiful scenery of the Rancho Santa Fe and the ocean and as our great pilot Tim said, the concentration of wealth around that area is just amazing! So, the two stars are for the service which was actually a 4 star but because of my initial customer service I had to give a total of 2 stars! On the other hand, here is the part of review I wrote after my initial phone call to this company a month ago. ( -2 stars for her): O.M.G! First of all, this woman operates from her condo! So don't call her before 9:30 a.m. or she gets really pissed off. What is wrong with this woman? Customer service was TERRIBLE!!! I would not do any business with this people! My sister got my mom and I a ticket to hot air balloon in March and the expiration was end of June. My mistake, I forgot about it and then I called in July to see what we can do about it. Thinking it is a business, I called at 8 a.m. and a woman picked up the phone and with a very not so nice voice told me to call at 9. So I did and she picked up the phone and got even more mad and said with a mad voice that she told me to call at 9:30. Then I called at 10:30 and someone got my information and she told that they would call back. So the the next day, I called and before even saying anything she said with a very RUDE voice that " didn't I talked to you for 5 times yesterday and you called so early yesterday. I didn't have a minute to look it up! Why do you keep bothering us!!!???" And I was like," what??? I am sorry is this your home phone or your business?" and she is it was a home business! And I was thinking, it's not my problem that you were so cheap that you didn't separate your personal phone number from your business! so deal with it! Anyway, she was almost yelling at me and talking to me! I had to book because I didn't want her to use up my money to pay for her condo next to the ocean... It's funny because they charged $70 extra for upgrade on top of the $350 because our certificate was expired at the end of June and I called in August. However, when we went on the ballon ride, they had an online deal for $350 and everyone else on the balloon had paid $350 except us! I don't wish anything well for this woman's business... That's all I can say! read more

This supports that fact that you have lost it. I never said I had moved away, I have moved. I moved 4 miles down the road, because of the move we forgot about what we had purchased and only after unpacking remaining boxes did we find our vouchers..This is what I told you on the phone but you twist what I said in an effort to support your position for keeping our money. The fact remains that you have our $400 dollars and refuse to give it back. You attempted to brush us off onto Living Social but they said, you have the money, work it out with you and we know how that goes don't we. You have our $400 and refuse to give it back. That's the character of your business right there. Period. With all that hot air you spout I wonder if you're the one that fills the balloons. Enjoy the money you crook. read more

In short, you couldn't pay me to go on a hot air balloon ride with this company. The customer service from this business is absolutely terrible. There are two ladies that I know of who work the phones and neither one of them is capable of dealing with customers. And by capable I mean they're mostly rude, often unable to work their computer systems, and they will take forever to call you back if at all... 'nuff said. I bought a groupon last year and thus began a long and arduous nightmare dealing with them. Long story short, I ended up just giving up and cut my losses because I'd rather not have to make one more phone call to these people. Please, save yourself the trouble and go somewhere else. San Diego is too beautiful to be ruined by badly run companies like this. read more

ZERO Stars minus one!!!! :( I received a gift of one ride . I tried to make a reservation. I have called to many times to count. One time a lady answered and got my # and said she would call me right back. A day later still no call. I tried many more times. No answer on either #'s 800 660-6809 and 858 481-6800, not even able to leave a message. Again I called and the same lady answered and was very short with me.She wanted to know how I was going to pay. I sense she hates groupon, when I told her I received a gift. She was just RUDE. I asked to speak to someone else and she said she was it. She didn't want to make a reservation. Reading others reviews I see this lady hates her job. BUT NO customer should be treated like I was. read more

SCAM ALERT!!!!!! SCAM ALERT!!!!!! SCAM ALERT!!!!!! SCAM ALERT!!!!!! No problem taking my money for an anniversary gift for my wife. Now she won't answer my call to book a flight. Expiration date is quickly approaching and I know I'm going to get stuck with nothing to show for this. read more

This company is a SCAM!!!!!!! Don't ever buy tickets from this company!!! We lost $1,200 when they couldn't fly and no refund after multiple conversations and emails with promises but no result!!!!! Connie is a CON ARTIST!!!!! I would give them MINUS 5 STARS!!!! read more

This is a SCAM. My boss purchased a balloon ride for me and my husband as a wedding gift. I called on the day of the flight, as specified by the emails, to find out that it was too windy to fly that day. So, we rescheduled for a month later. Again, I called on the second scheduled date to discover again that it was too windy. We rescheduled a third time. Conni was nice and friendly the first time I spoke with her; however, the second time I called to reschedule, she acted like she had never talked to me before and couldn't find my ticket number. The third time I called her, she acted like I had called the wrong number. She has a pretty specific accent that I recognized immediately. So, I realized that she was lying when she said I had the wrong number. After cancelling our 3rd rescheduled flight day, she suggested I call in the Spring as the winter months were not good for flying. She went from saying that they would honor a purchased ticket 3 months after purchasing to saying that they'd honor any tickets purchased within the year. Now that's it is spring, I called back to attempt to schedule again. She answered and when I asked for Conni, she said I had the wrong number. I HAVE SAVED THE SAME NUMBER IN MY PHONE SINCE I STARTED SCHEDULING THESE FLIGHTS. Plus, it's her same annoying accent on the other end. So I asked if this was Skysurfer Balloon Co and she said that she has no idea what that is or what the number might be. She is a lying scam artist. DO NOT BUY TICKETS FOR THIS COMPANY. read more

I decided to go hot air ballooning for the first time on my birthday. We had a fabulous time. There were 3 people in my party, and most hot air balloon companies will not go up without a full basket of 5 or 6, I tried to book another company, and they wouldn't guarantee they'd go up unless 3 more people signed on for that day. But, Connie, the owner, made sure they took us up anyway. So, we had plenty of room, and it was just my party. We had some champagne and made our own party. It was so much fun. Our pilot, Tim, was awesome. We felt so safe because he was constantly in communication with ground crew and whomever else he used for navigation. He was so nice and patient. Tim gave us a LONGER ride to make sure we saw the sunset because it was my birthday. A special shout out to Connie, the owner. I called her a dozen times because I left the directions at home, and she was so patient and friendly. Connie, you need to shampoo the carpets in the basket. We spilled a lot of Champagne. added note: I just read the other reviews, and am very surprised. I am not related to or know anyone with this company, and I found Connie very friendly. They took my credit card number the day I booked, 2 days before, but told me the card would not be charged until the day of the ride. Once we arrived, I signed for the credit card. NO cheating me out of money, no hangups from Connie. read more

My husband surprised me with a hot air balloon ride for my birthday. Neither of us had ever been in a hot air balloon before and we both really enjoyed it. The pilot (are they called pilots?) told us a lot about the history of hot air balloons and flying in general which I really enjoyed. They also served champagne during the ride which was a plus. It was crazy how stable it felt in the air. I wasn't scared at all. The landing was a little nerve-racking, but it was totally smooth. We paid $350 total plus a generous tip, which is a lot, but for something you might only do once or twice in your life I think it's worth it. It was a really great experience. The crew definitely got a workout chasing us down and guiding us in - as well as getting us up in the air. The only thing I didn't like was how long the whole experience was vs. how long we were actually in the air. But I understand that they have to decide on a good launching and landing spot and that it takes time to get to and from the locations. I wonder if they can streamline their process a little? After reading some of the other reviews, I'd just like to say that my husband had no issues with Connie when he was scheduling our trip. We didn't use a Groupon or anything so maybe that made things less complicated. We also had perfect weather, so I guess we had good luck! But we also had great service from all of the Skysurfer employees. read more

These guys were absolutely great - my man surprised me with a sunset hot air balloon ride - my first while in SD last weekend. We set off to the launch location and watched the other four or so companies getting set up while wondering why our guys were just sitting around watching. After about five minutes they said, nope, everyone back in the van, we're going to a different spot. They had let a couple of test balloons go and decided that the winds had shifted out of their favor and that it simply wouldn't do. Back into the vans we went, back to the freeway and a whole other location in Rancho Sante Fe. The guys were a bit close for time but immediately lept into action to get us up into the air as soon as possible. Everyone was more than happy to answer questions and boy oh boy do these guys have their work cut out for them! Our pilot Pete gave us a nice history/background of ballooning post-ride while the guys were getting everything unhooked and put away and you could tell that although the job can be a bit tricky they all really love it. Pete was up front that because of the marine layer we wouldn't be able to see the sunset and the water - but he made sure to take us up and give us a great view of the sun - along with some rules to keep them out of trouble when ogling some of the huge houses we drifted over. I would definitely recommend these guys! read more

For the most part all was perfect, including the weather, staff and pilot. The only downfalls were... 1) We were in the big canopy, so we had 15 people. 7 on one side (the other side), and 6 on our side, 3 couples. The first 2 couple were in their own sectioned off area, so that left my wife and I to be split apart divided by the metal divider, so the balloon was balanced, 3/3 2) We were told that either before and/or after the flight, and almost for sure after landing because it would be dusk, that pictures by the staff would be taken of and for each couple, and at dusk because the flame could be seen. Well NEITHER happened for us so this is our major issue, since we paid $350 + TIP. All else was good and an experience to not forget. read more

I only booked with skysurfer as my 1st choice was sold out - but man am I glad I did. Connie (reservations) was friendly and helpful, our ground crew were great (and worked their asses off) and our pilot (Pete) was knowledgeable and passionate about ballooning. Overall a great experience. read more

I had a fantastic time on my recent hot air balloon flight. Skysurfer was definitely the right choice! They were very professional and our pilot Pete was absolutely fantastic. He was very knowledgeable and made everyone comfortable and have a great time. The whole experience was perfect and the staff explained everything along the way. I was amazed at how quickly they worked to get the balloon setup and how friendly the staff was too. I tend to ask a lot of questions and they always had a smile on their face and provided precise answers. The whole balloon ride was amazing and toasting with some sparkling wine while the sun is setting over Del Mar is quite nice. The landing was smooth and the staff took photo's of me and my guest before lift off and after our landing. The pilot even turned on the flames to get a cool night shot. I have nothing bad to say at all and feel that if you want a good experience and want it done right then I have no doubt in my mind that this is the balloon company to do it. They also have an anniversary special right now so check out the flier on their site. Happy balloon sailing! read more

Last Thursday I went up with a group of co-workers, 17 in total, all of us were able to fit in their "bus" hot air balloon. This thing was massive, and very impressive. From the ground, up and back down again, the company did an amazing job. The ground crew was young, enthusiastic and helpful. The pilot, Matt, was awesome. Some of the people in our group were a little nervous before going up and he was able to calm them down with his easy-going and personable attitude, yet he also gave off a lot of confidence. This confidence is important when you are entrusting your life to somebody, and Matt did not disappoint. Being able to go up as a group was a great experience, and really served as a great bonding opportunity for everybody. We were all able to relax and take in the beautiful sunset over Del Mar, as well as some of the mansions in Ranch Santa Fe. And after a perfect landing, we were greeted on the group with glasses of champagne. What more could you ask for? I highly recommend Skysurfer if you're considering going hot air ballooning. They are on top of things and very professional. read more

My wife and I just went on the Del Mar Sunset flight. We had a great experience. The staff and pilot were excellent and very professional. They made the experience wonderful. We felt very safe with the pilot Pete in control. You could tell he was very experienced and a safe pilot. I would recommend them and they deserve 5 or more stars!! read more

5 stars for service. Weather fronts? If there were a rating, they'd get a 0, 'cause they sort of ruined the initial surprise. I booked the flight for a surprise for my fiancee's birthday, everything was fine, but once everyone met up at the arranged spot, the marine layer came in. The pilot had to cancel in the lot. Since (at that point) the card had been run, I discussed it with my fiancee, who, now that he knew what the present was, still wanted to go. The first date we picked after that, it rained. The second option we picked, we were finally able to fly, and it ended up being on our anniversary! Ground crew and pilot were fabulous. Even though we had a more exciting than usual landing, the pilot assured us it was not necessarily unusual and was a successful flight. Overall, very well handled and quite enjoyable! read more

Unless you enjoy wasting a good amount of your time trying to do business with a place that takes your money, and then berates you while they refuse to provide the services you paid for, avoid any consideration of doing business with this company. my experience: My fiance called this company today to make a reservation for a balloon ride one week out. I could hear the response from across the room. The person who answered the phone, Connie, responded to the request as if my fiance was asking to engage in some sort of fight to the death. I was only able to hear her tone, not the words. My fiance only had time to respond with, "I'm not getting angry, I just want to know what I can do." She was told to pay more for later reservation. I called back hoping I might be able to speak to someone a little more deserving of a job, and was immediately disappointed when I realized that I could not at the time. I asked what my options were and was told the same thing, "pay more for a later appointment." I mentioned the fact that the voucher states today is the last day to make an appointment, and was told that I, "obviously had a problem," then was hung up on. With the knowledge that I cannot be hung up on in person, I decided to make the voyage to the listed address on the company website and the vouchers I printed. When I arrived at the location, I realized why the woman was so bold on the phone. The listed address is a PO Box. They just dont list the PO Box part in the address in their contact info. I called back again and was fortunate to hear a different voice on the other end. I explained my situation and the woman on the other end of the phone was kind enough to inform me that they are receiving a bunch of calls right now, and she would like to take my number down so she could call me back in a few minutes. She called back a few minutes later and asked where I purchased the tickets from. I told her they were from the dailysave and she responded with a concerned tone informing me that Connie, who is currently out of the office, is responsible for the reservations from the dailysave and might be giving me a call back in a couple of hours. I hope she calls back and is willing to work something out with not only myself, but anyone else she was completely rude to today. my 2 cents: I wish there were a negative star possible. I purchased tickets from the daily save some time back along with a couple of other adventures, scuba diving, etc and was able to complete all other journeys without a hitch. I was saving the best one for last, the balloon ride. Not much to my surprise, many other daily save patrons did the same thing. I would think that as a business manager, one would note how many presales they had, keep in mind the time they expire, and count how many people have used the presales to estimate how many people might be calling to make reservations on the last week. Then with that knowledge be able to gather means to accommodate the expected customers. Not the case it seems. This manager of affairs not only did not prepare for the obvious oncoming barrage, it seems as though she was crossing her fingers for no one to call, and got upset at the customers for trying to redeem what they had paid for. $200 plus may not be much to an owner of say, a hot air balloon ride company that provides such lousy customer service it makes a person want to ignore the laws that protect us all from physical harm, but to an individual looking to enjoy a romantic evening with their dearest, its a lot of money to spend for services not rendered. To Connie, come on, try to set up a structure that can support your business, or stop pretending you're a good business owner and look for a job where you don't have to speak to anyone else. Either that or invest in an employee that actually knows how to work with real people who have lives, thoughts, emotions, and problems just like your own. Because caustic attitudes like yours are a danger to not only yourself, but everyone around you. 4hrs later Connie called back. The first thing she did was ask me if I was one of the people that yelled at her. I told her she was close, but i was the one yelled at. She explained that my only options are to pay more to upgrade my voucher because her business basically is not equipped to adequately accommodate the amount of customers it takes money from. I informed her that at this point, since she has treated my fiance and myself with such disrespect, I'm just going to do what I can to get my purchase refunded. Connie asked who my fiance was and then denied ever speaking to her. I then informed her of my intention to publicize my experience with her on Yelp, FB, Twitter, etc, which is when she threatened me with legal action. "I will sue you for slander," or some false statement like that. She then concluded the phone call with, "you are a sick, sick person," and hung up. end experience read more

I had my first and last hot air balloon experience with Skysurfer. We were on the hot air balloon that crashed into a home on January 7th, 2013 that made national headlines. It was absolutely terrifying and traumatic. I've had nightmares about it and as I sit here typing I have shooting pains up and down my back and bruises on my legs. Apparently this isn't a big deal according to SkySurfer as stated in a recent news article, "On Tuesday, the owner of Skysurfer Balloon Company called the incident a "windy landing" and said it happens all of the time." A "windy landing"? This was more than a windy landing!! If this kind of thing happens all the time then why don't you mention it on your website! It's a little misleading when the website states, "Skysurfer has a perfect safety record. During the entire history of the company, we have had no crashes, no accidents and no injuries. Your safety is our number one priority." It makes me wonder how many other people this has happened to since they seem to think this isn't a big deal and claim to have a perfect safety record! I guess it is perfect to them if this was considered a "windy landing." Well, to those of us who never go in hot air balloons it's a HUGE deal. It's traumatic. To add insult to injury one of their crew members posted a pic of the accident on instagram hours after the crash stating, ""Shout out to the passengers thanks for the $10 tip you cheap fuckerz" The shock of the accident hadn't even worn off yet and this person was worried about a tip! The aches, pains, and bruises hadn't even had time to set in and you're wondering where your tip is?! You want a tip for almost killing us?! How about caring about our well being and not your own greed! I have ZERO interest in ever going in another hot air balloon. I can't even look at them the same way again thanks to this experience. We did our homework prior and picked this company because of their "safety record" and "experience." If this thing happens all the time they must be good at covering it up unless it makes national headlines like it did in our case. read more

Horrible! They took my money and then continued to give excuses about why they couldn't book us and then refused to refund my money! First it was that they were doing construction on their office. I called several times and was told the check was in the mail. Never received it. So I called again and the owner said the person in charge of the money had a husband who was dying so I needed to wait until she was back in the office for the refund. I waited for months and no refund. Now when I just called, the owner Connie hung up on me. I've never seen a business like this and certainly wouldn't want to take a chance on going up in the sky with them! I just want the money I am owed. read more

ZERO STARS!!! THEY OWE ME $350! I was supposed to use Skysurfer to go on my first Hot Air Balloon ride with my wife for our Anniversary. I found them on Groupon. The woman that I made the reservation (The Notorious Connie) and gave my credit card info to was supposed to send me an email with the location info and what not, but she never did. We drove down from LA and as we were in route to the pickup location, Connie called to tell me that our pickup location was moved, however, she failed to mention that we would be using another company entirely. This new company was Magical Adventures (whom were amazing). So, since it was a new company they asked for my $350 payment, and I told them that I had already given Connie my Credit Card info, to which they replied... they (Magical Adventures) didn't have my credit card info, so I paid them (Magical Adventures) $100 cash and charged $250 to my credit card. SO... here is where it gets messy. When I checked my Credit Card statement the next week I saw a $350 charge from SKYSURFER (WRONG!!!!) and a $250 charge from Magical Adventures (RIGHT!). I immediately called Skysurfer and Connie told me that the woman who handles refunds wasn't in and took my number down so that they could call me back (which she never did). I have called Connie well over 15 times and spoke to her about 7 different times. This last time she told me "call your bank and have them fix it!" and then hung up on me! I have been trying to resolve this matter for 2 months!!! They still owe me my $350!!!!!!! I am SO PISSED. This is the most unorganized, unprofessional company I have EVER dealt with. read more

If you like to get what you pay for, then steer clear of this company. I called on August 9th to order a certificate for a hot air balloon ride to surprise my husband for our 1st wedding anniversary. I asked the owner, Connie, if it would be possible for her to email me that day with confirmation so that I could give to my husband the following day for our actual anniversary date (1st anniversary present is supposed to be paper, so it would have been perfect!). She said that she would email it right away and she would send the actual certificate via mail that same day. Forward to 5 days later, on August 14th and I called Connie to follow up since not only did I not receive an email but I never received the certificate via mail. She apologized, verified my address (which was correct) and said she'd mail another one out that day. Forward again 5 days later, on August 19th when I STILL hadn't received an email or paper certificate via mail and I called Connie again to advise her that I hadn't received anything and that I would like a full refund. She tells me she can't refund the money because the certificate are still 'out there'. I advised her that I hadn't received anything and that if she didn't want to refund, that she could FEDEX the certificate to arrive by the following day. She advised she would FEDEX it right away. Here I am 2 days later, no certificate STILL and no email, so I call Connie one more time and tell her to just refund my money. She admits she didn't FEDEX it, but then starts YELLING at me at what a pain in the ass I've been and how she doesn't want to deal with me anyway. I just calmly tell her to refund my money or I will call my credit card department to deny the charge. She starts yelling louder about how her husband is in hospice and how she doesn't have time to deal with me. I again ask her to refund my money and then I hang up. I'm sorry Connie has personal problems (as we all do in life) but with her terrible customer service skills, she'll be out of business soon as well. All I wanted was the certificate I paid $350 for. If it was that impossible to get a certificate, I cringe thinking how hard it would have been to actually schedule the balloon ride or actually take one! Steer clear of this business! There are many other reputable hot air balloon vendors in San Diego - now I just have to find one. Good luck fellow Yelpers! read more

Horrible experience, can not book more than 4 vouchers in a basket. Got hung up on multiple times. Hard to make reservation, just want a refund. DO NOT BUY THE LIVING SOCIAL OR GROUPON DEAL! read more

DON'T BELIEVE THE 5 STAR Ratings!!! It is a hoax!! I just lost my $200 for the 2 tickets i had bought. They cancelled the trip because of bad weather. I kept calling for rescheduling the date. The person named Conie, would take down my information and never call back.. I am a very sane person and this is my first bad review on Yelp for any business. I strongly believe in promoting local businesses but this place lacks integrity. Please avoid this place and avoid Conie at all costs.. read more

My husband and I decided to do a ride. We called ahead and asked the particulars. We were told we would get an hour up in the air, with views of the sun down over greater san diego. We were told it was going to be 395 each. We showed up in the shopping center, and there were 13 other people waiting for the balloon ride, and there was only one basket. When we called the lady told us do not worry everybody will be given a section and will have space to be on the edge of the basket to see all the great views. We were quite upset but we went on the ride, because that is what she told us. We overheard another couple who had asked the same question and they were really upset about the price because they noticed they had paid more then most for this ride. All 15 of us got in the basket with the pilot and we were crammed literally in a 4 ft x 2 ft section per four or 5 people. The couple that shared the space with us, took over much of the space so my husband and I had to toe to heel the entire team, and I was not able to see much because the beams that hold up the basket and attach to the balloon were in my way. At the end of this horrible ordeal we came in for a very rough landing because the pilot underestimated the landing and the wind and the pitch we were supposed to duck and secure ourselves in the basket. Well the couple that was in the section with us decided to sit indian style in the basket and we weren't able to duck or take cover and so we ended up standing while we came in for a crash landing. I through my wait towards the back section because I realized we were about to rollover, and so I jumped into the other section to make it more balanced, and my husband and the pilot pushed their weight to that same section to ensure that we weren't going to rollover. If it was not for my quick action we would have definitely had tons of concussions head injuries and other issues. We landed, and the patrons got out of the balloon - two of them being navy pilots- started questioning why we landed so rough. The real kicker on the way back one of the navy pilots started asking the driver of the bus about the rides and the price, and the driver said "yeah we pricefix, all of the balloon companies get together and we say lets charge x. I do not recommend this tour at all, for its lack of customer service, no space, and frankly just a rude business women. I have emailed a couple of times and she has refused to return my emails. I called her a couple of weeks later since she was not returning my emails and she told me I am a big fat liar, that I ruined the trip for everybody, and I am a F*** B****. Then she hung up. Reading other posts, this is her normal MO. Update: My Credit Card company recovered all my money back from this business. read more

After numerous cancelations and promises of rescheduled bookings that never materialized I came to the unfortunate conclusion that Connie is not capable of managing what she is doing as she is forgetful and goes into complete denial of having made said promises. At first I was sympathetic but having been told now that I will have to pay a substantial amount more in order to use the tickets I bought I am disgusted. What makes matters worse is that they take no responsibility for their inadequacies and inform you to take matters up with Living Social I should add that I have bought numerous specials from Living Social and had nothing but good service. These folks don't know the meaning of the word service.. read more

I just reported this company to Groupon and below I've pasted what I submitted. PLEASE BEWARE and DO NOT book with this company. I contacted Skysurfer Balloon Company more than a week prior to December 12, 2012 to schedule the tour. Per the redemption requirements, I understood that my flight date would be a minimum of two week out. I introduced myself to the woman on the phone and mentioned the Groupon... and it was all downhill from there. I can honestly say that I've never experienced such dizzingly bad customer service so fast into an interaction. The woman on the other line was instantly irate and quickly explained that just so I know, she's not yelling even though it sounds like it- but why can't people follow directions? I was completely surprised and let her know that my Groupon didn't expire until the 12th. To spare you the awkward drama that followed, I can summarize the rest of the experience by letting you know that I confirmed with her that she is in fact the owner of the company (after I asked to speak with her manager) and it led to her screaming and reading out the Groupon word by word and punctuation by punctuation, insisting that, "like all the others", I must not know how to read. The 'two week rule' created an obvious and unfortunate miscommunication between the two of us. She referred to the expiration date as a 'fly-by date' and I noted that my interpretation was that it is a 'redemption date', which I was trying to do now. I had no problem waiting two weeks or even more- I just wanted to go up! The conversation was going nowhere, so I told her that she was rude and that I was going to end the call and report this encounter to Groupon... she shrieked that I was harassing her and hung up on me. I really wish I would have read the Yelp reviews prior to purchasing the Groupon. It seems that this experience is more common than not. Here's the link to the Yelp page: http://www.yelp.com/biz/skysurfer-balloon-co-del-mar-2 Please do not offer their company on your site in the future. The difference between your core values is far too great and there are other companies with far better reviews. read more

Horrible experience from Day 1! I purchased this groupon in December 2011 and by February of 2013 , I was still waiting to try to get on the ride!!!!!!!!!! After numerous tries , I gave up. I was sick and tired of taking pto days so they could tell me at 12 that the weather didn't allow us to get in the air and that we had to reschedule . Towards the end, I was rescheduling every month! So on our last attempt, we made it all the way to the launch site and waited and waited, until they cancelled on us . When I called the office to see if I could reschedule one more time ( now realize it would have been our 8th try!) or talk about refund option, the owner said that was out of the question that I would need to contact Groupon . Then she had the audacity to say I should have tried in the summer when it was nicer , well we did and still got cancelled ! She tried to bully me into dates I couldn't make . So I asked her if maybe we could wait till may when the weather is better and she said no , that we needed to reschedule me ASAP, that they were busy and that If I wanted to do it during the week end , I would have to pay extra but that anyway they were too busy and didn't have any openings on the week end ( well yeah because they have to reschedule all those other people ) . Thanks god , groupon refunded me my money !!!! Thats no way to do business and poor customer service !!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

OMG!!Went on a hot air balloon ride yesterday to celebrate my bf's birthday we had an amazing time I gotta say i was a little scared to get on it was my first time as was his too but It couldn't have been better It was the perfect birthday gift for him, the staff that was there was very nice and outgoing Pete was great and enlightened us with more champagne at landing and the story behind it, thanks guys!!!also nice touch of the complimentary B-day banner and drinks:) read more

When we arrived the owner told us that there had been a problem with the balloon we were assigned to, and asked us to reschedule. What? Ok, things happen, but when we explained that we were going out of town for several months and asked for a refund, the owner Connie went ballistic and refused us. My husband has called twice to resolve this but she has hung up on him both times. We don't how the balloon ride was because we never got one. But we do know we would never again do business with this company, and that the owner Connie is a very unpleasant and unprofessional person. read more

What a wonderful experience. From the time I scheduled it through the actual landing, it was great. The ground crew was thorough, the pilot performed with expertise. I love the fact that the celebrations were recognized. From the staff member who checked us in asking if we were celebrating a special event, to the driver who took us to our departure site, they each wished my husband and I Happy Anniversary. The banner is a nice touch too. Great photo ops. We had a blast and will definitely recommend Skysurfer to our friends and family. read more

I took my Gf for her birthday last year July and had a wonderful time!!! Skysurfer were very organized and make you feel comfertable with the whole trip by explaining everyhting, they are def professionals. (its a lil nerve racking if you dont like hieghts to much) They even put a banner on the balloon wishing her a Happy Birthday..we had champange over the coastline, it was Amazing and def a great expierience. I reccomend to anyone who enjoys romance and views! read more

Beware do not go to Skysurfer. I am nearly certain that you won't be able to schedule with this company anymore, as their website has been removed. However, I still felt the need to create a profile and warn people to avoid this company. I purchased two gift certificates in December of 2015 and was told that we could schedule our flight anytime over the following 6 months. Once we had made our plans in March to schedule a flight in May, it was nearly impossible to contact Connie, who had handled my order. After several attempts by phone and email, I was ready to issue a chargeback. By chance, Connie eventually reached out to me and scheduled a flight in May. I received no written confirmation from Connie. As the date drew near, I was completely unable to contact her or anyone from Skysurfer to receive instructions on when and where to go for our flight. After doing some research, I confirmed that this company's business license has been suspended by the Franchise Tax Board (this is public information you can find on the Secretary of State's website). By no means should you contact Skysurfer Balloons to schedule a flight. They will take your money and will not follow through with the flight. read more

WORST BUSINESS EVER! This is a total scam! Connie is the worst business person to ever deal with, i am very surprised she's still in business after all these other bad reviews. She cancelled our ride 4 different times and then charged us when we didn't want to reschedule! She lied and says that we scheduled a different date just so she could charge us. She now refuses to talk to us and just keeps hanging up the phone every time we call. So we are now out the $350 and never even got the ballon ride. And i wouldn't trust the safety of this business if they can't even schedule properly. Being a business owner myself, i would never treat any customer in this fashion. She is very unprofessional and rude to her customers and there are plenty of other reviews saying the exact same thing. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!! I have already filed a complaint with the BBB so hopefully she gets the hint to better service her customers. read more

Connie is not her real name . It's a scam company. They never gave us a ballon ride nor a refund. We called them 10 times to get a refund, the lady on the phone first says her name is Connie then she changes it to Karen. She's extremely rude, she hang up on me when I asked for a refund. It is a fraud company. I'm surprised that people here actually got to go on a ballon ride. read more

My husband and I went on a Skysurfer sunset ride over Del Mar, and had a great time. Everyone was very professional, informed us of any risks, and made sure we had a good time. We got the early summer rate of $175, which was the best deal out there for a reputable company. (You probably DON'T want to go cheaper...) We met the crew in the parking lot on Mango, signed the paperwork, an hopped in a van. They got the balloons set up quickly and it was fun to watch them all inflate. They took pictures of us in front of the basket and in the basket, which had a Happy Birthday poster on it. Most people were there for a birthday or anniversary. They don't drink champagne before the trip (for obvious reasons), but they did have it after. The trip itself was fantastic! I would recommend it to anyone adventurous, even those who think they will be motion sick. My husband was nervous that he might get sick, but he was fine - there is no motion in the basket, because you are traveling with the wind. No wind, and no rocking. It was totally smooth, peaceful, and beautiful. We got a great view of the ocean, even over the marine layer (there's always a chance it will be too cloudy to take off, but we got lucky), and the valleys and houses below us were fun to look at. At one point we were at 2,000 feet, but it was so peaceful that it was hard to feel any fear. The balloon captain steered it expertly, riding the currents, using the valley to pick up speed as we sailed east. One thing you must realize is that the winds affect where you land. They have several spots, and that day, the wind was pushing us farther south than they wanted. Still, there was a field to land in, and they prepared us well for the potentially rocky landing (they tell you ahead of time that the basket could tip over, but it is well padded and has lots of hand-holds). We hit the ground at about 10 mph, and the ground crew jumped on to slow it down. We were holding on and leaning back as instructed, and no one was hurt as the basket dragged a good 30 feet along the ground. (Obviously, if you are in fragile physical health, you may not want to fly due to the possibility of a rough landing). It was actually exciting and fun. Since we landed in a less-desirable and less accessible area, they couldn't drive the van to the balloon, so they enlisted anyone who was willing to help carry the deflated balloon to the van. Most people were willing to help. We celebrated a safe landing with (albeit cheap) champagne (hey, you want Moet and Chandon, go take a more expensive flight!) and the van took us back to Mango. I didn't meet Connie, the owner, but I did speak to her on the phone, and while she was perfectly nice to me, she speaks WAY too fast on the phone and was sometimes impossible to understand. On a positive note, I had to cancel two reservations of the four I made (two people got cold feet), and Connie was very understanding and allowed me to do it even though I was less than a week out. I really appreciated that. I know some people have been critical in their reviews, but I had a very positive experience. And as far as the negative reviews go, when responding to negative criticism, a business should always follow the credo "the customer is always right" and respond calmly and professionally, not emotionally or in an accusatory way. We can all see it on Yelp! Just a suggestion! Thanks, Skysurfer! read more

What an unbelievable experience; from the start when they welcomed us in the van to the end where we got an education on the start of ballooning and the connection between balloon rides and champagne. I was scared anticipating the ride, but the balloon crew put my fears to rest. Pete and his crew made the ride unforgettable. It was extra special because we chose a day when the sun was setting on one side of the basket and the full moon was rising on the other. I would recommend putting this on your bucket list. read more