‘Wondrous’ event for kids went all wonky

A DUNDEE dad has hit out after travelling two hours for a Wonka-inspired experience in Glasgow that turned out to be a “total con”.

Stuart Sinclair, 29, had taken his two sons and four-year-old daughter to the £35-per-person Willy’s Chocolate Experience at Box Hub on Saturday.

The city centre venue had been hired by organisers House of Illuminati, who promised “a journey filled with wondrous creations and enchanting surprises at every turn” inspired by the recent musical movie.

According to its website, the experience promised “captivating live performances featuring charming characters singing original catchy tunes” featuring “extraordinary props, oversized lollipops, and a paradise of sweet treats”.

It added: “This event guarantees an immersive and delightful entertainment experience.”

The event listing on Facebook also said families should expect an “immersive experience” and “a day of pure imagination and wonder”.

However, Stuart, who lives in Douglas, said it turned out to be “far from that” and the family was met with a near-empty warehouse with just a few Wonka-themed props.

The event has since been cancelled following several complaints, with the organisers pledging refunds to all customers.

Audio-visual engineer Stuart said: “It was sold as a proper experience – a magical experience.

“We drove from Dundee so it took us a couple of hours.

“When we turned up it was just a warehouse – I did expect that as I knew the venue. I thought they would have transformed it.

“We walked through and were told to sit down, the guard opened the front gate.

“There was a guy wandering around apparently dressed as Willy Wonka but he didn’t seem interested.

“You then got inside and there were a couple of props and a plastic chocolate thing.

“In the next room they had test tubes with Jelly Babies.

“I said to the kids at least they would get a bag of sweets but they gave them one single sweet each.

“We came out of that bit and there was a guy and people gathered around trying to get answers.

“They were saying they would get it sorted and refunds.

“That’s fair enough but there were people from Newcastle and Aberdeen who had travelled too.

“It’s not the money side, it’s the disappointed children.”

Stuart said security people cleared visitors from the venue – run by Box Hub – during his visit as claims started to circulate online that the event was not as expected.

He added: “My two boys are aged

nine and 10 and they just laughed.

“My wee girl is four and was the most excited, she was disappointed.

“They shut the doors and there’s now a sign saying it’s cancelled.

“We went to Build a Bear in Braehead Shopping Centre and made the most of the day.

“There were loads of disappointed kids outside, it was a shame.”

A post on the House of Illuminati Facebook page said: “Today has been a very stressful and frustrating day for many and for that we are truly sorry.

“Unfortunately last minute we were let down in many areas of our event and tried our best to

continue on and push through and now realise we probably should have cancelled first thing this morning instead.

“We fully apologise for what has happened and will be giving full refunds to each and every person that purchased tickets.

“We planned a fabulous event and it just did not take shape and we are truly sorry. We are devastated at how this turned out

“Refunds can take up to 10 working days.”

A police spokesperson confirmed officers were called to the cancelled event and gave out advice and assistance.

DISAPPOINTING: ‘There were a couple of props and a plastic chocolate thing’ in a warehouse.