Families let down as drive-ins cancelled
CHRISTMAS EVENTS AT RUGBY CLUB CALLED OFF BY ORGANISER
FAMILIES hoping for some festive fun say they been left furious after the sudden cancellation of a series of drive-in cinema screenings in the run-up to Christmas.
The Moonlight Drive-In Cinema had been advertising 15 screenings of festive films including Elf and Home Alone between December 18 and Christmas Eve at Blaydon Rugby Club.
But on Wednesday customers say they received an email out of the blue from the company saying all its events had been cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Those who tried to ring Moonlight Cinema about a refund of their £30 claim they were simply met with a message saying the phone number was not in use.
And in another shocking twist, Blaydon Rugby Club said the events had never actually been booked.
The news came a day after customers in Peterborough claim they had the same experience with the company, with some actually turning up to the screening and being told by staff that Moonlight Cinema had cancelled all their events.
In October, Moonlight Drive-In Cinema posted on Facebook about a series of screenings it would be hosting at Blaydon Rugby Club, and confirmed the full line-up of 15 screenings in the seven days leading up to Christmas Day.
Its website said: “Moonlight Drive-in Cinema is bringing its wonderful Christmas drive-in experience to the lovely people of Newcastle & Gateshead! We are super excited for our first visit to Blaydon Rugby Club.”
But on Wednesday customers say they received an email saying: “Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, all events have been cancelled. We aim to be in touch shortly with more information.”
However, several people said when they tried to contact the company about a refund, there was no answer.
Among the unhappy customers was Rachel Watson, from Blaydon, who had booked to go and see Elf on December 23 with her partner.
Rachel, 24, said: “When I booked it I got the booking confirmation but I never got an email which I thought was a little bit unusual. Then I got this email saying everything had been cancelled. I thought it was weird so I typed it into Twitter and there were loads of people saying it was meant to be somewhere else last night, but people went to watch it and nothing turned up. “It’s really annoying – £30 isn’t cheap for something like this and a lot of people were saying their kids will be disappointed. It would have been a nice thing to do around Christmas and it’s left everyone a bit let down.” Another woman contacted us to say: “Five kids disappointed and me as a single mother trying to make Christmas special now has nothing for them to do on Christmas Eve and I’m £30 out of pocket.” Blaydon Rugby Club have now posted on their Facebook page saying Moonlight Cinema had never actually made the booking.
The post said: “Blaydon RFC were approach by this organisation some months ago with an enquiry to use our venue for them to host an outdoor cinema. They had concerns about the impact of the floodlights from the pitches at Blaydon and the booking was never finalised.”
Moonlight Cinema’s website currently says: “Oh No, You’ve Missed Us! “We don’t currently have any plans to return to this area, however if you know of a suitable location please do let us know and we will do our best to come back soon :).”
The Chronicle has attempted to contact Moonlight Cinema but has not received a response.
It would have been a nice thing to do around Christmas and it’s left everyone a bit let down