This article originally appeared on Business Insider.
A “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” last weekend turned out to be far less satisfying than people had hoped.
The event was organized by the House of Illuminati in Glasgow, Scotland. It was advertised as a “place where chocolate dreams come true” with an enchanted garden, an “Imagination Laboratory” that promised “mind-expanding projections and optical wonders” and a “Twilight Tunnel.”
A disclaimer at the end of its website read: “This experience is in no way related to the Wonka franchise, which is owned by the Warner Bros. company.”
People quickly realized that it was far from what the organizers had promised.
Stuart Sinclair, who said he brought his children to the event, called it “absolute chaos.”
In a Facebook post, Sinclair said the event was described as a “fantastic day out for kids”, but shortly after arriving he noticed a queue of people waiting to complain.
The police were even called and “advice was given”, a Police Scotland representative said, according to Sky News.
X users speculated that the images used online by the organizers were generated by artificial intelligence. Many of the images on the website feature telltale signs of AI-powered art, and Business Insider was able to create very similar images using AI.
The House of Illuminati did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the use of artificial intelligence in marketing photos.
Police called for ‘immersive’ Willy Wonka experience after families turn up at ’empty warehouse’
The event reportedly charged $40 for entry, advertised with AI art, and said it would be a “journey full of wondrous creations and enchanting surprises at every… pic.twitter.com/udz8KeWVxQ
— Desire for culture? (@CultureCrave) February 27, 2024
Sinclair said in his Facebook post that the company is “nothing but an absolute scam.”
After the promise of chocolate fountains, Sinclair said her children received two jelly beans and a small drink. He added that tickets to the event cost him £35, or around $44 per person.
Stuart Sinclair called the event an “absolute disaster”. Stuart Sinclair via BI
The House of the Illuminati said in a Facebook post on Saturday evening: “Today has been a very stressful and frustrating day for many and for this we are truly sorry.
“Unfortunately, we were disappointed in many areas of our event at the last minute and tried our best to continue and move forward and now we realize we probably should have canceled first thing this morning.
“We fully apologize for what happened and will fully refund every person who purchased tickets.”