Louisiana Don’t Be Fooled By Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Experience Scam
For all the concerns about A.I., one thing that we all have to remember is this: It doesn't take a lot of effort to make it seem like there's a lot of effort.
There was something called "Willy's Chocolate Experience" that was supposed to happen in Scotland last weekend.
It cost $45 per person, and it was advertised as an immersive walk-through experience that made you feel like you were in Willy Wonka's factory.
The images they used to promote it looked lush with lighting and design like something you'd see at Disney. But those were apparently just A.I.
When parents and children actually arrived, it was a mostly empty warehouse with a few props sitting around that looked like stuff from parade floats.
The "experience" was less than 10 minutes long, and didn't feature any candy, let alone any décor or "immersive" interaction.
One person gave this review, "Underwhelming was an understatement. Embarrassing doesn't even cut it. I paid for Willy Wonka and got Billy Bonkers."
Some people didn't even get that. Apparently, there was so much backlash that the organizers pulled the plug on the whole thing and put up a cardboard sign that said, "Event canceled."
Some parents were even concerned enough to call police, not just because they felt defrauded, but because they were worried about it being safe.
Organizers apologized, and blamed the disaster on "holographic technology" not arriving on time. They promised to give out refunds.
As for the police, it's unclear if they played a role in getting the event shut down, or if it had already been closed. It's probably a good thing that the organizers are offering refunds, because they could've got in trouble over this mess.
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Gallery Credit: Beth Mowbray