Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) or the more recent iteration, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), are movies that got stitched in the memories of many children of our world.

For that precise reason, when a real-life “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” event in Glasgow, Scotland, surfaced on the internet, many people didn’t think twice before buying a ticket for it, especially for their kids. But when they showed up for what was advertised as a “journey filled with wondrous creations and enchanting surprises at every turn,” they found disappointment in a nearly empty warehouse. Scroll down to read the full story!

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Childhood dreams are usually wonderful, but they can also make us more susceptible to some ridiculous scammers’ schemes

Image credits: Stuart Sinclair

A man saw an online ad for a Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory-themed event, which was supposed to be the ultimate experience

The story first hit the internet a few days ago when Facebook user Stuart Sinclair shared a complaint online, talking about the experience, which he described as a “shambles of an event.” The complaint has reached more than 800 reactions, over 1,600 comments, and nearly 700 shares.

When the man first saw the “Willy’s Chocolate Experience“ event, advertised online by the House of Illuminati in Glasgow, Scotland, it sounded like a perfect way to spend quality time with his kids. So, despite relatively pricey tickets of £35 (approx. $44) each, the man reserved entrance for him and his family.

Image credits: Stuart Sinclair

When he and his family got there, it took them 2 minutes to find their way through, only to reach a massive crowd of complaining people

But while the function was described as a full Willy Wonka experience with chocolate fountains, what they found once they arrived was disappointing, to say the least. The man wrote that it took them 2 minutes to get through, just to see a complaining queue of people around the ‘showrunner.’

Inside, they were greeted by a mostly empty warehouse. The few decorations that were placed there didn’t look too bad, but they were so scarce that it barely made any difference. In short, the situation seemed like a badly executed con.

Image credits: Stuart Sinclair

Once they got inside, instead of the promised attractions and performances, all they found was a near-empty warehouse with only a few decorations

Of course, Stuart Sinclair wasn’t the only one to fall into this trap. In fact, some of the people who were wronged by this event banded together in a Facebook group titled House of Illuminati scam, made up of roughly 1,800 members, all demanding refunds and sharing relevant information to move the process forward.

However, in their Facebook profile, the House of Illuminati company that advertised the event kept trying to calm the situation. The page runner posted that they were made aware of someone called Richard Bone, who only pretended to be part of the company, and that they had no idea who he was. They promised returns for the tickets and announced that the company would not hold any other events in the foreseeable future.

As a callback, Richard Bone, who introduced himself as the Deputy Director of Human Resources at the House of Illuminati, made a post in the House of Illuminati scam group defending himself by saying that there was a fine print stating that the event might not be as advertised. Richard further wrote that the promise of refunds shouldn’t be taken literally and that the company would only give back 50% of the price as a gesture of goodwill.

Image credits: Stuart Sinclair

People started demanding returns and even got the police involved, but the event still went on for a good while before being shut down

It didn’t take long for the story to spread further around the web. On X (Twitter), where it was shared by the account Culture Crave, which posts the latest news in movies, TV, video games, and social media, it generated even more buzz, having been viewed over 22.7 million times.

The commenter couldn’t stop laughing at the absurdity of the situation, and the jokes were pouring in freely. Some people were comparing it to an SNL skit or a horror movie plot, while others made memes and were baffled by the AI-generated images on the website, as well as people falling for them. At the same time, many people were questioning how someone could fall for something like this, as, to most, the red flags appeared to be rather obvious.

Image credits: Stuart Sinclair

The story was also picked up by BBC News, and it was shared that the event didn’t get away without police involvement when the refunds were demanded. With a huge crowd full of angry adults and crying children outside, some people didn’t even manage to get inside. Those who did only confirmed the story’s details posted by Stuart Sinclair.

At the event, there were many people who traveled there from all over the UK, only to be left disappointed. There also were hired actors who were given large scripts for learning months in advance, just to be told to drop them at the last minute and improvise. 

Communication from the organizers at the time of the event was practically non-existent, and the tickets were still being sold online despite everyone saying that the event was canceled. The venue manager was just as dumbfounded as the people attending the event and kept emphasizing that his company was not responsible for any of this.

Image credits: Willy’s Chocolate Experience

Image credits: Willy’s Chocolate Experience

For the cherry on top of this absurd story, the Daily Mail shared that the real person running this con is Billy Coull, a self-published author who has written 17 Chat-GPT-generated novels on Amazon, all in the last year. Aside from the House of Illuminati, Coull also runs companies Billy De Savage and Nexuma Holdings, which were formed within the previous year and registered under the same address in London. 

As of yet, there is no information if any legal action is or will be taken against the con man behind the “Willy’s Chocolate Experience.” However, with how this story blew up, we can be sure that if something does happen, none of it will go down silently. But for now, all that’s left to do is enjoy the memes that are the products of this bizarre event and, for the attendees’ sake, hope that the promised refunds weren’t just another part of the scam.

What did you think about this occurrence? Have you ever fallen for something similar? Share everything in the comments below!

The commenters were laughing at the absurdity of the situation and questioned how people fell for this con

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