Rob Dammers/FlickrThe Dinner Train at Amsterdam Central Station
NOS Nieuws•gisteren, 12:38
Dinner Train, a company that offered luxury dinners in a moving train, has been declared bankrupt by the Zeeland-West-Brabant court. The company from Oisterwijk has been struggling with various problems in recent weeks. This is one of the reasons why all trips had already been cancelled. The judge has appointed a trustee, who will determine whether a restart can be made.
Dinner Train is a traveling train restaurant. Guests can choose from several menus. The train departed from a different city every week for a two-hour ride. Such a ride, including dinner, cost about a hundred euros per person. In 2019, the company went bankrupt and got a new owner.
Ride cancelled at short notice
Due to technical defects in the carriages, the company recently cancelled all planned trips. It soon became apparent that the organization was also in dire financial straits. Research by Broadcasting Brabant It turned out that guests who had already booked sometimes heard shortly before departure, or not at all, that their trip was cancelled.
The regional broadcaster spoke to several customers who were disadvantaged because they did not get their money back. For example, a customer was told shortly before departure that his ride was cancelled. Weeks later, he still had not received his money back.
Another victim wanted to warn people last month. “This smells like a scam.” Her reservation was suddenly cancelled, with the message that she could get her money back in five months. The reason was that costs had already been incurred.
RTV Oost recorded the story of a woman who wanted to celebrate her 70th birthday on the train. She had bought 1600 euros worth of tickets in Zwolle. She told the broadcaster last week that she is still waiting for her money. “They promised me to refund at least a quarter of the amount a week and a half ago. That did not happen”, she said.
No salary
Complaints about Dinner Train also flooded social media and review websites. The organization offered victims a voucher and announced that everyone would be reimbursed in phases later. After that, the company reportedly did not or hardly responded to questions or complaints.
“I still have two outstanding invoices totaling 1,600 euros,” a 21-year-old student told Broadcasting BrabantThe unpaid salaries vary from 400 euros to 3,500 euros in one case.
