Dinner Train cancels rides, customers complain about missing refunds

Dinner Train, a company that offers luxury meals during organized train journeys, is canceling its trips due to operational problems. The booking module on the company's website is also not working, making it impossible to book a new dinner. Defrauded customers complain on review portals that they are not getting their money back immediately.

For example, the company informed a customer who wanted to go out for dinner with the Dinner Train next Saturday that it was "not possible to make the trip as planned." Elsewhere, a customer complained that the train ride would not take place next Saturday and that the Dinner Train was difficult to access. Omroep Brabant and RTV Oost had already reported similar cases.

Dinner Train converted the reservations into a two-year-valid voucher. After five months, guests can also redeem this voucher for a full refund. Dinner Train says it wants to gradually reimburse guests in this way.

"Because we are a moving train, we depend on multiple subcontractors," the company explains to customers. "Sometimes, like now, something goes wrong with one of those links, which immediately has a major impact on our entire operation.

A spokesperson for Dinner Train could not be reached for comment. The company told RTV Oost this week that payment arrears had occurred "because we have recently had more breakdowns on the wagons we rent".

Omroep Brabant's investigations earlier this month revealed that there were also employees who had been waiting weeks or months for payment. The amounts involved ranged from several hundred euros to 3,500 euros.

Dinner Train went bankrupt in 2019. The facilities and the Dinner Train brand name were then taken over by a new owner.

It is unclear how long the company will take to put everything back in order. In communications to customers, the company said it expects to have the 2025 timetable up and running by the end of this month. A full selection of 27 departure cities in the Netherlands should be available again.