Many out thousands of dollars after Long Beach Dinner in the Sky event canceled

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A high-flying meal adventure known as Dinner in the Sky was supposed to roll into Los Angeles over the summer, but plans fell apart and people are furious they're out thousands of dollars.

Gabriela Rubio, of Santa Ana, shelled out $1,900 to the event in June that reserved four seats on the dinner platform. But her early July date was then changed to late July, moved to Long Beach, then eventually pushed back to August. She still hasn't had a dinner in the sky.

The crane and dinner platform remain sitting in the Queen Mary parking lot.

A Dinner in the Sky representative told Eyewitness News the event has been grounded because of "unforeseen issues beyond our control."

But the city of Long Beach said the crane manufacturer issued a notice that the crane cannot be used to lift people, specifically mentioning dining platforms.

The online reviews on Yelp show a one-star rating for the company and a slew of angry comments.

Rubio and others told Eyewitness News when they contacted Dinner in the Sky about refunds, the company told them it has 90 days before it has to return their money.

"The only way to get in contact with them is by email. They have a phone number, but nobody picks up," Rubio said.

Until then, Rubio is challenging the charge with her credit card company and wondering how a pricey Father's Day gift for her husband is grounded, but the fate of her refund is still up in the air.

"How can they go to sleep at night when they do this to people? It's just not fair," she said.