Hong Kong’s Consumer Council has received more than 500 complaints regarding public performances in the first 10 months of the year, and urged organisers to deliver on their advertising promises and offer concertgoers considerate rearrangements when there were unexpected changes.
The consumer watchdog said on Friday the complaints included issues such as denial of refunds despite unforeseen changes, unclear wording for fan meet-and-greet arrangements and obstruction of attendees’ view by show equipment.
Victor Lam Hoi-cheung, chairman of the council’s publicity and community relations committee, said that while Hong Kong was renowned as an event capital and the government had been promoting the mega-event economy, the watchdog had received more complaints so far this year than the same period in 2023.
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“The council urges the industry to maintain transparency in event promotions by clearly highlighting any restrictions and risks, thereby empowering consumers to make informed decisions,” he said.
“While organisers should strive to deliver on their advertised promises, if changes are necessary due to unexpected circumstances, they should promptly inform affected consumers and offer considerate, flexible rearrangements.”
He also urged consumers to be aware that a ticket usually covered an entire event, and changes to individual segments of a show might not warrant a refund request.
The watchdog received 529 complaints relating to public performances in the first 10 months of 2024, compared with 478 in the same period last year.
The number of such complaints was 69 in 2021, 256 in 2022 and 866 in 2023.
One complainant bought two HK$880 (US$113) tickets for a concert at an open-air venue in Central, only to find speakers suspended above the stage blocking his view of the performance.
But the organiser had not labelled those seats as “obstructed view seats” when the complainant bought the tickets, the council said.
The watchdog did not receive any response from the organiser despite contacting them multiple times.
The council had filed the case away but would continue to monitor the company’s practices, while the complainant would consider reporting the case to the Customs and Excise Department.
Another complainant was a mainland resident who bought a three-day ticket to an outdoor music festival for about HK$2,000.
But before the event, the organiser announced that three of the performers, including the headline act that had been heavily promoted, were unable to attend.
The ticket-buyer then cancelled his trip to Hong Kong, saying the new line-up no longer interested him and that the promotion featuring the headliner could be considered a misrepresentation.
The consumer also asked for his money back, but the organiser said the purchased ticket covered all performances at the festival and declined to issue a refund. The organiser also rejected the complainant’s request for other forms of compensation.
The third case involved a fan meeting where the complainant bought two HK$1,850 tickets to a concert which would allow her to get close to the Korean singer and see the performer off at the end of the show.
But the organiser changed the sending-off arrangements on social media four days before the event, saying fans should remain seated during the segment.
Responding to the council, the organiser said Korean celebrities did not usually leave the stage to interact with audience members, and the change was a “rewording on social media to avoid confusion”.
Lam urged consumers to carefully read the terms and conditions of sales and check all details, such as whether they had mistakenly selected wheelchair seats, before completing their purchase.
He added that consumers should not purchase from scalpers if they wanted a refund in case of changes.
“In the special case of a ticket refund initiated by the organiser, note that it may be processed only via the official ticketing channels,” the watchdog said.
“This means that holders of scalped tickets may not be able to receive a refund.”
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