Concert attendee discontent: scrutiny on consumer rights continues

Photo: Screenshot from website

JJ Lin's 2024 concert tour kicked off at Jinan Station on the evening of May 11, during which some attendees caused a stir by shouting "refund, change seats" due to seat visibility issues.

A fan of JJ Lin using the alias Ms Wang posted on the internet that she spent 980 yuan ($138) on Damai.cn to buy a ticket for JJ Lin’s concert in Jinan on May 11. However, when she arrived at the venue, she found that her view of the main stage and the big screen was blocked. She said, "I came all the way to watch the concert, and the 980 yuan ticket didn't even allow me to see the screen."

From photos shared by netizens, the direction facing the stage and the big screen was largely blocked by railings.
 
Fans repeatedly emphasized, "It's not that we can't see clearly from our position, we can't see at all, it's completely blocked."

The seats where the view was blocked were mainly concentrated in a far corner of the arena.

In the comments section for related topics, similar remarks can be found, such as "I couldn't find JJ Lin all night even with an inner circle ticket," "Spent 980 yuan and the 680-yuan seats are still better," and "Vision seriously obstructed, I'd shout too if I were there."

One fan whose view was obstructed said that Damai's customer service promised to communicate with staff to change their seats, but there were no available seats or staff to handle the complaint. Eventually, Damai's customer service stated that tickets could not be refunded or exchanged.

In response to this, customer service representatives from Damai stated that if the obstructed view can be confirmed, based on consumer orders, they will verify with the organizers and decide whether or not to refund fans’ money. The Global Time has attempted to contact the organizer, Shandong Youpeng Culture Communication Co, Ltd, but the calls were not picked up.

Online discussions on this topic mostly attribute the problem to the organizer because of the unreasonable seat arrangement and the unwillingness to cooperate with subsequent requests for refunds. Netizens say that they believe JJ Lin would not want such incidents to happen.

Back on May 9, the Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Commission issued a special report on the entertainment performance market in which it described JJ Lin's concert ticket refund policy as inconsistent. The report pointed out that the refund policies for JJ Lin's concerts in Suzhou on May 25, Harbin on June 22, and Tianjin on April 13 were inconsistent across regions, which may mislead consumers.

The Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Commission stated that about a week before the start of a concert, no refund applications will be accepted. Refund handling fees can amount to several hundred or even thousands of yuan. The inconsistent and opaque refund handling standards for the various concerts add to the burden of consumers who seek refunds.

Similar incidents have occurred frequently in recent years, and organizers have failed to provide satisfactory solutions, leading to dissatisfaction among ticket buyers. From a legal perspective, consumers have the right to make informed purchases. If potential visibility issues are not clearly communicated at the time of ticket purchase, then this may constitute a violation of consumer rights. Organizers have a responsibility to ensure attendees have a good viewing experience, and safeguarding consumer rights is an indisputable responsibility.