On April 22, some netizens posted a video saying that they bought the "pillar ticket" for the Changzhou Phoenix Legend concert, but their request for a refund was rejected because of the poor viewing effect. The video taken by the netizen shows that in front of the seat he bought is a cement pillar that blocks the view.
Picture/Network screenshot
After the video was released, some netizens bluntly said, "This seat should be canceled."
Picture/Network screenshot
On April 23, a reporter from Jingshi Live contacted Mr. Wang, the publisher of the video. Mr. Wang told reporters that he was a fan of Phoenix Legend and spent 960 yuan to buy two tickets for the Phoenix Legend Changzhou concert on April 21 on Damai.com, but when he arrived at the scene, he found that both tickets were "pillar tickets". "I can't see anything, let alone the stage, I can't even see the infield, the whole audience just looks at a pillar, and I don't see anything. Later, the staff came to coordinate a seat next to us, but after a few minutes someone came to drive us away, I contacted Damai.com to ask for a refund, and he said that he was not eligible for a refund. ”
Photo / Courtesy of the interviewee
The reporter contacted the customer service hotline of Damai.com, and the staff said that the event site was not arranged by them, "it was arranged by the organizer when he entered the scene, and Damai was only responsible for selling tickets, and now there is a commissioner communicating with the organizer." Subsequently, the reporter of Jingshi Live contacted the organizer of the event, Beijing Luopan Culture and Art Co., Ltd., several times, but the phone was not answered.
Yang Min, a lawyer at Hubei Chisheng Law Firm, said that the organizer should inspect the performance venue in advance before the performance, and if there are defects, consumers should be informed in advance, so that consumers have the right to know and choose.
On April 23, staff from the Changzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism told reporters that they would investigate the matter and that if the tickets were indeed issued behind the pillars shown in the video, they would coordinate with the organizers to refund the tickets.
The reporter searched and found that in the past two years, consumers have repeatedly appeared on the hot search for "pillar tickets", which has aroused social concern. On March 9, 2024, William Poon held a concert in Suzhou, and Ms. Wu reflected that she had bought an "aisle ticket".
Photo/Yangtze Evening News
On August 18, 2023, Jay Chou's Hohhot concert, some consumers reported that they spent 900 yuan to buy a "pillar ticket".
Photo/China Traffic Radio
On May 20, 2023, Liang Jingru's concert in Shanghai, a number of consumers reported that they had bought "pillar tickets", and nine of them filed a lawsuit with the court.
Photo/China Youth Network
In August 2023, the China Consumers Association released the "Analysis of Complaints Accepted by the National Consumers Association in the First Half of 2023". The analysis shows that the hot issues of consumer complaints mainly involve industries and fields such as tourism, performance ticketing, education and training. Among them, the online purchase of performance tickets was named by the China Consumers Association: consumers who purchased performance tickets online encountered "blind selection" of seats, and some performance venues did not support consumers to choose seats when buying tickets.
Picture/Guangming.com
In this regard, Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary-general of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, said that in the past two years, the performance market has developed rapidly, but the relevant ticketing market is not mature, resulting in a significant increase in such consumer disputes, and the problem of harming consumer rights and interests has become increasingly prominent. Chairman Chen believes that although the performance venue has the characteristics of temporary and special, as the organizer of commercial performance activities, it is the responsibility to fully inspect the performance venue and seats in advance, and fulfill the obligation to effectively explain and inform the seating conditions and viewing effects, so as to ensure that consumers make informed choices, otherwise it is suspected of infringing on consumers' right to know and choose.
In this regard, Gong Chao, an associate professor at the School of Journalism and Information Communication of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, suggested that the organizers should publish the actual situation of the scene and seats as much as possible, so that consumers can clearly consume and ensure value for money. In addition, Professor Gong believes that the relevant regulatory authorities should strengthen supervision, actively handle relevant complaints, safeguard consumer rights, and "support" consumers.