Attendees of the Sky Lantern Festival in Sentosa have finally had their complaints resolved, months after the disastrous event came under fire for not delivering what it had promised.
Some S$20,450 in refunds have been given out to them, according to a media release by the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) on Thursday (1 Aug).
Image courtesy of Sheena Mulani
The saga was included in a round-up of the complaints it received in the first half of 2024 (1H2024).
CASE said it received 670 complaints related to the entertainment industry in the first six months of this year.
This is “a significant surge” from the 105 complaints in the first half of 2023 — an increase of 565, or 538%.
In total, 7,721 complaints were received during 1H2024, a 6% rise from 2023 that was attributed to the entertainment-related surge.
It comes as more events and concerts are being hosted in Singapore, CASE added.
Nearly 75% of the entertainment-related complaints were to do with the Sky Lantern Festival, which CASE described as “botched”.
CASE conducted “extensive discussions” with the organisers, Asian Couture and Boutique, and secured a full refund for affected consumers who lodged a CASE complaint.
This amounted to about S$20,450, CASE said.
The Sky Lantern Festival, which was due to happen on 21 Feb, ended up being rescheduled when attendees found themselves unable to release their lanterns due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Source: @meredithhhh21 on Instagram
Instead of real candles, they received LED lanterns.
The Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) told MS News that the organisers were unable to obtain the necessary licences and clearance to meet safety requirements mandated by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
Each ticket to the event cost S$50, excluding platform booking fees.
Disappointed customers demanded refunds, with one telling MS News that the event was an “embarrassment for Singapore”.
However, they were further disappointed when an organiser said that tickets were “final and non-refundable”.
Instead, customers could attend the “rescheduled event” in April. Those unable to make the new date were suggested to put their tickets up for sale.
But SCDF in turn told MS News that it had not given clearance for this new event.
Finally, CASE intervened and said attendees should receive a full refund.
Image courtesy of Sheena Mulani
Concert ticket resellers also contributed to the surge in complaints, CASE said.
There are rising concerns that scalpers are “taking advantage of concertgoers by inflating ticket prices significantly”, CASE added.
4% of these complaints were from fans who had entered concert venues only to be told their tickets were invalid.
A number of such cases were widely reported during the six sold-out shows played by Taylor Swift at the National Stadium in March.
Mr Yong said CASE is “deeply concerned” over the rise in entertainment complaints.
The association anticipates a further increase in similar complaints as Singapore establishes itself as the region’s premier event and concert hub, he added, saying:
Unfair trade practices in the events and concerts sectors have the potential to impact many consumers as we saw this happen during the botched Sky Lantern event in February this year.
CASE is actively studying how other countries are tackling ticket scalping, among other “disamenities” related to events and concerts.
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Featured image adapted from @meredithhhh21 on Instagram and courtesy of Sheena Mulani.
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