SINGAPORE – The increase in the number of concerts and events in Singapore has brought on a surge in complaints against the entertainment industry, said the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) on Aug 1.

The number of such complaints spiked to 670 in the first half of 2024, from 105 cases in the same period in 2023.

Nearly three-quarters of the complaints were against Asian Couture and Boutique, the organiser of the Singapore Sky Lantern Festival, said the consumer watchdog.

The firm had promoted the event as one in which lanterns would float in the night sky above Sentosa’s Palawan Green on Feb 21.

However, it failed to obtain the licences and permits required for releasing lanterns with a lit flame into the sky. Hundreds of attendees, who each paid $50, arrived to find out that there would be no release of lanterns.

According to reports, the floating lanterns were meant to be fastened to the ground with 60m-long strings and allowed to float in the sky for up to 10 minutes.

After an investigation by the police and Case, the consumer watchdog announced in March that all attendees who had filed a complaint would get a full refund.

In an Aug 1 update, Case said the amount refunded totalled $20,450.

Other complaints against the entertainment industry were related to concert ticket resellers who took advantage of concertgoers by inflating prices significantly, said Case.

About 4 per cent of these complaints were from consumers who had entered concert venues only to be informed that their tickets were invalid.

Complaints against e-commerce sellers also rose 53 per cent, largely due to online purchases of event and concert tickets.

Case said that around 21 per cent of online transaction complaints were linked to the entertainment industry, including event and concert tickets.

Losses related to pre-payments in various industries rose to more than $1.24 million in the first half of 2024, compared with $302,205 in the same period in 2023.

Case said the spike was predominantly due to the entertainment, food and beverage, and bridal industries. Consumers lost the most to the entertainment industry, with an estimated $73,200 in pre-payments.

“As Singapore establishes itself as the region’s premier event and concert hub, we anticipate a further increase in related complaints,” said Case president Melvin Yong.

He added that the consumer watchdog is deeply concerned about the rise in complaints, and is actively studying how overseas jurisdictions are tackling issues such as ticket scalping.

He also noted that unfair trade practices in the event and concert sectors have the potential to impact many consumers, as seen in the case of the botched Sky Lantern festival.

Motorcar, entertainment and beauty: Top three in complaints

The mid-year figures released by Case also showed that the top three industries in terms of complaints were the car, entertainment and beauty industries.

The car industry received 682 complaints, up 8 per cent from the same period in 2023. Complaints were mainly due to issues with car sharing, car rental and second-hand vehicles.

The beauty industry received 600 complaints, up 1 per cent, with grouses related mostly to pressure sales and unsatisfactory services.