Hong Kong’s Consumer Council has received 114 complaints related to obstructed views at British band Coldplay’s concerts last week at the new Kai Tak Stadium.
The Consumer Council said on Wednesday night that it had recorded 114 complaints from concertgoers at Coldplay’s shows saying that their views were blocked.
Speaking on an RTHK radio programme on Tuesday, the Consumer Council chief executive, Gilly Wong, said: “[Complainants said] when purchasing their tickets, the website did not state that [their seats] would have an obstructed view,” Wong said in Cantonese.
“But when they got their tickets, when they looked at them, they realised their seats have an obstructed view,” she added.
See also: 3 men arrested after allegedly sneaking into Coldplay concert in Hong Kong through emergency exit
Coldplay, which performed four sold-out shows last week, was the first major international music act to perform at Kai Tak Sports Park, a HK$30 billion venue that authorities say will help boost tourism.
Wong also said there were also complaints that concertgoers bought the tickets knowing they were obstructed seats. But at the concert, they “had no view” of the stage at all, Wong said, quoting the complainants.
“They were staring at a wall,” she said. “They really couldn’t see what was on stage, because the stage was elevated. For those seated lower and closer to the stage, they could not see anything even when they looked up.”
She said the watchdog was following up with the complainants, and was also in contact with both the organisers and the ticketing company to discuss how to handle the cases.
The complainants said the ticketing website did not state that they would not have a full view of the stage, and they only realised it when they received the tickets that indicated their view could be partially blocked.
Wong added that the complainants’ tickets cost HK$1,699 and HK$2,099.
