The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) saw a 538 per cent increase in entertainment industry complaints within the first half of 2024.

This is mainly due to the Singapore Sky Lantern Festival debacle.

According to Case on Aug. 1, 670 entertainment industry complaints were received in the first six months of 2024.

Case only received 105 complaints during the same period in 2023.

Across all industries, Case received 7,721 complaints in the first half of 2024, a 6 per cent increase from 2023.

S$20,450 refunds for Sky Lantern Festival

Nearly three-quarters of the entertainment industry complaints were lodged against Asian Couture and Boutique, the Singapore Sky Lantern Festival organisers.

Back in February 2024, hundreds were left disappointed and confused at the state of the festival held in Sentosa.

Guests were promised sky lanterns that would take flight and light up the night sky, but they were left with lanterns lit by battery-operated LED candles and tied to barricades.

There was also no food, which was promised as part of the event.

A Mothership reader who attended the event said that the lantern-flying event had been "falsely marketed", as it appeared that the authorities had not given the go-ahead for it in the first place.

Case noted that the organisers had failed to secure permits for the sky lantern release and "forced consumers" to use LED lanterns instead.

Through extensive discussions with the organisers, Case said it secured a full refund of S$20,450 for affected consumers who lodged a complaint with Case.

Breakdown of complaints

There was a 53 per cent rise in e-commerce complaints, mainly due to online purchases of event and concert tickets.

Of these, about 21 per cent were linked to the entertainment industry, and 10 per cent were related to online orders from Tingkat delivery companies in the food and beverage industry.

Prepayment-related losses also increased by 312 per cent to over S$1.2 million, compared to S$302,205 in the first half of 2023.

This surge was primarily due to the entertainment, food and beverage, and bridal industries.

The motorcar industry also saw an 8 per cent increase in the first half of 2024, with 682 complaints due to issues with car-sharing, car rental, and second-hand vehicles.

The beauty industry saw a 1 per cent increase in complaints due to pressure sales and unsatisfactory services.

The electrical and electronics industry saw a 9 per cent decrease in complaints, from 653 in the first half of 2023 to 593 in the first half of 2024.

Concert tickets

Another contributing factor to the sharp spike in complaints in the entertainment industry was rising concerns of ticket resellers taking advantage of concert ticket resellers taking advantage of concertgoers by inflating ticket prices.

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

Case president Melvin Yong said that Case is "deeply concerned in the rise of entertainment complaints":

"As Singapore establishes itself as the region’s premier event and concert hub, we

anticipate a further increase in related complaints. We are actively studying how overseas jurisdictions are tackling disamenities related to events and concerts, such as the issue of ticket scalping. 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.”

Top photos via Singapore Sky Lantern Festival & @sarahhhh_k on Instagram