Fans outraged after organisers disappear with concert refunds
KUALA LUMPUR: Fans of a Korean singer, whose fan meeting here was cancelled, are demanding refunds from the organisers, who they claim have disappeared.
A group, headed by a woman known as Saza, announced that the event featuring Korean singer Onew, titled the 'Guess Onew Fanmeeting 2024', was initially scheduled for July 27. However, the venue was altered before the event was ultimately cancelled.
Fans who purchased tickets through an online portal were informed that the refund had been returned to the event organisers.
'We were told that the refund process would begin in August and be fully completed by December. However, we have yet to get any refunds at all.
'In the meantime, the event organiser has continued to conduct events, with at least three we know of since the cancellation of this one,' Saza, who also works as a lawyer, said.
MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong, who organised the press conference for the group, stated that several members had taken the issue to the Tribunal for Consumer Claims and had received a decision allowing them to pursue their refunds.
He added that the group had collectively lost around RM20,000 from the unfulfilled tickets.
However, efforts to serve the letter to the company have been unsuccessful, with the group claiming that the premises had been vacated.
'We will give them a week to respond to us. I hope they will come so we can solve this matter without requiring a civil suit.
'If they fail to do so, then we will need to move on to the second step, and we will cross that bridge if we are forced to,' he said.
Saza added that they have tried numerous avenues to retrieve their money, including getting in contact with the talent agency that had planned to bring the singer over.
She added that they were told they were in a legal dispute with the organiser.
'I pity the foreign fans the most because they do not have the avenue to come here to fight this in person,' she said.
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