Refunds Delayed After Performance Cancellations... Rapid Increase in Music Festival Complaints

1,423 Cases in the Last 5 Years... 63% Increase from Previous Year
Delays in Refunds for 'Blue Spring Festival' and Others

#Mr. A purchased two tickets for the 'Blue Spring Festival' through Naver Smart Store in January this year for 144,000 KRW. About a month before the performance, Mr. A heard the sudden news that the event had been postponed. The organizer acknowledged the postponement and informed that a full refund would be provided if the purchase was canceled. Eventually, Mr. A expressed his intention to cancel the purchase on the 3rd of last month and later received notification that the performance was canceled. However, he has yet to receive a refund for the tickets. Mr. A stated, "I filled out the refund form and submitted it several times, but they have not refunded me," adding, "I can no longer wait and plan to file a complaint at the police station."

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions on large gatherings have been lifted, leading to increased demand and supply for performances. However, consumer damages related to this have surged due to operators' poor management. For example, the 'Blue Spring Festival' scheduled for last month was canceled, and the organizer has delayed refunding the purchased tickets, causing growing consumer dissatisfaction.

According to the Korea Consumer Agency on the 5th, a total of 1,423 claims related to performances and viewing were filed from 2020 to May this year. The number of related damages was only 135 cases in 2020, the year COVID-19 emerged, but surged to 324 cases in 2022 as the endemic phase began, and increased further to 357 cases last year. This year, up to last month, 150 claims were filed, marking a 63% increase compared to the same period last year (92 cases).

Looking at the types of claims filed over the past five years, disputes over excessive penalty charges for purchase cancellations were the most common with 851 cases (59.8%). Contract breaches such as performance cancellations and interruptions followed with 399 cases (28.0%). Other cases included quality and after-sales service issues with 43 cases (3.0%), advertising and terms with 42 cases (3.0%), and qualifications, interest fees, and commissions with 12 cases (0.8%).

Most of these claims were analyzed to be caused by poor management or inadequate responses related to music festivals. The Consumer Agency explained that many cases involved failure to achieve the intended viewing experience due to artist no-shows, confusion in audience queues, bad weather such as rain, and other factors. The agency added, "At a recently held music festival, we recommended compensating consumers who could not properly watch the performance due to rain, but the organizer did not accept this, resulting in consumers not receiving compensation."

For future damage prevention, the Consumer Agency stated it plans to recommend that performance organizers who cause consumer complaints strengthen their advance notices and response plans for anticipated issues related to event management. They also urged consumers to ▲verify the reliability of organizers in advance through past damage cases ▲carefully check contract terms such as viewing dates and refund policies ▲and keep proof of cancellation requests in a form that can be retained if the performance is canceled.