Hong Kong's Consumer Council said it had received 16 complaints as of Monday after some football fans who paid almost HK$7,000 to attend an exhibition game between Real Madrid and Barcelona legends were prevented from meeting their idols.
The game between the Real Madrid and Barcelona legends was staged at the Hong Kong Stadium on Friday, and for HK$6,880 fans could buy an “Experience Set” ticket. This package included a ticket to the game, along with a fan meeting that was canceled at the last minute.
Sources said 26 people from the Real Madrid Official Hong Kong Fans Club, which facilitated communication between fans and the organizer, had bought the HK$6,880 ticket package, involving around HK$200,000.
The complainants said they were promised to meet all the players, but they were only able to meet some of the players for 15 minutes.
Gilly Wong Fung-han, Chief Executive of Consumer Council, told a radio program this morning that the watchdog received a total of 16 complaints so far, involving HK$118,000.
She said the watchdog had contacted representatives of the fans club and the organizers last night to resolve the matter.
Wong said the incident is a common consumer dispute, with the council needing time to contact the complainants and the organizers to understand the expectations of both parties.
She hopes that the organizers will take prompt and proactive actions to respond to the demands in a flexible manner. She also urged organizers of events such as fan meetings and autograph sessions to implement proper checks to avoid tarnishing Hong Kong's image.
If consumers are dissatisfied with such events, they should keep receipts and photos for future follow-up, said Wong.