The Consumer Council has received more than 150 complaints following the cancellation of the opening night of a concert series by the rock band Mayday at Kai Tak Stadium.

The event organiser confirmed on Monday that the concert scheduled for March 24 – the first of four planned shows – had been scrapped.

The band from Taiwan was originally set to perform in Hong Kong on March 24, 25, 27 and 28 as part of their 29th anniversary tour.

Ticket holders for the affected date are entitled to a full refund.

In a statement posted on social media on Wednesday evening, the organiser also offered these fans the option of attending a special 40-minute rehearsal session on March 24 free of charge on top of the refund and apologised for the disruption.

By 8am on Thursday, the Consumer Council had logged 163 complaints related to the matter, with total claims amounting to more than HK$447,000.

Of the complaints, 71 were lodged by locals, with many saying they were dissatisfied with the organiser's failure to offer them alternatives such as priority ticket purchases or exchanges for other shows. The largest local claim involves approximately HK$7,900.

The remaining complaints were filed by non-locals, most of whom were from the mainland, who expressed frustration that the organiser had not offered compensation for travel and accommodation costs. The highest claim in this regard was around HK$8,000.

Speaking on an RTHK radio programme, Consumer Council chief executive Alaina Shum said the watchdog had reached out to the event organiser on Wednesday evening to seek clarity.

"Our main concern is that we want to understand the refund arrangement," she said.

"Its website previously said refunds should be made via the original payment channel if there haven't been any recent changes."

Shum said the council was pressing for more specifics, noting that the organiser was expected to release more detailed information later on Thursday.

"If it involves refunds, we need to see whether the channel is indeed the original one. We need to look at the timeline for when the refund will be processed," she said.

"Also, we need to consider whether certain information will need to be provided by ticket holders, and whether that channel is secure, that is, consumer privacy rights must be protected."

Following the cancellation of the March 24 show, Mayday has added a new concert, which will be held on March 29.



Edited by Thomas McAlinden