CONSUMER complaints related to the cultural, sports and tourism services have experienced a significant upswing in the first half (H1) of 2023 compared with the previous year, according to a complaint data analysis report released by the Shenzhen Consumer Council on Wednesday.

There were 3,825 complaints in the cultural, sports and tourism sector during the January-June period, up 19.38% year on year. The increase was primarily attributed to a surge in complaints about fitness services and concert ticketing.

Overall, consumer councils at the municipal and district levels received a total of 115,604 complaints in the first half of 2023, an increase of 5.22% year on year.

Consumer complaints submitted through the city’s 315 Xiaofeitong platform declined by 23.63% year on year to reach 67,742, while complaints received through other channels skyrocketed by 126.16% to reach 47,862.

Among the industries with a high number of complaints on the 315 Xiaofeitong platform, the education and training as well as the catering/accommodation service sectors saw a significant decrease in complaints.

The report showed that there were 8,011 complaints related to education and training, a substantial 49.36% decrease compared to the previous year. The decline was mainly attributed to a sharp reduction in complaints concerning off-campus training services. Meanwhile, there were 1,097 complaints about catering/accommodation services, down 40.93% year on year, mainly due to a notable drop in complaints related to fresh produce delivery.

The analysis report also listed five typical cases of complaints and consumer suggestions. It pointed out that with the gradual resurgence of offline concerts, there has been a surge in complaints regarding nonrefundable concert tickets.

The consumer council suggested that nonrefundable tickets are a common practice in the performance industry, as they not only guarantee the main organizer’s operating profits, but also act as a deterrent to ticket scalping.

However, the council acknowledged that given the considerable time gap between ticket sales and the actual performance date, situations may arise where consumers are unable to attend for various reasons. In light of this, the council recommended that operators consider introducing refundable tickets or ticket-changing services and price them reasonably to protect consumers’ rights and enhance overall customer satisfaction.

(Zhang Yu)