Fans of South Korean boy band EXO who were left disappointed at the length of their idols' offering in concert on Saturday night have been told they are entitled to a full refund.
The only snag is that regardless of how they paid for their tickets or where they live, they must travel to an office building in Shanghai to collect their money.
The ruling was announced by the local culture administration via Weibo. The post did not say how or why an investigation was launched, but the decision followed numerous complaints from fans of being sold short by EXO's performance at the Shanghai Gymnasium.
"We felt cheated, because according to the organizer's promotions, EXO were supposed to perform 10 songs, and they only did five," said Chris Zou, who was at the show.
"They were only on stage for 30 minutes," she said.
She added that the "interaction" between the group and the fans, as promised on the promotional posters also failed to materialize.
"There wasn't even an interpreter on stage," Zou said.
According to the culture administration, the registered organizer of the concert was Shanghai Xinyuhou Culture and Sports Information Co, though that company said it co-organized the event with Beijing Haisong International Century Culture Media Co.
Gong Tinghai, chief executive of Haisong, yesterday issued an apology on his Weibo account and provided details of the refund offer.
Monies can be collected, on presentation of a valid receipt, between 10am and 6pm from Thursday through April 14 at Room 2510, No. 420 Jiangning Road, Shanghai.
According to a description of the concert, it was a "special show" of EXO, who were featured as the main performers, presenting 10 songs, while another Korean group would sing four songs as guest performers.
An unnamed person was quoted as saying by Lutianlong Entertainment Online that it was not known why EXO performed only five songs.
The culture administration said that event companies that fail to fulfill their obligations as organizers will be blacklisted.
It did not say, however, if either Shanghai Xinyuhou Culture and Sports Information or Beijing Haisong International Century had been blacklisted.
