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William Yiu

Three people have been arrested over fraud for allegedly watching a Coldplay concert in Hong Kong without a ticket.
The Post learned on Saturday that one of the arrestees was the manager of a cleaning company, aged 41, while the second and third were father and son, aged 63 and 36.
The source said the second arrestee was the owner of Hop Fat Cleaning, which was the contractor in charge of cleaning works on the fifth floor of the stadium.
During a police patrol at 9pm on Friday, two men were spotted on the first floor of the main stadium inside Kai Tak Sports Park watching the British band’s concert for more than 15 minutes.
Police said the two, the second and third suspects, were brought to the place by the first arrestee.
According to the force, all three people had a staff wristband and claimed they were supervising cleaning, which should be on the fifth floor.
“Since the cleaning company was only in charge of the cleaning works on the fifth floor, not the first, and the two were only watching the show but not cleaning, they were arrested for conspiracy to defraud,” the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, police also received reports from two women at 9pm on Friday that they did not receive tickets after paying HK$1,300 (US$168) and 850 yuan (US$116) to sellers on the Carousell online selling platform.
They had lost contact with the people who sold the tickets, the spokesman said. The case was listed as fraud, but no arrests have been made so far.

Separately, the consumer watchdog has received 22 complaints from Coldplay concertgoers who said their views were obstructed and they were not warned in advance when buying the tickets.
But at least two customers who filed complaints had been informed of the blocked views during the purchase of the British band’s show at Kai Tak Stadium, according to the ticketing operator.
Meanwhile, the city’s customs authority said on Saturday it was notified of the complaints and promised to take action if there was any violation of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
The Consumer Council said it had received 22 complaints about obstructed views from Coldplay concert seats as of Friday afternoon.
One of the complainants reportedly said he only knew the view was obstructed when he received the physical tickets, which had been printed with the wording “seat with restricted view”.
One complainant reportedly paid HK$2,099 for a ticket.
The council on Saturday warned organisers and ticketing platforms that they should be transparent with information, including about seat views, so customers could make an informed choice.
“If some online ticket purchasing platforms do not indicate that a seat has an obstructed view, and the obstructed view note is only printed on the physical ticket, it may constitute a breach of contract and consumers may be able to claim losses for this,” the watchdog said.
The Customs and Excise Department said it had been notified and was looking into reports, adding it would take enforcement action if there was any breach of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
The selling platform would be violating the ordinance if it omitted or presented important information in a vague and unclear way to customers, the department added.
In response, Cityline said it was alerted to two complaints recently and determined that the customers were informed of the blocked views when they bought the tickets.
“After checking the purchasing records, [Cityline] confirms that the buyer had bought tickets with a restricted view, with information being clearly stated on the website,” a Cityline spokesman said. “We stressed that the information regarding all the tickets sold is correct.”
The spokesman said Cityline had already approached the complainant to explain the circumstances and pledged to offer more help if needed.
Coldplay began the concert run in Hong Kong on Tuesday, with its final show on Saturday. According to the organiser, about 200,000 people attended the shows.
“This milestone sets a strong foundation for upcoming events, which we are confident in delivering well, as we continue to advance and help elevate Hong Kong’s reputation as Asia’s event capital,” park CEO John Sharkey said.

Many concertgoers braved rainy conditions for the last show, with umbrellas longer than 35cm (13.8 inches) not allowed into the stadium. Several such umbrellas were seen left outside the stadium.
The city experienced strong wind and heavy downpours on Saturday. Organisers had urged the audience to bring umbrellas that met requirements or purchase Coldplay ponchos hours before the performance.
Last September, the British band announced it would be heading to the city for three shows as part of its “Music of the Spheres” world tour. Tickets for the concerts were sold out within minutes and a fourth show was added in November.
The band’s first show attracted fans from across the city, mainland China and the rest of the world, with many showing up at the 50,000-seat stadium hours before the event started to grab some merchandise and enjoy the atmosphere.


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3 arrested over fraud after watching Coldplay concert in Hong Kong without tickets

Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin performs at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong on April 9. Photo: Harvey Kong

Fans wave along to Coldplay’s performance at Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Harvey Kong

Coldplay concertgoers leave their umbrellas outside Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Handout

Coldplay in Hong Kong: fans revel in 2½-hour show, but some left wanting fireworks

Coldplay gets up close to the audience at Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Elson Li

Buses are one option for leaving the venue. Photo: Nora Tam

Fans stop for a selfie outside Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Nora Tam

Commissioner of Police Joe Chow (second from left), who began in his role last week, inspects the transport arrangements. Photo: Nora Tam

Queues for transport to leave the stadium. Photo: Nora Tam

Fans leave Kai Tak Stadium after the show. Photo: Nora Tam

Fans play Coldplay songs outside Kai Tak Stadium during the concert. Photo: Nora Tam

Staff are on hand to help fans find the right transport home. Photo: Nora Tam

Lights on audience members’ wristbands pulsate to the beat throughout the concert. Photo: May Tse

Confetti shoots out from the stage during one of the songs. Photo: May Tse

The stadium lights up during “Yellow”. Photo: Elson Li

Coldplay is performing four shows in Hong Kong. Photo: Elson Li

Fiona Zheng and her husband Yan Yang arrived in town from Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, on Tuesday for the concert. Photo: Nora Tam

Fans head into the stadium. Photo: Nora Tam

Marf, from Hong Kong girl group Collar, is the second opening act. Photo: May Tse

The stage ahead of the show. Photo: Elson Li

Some fans have said they are surprised by the number of food options near Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Nora Tam

Qin Siqi poses outside Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Lo Hoi-ying

Coldplay fans arrive at the venue on Tuesday. Photo: Nora Tam

Certain bottles allowed for Coldplay concerts at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium

British singer Chris Martin (left) and drummer Will Champion (right) of British band Coldplay. Fans heading to Kai Tak Stadium for their concerts will be allowed to bring in bottles. Photo: AFP

Many people had to store their bottles on unstaffed racks placed outside the venue during earlier events and trial runs. Photo: Nora Tam

Fans at the Coldplay pop-up store at Airside shopping centre. Kai Tak Stadium will host Coldplay’s concert performances starting Tuesday. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong to expand transport services for Coldplay shows at Kai Tak Stadium

Coldplay at a show in Mumbai. The band will perform in Hong Kong this week. Photo: Facebook/Coldplay

A staircase in an MTR station advertises Coldplay’s coming performance in Hong Kong. Photo: Eugene Lee

News

Hong Kong

Society

Concertgoers also file 22 complaints about obstructed views, claiming they were not told about the problem in advance


Concertgoers also file 22 complaints about obstructed views, claiming they were not told about the problem in advance.


Consumer protection in Hong Kong

Consumers

Kai Tak Sports Park

Hong Kong tourism