What's the problem: viewers are shocked by Dmitrienko and Bilan's show and demand compensation

A concert ticket, as it turned out, is not a universal pass to the world of the perfect show. It does not guarantee excellent sound, a good view of the stage, or even the start of the concert exactly on schedule. After Vanya Dmitrienko's solo performance at the Luzhniki Stadium, viewers complained about a 40-minute delay and sound problems in certain sectors. At Dima Bilan's stadium show, fans in the fan zone and the artist himself were separated by a structure that the Internet had already compared to both the Berlin Wall and the Great Wall of China. And even earlier, some of the audience at Anton Belyaev's LAB concert did not reach their seats — forces intervened, which even the most experienced organizers have not yet learned how to argue with. Together with the lawyers of Izvestia, we figured out where the usual concert troubles end and the reason to demand compensation begins.

"The sound at the concert of this wonderful artist was terrible"

On August 2, a concert by 20-year-old musician Vanya Dmitrienko took place at the Luzhniki Stadium. The performer gathered 70 thousand people and got into the Russian Book of Records.: He became the youngest artist to perform on the big sports arena with a solo performance. Social media was quickly filled with enthusiastic videos, but such a high-profile debut was not without a fly in the ointment.

— We were in sector D225, in the first row. Throughout the concert, there were obvious problems with sound in our sector. It wasn't just me who noticed this — people around were constantly discussing that the sound was bad. Moreover, even before the start of the concert, one of the speakers was wheezing, so it was obvious that there were technical problems. The most disappointing thing is that the situation was not fixed during the entire concert," Ksenia, one of the audience, told Izvestia.

According to her, at some moments it was difficult to make out even what Vanya was saying between songs, not to mention the full perception of the performance itself: "We didn't stay until the end because we didn't see the point in it."

An even more violent reaction was caused by Dima Bilan's stadium concert, which took place a few days earlier at VTB Arena. The artist presented the show "Your No. 1". The organizers had previously relied on large-scale scenography, screens, lights and other visual solutions. It was the scale that proved to be a problem for some of the audience, in particular for those who bought tickets to the fan zone. A 6 m high podium wall literally grew between them and their favorite artist. All the fun was somewhere at the top, and the people in the front rows were left mostly guessing what was going on behind the edge of the structure, or watching the concert through the screens. The Internet, as usual, did not remain silent for long.

— There were no warnings about the restricted view. As well as the layout of the hall when buying a ticket did not correspond to reality. Bilan occasionally flashed by when he came to the edge of the stage. At most, one could see the top of one's head, someone's hands, or nothing. Basically, what was happening had to be watched through screens that lagged for periods. I left about 40 minutes later. Watching the entire concert, trying to find an artist on stage, is like that," Veronica, who was in the front row, shared with Izvestia.

The fan contacted the artist's website three times by e-mail with a request to refund the money for the ticket, but has not yet received a response. However, she says, it's not so much the ticket price as the attitude. According to her, it would be much more important to admit a mistake and try to compensate the audience for lost emotions — for example, to invite them to the next concert.

And she is far from the only one who considers this option to be fair. So, in one of the social networks, a user with the nickname Lana says in the comments: "I wrote for a refund." Another fan, Elvira, writes: "After there was no reaction from the artist himself, after reading the advice on the Internet, I decided to try to return at least some of the money I spent for an incomplete service, although I understand that no amount of money will fix the ruined evening for me."

"When we came to the set, I had a feeling that this screen would come down," Ksenia Nesterova, another visitor to the show, tells Izvestia. — At the beginning, the mood was depressing, by the end we were swaying. Personally, I tried to accept the situation somehow. But if there are options for at least a partial refund, then I would join. 


The only joy was Dima Bilan's passage through the fan zone. Then the audience in the front row could see him in front of them, rather than looking up.

After a flurry of discussions on the Internet, Dima Bilan himself published a post in which he promised that the team would find a solution that would preserve the scale and entertainment of the show, but at the same time provide a good overview for viewers in all areas.

On July 5, Xolidayboy performed there. The venue announced the concert as a large-scale stadium show with live sound. However, it was the sound that many viewers were unhappy with, and then they also actively posted videos on the topic on social networks.

— The sound at the concert of this wonderful artist was terrible. Unfortunately, the situation did not change even after Vanya was gesturing and shouting "inaudible." I came to explore creativity and support my friends. I thought to start with a concert and then listen to the songs, but, alas, I didn't understand anything," Gayane, a spectator, told Izvestia.

This summer, I also got the LAB show with Anton Belyaev, which took place on June 13 at VTB Arena. However, this time the weather unexpectedly became the main director of the evening. A thunderstorm and heavy rain covered Moscow. Some of the audience complained that it took a long time to find the right entrance, and queues accumulated at the turnstiles due to the fact that QR codes on wet phone screens were not read immediately. Someone, soaked to the skin, preferred to turn around and leave.

— We didn't get to the concert. The turnstiles were blocked, and people were standing in the rain and hurricane, and they were told to keep putting their phones under the scanner. After that, we couldn't even restore the phone. The master said: "Did you keep him in the water for a few days?" I contacted the organizer, the ticket organization, and even the band director. As a result, "The cashier.<url> refunded the money for the tickets and that's it," Sofia told Izvestia.

After the concert, Anton Belyaev recorded a video message. The musician admitted that the team is aware of the problems with the entrance, called the weather conditions extremely difficult for all services, apologized to the audience and promised to solve what else is possible.

Izvestia asked the organizers of the artists' concerts, as well as the ticket services <url>, Ticketland and Yandex.Afisha. In the "Cashier.<url> reported that they did not record any sharp increase in the number of requests for ticket refunds for the listed concerts.

"Please note that ticket operators refund funds after the event in cases stipulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation, including if there are documented valid reasons that prevented attendance of the event," they added.

Under what conditions can I get a refund for a concert?

When a concert leaves behind not only impressions, but also claims, the Law "On Consumer Rights Protection" comes to the rescue, explains lawyer Lilia Vasilenko. If the service is provided with significant defects, the viewer has the right to demand compensation or a refund.

— According to Article 28 of the Law "On Consumer Rights Protection", the organizer is obliged to ensure the provision of services on time (as in the case of non-functioning turnstiles), and Articles 10 and 12 stipulate the obligation to provide full information about the service and responsibility for its absence (relevant if you have not been warned about poor visibility). Article 29 gives the right to a refund or a price reduction if a service of inadequate quality is provided, for example, due to technical problems with sound," the expert said.

To confirm your claims, it is better to start collecting evidence on the site, before emotions give way to memories, and the videos are lost among photos of cats and screenshots of correspondence.

As Vasilenko advises, a screenshot of an electronic ticket with the date and time, a video of the problem itself — whether it's broken turnstiles, poor visibility or sound defects — photos from the event, correspondence with the ticket operator's support service on the day of the concert, taxi receipts or an extract from the carsharing or metro application confirming timely arrival, and There are also screenshots of complaints from other viewers and media publications if the problem was widespread.

If several people face the same difficulties at once, the lawyer recommends that they file a collective statement. It should include the names of the participants, ticket numbers, describe the problem in detail, mark the time, sector, and put signatures. The more evidence there is, the more difficult it is to imagine what happened as an unfortunate misunderstanding.

— After collecting the evidence, make a written complaint to the organizer (his details are indicated on the ticket). Specify your contact information in the document, describe in detail the situation and the date of the concert, refer to the relevant articles of the Law "On Consumer Rights Protection" (Articles 10, 12, 28, 29), clearly formulate the requirement (full or partial refund) and attach the collected materials. Send a claim by registered mail with an attachment description — the organizer must respond within 10 days, — Lilia Vasilenko recommends.

However, it is not always possible to count on compensation. As the expert emphasizes, the principle here is quite simple: if the problem is caused by the fault of the organizer, this is one conversation. If circumstances are to blame, which he could not objectively influence, it is completely different.

"You can't expect a refund if the reason is outside his area of responsibility: for example, it started raining, but they didn't give you free raincoats, they forbade you to carry umbrellas (this is a safety rule), or you just didn't like the repertoire or the manner of the artist's performance," Vasilenko said.

In all other cases where a violation has actually taken place, the courts are more likely to side with consumers. However, it rarely comes to the real process. According to the lawyer, it is more profitable for the organizers to agree than to pay not only compensation, but also to incur legal costs and reputational losses.