Complaints arose on social media when a meet-and-greet event supposedly headlined by Korean phenomenon BLACKPINK when fans alleged it was a scam.
Shopee Philippines, a popular online retailer, hosted the event featuring the members Kim Jennie or Jennie, Kim Jisoo or Jisoo, Park Chaeyoung or Rose, and Lalisa Manoban or Lisa that took place at the Samsung Hall at SM Aura in Taguig City on June 6.
Participants were supposedly winners of an online promo held last May.
The tickets were divided into three categories, namely, black ticket, pink ticket and orange ticket.
Anomalies, according to the fans
BLACKPINK fans, popularly known as “Blinks,” claimed that the promo was a rip-off and soon sent the #Shopeescam to the top trending topic on Twitter on June 6.
Some of them detailed reasons of their allegations on social media.
Recalled tickets
Ticket winners for being top spenders were suddenly revised at the last minute.
Twitter user Nikka Bondoc said she received a push notification from the Shopee App saying she won a black ticket.
Then, on June 5, the app told her she was sent a wrong notification.
Revised mechanics
In the initially released mechanics, people who wish to participate have to purchase from May 11 to 25 with orders received on or before June 1.
However, the final deadline was suddenly changed to May 25.
One Twitter user even tagged the Twitter handle of the Department of Trade and Industry.
DTI Philippines soon responded, directing them to submit complaints to its Fair Trade and Enforcement Bureau.
Incorrect computation of orders
According to the terms and conditions, a person should spend at least P4,000 to be eligible for a ticket.
However, some fans said they spent more than a P100,000 but did not get a chance to see the South Korean girl group.
The rankings of the winners were also apparently confusing based on screenshots of another Twitter user.
The tickets were allegedly given to celebrities who were seen at the venue rather than to the ones who paid to be there.
On Shopee’s side
Shopee issued a public apology on its social media accounts about the incident.
“We hear your feedback loud and clear, and we understand that the event fell short of the high standards that Shopee users and BLACKPINK fans expect,” the statement said.
The organizers assured the participants that they tried to solve the problems and they are currently reaching out to the affected customers.
“Although we took immediate steps as soon as we discovered the problems to ensure the rightful winners of our contest could claim their prizes, we know that the entire process caused confusion, disappointment, and upset for many,” Shopee said.
“We are reaching out to all those affected by this issue, and we are also taking steps to ensure that such an incident does not occur again in the future,” it added.
Meanwhile, Trade Secretary Mon Lopez announced that the DTI will start investigating the online retailer following the allegations.
“Iniimbestigahan namin. Siyempre kailangan i-protect ‘yung mga consumers who participated in the promo. Kailangan maimbestigahan further kung saan nagkamali,” Lopez told CNN Philippines.