SINGAPORE: On social media, a theatre-goer voiced his disappointment with the ticketing platform SISTIC, accusing it of providing misleading seating information as they were buying their tickets, resulting in them having obstructed views during a performance of Les Misérables in Singapore. 

The netizen posted his concerns on Facebook, declaring that he purchased four tickets for his family, costing $138 each for seats on the back row of the second level of the theatre. The complainant emphasised that their experience was ‘severely dampened’ by a major issue: The projector screen, which was essential for viewing actors’ expressions and key details during the play, was almost entirely blocked. 

“We could only see the bottom half of the screen; the top half was completely obscured due to the height of where we were seated… For a production like Les Misérables, the projector screen is crucial for seeing the actors’ expressions and the finer details of the performance. Missing that meant missing the heart of the show.” 

Furthermore, the netizen admitted there is a lack of transparency from the ticketing website. 

“There was absolutely no warning on the SISTIC website during the booking process that these were ‘Restricted View’ seats. Had this been disclosed, I would never have chosen these seats for my family. We feel completely let down and, frankly, scammed by the lack of disclosure,” the netizen further added. 

In the comments, other people also admitted that they had the same issue. One shared: “Indeed, very true. Just to make more $$ and lack honest disclosure.” 

Moving forward, the netizen hoped that SISTIC and the venue management would take his feedback very seriously, claiming that “paying full price for a half-view is unacceptable.” 

There has been no public response from SISTIC or Sands Theatre at the time of writing. It is unclear if the seats were labelled as restricted view during the booking process, raising questions about how such limitations are communicated to buyers.

This article (SISTIC Singapore under fire for misleading seating details) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.