What Does a Long Black Have to Do With This Fan Meetup Story?

A Master Kong (Kangshifu) Iced Black Tea meet-and-greet with spokesperson Wang Yibo in Qingdao on August 31 drew a wave of consumer complaints. Fans who bought drinks to obtain lottery ticket codes reported that security guards confiscated support items from only certain fan groups, conducted body searches and even shined laser pointers into their eyes, while fans carrying green support items were treated differently.

Complaints were filed on Black Cat Complaint, the consumer platform run by Sina, which publicly posted a link for a collective complaint. Master Kong has not issued a response. Tickets were not sold; fans entered lotteries through Weibo and Tmall flagship store activities or by buying beverages at Shandong retail terminals, which is why many buyers felt the treatment was unfair.

A star meet-and-greet that should have been full of joy instead sparked a wave of complaints due to differential treatment during security checks. After the Qingdao meet-and-greet for Wang Yibo, the spokesperson for Master Kong Iced Tea, many consumers reported on the Black Cat Complaint platform that on-site security guards targeted only specific fan groups by confiscating support items, forcing body searches, and even shining laser pointers into their eyes, while fans with green support items, who were also consumers, received different treatment. The brand has not yet responded, and the incident continues to ferment on social media, with conflicting accounts from all sides.

Recently, the official Weibo account of Black Cat Complaint announced that the platform had received a large number of consumer complaints reporting that after purchasing Master Kong Iced Tea products to obtain qualifications to participate in the star's offline meet-and-greet, they were subjected to discriminatory treatment at the event. Not only were they verbally abused by other fans and security personnel, but some even suffered physical violence, and their complaints to the official channels went unanswered for a long time. Black Cat also publicly posted a web link for joining the collective complaint.

Black Cat Complaint is a consumer service platform under Sina. Users can file complaints against merchants' violations through the platform, which also features a corporate reputation ranking to provide consumers with a reference for making purchasing decisions.

According to netizens' descriptions, on August 31, Wang Yibo, the latest brand spokesperson for Master Kong Iced Tea, appeared as scheduled at the iced tea meet-and-greet in Qingdao, Shandong, interacting closely with fans, sharing his love for iced tea and his feelings about being a spokesperson, and performing on site.

Previously, Master Kong Iced Tea had launched a ticket lottery for the meet-and-greet. Admission tickets were not for sale. In addition to participating in lotteries through interactive activities on the official Weibo and Tmall flagship store, fans could also purchase Master Kong beverages at retail terminals within Shandong Province and the Tmall flagship store, and use the box codes to enter a lottery to win tickets.

According to the event rules, those who could win tickets should have been the lucky ones, but regrettably, this offline meet-and-greet that could have become a precious memory was later accused of discriminatory behavior against specific fan groups. There were also allegations that on-site security guards used violence, forced body searches, and even shone laser pointers at fans, triggering strong dissatisfaction among many fans.

According to fans, the official guidelines explicitly required that no support items or light boards be brought into the venue. However, at the meet-and-greet that day, security personnel confiscated support items and light boards only from specific groups. Being treated so obviously differently despite being consumers alike was unacceptable to everyone.

The day before the meet-and-greet, the venue, Qingdao Guoxin Stadium, had issued a warm reminder: To ensure better visual effects for the stage presentation, this event prohibits bringing in glow sticks, light boards, laser pointers, support signs, and other luminous items.

Fans pointed out that at this Wang Yibo offline fan meet-and-greet, on-site security personnel received instructions that except for green support items, yellow and red support items were all prohibited, and those carrying them were subjected to strict body searches—differential treatment of consumers. It is understood that Wang Yibo's fan support color is green, Bo Jun Yi Xiao's support color is yellow (the CP name for Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan), and Xiao Zhan's support color is red.

A female fan posted on social media that she was treated differently before even entering the venue. Because she carried a cartoon bag, she was asked to leave. From her phone case to the small cards and electric fan she carried, these so-called "non-compliant" items were all required to be discarded. During the security check, she was asked to spread her legs, receiving none of the respect due to a consumer and extreme disrespect as a woman, while other fans carrying green light boards did not have to go through this process. Less than a minute after entering and raising her light board, a fan with a green light board nearby called security to take it away. She was then driven out of the venue after an argument with the green light board fans. This female fan said iced tea owed an apology to the consumers who were bullied on site.

Photos provided by other fans showed that on-site security personnel appeared to use laser pointers to shine into fans' eyes. This not only harmed others' health but also led the way in violating the official event rules. The behavior further enraged the public, and fans believed that the brand's security acting this way showed disrespect for consumers and discrimination against a specific consumer group.

Of course, some netizens on social media also believed the above fan accusations were untrue. They said: "The staff checking bags and doing close body checks during security were all women," "The security in Zone 3 asked the haters to turn off their light boards with hands clasped together and a plea, and even gave them water...", "A group of malicious complaints with twisted values. After the brand issued the announcement, they insisted on bringing non-artist support items. On-site security handled it according to the announcement. They could not make trouble offline because of the police, so now they have turned to organized online complaints."

As of press time, Master Kong Iced Tea had not made any response to the matter.

Image source: Internet

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.