Can Justin Bieber fans get a refund?

This week Canadian pop star Justin Bieber angered British fans, arriving two hours late for his own gig at the O2 arena in London. He was roundly booed as a result.

But it also meant he started his performance at 10:24pm - just over half an hour before he was originally due to finish – meaning fans had to choose between making transport connections that could get them home and seeing what they had paid to see.

It also meant he broke a noise curfew and the gig was closed before he finished his set.

But does that mean that fans can get a refund on their tickets? Or compensation for their journeys home?

Well the official terms and conditions suggest you might at least be able to get a refund on the face value of the ticket.

“Tickets cannot be cancelled or exchanged after purchase unless the event is cancelled, rescheduled or subject to a material alteration,” they read.

You’d have a strong case if you pointed out that, according to the advertised finish time by which you made your original plans, you only received a fifth of the allotted time by the headline act.

Especially given the late nature of the finish meant many transport links had closed down, so simply staying later was not an option.

This is what Citizen’s Advice has to say about the matter:

“There may be a time written on the ticket which says when the event should end…If you were made aware in advance of the time the event was due to finish, and the event finishes early for no good reason, contact the venue as you could make a claim for loss of enjoyment.

“You can do this because the contract has been broken between you and the organisers, or because the advertising was misleading. The event was not as it was described to you, which it should have been by law.

“If you don’t get your money back, you can try writing to the venue, contacting the ticket's seller's professional association, then using an alternative dispute resolution scheme, or going to court.”

While in this case the concert ended late, rather than early, it’s fair to say the event was not as described when sold to you.

The Citizen’s Advice guide to making an official complaint can be found here: