Abhishek MR, a 30-year-old man from Bengaluru, has won ₹28,000 in compensation after suing PVR Cinemas, INOX, and BookMyShow for "wasting" 25 minutes of his time with lengthy advertisements before a movie screening. The consumer court ruled in his favor, citing "unfair trade practice" and emphasizing that "time is money".
Why He Sued
In 2023, Abhishek booked three tickets to watch 'Sam Bahadur' at 4:05 pm. He expected the movie to begin on time and end by 6:30 pm, so he could return to work. However, the movie didn't start until 4:30 pm because of a long series of advertisements and trailers. This caused a delay of roughly 30 minutes.
Abhishek argued that this delay ruined his schedule and made him miss important appointments. He felt that the movie theaters misled customers by advertising incorrect showtimes and forcing them to watch ads for commercial gain.
What the Court Said
The consumer court agreed that PVR Cinemas and INOX needed to compensate Abhishek for wasting his time. The court highlighted that "no one has the right to gain benefit out of others' time and money" and that "25-30 is not less to sit idle in the theatre and watch whatever the theatre telecasts".
The court ordered PVR and INOX to pay Abhishek:
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₹20,000 for mental distress and inconvenience
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₹8,000 for the cost of filing the complaint
₹1 Lakh Fine
In addition to compensating Abhishek, PVR and INOX were each fined ₹1 lakh. This amount must be deposited into the Consumer Welfare Fund within 30 days. The court specified that Public Service Announcements (PSAs) should be screened within 10 minutes before the movie starts and during the interval.
The court didn't hold BookMyShow responsible, as it is just a platform for booking tickets and doesn't have control over how long theaters play advertisements.
PVR and INOX's Defense
PVR Cinemas and INOX claimed that they were required to show Public Service Announcements (PSAs) by law to create awareness. However, the court clarified that these PSAs should only be shown for ten minutes before the movie begins or during intermission, and not used to prolong the delay with commercial ads.
Importance of the Ruling
This case emphasizes that businesses must respect people’s time and be honest about show timings. The court's decision shows that businesses can be held accountable for unfair practices that waste consumers' time. The court also directed PVR and INOX to avoid running long advertisements that waste the time of punctual moviegoers.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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