The Bangalore Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has penalised PVR Cinemas, PVR Inox Ltd. and Orion Mall for showing advertisements beyond the scheduled show time. The Commission has asked PVR Inox to pay Rs. 1 lakh to the man who sued the multiplex chain for wasting his time by showing ads for 25 minutes. It termed the showing of ads beyond the permissible time as “unjust” and an “unfair trade practice”.
PVR Inox has been asked to deposit the amount with the Consumer Welfare Fund as punitive damages.
The Commission, led by president M. Shobha and having members K. Anita Shivakumar and Suma Anil Kumar, issued the order on February 15 while partially upholding a complaint filed by advocate Abhishek M.R. It directed the multiplex chain to compensate the complainant with Rs. 20,000 for mental distress and inconvenience, along with Rs. 8,000 for litigation costs. He won Rs. 50,000 in compensatory damages for unfair trade practice and wasting his time, and Rs. 5,000 for mental agony. The Commission also imposed a penalty of Rs. 1 lakh on PVR Inox. It noted that BookMyShow was not liable to pay any claims as it was a ticket-booking platform and had no control over the streaming time of advertisements.
The Commission noted that many patrons might have faced similar issues and instructed PVR Inox Ltd. and PVR Cinemas to comply with the I & B ministry’s directive on the matter. It observed that no one has the right to gain from others’ time and money. One can’t sit for more than 30 minutes and watch advertisements as watching films gives some relaxation to the mind, it should not lead to any frustration, the Commission noted.
The complainant had booked three tickets for Sam Bahadur on December 26, 2023, for a 4.05 p.m. show, paying Rs. 825.66 per ticket. As per the schedule, the film was supposed to end by 6.30 p.m., allowing him to return to work on time. However, despite entering the hall at 4 p.m., advertisements and film trailers were played from 4.05 p.m. to 4.28 p.m.
Rejecting PVR’s argument that recording was illegal, the Commission stated that the complainant had recorded only the advertisements to support his case. It further noted that by doing so, he had proven a deficiency in service and an unfair trade practice, both of which are legitimate concerns under consumer rights.
The complainant alleged that due to a nearly 30-minute delay, he missed his scheduled work. The film, which was scheduled to start at 4.05 p.m., began only at 4.30 p.m.
The multiplex chain denied the claims, stating that they are legally required to screen public service announcements (PSAs). However, the Commission found that out of 17 ads, only one was a PSA while guidelines allowed just 10 minutes for such content. The recorded evidence supported the complainant’s allegations. The Commission also rejected the claim of the multiplex chain that the extended advertisements were meant to accommodate late arrivals who often get delayed by security checks.
