PVR INOX Fined After Consumer Wins Case Against Multiplex Over Excessive Advertisements
A Bengaluru consumer court has ordered PVR Inox to stop playing excessive advertisements before films, after ruling that the multiplex operator misled customers about the actual movie start time.
A consumer court in Bengaluru has directed PVR Cinemas to clearly mention the actual start time of movies on tickets, excluding advertisements and trailers, and directed the multiplex operator to compensate a consumer for wasting his time on excessive advertisements.
The ruling followed a complaint by Abhishek MR, who booked tickets for Sam Bahadur on Dec. 26, 2023, for a 4:05 PM show at a PVR Inox multiplex at Bengaluru's Orion Mall. However, the film only began at 4:30 p.m. after nearly 25 minutes of ads and trailers, disrupting his schedule.
The consumer forum, led by President M Shobha and members K Anita Shivakumar and Suma Anil Kumar, found that 95% of the advertisements played before the film were commercial promotions, not government-mandated public service announcements, which should not exceed 10 minutes.
It rejected PVR’s argument that long advertisements help latecomers due to security checks, ruling that punctual viewers should not be forced to endure excessive commercials. The court also dismissed claims that the complainant violated anti-piracy laws by filming the advertisements, stating that raising consumer awareness is not illegal.
"In the new era, time is considered as money; each one's time is very precious; no one has the right to gain benefit out of others time and money," the court observed.
It is very hard for busy people with tight schedule watching unnecessary advertisements. However, they make their own arrangements to get some relaxation with family is not mean that people have no other work to do.District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission At Bangalore (Urban)
The court ordered the multiplex operator to stop playing excessive advertisements beyond scheduled show times and to list the actual movie start time on tickets.
The court directed them to compensate the complainant with Rs 20,000 for mental agony and Rs 8,000 for litigation costs, while also imposing Rs 1 lakh in punitive damages to be deposited in the Consumer Welfare Fund. The amount must be paid within 30 days, failing which a 10% annual interest will be applied.
