Bengaluru man sues PVR-INOX for 25-minute ad delays, wins case.

A 30-year-old Bengaluru man won ₹65,000 in compensation after suing PVR Cinemas, INOX, and BookMyShow. He claimed they wasted 25 minutes of his time by running lengthy ads before a movie. He also alleged that this caused him “mental agony.”

In his complaint, Abhishek MR stated that he booked three tickets for ‘Sam Bahadur’ in 2023. The show was scheduled for 4:05 PM, and he expected it to end by 6:30 PM. He had planned to return to work immediately after the movie. However, the film started at 4:30 PM due to lengthy ads and trailers. He claimed this delay “wasted nearly 30 minutes” of his time.

Also Read: Elon Musk offers Trump ‘tech support’ for his orders.

The complaint stated that he missed other scheduled commitments and appointments that day. It added that his losses were immeasurable in monetary terms.

He claimed his “precious time” was wasted due to misleading show timings. He argued this was an “unfair trade practice” for profit through excessive advertisements.

Also Read: Have Lot Of Respect For India, But…

The consumer court stated that “time is money” and ordered compensation for the complainant’s loss. PVR and INOX were fined ₹50,000 for unfair trade practices and wasting his time. They were also ordered to pay ₹5,000 for mental agony and ₹10,000 for complaint-related expenses. Additionally, the court imposed a ₹1 lakh penalty on PVR Cinemas and INOX.

The court ruled that BookMyShow was not liable for claims since it only handles ticket bookings. It stated that BookMyShow has no control over advertisement streaming time.

What The Consumer Court Said

In its February 15 order, the court stated that no one should profit from others’ time and money. It emphasized that sitting idle for 25-30 minutes in a theater is unfair. The court added that busy individuals with tight schedules struggle to watch unnecessary advertisements.

What PVR-INOX Said

PVR Cinemas and INOX argued they are legally required to show Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for awareness. The court ruled that PSAs must be shown within 10 minutes before the movie and during the interval. It also ordered PVR and INOX to deposit ₹1 lakh into the consumer welfare fund. They must pay the amount within 30 days from the order date.