Man Wins ₹65,000 Compensation for ‘Wasted Time’ at PVR-INOX: A Landmark Consumer Court Ruling

Abhishek MR, a Bengaluru resident, filed a complaint after experiencing an unexpected delay while watching Sam Bahadur in 2023. Despite a scheduled showtime of 4:05 pm, the film commenced only at 4:30 pm due to an extended session of advertisements and trailers.

He argued that this delay disrupted his plans and caused him to miss important appointments. In his complaint, he alleged that multiplexes misled customers with incorrect show timings and forced them to watch commercials for financial gain. “The complainant could not attend other arrangements and appointments which were scheduled for the day and has faced losses that cannot be calculated in terms of money as compensation,” the complaint stated.

Consumer Court’s Ruling: ‘Time is Money’

The consumer court ruled in favour of Abhishek, holding PVR Cinemas and INOX accountable for wasting his time. The compensation awarded included:

• ₹50,000 for unfair trade practices
• ₹5,000 for mental agony
• ₹10,000 for legal expenses

Additionally, the court imposed a ₹1 lakh fine on PVR and INOX, payable to the Consumer Welfare Fund within 30 days. However, BookMyShow was exempted from liability, as it only facilitated ticket bookings and had no control over advertisement durations.

Court’s Stand: A Strong Message for Businesses

The ruling, issued on February 15, 2024, made it clear that no business has the right to profit at the cost of a customer’s time. The court firmly stated: “25-30 minutes is not a small amount of time to sit idle in a theatre and watch whatever is telecasted.”

It emphasised that people with busy schedules should not be forced to endure unnecessary advertisements before a movie screening.

PVR-INOX’s Defence & Court’s Response

PVR Cinemas and INOX defended their actions by stating that they are legally required to broadcast Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to promote awareness campaigns.

However, the court clarified that such PSAs should be limited to 10 minutes before the movie starts and during the interval—not stretched into an extended pre-screening advertisement session.

Disclaimer: This blog has been written exclusively for educational purposes. The securities mentioned are only examples and not recommendations. This does not constitute a personal recommendation/investment advice. It does not aim to influence any individual or entity to make investment decisions. Recipients should conduct their own research and assessments to form an independent opinion about investment decisions. 

Investments in the securities market are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing.