Cineplex slapped with record $38.9M fine over online booking fee

Cineplex Inc. says it will appeal a record $38.9 million fine for deceptive marketing practices imposed by the Competition Tribunal. The fine was embedded in a decision the tribunal issued late Monday that saw it side with the Competition Bureau in a case stretching back to May 2023. That was when the watchdog accused Cineplex of misleading theatregoers by not immediately presenting them with the full price of a movie ticket when they purchased seats online. “The consumer is deceived or led astray by the contradictory and incomplete information on Cineplex’s tickets page, which obfuscates the existence and quantum of the online booking fee,” the tribunal said in a two-page information outlining its decision. The online booking fee it referred to is a $1.50 charge Cineplex began including in June 2022 to many customers not enrolled in its CineClub subscription and Scene Plus loyalty programs, which saw the fee waived and dropped to $1, respectively. For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/10771478/cineplex-fine-competition-bureau-online-booking-fee/ Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ Follow Global News on X HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB #GlobalNews #Cineplex #Movies