"Time is Money": Watched a Film with Ads, Missed an Important Call, Won the Lawsuit
A court awarded hundreds of dollars in compensation to a man who sued a cinema chain, claiming lengthy ads caused him to miss an important work call.
A resident of Bangalore, India, was compensated over $200 after suing a cinema chain for showing too many advertisements before a movie.
The 31-year-old man filed a complaint with the city's Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission after watching a film on December 26, 2023, at a cinema part of the PVR INOX chain.
According to the lawsuit, the movie was supposed to end at 6:30 PM but actually finished closer to 7:00 PM due to two public service announcements and 17 ads shown before it started.
Abhishek claimed the delay caused him to miss an important work call, and he demanded $547 for "unfair business practice," along with $57 for "mental anguish" and $115 for legal costs. The court accepted his claims and ordered the cinema chain to pay him $230 in compensation, plus $92 for legal fees.
"Nowadays, time is money, and every moment is valuable," the court's decision read. "25-30 minutes of advertisements are a significant waste of time for people with busy schedules."
The man expressed hope that the verdict will serve as a warning to other businesses. "More and more companies in India are beginning to understand the importance of their customers' time and how not to waste it," he told CNN.
