The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Theatre owner asked to pay damages to consumer

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 16, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Theatre owner asked to pay damages to consumer

By B. Prabhakara Sarma

VISAKHAPATNAM: The management of a cinema theatre has been directed by the Visakhapatnam District Consumer Forum to pay a consumer Rs. 5,000 towards damages along with costs.

The consumer, G.V. Srirama Kumar of Dabagardens, went to Manorama Theatre in old city along with a friend in May this year to watch a late evening show. They were allotted E-19 and E-20 seats. When the consumer tried to show the doorkeeper the defective seat, there was no proper response. The manager too was not available at that time to receive the complaint.

He then filed a complaint (Consumer Dispute No. 584/2004) against the theatre management for compensation and other relief.

The opposite party (OP) filed a counter denying the allegations and asserted that they had been maintaining the theatre as per rules and terms and conditions in vogue. It was also maintaining a complaint book. However, the consumer did not give any complaint either to the gatekeeper or the management the same day or the next day. The OP said it had not induced or compelled the consumer to watch the film by sitting in an allegedly defective chair and suffer. The case was filed with oblique motive to have wrongful gain, it alleged.

Report challenged

The consumer sought the appointment of a commissioner for local inspection of the defective chair and the advocate-commissioner, in his report, said the seat was in an awkward position with every danger of those sitting falling backwards. This report was challenged by the OP, which alleged that the advocate-commissioner acted as an agent of the consumer.

The forum president, C. Rambabu, and its members, D. Suseela and G. Viswanatha Reddy, in their judgment observed that people generally went to cinema hall for entertainment and having spent money, if they were made to sit on inconvenient seats, they, instead of enjoying the show would suffer.

Penalised for attitude

It took serious objection to the way in which the OP answered the complainant with scant respect that nobody compelled him to watch the movie sitting in an inconvenient chair. "We feel the OP deserves to be penalised for its attitude as it is not rendering service free of cost,'' the forum held.

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