Recently, it was reported by the media that a consumer in Shanghai could not choose the core viewing area when buying a single movie ticket, believing that the theater's ticket purchase and seat selection regulations are very unreasonable. The theater responded that the seating arrangement of the theater needs to optimize the seat utilization rate and improve the economic efficiency, and the audience can adjust the seats according to the actual situation after arriving at the venue. At present, the summer movie file is hot, is it true that "single ticket purchase and seat selection are restricted"? In addition to buying movie tickets, what other industries have set "consumption thresholds" and "consumption restrictions"? The reporter investigated this. According to media reports, the 4 seats in front of the screen in the 4DX hall of the CGV Cinema (Shanghai Baoyang Baolong store) complained by Shanghai consumers are in a row, and when buying a single movie ticket through the App, it is indeed impossible to choose one of the middle 2 seats, and can only choose the position of the edges on both sides. The reporter saw on the Maoyan App that when selecting a location, he could only select a seat in a row or two other positions. In one of the movies, when there were three empty seats in the middle area, the system prevented the order after selecting the middle position.
When purchasing a single movie ticket, a "Don't leave the seat empty" prompt pops up
In addition, third-party apps such as Taopiaopiao and Dianping also require consumers to complete the ticket purchase when selecting seats, otherwise they will be prompted by the system to "Please select seats continuously and do not leave a separate vacant seat" when placing an order after seat selection. Wanda Films, Pacific Cinemas, Chengdu Paragon Cinemas and other cinema mini-programs also need to purchase tickets in accordance with the provisions of "separate orders, not two separate orders". From this point of view, single consumers do have some "losses" under the rule of "separate orders and not doubles" in seat selection. On July 17, the reporter came to Chengdu CGV Cinema (high-tech IMAX store), and the staff told the reporter: "You can choose a seat in a row or choose an empty and even number of positions to place an order, if you can't accept it, you can choose the side position." "Online seat selection can't be separated by odds, so will there be restrictions on offline ticket purchases? The staff member said that although there is no restriction on on-site ticket purchase and seat selection, the ticket price is relatively high, "but consumers can choose according to their needs." In another Wanda Cinema (Dayuan Ersanli store), the reporter also got the same reply, "don't leave the seat next to the seat" restriction has indeed become a kind of "industry rule" in the theater, and the staff said that if the seat next to the movie is vacant after the opening, consumers can adjust their seats. In the investigation, the reporter found that the theater's "Notice to Moviegoers" did not mention the rules for seat selection. So, do consumers know about the "rules" of movie theaters? The reporter randomly interviewed consumers who watched the movie in Chengdu CGV Cinema (high-tech IMAX store), and most consumers said that they were not clear about the rules of "separate orders and not separate pairs", "movies are the same as other consumer goods, buying more and buying less is freedom, and there can be no other additional conditions" "The same ticket price, the same consumption, if a single person cannot enjoy the same service, this is unfair to consumers". However, some consumers said that they did not approve of but understood this arrangement of the theater, "The theater also needs to make a profit." Phenomenon: "Consumption restriction" is more present in the catering takeaway scene In addition to buying movie tickets, what other industries have "consumption restrictions"? The reporter also conducted a survey on the takeaway consumption scene with a wider audience and higher demand. As an important part of the sharing economy, the takeaway industry has enriched the consumption format, and payment and delivery can be realized on the mobile phone screen, which provides great convenience for consumers, but the "starting price" set by takeaway merchants has become an obstacle for consumers to buy. The reporter's investigation found that some merchants even set cheaper goods to "single point no delivery" - additional products must be purchased before placing an order.
Ordering takeout delivery requires a spelling order
Ms. Xiao, a consumer, has encountered such an embarrassment in ordering, "I want to order a cup of coffee for 25 yuan, but the starting price is more than 30 yuan, so I can only choose the cheapest bottle of mineral water in the menu bar to make up the order." The reporter browsed the takeaway platform and found that most merchants have set a starting price, generally around 20 yuan, and some merchants have set the starting price at 30 yuan or even 100 yuan. Consumers need to "piece together" to get what they really want, which not only costs more money, but can also lead to waste. So, who sets the starting price of the takeaway platform? The reporter contacted the customer service of Meituan Takeaway, and the other party said that the starting price was set by the merchant, and the platform could not intervene at present. Regarding the problem that the starting price of the merchant is too high and the consumer needs to make up the order to deliver, the customer service staff said, "The problem will be reflected to the relevant local regulatory authorities, and they can make improvement guidance according to the actual situation, but whether it can be improved depends on the willingness of the merchant." In fact, food delivery is not a "place outside the law". The reporter combed and found that in June last year, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Commerce jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Giving Play to the Leading Role of Online Catering Platforms to Effectively Prevent Takeaway Food Waste"; In March this year, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the "Notice on Continuing to Do a Good Job in the Marketing Specifications of Takeaway Merchants to Prevent Catering Waste", which clearly stated that online catering platforms are encouraged to promote merchants to develop, provide and promote small meals, reasonably set the minimum delivery price of meals, optimize the mechanism of full reduction and single selection, and do not include staple foods in the scope of full discount display; Guide platforms to promptly correct non-standard marketing behaviors. Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary-general of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, said in an interview with the media that the "Anti-Food Waste Law" makes it clear that catering service operators shall not induce or mislead consumers to overorder. If the merchant sets a high starting price, it is suspected of violating the relevant provisions of the Anti-Food Waste Law. How do you determine if the starting price is too high? Chen Yinjiang believes that the unit price of the food sold by the merchant should be determined, and if the unit price of most of the food sold does not reach the starting price, or the starting price exceeds the price of most food in the store by more than two times or even higher, it should be determined that the starting price of the merchant is unreasonable. Some industry experts also said that the "consumption threshold" set by merchants is a complex and sensitive issue, which requires the joint efforts of market supervision departments, merchants and consumers to find a balance. In response to the phenomenon of "consumption restrictions", the reporter interviewed Wang Bo, a lawyer at Sichuan Yingling Heshi Law Firm. Wang Bo said that according to Article 9 of the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests, "consumers have the right to choose goods or services independently." Consumers have the right to independently choose the business operators that provide goods or services, to choose the types of goods or services, to decide whether to buy or not to buy any kind of goods, and to accept or not to accept any kind of services. Consumers have the right to compare, identify and select goods or services when they choose goods or services independently". At the same time, Article 11 of the Regulations for the Implementation of the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests also stipulates that "consumers have the right to choose goods or services independently." Proprietors must not use methods such as violence, coercion, or restriction of personal freedom, or the use of technical means, to compel or covertly compel consumers to purchase goods or receive services, or to exclude or restrict consumers from choosing goods or services provided by other business operators. Where proprietors provide goods or services through methods such as collocation or combination, they shall draw consumers' attention in a conspicuous manner. Therefore, when consumers choose a seat to watch a movie, if the cinema does not remind consumers to pay attention to it and does not explicitly inform consumers of the rules, it infringes on consumers' right to make their own choices. In addition, Wang Bo also said that in some specific circumstances, consumers may not ask operators to change the rules on the grounds of exercising their right to make their own choices. "For example, the rule of 'queuing for purchase' in daily life, the rule of 'the same price for sitting and standing tickets' in bus and subway services, etc.; merchants have clearly informed that there are certain restrictions on consumers' right to make independent choices, etc., and consumers may not ask operators to change them on the grounds of exercising their right to choose independently, only in this way can the smooth progress of transactions be guaranteed and normal transaction order maintained." All-media reporter Luo Anshu
Source | Consumer Quality Report
Edit | Sun Jiayu
Proofreading | Chen Ruini
Editor-in-charge | Zhang Ke
Audit | Li Xiaolong
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