[People's Livelihood and Economic Highlights] Why is it so difficult to refund a movie ticket?
Reporter Liu Bing, "Worker's Daily" (Edition 04, March 22, 2021)
Since the beginning of this year, the film market has continued to be hot.
However, many viewers reported that it is difficult to "refund" and "change" movie tickets.
"Movie ticket refund strategy" has become one of the hot topics on some social media.
Audience: Easy to buy tickets and difficult to refund
Xiaofan in Beijing bought a movie ticket on a certain platform, and later wanted to refund the ticket because the time was not suitable, but found that there was no refund operation item on the platform, and the customer service also told him that it cannot be refunded or changed.
So, he went to the theater scene, but was told by the staff that the ticket purchased on a third-party platform needs to be refunded by the platform.
The reporter tried to buy and refund tickets on two different third-party platforms.
After confirming the seat, the page jumps to "Confirm Order".
At this time, there is a line of small characters above "Confirm Payment" at the bottom of the pages of the two platforms, indicating that refunds and changes are not supported.
Offline, refunds for different branches of the same theater may be different.
At the beginning of this year, Xiao Zheng bought two pre-sale movie tickets in a branch of a certain cinema in Shenzhen.
Then suddenly there was something to leave Shenzhen and I couldn't watch it, but the movie theater did not support refunds.
Xiao Zheng puzzled: All branches in the movie theater support refunds, so why can't this store?
Currently, Xiao Zheng has filed a complaint online.
In addition, some theaters have implemented differential treatment for different consumers on the issue of "refunds and renewals".
According to media reports, some theaters have launched their own clients. Only when members order movie tickets on the official client, they can apply for refunds on their own, but not through third-party platforms.
According to statistics, of the 267 theaters in Beijing, only 78 theaters support refunds, and some of them also come with handling fees.
In some movie theaters, the handling fee for refunds is as high as nearly 40% of the original ticket price.
During the interview, many consumers said that because the amount of one or more movie tickets is not large, they usually give up rights protection if the tickets are not refundable.
Most of them will be transferred to others through the Moments of Friends and other channels.
Merchants: Prevent malicious swiping of tickets
When the reporter visited a theater in Huilongguan, Beijing, the staff said that the ticket was not refundable, and the reporter immediately asked the reason.
The staff explained that: the non-refundable ticket is worried that someone will maliciously swipe the ticket. The swipe will cause the illusion of box office sales during the pre-sale period and affect the theater's schedule.
“As long as one person buys a ticket for a movie, the movie’s schedule cannot be changed. If the ticket is refunded maliciously at this time, not only will the box office of this movie be lowered, it will directly affect the studio’s revenue, and other movies will also lose more scheduling opportunities.”
In this regard, Yingke Law Firm’s lawyer Kong Fenghui believes that in accordance with the Consumer Rights Protection Law and other regulations, the operator unilaterally stipulates that "movie tickets are not refundable when sold", which is an unfair and unreasonable provision for consumers in standard terms. It belongs to the "Overlord Clause".
Moreover, movie theaters believe that "refunds and resignations" will affect film scheduling, which is a consideration of market risk, and this market risk should not be passed on to consumers.
Expert: Refund rules need to be improved
As early as September 2018, the China Film Distribution and Projection Association issued the "Notice on the Regulations on "Refund and Change of Tickets" for Movie Tickets".
It stipulates that the "refund and change" regulations formulated by all parties should simplify the procedures and optimize the "refund and change" process. Cinemas across the country must publicize the "refund and change" instructions for ticket purchases in a conspicuous location in the lobby to ensure that the audience understands the relevant in advance "Refund and change" regulations.
The "Technical Specifications for Cinema Computer Ticketing Software System" issued by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television also stipulates that the ticketing software should have a refund function and establish a corresponding refund record.
Kong Fenghui believes that when a user goes to a movie theater to buy a ticket, he actually signs a movie ticket sales contract with the movie theater or a third-party platform.
Before the performance of the contract, both parties have the right to change or terminate the contract.
It is not only unreasonable but also illegal to unilaterally set up "no refunds and no changes" regulations by theaters and ticket purchase platforms.
Pang Jinyou, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, believes that in order for the audience to clearly understand the “refund and change” regulations for the movie tickets they bought, whether it is a theater or a third-party movie ticketing platform, it should at least fulfill the obligation of notification.
At present, the “refund and change” rules of different platforms and theaters are confusing, and the rights and responsibilities are unclear. It is indeed necessary to formulate detailed and clear “refund and change” regulations.
According to industry insiders, you can refer to the "refund and change" regulations for train tickets, and movie tickets charge varying percentages of refund fees based on the time of refund.
At the same time, the relevant systems and regulations were revised and improved, and the regulations on the "refund and change of tickets" for movie tickets were clarified.