Cineplex says it will make online purchase fee more obvious following penalty [Video]

Cineplex Inc. says it will continue adding a fee to some online ticket purchases but will adjust how the charge is communicated to moviegoers.

The move comes in response to a record $38.9-million penalty Cineplex was handed in September by Canada’s Competition Tribunal in a case alleging the way the company presented online booking fees to consumers constituted deceptive marketing.

“They were not really questioning the absolute fee. What they were questioning is how it was on the website,” Cineplex chief executive Ellis Jacob said in an interview on Wednesday.

“It was all about the presentation, and they’ve asked us to make some modifications, which we are co-operating with them [on] and moving forward.”

Jacob said he expects the modifications to be complete by early next year. They will make it more obvious to customers that Cineplex has been charging a $1.50 online booking fee since June 2022 to customers …