AMC class action claims company adds convenience fee at checkout

AMC class action overview: 

• Who: AMC Entertainment Holdings is facing a class action lawsuit related to a convenience fee charged to customers who purchase tickets on its website. 
• Why: Adding a fee at checkout that was not acknowledged earlier in the sale process is a violation of New York’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, the AMC class action says.
• Where: The AMC lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York.

AMC Entertainment Holdings is facing a class action lawsuit over a convenience fee added before consumers purchase movie tickets online.

By adding the AMC convenience fee just before checkout and not including it in the advertised ticket price at the start of the process, the fee violates New York’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, the class action says.

“Because New York is a busy place, and because these fees are only flashed after a movie-goer selects their seats, Defendant can plausibly put its customers on a shot clock and tell them they need to decide quick, because Defendant cannot hold their seats open forever,” the AMC class action says. “This cheap trick has enabled Defendant to swindle substantial sums of money from its customers.”

Ticket cost cannot increase during purchase process, New York law says

The law says that the purchase price of a ticket cannot increase during the purchase process.

“Such disclosure of the total cost and fees shall be displayed in the ticket listing prior to the ticket being selected for purchase,” the law says, according to the AMC lawsuit.

Lead plaintiff Vivian Picciotti purchased a ticket at New York’s Lincoln Square 13 theater on April 11.

The New York class is asking for relief based on the ticket prices, along with damages, attorneys’ fees and injunctive relief.

Streaming service AMC+ is facing a class action lawsuit from January 2023 by subscribers who allege the company secretly shared their personal information and viewing history with Facebook so the social media company could serve them targeted ads.

Have you purchased an AMC movie ticket and had a convenience fee added? Let us know in the comments. 

The plaintiff is represented by Philip L. Fraietta and Stefan Bogdanovich of Bursor and Fisher PA.

The AMC class action lawsuit is Picciotti v. AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., Case No. 1:24-cv-00110, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

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