Booking Fee Refund?

Newaglish

I was in the cinema with a friend last weekend to see a 9.20pm movie on Friday evening. I had booked the tickets online for €19 (+80c booking fee) and we arrived on time (if not a little early) for the movie. We sat down, watched the adverts and trailers and then the movie failed to start - it just went to a black screen.

We sat in the dark for a good 15/20 minutes until the movie started. Although, it wasn't actually the movie, it was the trailer for the movie we were about to watch (which is a bit annoying). Then, we were returned to darkness, at which point some people started using the torches on their smartphones to make shadow puppets.

A short while later, they replayed the adverts and then the trailers and then more darkness. I was getting a little fed up and by 10.20pm (an hour after the scheduled start time), I went back up to ask for my refund, which the manager at the counter processed. He didn't actually apologise or even recognise the inconvenience but I didn't really mind that to be honest.

I checked my credit card today and it looks like I have been refunded the price of the tickets but not the booking fee. I'm wondering if this is fair - as far as I'm concerned I should be refunded the full cost of the ticket including the selling costs as the service was not delivered. I know it's only 80c but I'm interested in the principle of the matter and I am a little put out by the experience. Does anyone know where I stand or what the regulation is in this area? There are no Ts&Cs on the company's website.

jor el

Contact the cinema and ask them to refund all the money you were charged, as they should have done in the first place.

Newaglish

Yeah, I've sent them an e-mail and will follow up with a phonecall later. I can't envisage a situation where they're entitled to keep the booking fee.

dudara

For instance - Movies@Dundrum give the following on their website

Why is there a booking fee?
The non-refundable booking fee for Internet and Telephone bookings is applied because we offer the facility to pre-book and guarantee your tickets, this is a service warranting an additional fee.

Tow

I have gotten a full refund and complementary tickets from Movies@Dundrum, mind you it took calling into them and when writing to the owners after the initial promised refund did not materialise.

Dodge

Funnily enough the only time I've ever had a problem at a cinema was the dundrum one. We were due to see a film and after the trailers, but before the film, an employee cme in to say there was a sync problem between sound and picture.

He said it as about 4/5 seconds!

He offered everyone the option of full refund + 2 free tickets each for whatever they'd like to see.