Tribunal Wraps First ‘Junk Fee’ Case Over Online Fees for Cineplex Movie Tickets

The Competition Tribunal heard a second day of arguments on Feb. 29 in a case that could decide whether Cineplex can keep charging customers an extra fee for buying movie tickets online. It’s the first time the tribunal is hearing a case involving “drip pricing” since the Competition Act explicitly recognized it as a harmful business practice in June 2022. Drip pricing, also known as a junk fee, is a deceptive practice in which customers are drawn into a purchase without full disclosure of the final cost. The $1.50 fee charged by Cineplex for online purchases meets that category, according to the competition commissioner, who brought the deceptive marketing case to the Competition Tribunal....