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CCPA discovered 13 types of deceptive behaviors faced by users when booking movie tickets online on November 30, 2023
According to the survey, 73% of users said they regularly experience basket theft, where social contributions or other fees are added to their transactions or shopping carts without consent.
From drip pricing to basket-stealing, moviegoers encounter several dark patterns when trying to book movie tickets online. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on November 30, 2023, identified 13 such deceptive practices and classified them as dark patterns, which amount to misleading advertising or unfair trade practices or violation of consumer rights.
Eight in 10 users of movie and event ticketing platforms say they have experienced dark patterns such as basket-stealing and drip pricing, according to a survey by LocalCircles. The survey revealed that 73% of users of movie and event ticketing platforms said they regularly experience basket-stealing, where social contributions or other fees are added to their transactions or shopping carts without consent.
When asked “How often do you come across movie and event ticketing platforms with hidden fees (other than taxes) that are not disclosed upfront at the time of selection but are levied at the end of the transaction”, 80% of users said they Hidden accusations are often encountered. Only 10% of respondents said they had “never” encountered this problem.
Users interviewed said they experienced three dark patterns: sneak shopping, drip pricing and a false sense of urgency on BookMyShow. On PayTM Insider and PVR, users also reported facing basket-stealing and drip pricing.
The survey received 22,000 responses from movie and event ticketing app users in more than 296 locations across the country. A total of 61% of the respondents were male and 39% were female. Meanwhile, 44% of the respondents were from Tier 1 areas, 31% from Tier 2 areas, and 25% from Tier 3, Tier 4 and rural areas.
LocalCircles is a social media platform that empowers citizens and small businesses to escalate policy and enforcement intervention issues, and enables governments to create citizen- and small business-focused policy.
