AMC ‘Nickel and Diming’ Consumers With Hidden ‘Convenience Fees’: Class Action

Law firm Bursor & Fisher, which alleged in a Dec. 22 class action on behalf of plaintiff Shane Mannion that Fandango was “nickel and diming” moviegoers with its hidden per-ticket “convenience fees” (see 2312270004), asserted nearly identical allegations in a new class action Friday against AMC Theatres on behalf of plaintiff Vivian Picciotti. Because New York "is a busy place," and because these fees are "flashed" only after moviegoers select their seats, AMC “can plausibly put its customers on a shot clock and tell them they need to decide quick,” because AMC can’t hold their seats open forever, said the complaint (docket 1:24-cv-00110) in U.S. District Court for Southern New York in Manhattan. This “cheap trick” has enabled AMC “to swindle substantial sums of money from its customers,” in violation of the New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, it said. AMC's convenience fee is $2.19 per ticket, compared with $1.89 at Fandango, said the complaint. New York resident Picciotti seeks relief individually and on behalf of all other AMC ticket purchasers for film screenings in New York for actual and statutory damages, reasonable attorneys’ costs and fees and injunctive relief, it said.