We've got mail: A number of readers have been in touch to complain about the high prices charged for food and drink in Irish cinemas. First up is Paul Keegan from Leixlip, Co Kildare, who contacted us to highlight the ridiculous price he is routinely asked to pay for popcorn.
"While I haven't got the exact price, I know that popcorn sells for around €5 per bucket at the cinema," he says.
He says this price is fairly consistent irrespective of the size of the bucket "as the cinemas use the irritating practice of charging only an extra 20c or so for large portions to encourage people to buy them". He says this practice "must be worth thousands of euro per year when spread across a large cinema chain".
Keegan was interested to see how the price of cinema popcorn compared with the cost of popcorn in the supermarket. "One company which produces microwaveable popcorn provides 3 x 100g bags of popcorn kernels, which provides quite a large portion, for around €1.60," he says.
Keegan is not the only person to highlight the high costs associated with going to the cinema here. John Ronayne from Rathfarnham in Dublin echoes his concerns but it is the cost of ice-creams that have attracted his ire.
"On a recent visit to the Vue cinema in Liffey Valley I was charged €2.70 for a Magnum Original ice cream. He says the same ice cream sells in his local shop for €1.50. "When I attempted to return it and get my money back I was refused as I did not have a receipt. Neat trick," he addss, "as I was not given one when I bought the item."
Another reader has a complaint about the price of popcorn and soft drinks in the Cineworld Cinema on Dublin's Parnell Street. In that cinema a regular-sized bucket of popcorn costs €4.70, she says, while a small soft drink costs €2.80. "How can they get away with charging such amounts?" she asks.
A spokesman for Vue Entertainment says its prices are "based on a variety of factors, including the cost of overheads, staff and location. They are consistent with those found at any major entertainment venue and they form part of what remains a good value night out."
No one from Cineworld was available for comment.
Phantom mechanic
Following last week's item about an AA warning alerting those hiring cars abroad about hidden charges, mechanical defects and insurance rip-offs, David Wright from Naas, Co Kildare, has been in touch.
"I was charged almost €300 for a 'fictitious' repair bill in Malaga, Spain for my hire car," he says. He discovered this on his credit card several weeks after his return home and promptly sought an audit trail for VAT purposes which included the name of the workshop where the repairs were supposedly carried out. "I was offering to send a private investigator to the workshop to inspect records. The outcome was a full refund on the excuse that the answers to the questions would cost more than the €300."
Email: pricewatch@irish-times.ie Text: 085-1645267
