Friday, March 20, 2009

Progress or Regression?

In India today, consumers have a choice. We as an economy are moving from monopolistic institutions and companies to a level playing ground where anyone is welcome to offer products and services to consumers. Even in traditionally government run monopolies like the telephone services, internet services ,power etc, now we have private players , the competition ensuring that the consumers get better quality and a wide choice.

www.nomoreque.com is one such service provider. We offer online movie ticketing and related information services to you. Along with us, many other such providers exist. You have a right to choose whichever provider you like best.

In such a free economy where private entrepreneurship is being encouraged and monopolies being restricted, the A.P. Govt. has come out with a GO in FEB 2009 asking the theatre owners to part with 50% of their bookings to a single agency(Galaxy) which will offer tickets online to the consumer.

Awarding (or gifting!) this to a single agency reeks of unfair practices and would lead to a monopoly of the online movie ticketing business, leaving all the other online service providers at a disadvantage and forcing the theatre owners to reserve 50% capacity for Galaxy , which is a risk.

Consumers like you will not have any option but to go through Galaxy for online booking – you may not get the best service.

The Govt. says this GO will ensure that accounting/taxation will become transparent with this measure- but where is the logic in that? Even if you had multiple online service providers, you can still have transparency in accounts/taxation if those systems are in place..

What do you think? Are we regressing back to monopolies and nepotism here? Give us your views.

Progress or Regression?SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

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