Food delivery platforms have completely changed the way people eat, socialize, and enjoy restaurants. What was a limited phenomenon to a few local restaurants offering home delivery is now a multi-billion-dollar market driven by technology, logistics, and lifestyle changes. The main reason for the success of food delivery platforms is convenience. In today’s fast-paced urban lifestyle, busy work schedules and traffic jams leave people with no time to cook or dine out. Food delivery apps fill this gap by providing easy access to various cuisines, digital payments, real-time tracking, and delivery at the doorstep.
However, the ecosystem is not without its problems. Recently, a customer complained that he was charged Rs 329 for paneer fried rice online, while the printed menu card in the delivery bag showed it to be Rs 189, which is a 74% difference. Now, Zomato has reacted to the entire situation.
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Customer flags 74% price disparity in paneer fried rice order
The matter was brought up by an X (formerly Twitter) user named Pankaj, who claimed that he was charged a much higher amount for an order that he placed online compared to the amount that was printed on the actual menu card of the restaurant. According to his tweet, he ordered paneer fried rice from Zomato for Rs 329. However, when he received his order, he discovered a printed menu card inside the delivery bag that had the same item for Rs 189.
Sharing pictures of both the in-app listing and the printed menu, he wrote,
That’s a 74% higher price online. Not convenience. Not service. Not packaging. Just hidden overpricing. #ConsumerVoice #PriceHike #TransparencyMatters #Zomato @zomato @ZomatoCare @DarjeelingInDelhi
In a follow-up tweet, he wrote,
“Same food. Same kitchen. Different price. Hidden truth.” First time posting here because I genuinely feel cheated. Ordered Paneer Fried Rice online for Rs 329. Inside the delivery bag: their printed menu card. Offline price on it: Rs 189.which means this is happening silently.
How did Zomato respond to the complaint?
In reaction to the complaint posted on X, the customer care handle of Zomato explained that the pricing on the platform is set by the restaurant partners. The company replied:
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We hear you, Pankaj, and want to clarify that the prices on our platform are decided solely by our restaurant partners. That said, we’ll pass on your feedback to them, please allow us some time to look into this with our restaurant partner.
After the user asked for an update, Zomato posted again, saying:
Hi Pankaj, we have shared the feedback with our restaurant partner. Feel free to reach out to us for any further assistance, we’d be happy to help.
The company did not address whether any measures would be taken in relation to the particular issue pointed out in the post.
As of now, it is unclear whether the restaurant in question will change its pricing on its website or make a statement about the issue. This incident, however, has brought to light once again the debate about the transparency of pricing in the rapidly growing food delivery market in India. Although the convenience of ordering food online is a reality, this incident is a reminder to consumers that prices on food delivery websites may be different from prices at the restaurant.
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