Chennai: Zomato, Havmor charge extra for cake, to pay 23 times MRP as fine
The customer had purchased a cake with an MRP of Rs 300 but had to pay Rs 1,182.36 through the delivery app.
Chennai North District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Representative Image
CHENNAI: Zomato, the online food delivery app, and Havmor ice cream were asked to pay Rs 7,000 to a consumer who was charged nearly 294% more than the MRP for a cake.
The customer had purchased a cake with an MRP of Rs 300 but had to pay Rs 1,182.36 through the delivery app.
Feroz Khan, a resident of Virugambakkam ordered an Italian cassata ice cream cake (500 ml) from Havmor, Anna Nagar in September 2023 through Zomato. The price mentioned in the app was Rs 1,182.36 but when he received the cake in the package, it was Rs 300.
So, he contacted Zomato, and was instantly connected to the interactive assistant, where he enquired about the unreasonable pricing. He was told that the box in which the cake was delivered would have been a different one rather than the actual price of the cake. And, he was directed to contact the respective restaurant for more details about the price. Zomato was not ready to refund or even replace the order to its original price.
When he contacted Havmor to enquire about the price, he was told that they have been selling the ice cream for MRP only and not more than the said price. They also stated that they are unaware of the higher price sold by Zomato.
Feroz claimed that Zomato did not make any attempt to resolve the issue, and that there was no proper communication from their side. Zomato defended itself saying that it was just an intermediary, and Havmor claimed that they were ready to refund the extra amount ‘mistakenly charged’.
Feroz sent a legal notice to both Zomato and Havmor but did not receive a reply. For the deficiency in service, both respondents were told to resolve the issue and ensure that this was not repeated in the future.
The Chennai North District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, headed by the president D Gopinath and member Kavitha Kannan, directed both Zomato and Havmor to pay Rs 5,000 inclusive of difference amount towards the compensation for unfair trade practice, deficiency in service as product sellers for the mental agony and untold hardship. They were also directed to pay Rs 2,000 towards litigation costs.
