Hidden Fees Affect 68% of Food Delivery App Users, Says Survey

While using app-based delivery platforms, many people continue to be victims of dark patterns. This is as per a survey by community platform LocalCircles. Dark pattern means deceptive design tricks in a platform's interface that aim to mislead users into actions they do not intend to do. 

One example of the same as per the survey is the platform fee levied by food delivery platforms is not displayed to the consumer unless they make an effort to look at the breakup fee. These prices fall under the drip pricing dark pattern. Drip pricing means elements of pricing that are not displayed upfront. 

The survey, which received 32,000 responses from users of food delivery apps, highlights that 68 percent of users of these apps have frequently or sometimes experienced hidden charges. To add to it, 69 percent of users reported experiencing "Bait & Switch," where the promised delivery time is shorter than the actual time it takes. 

Following this, the community platform has requested the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to look into the matter.

Read: Govt Probes into Quick Commerce Platforms and its Dark Store Ownership Structures

“LocalCircles has requested the CCPA to examine the decision of the Hon’ble District Consumer Redressal Commission for applicability of class action because several consumers expressed concerns that there is a high likelihood that this has occurred with many more consumers who ordered food through the Swiggy platform," said Sachin Taparia, Founder, LocalCircles. 

This is happening at a time when quick commerce platform Swiggy was fined Rs 35,000 by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Telangana. The fine has been imposed for allegedly inflating the delivery fee, which led to overcharging of consumers. 

“In an ideal world situation, Swiggy itself, should evaluate this overcharging/drip pricing dark pattern, come out and disclose the information, and issue a credit to accounts that were overcharged, but since the chances of that seem limited, we have escalated the issue to CCPA for intervention,” continued Taparia. 

The issue started when the complainant ordered food from Swiggy before joining a membership on September 27, 2023, where the delivery distance was shown as 9.7 kilometers. 

After obtaining the membership, when the order was made again on November 1, last year, the delivery distance was shown as 14 kilometers instead of originally indicated 9.7 kilometers. This in turn led to a Rs. 103 delivery charge. Following this, Swiggy has been asked to repay the complainant. Further, the platform has been asked by the consumer court to stop inflating the distance for Swiggy One memberships.