Zomato has been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 60,000 to a woman from Karnataka for failing to deliver an order worth Rs 133.25 last year by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Dharwad. According to The Indian Express, the woman, whose name is Sheetal, placed an order for momos on August 31, 2023, and paid the amount through Google Pay.
Order Issue and Legal Action
Within 15 minutes of ordering, the Zomato app showed that it had been delivered. However, Sheetal claimed that she didn’t receive any orders, nor did any delivery agent come by her address.
She proceeded to contact Zomato regarding the matter and was told that the order had been picked up from the restaurant. She also tried to reach out to the delivery agent via the website but received no response. She then tried reaching the company through email and received a reply telling her to wait 72 hours for a response.
After receiving no response from the company within the waiting period, she sent a legal notice to the food delivery platform on September 13, 2023, and eventually moved to the consumer forum.
At the hearing, Zomato’s counsel denied these allegations and argued that they don’t have any legal connections with the delivery agent or the restaurant.
Court’s Decision
Sheetal revealed that Zomato had finally refunded the amount of Rs 133.25 on May 2, 2024.
The commission found Zomato unreliable, as although they had requested 72 hours to address the customer’s grievance, they had failed to do so by the time the complaint was issued. Zomato was deemed deficient in service, causing inconvenience and mental distress to the complainant, and was held liable to address the claim.
On July 3, 2024, the Commission in Dharwad directed Zomato to pay Sheetal Rs 50,000 as compensation for the inconvenience and mental agony caused to her, plus litigation costs of Rs 10,000.
