Explained: Why Swiggy One member in Hyderabad had to pay delivery fees
One Hyderabad resident found out, the distance from the restaurant shown on the app can be manipulated
By Sistla Dakshina Murthy Published on 4 Nov 2024 11:24 AM GMT
Representational Image.
Hyderabad: Swiggy is a food delivery service app popular across the city. The app charges delivery fees, depending on the distance from which the food is being delivered. However, users can obtain a Swiggy One membership to avoid the delivery fees.
However, as one Hyderabad resident found out, the distance from the restaurant shown on the app can be manipulated.
In a recent consumer case, the food delivery service Swiggy was fined more than Rs 25,000 for artificially increasing the delivery distance in its app for its Swiggy One members to collect delivery fees.
How did Swiggy artificially increase the delivery distance for a Swiggy One member?
The case came to light after Emmadi Suresh Babu purchased a Swiggy One membership to benefit from the free delivery within a predetermined radius, as promised for Swiggy One members.
On September 27, 2023, Suresh Babu ordered food online through Swiggy without a membership and was charged Rs 103 for delivering food from a place at 9.7 km.
After buying the Swiggy One membership, Suresh Babu ordered food from the same place on November 1, 2023. But this time, the distance was increased to 14 km instead of 9.7 km incurring a delivery fee of Rs 103.
Suresh Babu took the case to the consumer forum alleging that Swiggy evaded the benefit of free delivery by inflating the distance for its Swiggy One customers. As proof, Suresh Babu provided screenshots from Google Maps to back up his assertion before the forum. In its ruling, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Ranga Reddy, ordered Swiggy to stop inflating delivery distances for Swiggy One members.
How much was Swiggy fined by the forum?
Apart from the Rs 25,000 fine, Swiggy was ordered to reimburse the complainant for Rs 5,000 in expenses as well as Rs 5,000 in compensation for creating mental distress and inconvenience. The commission also ordered Swiggy to refund Rs 350.48 with 9 per cent interest from the date of filing, along with the Rs 103 delivery charge.
