Food aggregators increase membership, delivery fees in Chennai

CHENNAI: Amidst rampant complaints of hidden costs, online food aggregators have increased the annual membership fee and delivery charges in Chennai.
Usually restaurants in the city charge 200 to 250 for a chicken biryani. But if you order the same product online, it costs 50 more. Customers end up paying at least 25% in excess despite subscribing to premium plans which promise free deliveries. Even to avail this free delivery option, the minimum bill amount should be 150. In case someone wants to order a food item which costs 140, he will be forced to order another item to avoid paying the delivery fees. But restaurants ensure that all products on their menu cards cost at least 50. So consumers are left with no option but to shell out extra money for every order.
M Somasundaram, a consumer rights’ activist, said since April 1, almost all the aggregators have either increased the annual membership fees by 50% or have started collecting platform fees and handling fees (2 to 6) with no notice. Food aggregators said the changes have been made to maintain their apps and ensure seamless delivery experience. The premium membership fee varies from one customer to another, depending on their ordering history and area of service. The average annual fee in Chennai is around 2,200.
“Complaints can be filed against these agencies under Consumer Protection Act, 2019. But hardly anyone takes the effort to lodge a case for collecting 20 or 30 in excess,” said Somasundaram. T Sadagopan, member of Tamil Nadu government’s price monitoring committee, said consumer protection department should regulate this sector which has been exploiting consumers for a long time. “They should come up with a transparent rate card explaining all taxes and charges collected for every item delivered,” he said.
At present, the online apps show only the amount collected under the ‘taxes and other charges’ column and no split-up is shared with the user.