With Diwali just round the corner, customers are now in for a double dose of disappointment after online food delivery platform Swiggy increased its platform fee to ₹10.
The Bengaluru-based food-delivery platform's surcharges come just a day after Zomato hiked its platform fee to ₹10 on October 23 to “manage the festive rush.”.
While two of the biggest food delivery giants may have hoped to capitalise from the platform fees, their strategies dampened the festive mood of several netizens ahead of Diwali.
A fuming user took to X to post about the increase in platform fees, adding that vegetable, food item prices were already at an all-time high. “What is the logic. Am finding so many negative comments. The fruits and veggies are already expensive. The menu prices are increased, they charge a subscription and a minimum amount for placing an order," the user wrote, calling all users to #CancelSwiggy.
Meanwhile, fin-fluencer Ravisutanjani traced how Swiggy started with free food delivery, but now has a never ending list of platform fees, packaging, GST and so on. “Food ordering started with free delivery, now GST, delivery and packing charges, platform fee,” wrote Ravisutanjani.
Another user expressed his disappointment on Swiggy's hike, but through an iconic Munna Bhai MBBS meme, prompting many X users to join the bandwagon.
Earlier, Swiggy's platform fee was ₹6. Its Gurgaon-based rival, however, has seen a consistent rise when it comes to surges.
Zomato introduced a platform fee in August 2023, charging ₹2 per order. By January 2024, Zomato raised the platform fee to ₹4 per order. Right now, it charges a fee of ₹10 per order. The platform fee applies to all customers, irrespective of whether one has a Gold membership or not.
