Zomato is in the news again, this time for charging customers a “rain surge” premium even when there isn’t any rain at the restaurant or delivery site. A Zomato user highlighted the strange experience on social media. The irate client complained that when they ordered from a restaurant next to their building, they were assessed a cost connected to the rain.
Given that the client mentioned that they placed their order from a restaurant that was directly next to their building, the incident is certain to generate a lot of conversation on social media.
Santosh, a Zomato client, came to X to complain about the additional rain surge fee even though the weather was fine.
He included a screenshot of his order detail in the post, revealing that he was assessed a surge price of Rs 15 due to the rain. The user commented, tagging Zomato and Deepinder Goyal, its CEO,
Zomato charging rain surgee for no rain in the location. ordered from the restaurant adjacent to my building. May be it is raining in their office.
Zomato charging rain surgee for no rain in the location. ordered from the restaurant adjacent to my building. May be it is raining in their office. @deepigoyal@zomatopic.twitter.com/mDo3TTdwtv
Numerous individuals have previously shared and voiced their complaints on similar experiences with purportedly unjustified surge fees, thus this is not the first time.
Zomato issued a clarifying statement in response to the post:
In response to the tweet, Zomato Care said that the rain surge surcharge was imposed because it was pouring outside the restaurant. They requested that the client contact them with any more questions. Zomato answered,
Hi Santosh, as we can see, the rain surge fee was applicable since it was raining at the restaurant’s location. We hope this clarifies your concern. Feel free to reach out if you have any other queries.
Hi Santosh, as we can see, the rain surge fee was applicable since it was raining at the restaurant’s location. We hope this clarifies your concern. Feel free to reach out if you have any other queries.
Although Zomato has previously used weather-based surge pricing to make up for and benefit their delivery partners, detractors contend that automated systems frequently fall short in accurately reflecting local weather conditions in real time.
Tech platforms are frequently criticised for their surge pricing. But charging a weather-related fee when there isn’t any rain at the delivery spot is sure to rekindle discussions about customer trust and justice.
Have you ever placed an order from Zomato and encountered a similar circumstance? Tell us in the comments section.
