Court orders Zomato to pay Rs 60000 for not delivering Rs 130 Momos

Karnataka: In a significant ruling, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Dharwad, Karnataka, has ruled in favor of Sheethal, a woman who did not receive her momos order placed through Zomato in 2023. The courts decision highlighted Zomatos failure to act promptly on the customers complaint.

Sheethal had placed an order for momos on August 31, 2023, and received a delivery confirmation. However, the momos never arrived. Despite reaching out to both the restaurant and Zomato for a resolution, she received no response. Zomato initially requested 72 hours to investigate but did not follow up. Frustrated by the lack of action, Sheethal filed a legal notice against Zomato in September 2023.

In court, Zomato denied any wrongdoing. However, the court noted that Zomatos months of inaction contradicted their initial request for time to resolve the issue. Eventually, in May 2024, Zomato refunded Sheethal the original cost of the momos, which was Rs 133.25.

Court Orders Zomato to Pay Rs 60,000 to Customer

The court found Zomato deficient in service and liable for the inconvenience caused to Sheethal. It ordered Zomato to pay her Rs 50,000 as compensation for mental stress and Rs 10,000 to cover her legal expenses, bringing the total award to Rs 60,000.

Consumer Courts Order

The commission stated, Zomato is carrying out their business of supplying materials in response to the online orders placed by the customer. Despite receipt of the purchase money, Zomato did not deliver the required product to the complainant. By looking into these facts of the case on hand in our opinion Op no. 1 (Zomato) alone is liable to answer the claim of the complainant.

Eshappa K Bhute, president of the commission, ordered Zomato to pay Sheethal Rs 50,000 as compensation for the inconvenience and mental agony caused to her and Rs 10,000 towards her litigation cost.

This ruling emphasizes the responsibility of service providers to ensure timely and effective resolution of customer grievances, highlighting the potential consequences of neglecting customer complaints.