Consumer forum slaps Rs 55,000 on Zomato, hotel

Additional district consumer disputes redressal forum in Pune has slapped Rs 55,000 cost on food delivery service provider Zomato and a hotel for supplying non-vegetarian food to a city-based lawyer twice instead of vegetarian dish that he had ordered.

While partly allowing lawyer Shanmukh Deshmukh’s complaint, the forum directed the Pune-based Zomato office, its Gurgaon-based head office, and Hotel Preet Punjabi Swad to pay the entire amount within 45 days or give it with 10% interest thereafter. The hotel is located in Hinjewadi area of Pune. Of the amount, Rs 50,000 is to be paid towards deficiency in service and the remaining for physical and mental harassment.

Zomato regional manager Vipul Sinha told TOI that he wasn’t aware of any such order while its spokesperson didn’t respond to calls by this correspondent.

Deshmukh, who works in the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court, had ordered paneer butter masala from the hotel using Zomato app on May 31 last year when he was in Pune for official work. Being a devotee of Gajanan Maharaj, he used to observe fast on Thursdays throughout the day. To break the fast in the evening, he had ordered food using the Zomato app. A parcel was delivered by an executive at the hostel where he was staying. Later, Deshmukh asked the housemaid to serve him the dish. Soon he realized that it was butter chicken.

He immediately called the Zomato delivery boy who had dropped the parcel and apprised him of the wrong delivery. The delivery boy informed him that Zomato has no role to play as the executives don’t open the parcel and only carry out delivery service. Deshmukh then contacted Hotel Preet Punjabi Swad manager, who assured him to replace the parcel with the dish he had ordered for.

Accordingly, the second delivery boy brought a new parcel to Deshmukh. The receipt also mentioned the delivery of paneer butter masala. However, on opening the parcel, Deshmukh was shocked to find butter chicken inside, again.

A couple of days later, Deshmukh through lawyer Sandesh Gundage issued legal notices to the food delivery chain and the hotel for compensation for hurting his religious sentiments but none of them responded. He then knocked the forum’s doors, demanding compensation of Rs5 lakh and Rs1 lakh for harassment.

Source:-https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/food-entertainment/food-services/consumer-forum-slaps-rs-55000-on-zomato-hotel/70103697