A Noida-based small restaurant owner has slammed Zomato after the food delivery app offered zero payouts, charged arbitrary amounts and placed ads without consent.
Restaurant owner's viral post
According to the user named Manish, whose wife, Soni Kumari, runs a restaurant called Saffroma, Zomato has offered zero payouts for the last two months, even after successful deliveries.
Tagging CEO Deepinder Goyal, Manish said he was pulling his restaurant from any listing on the app.
"Dear @zomato @deepigoyal I'm finally pulling my restaurant off your platform. Congrats! Your mystery service charges, surprise ad placements (without consent), and a POC who ghosts like it's a talent show-truly inspiring. Small outlets deserve better. Quality > commissions," he wrote.
"Is this how u support small businesses Mr @deepigoyal? 5 months into this business and I'm very clear about one thing...my case is just tip of the iceberg. There are countless stories of closed/failed businesses who relied solely on online platforms for orders."
Screenshots proving his point
Manish posted screenshots of the transactions to plead his case. He also called out Zomato's customer service as the point of contact (POC) ghosted him and his concerns.
Manish and Soni run a restaurant called Saffroma in Noida Sector-26, which specialises in biryani, kebab and mughlai.
Zomato responds
Zomato replied to this post and offered to provide a solution.
"Hi Manish, that's not what we hoped for! Please DM us your restaurant ID, and our team will be reaching out to you," the company wrote.
Netizens react
In response to the small restaurant owner’s post, many users have also shared their negative experiences with Zomato and other food delivery apps, such as Swiggy.
"Even I am facing issues whereas I have seen big brands payouts with 0 charges for growth and ads I don't know how there deal works with Zomato maybe they pay separately," remarked one user.
Another person wrote, "This makes no sense. What is that "investment in growth charges" they are deducting so much money under? You're basically giving stuff away for free at this point."
A third commented: "It was bound to happen. Zomato and Swiggy steal from both consumers and restaurants. Have been on the both sides."
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