OMG! Zomato online food bill much higher than offline, Customer’s LinkedIn post on price difference leaves netizens shocked

New Delhi: A LinkedIn user compared online and offline restaurant order bills and discovered a startling price disparity between the two. Rahul Kabra, performance marketing manager, posted two images of the identical food order but with different prices. The order includes—vegetable black pepper sauce, vegetable fried rice, and mushroom momo, according to the LinkedIn post.

The total charge for offline orders was Rs 512, which included CGST and SGST. Zomato's charge, on the other hand, was Rs 689.90. (after applying a discount of Rs 75). Read More: What an example of humility! Twitter CEO seen serving coffee to employees at London office

According to the LinkedIn user, Zomato charged 34.76 percent more (Rs 178) on that order. Read More: Highest 28% GST on luxury, sin goods to continue: Revenue Secy

"I believe there is a need to cap this cost escalation, which should be implemented by the government so that this is a win-win for all stakeholders," Kabra stated.

He continued, "All start-ups struggle with customer acquisition costs. Client retention is the key to increasing customer lifetime value. Zomato is constantly on my mind as a result of its omnichannel promotion! However, as a typical value-driven Indian customer, I will always conduct a price to benefit comparing study as a result of any higher pricing ".

The post has gone viral, with over 7,600 reactions and nearly 1,000 comments.

Several LinkedIn users shared their stories on how food aggregators had such wide price disparities. One user shared his Swiggy experience. A user named Nikesh Jain said, "Swiggy showed price as 120 plus delivery charges. I was on my way to the restaurant, so I decided to just pick it up there. Surprisingly, the same thaali was offered for 99 rupees. Swiggy would have charged me roughly 140 Rs. for the same food, which was 40% extra. I believe the aggregation industry requires considerable strategic rethinking. I honestly don't blame them because they need to generate cash and become profitable, but I'm afraid these approaches will backfire ".

Another user commented, "The LP is not fixed by Zomato. Restaurants are the exception. They also charge higher prices because Zomato takes a 25% commission "on them."

"Since Zomato was listed, the prices of things have increased because the identical items now cost 30-40% more, and we let it go to save time. So, if you value your time, the expense of travelling to a restaurant for pick up (gas prices have risen significantly), and the hassles less than the extra cost you are incurring, it makes sense not to utilise these applications "a user commented.