A complaint against free food has gone viral on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and intrigued users online. A Swiggy Instamart user took to X to complain about the addition of free tomatoes to his cart. The user called it "basket sneaking" and a "dark pattern," saying that customers should have the option to choose whether they want a free item or not. The customer added that he should have "full control" over his shopping cart, which did not happen in this case.
The customer wrote, "Very bad design in Swiggy Instamart, where an item is automatically added to my cart. I don't want tomatoes but I cannot remove it from my cart. Even if I am not paying for it, this is basket sneaking which is a dark pattern."
Also Read:Swiggy Launches New 'Bolt' Service To Deliver Quick-To-Prepare Meals In Just 10 Minutes
He added, "The problem isn't that I'm getting tomatoes. The problem is that basic expectations of e-commerce aren't being respected. I should have full control as a consumer of what I choose to receive, which isn't happening."
The post received a variety of reactions, take a look:
"Customer must have the final say. Offer freebies but customer must decide yes or no," an X user said. Another wondered, "I'm trying to understand this better - if it's free, is it still considered a dark pattern? I do understand that you're unable to remove it."
Some users suggested it could be a glitch. "Generally I am able to remove the free items. I don't know if it's a bug or intended," one wrote. A user joked, "Send it to Chennai, please. Tomato is already nearing Rs 100/kg."
Also Read:Ahead Of Festive Season, Swiggy Instamart Launches 24x7 Free Delivery In Delhi-NCR
A user suggested, "This means the nearest store is having too much stock of tomatoes and want to just dump them off. Give it to your watchman or someone bro." Talking about another online grocery app, a user said, "In Zepto, they add the free stuff to the cart but they have a "Remove" button in case you don't want it."
What do you think of the free offering by delivery apps? Share your views in the comments section.