The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I, Chandigarh has held Swiggy Ltd. and its quick-commerce partner Instamart (Kwickbox Retail Pvt. Ltd.) guilty of deficiency in service for delivering an underweight grocery item and failing to resolve the consumer’s grievance. The complainant had placed an order for Nestlé Classic Milk Chocolate and 1 kg Nagpur Oranges on 30 December 2024 via the Swiggy app. Upon delivery, he found the orange pack torn and weighing only 824 grams, contrary to the promised 1 kilogram, and also received no physical bill. Despite raising the issue immediately through Swiggy’s chat support and customer care, no replacement or refund was provided.
Swiggy argued that it merely acted as an intermediary platform and could not be held responsible for quantity discrepancies. However, the Commission rejected this defence, holding that the invoice clearly reflected Swiggy as the seller and that e-commerce entities are bound by the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, including their obligation to process legitimate refund requests within a reasonable time. Instamart’s defence, meanwhile, had already been struck off for failure to file its written statement.
After examining the evidence including photographs showing the torn packaging and reduced weight, as well as grievance communications, the Commission concluded that delivering a quantity less than what was ordered, coupled with failure to rectify the issue, amounted to deficiency in service.
The Commission has directed Swiggy and Instamart to jointly and severally pay ₹2,000 to the complainant as compensation for mental agony, harassment and litigation costs. The amount is to be paid within 45 days, failing which it will carry 12% simple interest per annum from the date of default until realisation.
Appearances:
Raja Vikrant Sharma, Complainant in person.
Sh. Shvetanshu, Advocate for OP No.1.
None for OP No.2 (defence of OP No.2 struck off vide order dated 19.5.2025)
