Zomato - Fined with incorrect cancellation fees and refused to respond and refund

Issue : Cancelled & Added Penalty Of The Same Amount Due to reachability issue
Truth : The rider never attempted delivery

Ordered a pizza. Checked my application after **-** minutes that the rider is out for delivery. I called him and he said “It is being prepared”. I said okay you come as soon as possible. After a while, I checked the order has been cancelled (with * missed calls in * mins) and the rider refused to deliver due to address issue. The rider finally picked up and said your address is incorrect and wouldn’t be able to deliver the order. He said is not eligible to deliver in that location (Kalkaji) and the default Zomato location picked up Malviya Nagar Shivalik Road (no house address). I specifically mentioned Kalkaji in the order and Zomato still picked up Malviya nagar I don’t know how. I tried changing it twice. Even if it picked Malviya nagar, the address was mentioned Kalkaji in the order I placed. So the Zomato Team and Rider gave me the following reasons for order cancellation in ** mins of the time. I did not know what to believe?

- You did not pick up the call and hence we cancelled the order
- The address is incorrect and the rider will not able to deliver (malviya nagar default and Kalkaji in the order)
- The rider reached the pickup location and tried to reach you
- When I called him he said its being prepared. He asked if I ordered soup (in-fact I ordered pizza) - (clearly, he was lying)

My questions for each one of the reason :

- You did not pick up the call and hence we cancelled the order - I could not pick up the phone for * mins..How can Zomato anticipate an order for not picking up the phone call? No one rang the bell or (* of my friends and the landlord at the top floor were present) and no delivery boy ever reached at the location. I can fetch the CCTV footage and show it to Zomato if needed.

- The address is incorrect and the rider will not able to deliver (malviya nagar default and Kalkaji in the order) - If this was the reason why I was not told the same? Why the Zomato team is giving me multiple reasons for a single miss? I clearly mentioned Kalkaji in the order and Zomato picked up Malviya Nagar automatically. This away, my orders would always turn to incorrect locations

- The address is incorrect and the rider was not able to deliver (malviya nagar default and Kalkaji in the order) - If the location was out of the rider’s scope i.e Malviya nagar and not Kalkaji. Who was delivering the order and who reached at Kalkaji as mentioned?

- The rider reached the pickup location and tried to reach you - Even if I did not pick up and called right away within ** mins. Why no one attempted to ring the bell? Clearly no one was there

- When I called him he said its being prepared. He asked if I ordered soup (infact I ordered pizza) - If I was not picking up the call or my address was incorrect then how come a Pizza was converted to a Soup?

Proof : Chats attached

Have been using Zomato since it was launched and there is no other food delivering app in my phone as I find Zomato very convenient, smooth and full of offers and services. Amazed to see this kind of behaviour and service offered restaurants and Zomato Helpdesk. Is this a new way of earning money? Or the Helpdesk finds everything convenient by redirecting the customer towards ‘order@zomato.com’?

I have already reached out to restaurant and Zomato Helpdesk. Now, I am writing this e-mail for requesting help to Zomato team as recommended. If my problem is not solved, there are only two options left - Ask Zomato for help on social media platforms or filing a complaint in Consumer court. Moreover, encouraging people for not using Zomato if this is what offerings are. Clearly this is not about Rs *** penalty and Rs *** of Zomato credits but fraudulent, unfair and unprincipled behaviour and intent towards a consumer. Honestly, I am highly disappointed.

I raised this concern with Zomato over countless emails and chat support. They reached out to me stating policies which do not apply in this case. After that they stopped responding to my emails. It's not about *** bucks but the experience of theft and cheat . They follow incorrect principles. I would like to get my refund back.