If you’ve ordered something on Zepto lately and used “Cash or UPI on Delivery” without checking the fine print, there’s a high chance you just got charged ₹15 + GST extra — without being told clearly.
What’s going on
Zepto is quietly setting “Cash or UPI on Delivery” as the default payment method, even if you usually pay online. That sounds okay… until you realise that this mode automatically triggers a ₹15 “cash handling fee.”
And the worst part?
This fee doesn’t appear clearly on the order preview. No alert. No final confirmation screen showing the full breakup. Just one tap — and boom, ₹15 gone.
Even if you pay via UPI when the rider arrives, the backend still treats it as a COD order and the ₹15 stays.
Why this feels unethical
This isn’t about ₹15. It’s about how sneakily it’s being charged:
- Payment method changes without your consent
- Extra fee not shown transparently
- UPI on delivery still treated as cash?
It’s a classic example of a dark pattern — silently changing defaults to benefit the platform, not the user.
What users are saying
Multiple users online are calling it a “scam.” Some found out only after checking the invoice post-delivery, others noticed it while cross-verifying two orders.
People are asking:
Why isn’t the fee clearly visible upfront?
Why is the platform not asking for payment confirmation again?
What’s allowed vs. what’s ethical
Sure, platforms can charge a cash handling fee. But hiding it behind UX tricks? That’s a whole different story.
Consumer rules say all charges should be clearly shown before payment. And silently changing payment defaults? That’s exactly the kind of behaviour India’s new e-commerce dark pattern guidelines are trying to fix.
Zepto hasn’t responded yet
As of now, there’s no official word from Zepto. No fix. No transparency update. Nothing.
And until they address it, customers are being advised to:
- Always check your payment method before confirming
- Choose Prepaid UPI manually if you want to avoid the fee
- Recheck the invoice to see what you were charged.
Apart from this, Zepto seen using various dark patterns; the most popular is its “Free Cash Scam”.
