Bengaluru Man Criticises Swiggy Instamart For Sending Free Tomatoes, Labels It 'Dark Pattern'

A Bengaluru-based product designer, Chandra Ramanujan, recently took to social media to call out Swiggy Instamart for automatically adding free tomatoes to his order without giving him an option to remove the item. Ramanujan shared his frustration on X (formerly Twitter), pointing out that while the tomatoes were free, he was unable to opt-out of receiving them, a design move he referred to as a "dark pattern."In his post, Ramanujan included a screenshot showing 500 grams of tomatoes added to his cart for free, expressing disappointment with the user experience. “I don’t want tomatoes but I cannot remove it from my cart,” he wrote. He compared this practice to "basket sneaking," a type of dark pattern where users are made to accept items or services they didn’t ask for.Dark patterns, as Ramanujan explained, are manipulative design tactics used by websites or apps to trick users into actions they may not intend, such as buying unnecessary items, signing up for services, or sharing personal data. These patterns often make it difficult for users to cancel subscriptions, opt-out of extras, or control their experience.Though Ramanujan acknowledged he wasn’t being charged for the tomatoes, he argued that the practice violated basic e-commerce principles, stating users should always have full control over what they choose to receive.

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. pic.twitter.com/9mRpqqexWL

— Bengaluru man (@NCResq) October 12, 2024

His post has sparked a lively discussion on social media, with over 68,000 views. While some users questioned whether a free item could still qualify as a dark pattern, others supported Ramanujan's stance, emphasising the importance of consumer choice. One user commented, “Customer must have the final say. Offer freebies, but let the customer decide yes or no."Another user noted that Zepto, a rival quick-commerce platform, allows customers to remove free add-ons from their orders, contrasting Swiggy's approach. Others speculated that Swiggy Instamart might be trying to offload excess tomatoes. Ramanujan, however, remained firm in his view, explaining, “The problem isn’t that I’m getting tomatoes. The problem is that basic expectations of e-commerce aren’t being respected.”Following the debate, Ramanujan eventually muted his post to stop further discussions, leaving the internet divided over Swiggy's practice. Swiggy is yet to respond to the criticism.