Online orders with hidden fees: What to do when the online price isn’t the price you pay

You order food online because it’s supposed to be simple and predictable. You see the price on the app or website, place your order, and expect to pay exactly that amount. But when the final bill appears, the amount is suddenly higher. A “handling fee” or “packing charge” appears, sometimes there’s even a delivery fee that wasn’t mentioned when you placed the order.

If this has happened to you, you might have brushed it off as a minor irritation. After all, it may only be a small amount. But consumer courts across India are increasingly agreeing that hidden charges can be unfair and illegal, and the consumers who challenge them are winning their cases.

So if you have ever paid more than the price shown online, remember that the law may be on your side.

When the price you see isn’t the price you pay

Online ordering relies heavily on price transparency. You browse a menu or website, compare your options and decide what to buy based on the price displayed. The price displayed influences whether you order from one restaurant or another or whether you go ahead with the purchase at all.

Consumer law understands this and expects businesses to present prices honestly and clearly before you commit to a purchase. When a company displays one price and then adds extra fees that were not disclosed earlier, it can be considered a misleading pricing practice, as the price shown online should not create a false impression about what you will ultimately pay.

A Domino’s outlet learned this the hard way

A recent example involved a Domino’s outlet that charged customers additional fees that were not reflected in the online price displayed during ordering. Customers who noticed the discrepancy challenged the pricing through the consumer forum.

The court held that charging more than the price shown online without properly disclosing those additional costs was unfair to consumers. The outlet was penalised and directed to compensate the complainant. Cases like this highlight that even small discrepancies matter when they mislead consumers.

Why hidden charges are taken seriously

You might wonder why consumer courts treat these cases seriously when the additional amount involved is often relatively small. The reason lies in the broader impact of misleading pricing. When businesses hide charges, the advertised price no longer reflects the true cost of the product or service. Consumers may choose one option over another based on incomplete information. This undermines fair competition and prevents buyers from making informed decisions. In effect, the customer is persuaded to place the order by a price that turns out not to be the real price.

When extra charges are acceptable

Not every additional fee is automatically illegal. Companies are allowed to charge for things like delivery, packaging, or service. What is important is how and when those charges are disclosed.

If the charges are clearly shown before you confirm your order, for example, during the checkout process, then they are generally considered acceptable. Transparency allows you to decide whether you still want to proceed with the purchase. The problem is when the extra charges appear only after the order has been placed, or when they were never clearly displayed during the ordering process.

Signs that a charge may not be fair

There are a few warning signs that the additional amount may not be legitimate, such as when the final bill is higher than the price displayed on the website or app when you placed the order or when the invoice includes fees that were never mentioned during checkout. You might only discover the extra charges when the delivery arrives, or when the payment is processed. If the business cannot clearly show that the charge was disclosed earlier, the practice may be questionable under consumer protection rules.

What you can do if it happens

Often people ignore hidden charges because the amount involved seems too small to pursue, but it’s important to remember that consumer protections exist precisely for these situations.

The first step is to record your evidence, take screenshots of the price displayed on the app or website, the checkout page and the final bill or invoice. This can help demonstrate that the amount charged was higher than what was shown.

Next, you can raise the issue with the company’s customer support team. In some cases, businesses refund the amount once the discrepancy is pointed out. But, if the matter is not resolved, you can file a complaint through the National Consumer Helpline, the e-Daakhil portal, or your local consumer commission.

Why complaints matter

Online ordering should not involve surprises when the bill arrives. If you see a price online and place an order, it is reasonable to expect that the final bill will match the price you were shown. When businesses quietly add fees that were not disclosed earlier, then the  practice may break consumer protection rules.

So the next time your order costs more than expected, remember that you are not powerless. You can question the charge, raise the issue, and if necessary pursue a consumer complaint.

If you have any thoughts on this topic, or any other consumer issues you would like us to cover, feel free to get in touch with us at support@resolver.co.uk

Join our Newsletter!