'I don’t want tomatoes but I cannot remove it': Bengaluru man criticizes Swiggy Instamart's 'Dark Pattern', says 500g tomatoes added without consent

A Bengaluru resident has accused Swiggy Instamart of employing a "dark pattern" to trick customers into purchasing unnecessary items. The man claims that the online grocery delivery service sent him free tomatoes without his consent.

He also posted a screenshot showing that 500 grams of tomatoes were automatically added to his order. “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,” he wrote in the post.

A dark pattern is a tactic used by websites or apps to manipulate users into doing things they might not want to do. These patterns can make it hard for people to unsubscribe, avoid extra charges, or maintain their privacy. In this instance, the Instamart user said he couldn't remove the option for the free tomatoes from his order.

“Muting this because the idiots of Twitter have found this tweet. The problem isn’t that I’m getting tomatoes. The problem is that basic expectations of e-commerce aren’t being respected. I should have full control as a consumer of what I choose to receive, which isn’t happening,” he added.

The post quickly went viral, attracting many different reactions. 

“Customer must have the final say. Offer freebies, but the customer must decide yes or no. Swiggy is losing its way, and Zomato is becoming very dominant briskly. We need a brand that generates profits for businesses & serves us, the consumer better,” a user commented.

"I’m trying to understand this better - if it’s free, does it still considered as dark pattern? I do understand that you’re unable to remove it," another added.

Some users pointed out that other websites usually allow customers to remove free items from their carts, suggesting there might be a bug with this one. Others suggested he could donate the free tomatoes to those in need.