Viral Chat Shows Zomato Customer Delivery Partner Argument Over Delay

Customer Service Failure Sparks Outrage Against Food Delivery Agent 

A customer who ordered food from Zomato suffered considerable trauma due to the presence of verbal abuse by the delivery agent on the food delivery. 

The customer captured the verbal barrage in a screengrab of the chat to provide virality for what came to be an important national discussion regarding the conditions of gig workers and the accountability of the platforms providing the worker’s services. 

Let's take a look at the burgeoning tensions arising in India's increasing quick commerce space, which is now coming under scrutiny around its methods and practices.

The Viral Transaction: When Hunger Meets Hostility

It all began when the customer, Gaurav, reached out via  message to the delivery workers agent because the delivery was delayed. Instead of a professional response, Pankaj, the delivery agent, responded with abusive language. He called Gaurav,  "Bhookha Nanga", who also said "starve" at the end of it for an order. 

He went on to say he was drinking, and that he would not fulfill the order. Screenshots of the conversation were posted online on Reddit, which went viral with 100s of comments in a few hours.

Response of Zomato and Prior Issues

Zomato has not issued a press release on this. However, we have seen the same type of issues from Zomato themselves, such as the antitrust allegations with multiple other online food delivery services Swiggy and Zepto for alleged predatory pricing practices in 2025. 

Their earlier "pure veg fleet" program was deemed a rude, discriminatory slap in the face to the culinary world- simply a perpetuation of the caste system. These instances illustrate a continual tension of building trust and functioning properly with Zomato's operational realities.

Implications for Gig Workers and Platforms

This episode shows further complexities in the gig economy. Delivery agents frequently work in a very high-stress environment and add incentives to earn for their quick delivery. Reportedly some agents earn just US$0.12-0.30 per order, incentivizing order tampering or being duplicitous. 

Along with rapid growth in the emerging  industry (estimated at $35 billion by 2030), the pressure on workers and the expectations of corporate accountability are heightened.

The Human Cost of Quick Commerce

This recent incident illustrates the frail relationship shared between consumers of quick commerce, gig workers and the platforms they serve. It also points to the larger operational and ethical implications of the gig economy today, specifically in quick commerce, where speed can supersede human decency.

The viral incident of abuse serves as a reminder of the fragile connection between consumers, gig workers and platforms. Zomato has faced some operational and ethical issues, and is a wake up call to tech at the cost of humanity. As quick commerce continues to grow, the novelty of services will increase consumer expectations. 

Any company supporting quick commerce will see these issues arise at a greater scale and will have to make a decision around prioritising customer experience or worker dignity so that they can in fact do both without losing the trust of customers and workers.