[TusharK]

The government has taken cognizance of a recent TOI report, which brought to light the price disparity between cab fares charged by ride-hailing platforms on Android and iOS devices. Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has ordered an investigation into the matter.



The minister has directed the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to conduct the investigation, which will cover food delivery and online ticket booking apps as well.

In his post on X, the minister said, “This prima facie looks like unfair trade practice where the cab aggregators are alleged to be using differential pricing based on the factors mentioned in the article. If so, this is a blatant disregard to the consumer’s right to know.”

The minister added, “I have directed @jagograhakjago through CCPA to conduct a detailed inquiry into this and submit a report at the earliest. Have asked the department to look into other sectors as well, like food delivery apps, online ticket booking apps etc.”

Source: TOI

Link to Team-BHP News

[silverado]

There are lot of unfair trade practices which get swept under carpet in the name of convenience.

I remember ordering a helmet for my kid in particular colour. But instead we got a colour which we didnt like. Their response was to cancel this purchase and they would give us a refund.

Why would you accept the order if that particular colour was not available?
This will only happen in India as our consumer laws are lax.

In general if you see, due to intense competition people have to resort to such practices everywhere in order to compete/survive. This is the harsh reality and most of them are getting away with it.

[callvvijay]

On the same note of the cab aggregators, there is a per-km rate for the autorickshaws. And, of course, the autowallahs do not regard that - which we all know.

The point here is, these cab aggregators have normalized / legalized the process of charging exorbitant amount - that too with a bill.

Now, who will bell this cat?

Cheers!

[neeraj0272]

Maybe Apple and Google charge differently for the usage of Apps on their respective platforms? Anyway I think these are commercial decisions of business entities and may be government should focus their energies on other more important matters like rationalize and simplify tax structure.

[purohitanuj]

OT:
Central Consumer Protection Authority is a joke in India. Look what MSIL did with initial Jimny owners. Many like us wrote official complaints wot CCPA and they said in response that what MSIL did was legal.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by neeraj0272

Maybe Apple and Google charge differently for the usage of Apps on their respective platforms? Anyway I think these are commercial decisions of business entities and may be government should focus their energies on other more important matters like rationalize and simplify tax structure.

At least the service providers must be transparent about it in that case. But even that would ethically fall in a problematic spot. I have heard of similar discrepancies when it comes to ordering restaurant food from Android vs IOS devices.

[Renaissance Man]

It is a play on supply and demand. Most firms assume that iPhone users are willing to pay extra and will not be looking for the best deals rather they are looking for convenience.

Do w have link to the actual study? Would be interested to know which android devices were used as the cheapest iPhone is 50k while you can get android for 6k.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Renaissance Man

It is a play on supply and demand. Most firms assume that iPhone users are willing to pay extra and will not be looking for the best deals rather they are looking for convenience.

True. I wonder how many iPhone users actually complained to this strategy

Interestingly, we had a discussion in office about this news article - and most iPhone users were rather proud to have this differential pricing.

The general consensus was that an Android could mean anything from cheap Poco phones or Chinese phones to "Ultra" expensive Samsung phones and everything in between, so the Android users need cheaper pricing - whereas iOS users were all Apple owners who paid a premium and would like to pay a premium if that means a better service across platforms.

May be the driver should get an option to know if an Apple user is calling for the cab.

[RM Motorsports]

Its not only for cab pricing. X user found pricing for the same product to be different on Flipkart IOS app compared to Flipkart Android App. Pricing was higher in IOS compared to Android.

Apple is for "RICH" people, hence brands think minting little more from IOS users wont do any harm.

[DicKy]

Feels like the old days when the street vendors/small shops would give different rates depending on whether you came on foot, or motorcycle or a car.

[L8ButV8]

This happens all over. Most tech companies use far more sophisticated signals (dozens/hundreds) to decipher "willingness to pay" (WTP) & adjust pricing accordingly. I worked for one of these companies, and our AI-driven WTP models allowed us to selectively upsell/increase prices, to maximize revenue while preserving our customer base.

This happens in less sophisticated ways outside the tech industry too. A packet of chips will cost you different amounts at different places (airport, concert venue, local store, delivery apps etc). A painter/plumber will decide charges based on where you live and who you are etc. However, sophisticated AI models are much more powerful at taking advantage of the customer.

[kadanaJ]

Originally Posted by RM Motorsports

Its not only for cab pricing. X user found pricing for the same product to be different on Flipkart IOS app compared to Flipkart Android App. Pricing was higher in IOS compared to Android.

Apple is for "RICH" people, hence brands think minting little more from IOS users wont do any harm.

It seems my S24 Ultra makes me an extremely rich individual according to Flipkart.



Would appreciate if more members could share the price of this Mokobara suitcase and which smartphone they used to check it out.

[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by L8ButV8

This happens all over. Most tech companies use far more sophisticated signals (dozens/hundreds) to decipher "willingness to pay" (WTP) & adjust pricing accordingly. I worked for one of these companies, and our AI-driven WTP models allowed us to selectively upsell/increase prices, to maximize revenue while preserving our customer base.

Thanks. that's quite insightful. Before reading about this about Cab fares, wife ( iPhone user) and I (Android) had already noticed this on Booking.com and on Skyscanner.
Guess it's an industry-wide practice for online shopping.

[reliable.freak]

Originally Posted by kadanaJ

It seems my S24 Ultra makes me an extremely rich individual according to Flipkart.

Attachment 2704141

Would appreciate if more members could share the price of this Mokobara suitcase and which smartphone they used to check it out.

Same price on Pixel 8

[shravansp24]

Originally Posted by kadanaJ

Would appreciate if more members could share the price of this Mokobara suitcase and which smartphone they used to check it out.

It’s same 6499 or 6281+218 supercoins in my iPhone 16



One thing to note is that flipkart updates the prices of the products almost everyday and promotions vary across individuals.

I’m a very active user of flipkart and I’ve seen products cheaper in my iPhone and costlier in my colleagues android. It was because there was an exlusive 15% discount applied in my account. Also, price varies across sellers too.

Unless the tweeter shows the screenshot from both of the devices from the same account, on the same date and by same seller, there may be a difference in price!