The Central Consumer Protection Authority held that Rapido's pre-ride tipping prompts amounted to misleading advertising and a dark pattern. It found a ₹10 lakh penalty appropriate and directed the company to stop interface designs that suggest paying a tip improves the chance of getting a ride confirmed.
Apps cannot pressure you with tricks such as fake urgency, hidden charges or 'pay more to get served first' prompts. Report such practices to the National Consumer Helpline (1915) or at consumerhelpline.gov.in.
The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 created the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to act against unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements that harm consumers as a class. Under Section 21, the CCPA can order a business to stop or modify a misleading advertisement and can impose a penalty of up to ₹10 lakh for a first contravention, and more for repeat violations. In 2023 the government notified Guidelines for the Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, which list tricks such as false urgency, basket sneaking, drip pricing, nagging and interface interference.
In practice, the CCPA acts on complaints and on its own information, issues notices, hears the company and passes orders that apply across the platform. An individual consumer who suffered a loss can separately file a complaint before the District, State or National Consumer Commission, depending on the value of goods or services paid. Complaints can be filed online through the e-Jagriti portal.
A dark pattern is a design trick in an app or website that pushes users into doing something they did not intend, such as paying extra, buying an add-on or sharing data. The 2023 Dark Patterns Guidelines list specific types, including false urgency, drip pricing, basket sneaking and disguised advertisements, and treat them as unfair trade practices or misleading advertising.
The CCPA mainly protects consumers as a group by stopping unfair practices and imposing penalties. For an individual refund or compensation, you would usually file a complaint before the Consumer Commission with jurisdiction over your claim. The CCPA's order can still be useful evidence that the practice was found unfair.
No. A voluntary tip given after the service is entirely lawful. The concern is when an app presents a tip as a way to get faster or more certain service, or makes it hard to decline. That kind of pressure can amount to misleading advertising or a dark pattern under consumer law.
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