Union Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday sent out a strong message to e-commerce companies to stop misleading customers with hidden charges or face strict action.

Taking to his official handle on X, Joshi said adding unfair costs like extra fees for Cash-on-Delivery (COD) is nothing but a “dark pattern” that takes advantage of buyers and goes against fair trade practices. His remarks came after a social media post went viral, exposing how customers often end up paying more under labels such as “offer handling fee”, “payment handling fee” and “protect promise fee.”

Viral post sparks debate

The post, which drew widespread attention, compared these charges to the “rain fee” once introduced by food delivery apps. “Forget rain fee by Zomato/Swiggy/Zepto. See the masterstroke b

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