Contxto – Customers have reportedly issued 750,639 complaints against Rappi during a seven-month period in 2018.
Responding to this, Colombia’s Industry and Commerce Superintendency (SIC) recently filed a statement of objections against the company for allegedly violating consumers’ rights.
Some of the accusations include misuse of consumer information, unauthorized charges, in addition to failure to validate sales and promotions. If proven guilty, the app could face up to COL$1.6 million worth of fines.
Numerous complaints against Rappi
Earlier this week, SIC issued an administrative order pressuring Rappi to comply with e-commerce regulations.
According to SIC, a total of 750,639 requests, complaints and claims against the delivery platform were filed between April and October 2018. On top of those, users also presented 117 complaints to the Delegation of Consumer Protection.
However, complaints against Rappi don’t stop there. Between June 2017 and July 2019, 1,150 consumers’ rights complaints were also submitted over the Superintendency’s platform, SICFacilita.
What has Rappi done wrong?
Some allegations claim that the app has misused customer information, failed to comply with promotions or offers, and even doubled charges for certain orders. Financial compensation in “Rappicreditos” has also been another issue.
If found guilty, the delivery giant will have to pay a fine of 2,000 minimum legal wages. This will account for a total of around COL$1.6 million.
Canceled orders, failure to deliver products or delivering the wrong ones are also reasons why Rappi’s clientele is unhappy. Other accusations are warranty breaches and unauthorized credit card charges.
This is not the first time Rappi has experienced a scandal. In July, deliverers protested against poor working conditions and lack of benefits. The following month, it had to suspend operations in Argentina due to safety infractions.
E-commerce regulations
After the Colombian authorities decided to release an administrative order to make Rappi comply with e-commerce regulations, SIC stated:
This decision is given after analyzing the nature of the business model of the company in question, where it was concluded that it serves as a supplier or retailer of goods and services through electronic means (electronic commerce platforms), exceeding the scope of the contact portals. So, they must now comply with the provisions of the Consumer Statute.
The Colombian Industry and Commerce Supintendency
In light of this, from now on Rappi must comply with e-commerce regulations as well as respect consumers’ rights. Based on this, not only does Rappi have to change its pricing but also its promotion policy.
Additionally, the Superintendency told Rappi, “You will have to report on your e-commerce platforms the total price of the products, including all taxes, costs and expenses without the possibility of subsequent modification at the time of accepting the purchase order given by the consumer.”
Rappi’s reply
Rappi released a statement after receiving SIC’s administrative order. According to this correspondence, the company is willing to comply with the authorities and will analyze the matter internally.
The company said on its official statement, “Rappi’s mission is to make users’ lives easier. For this reason, it works every day in a transparent way to offer better services through a team that always thinks about the clients’ needs first.”
Personally, I can say that I’ve also experienced unauthorized charges, double and even triple charges for the same order and failure to receive refunds.
While I may not be in Colombia, I definitely understand why customers are angry, though. Hopefully, Rappi will change its model to better provide services in its native country.
-CZ
