Man sends nearly-expired 7 kg atta to Zepto founders: ‘They should understand what a common man faces’

Despite receiving refund offers from Zepto, Yadav declined, stating that it was no longer about the refund but rather about the harassment, time and energy wasted. 

21st May 2024

By Sukhmani Kooner 

A resident of Delhi was taken aback when he received a package of wheat flour from a rapid commerce company. Upon inspecting the product label, he was surprised to discover that the expiration date was merely eight days away. He decided to share his experience on social media, tagging Zepto in hopes of resolving the issue.

“Zepto, I ordered 10kg of wheat from Zepto. The expiry date is after eight days. 8 din mai 10kg kaise khatam hoga [How will I finish 10 kg wheat in just 8 days?] Zepto Idhar ajao, mil kar khatam karte hai [Come here, Zepto, let’s finish it together],” wrote Gajender Yadav, while attaching a photo of the nearly expired product he received on 17th May.

Following the post’s popularity, Zepto responded, requesting the individual to provide their order specifics. They expressed regret over the unfortunate incident and assured that their team would reach out to him promptly.

Unfortunately, the situation took a turn for the worse when Yadav received a call from customer service. The representative informed him that there were no available solutions and advised him to consume the packet of wheat within seven days.

Yadav expressed incredulity at the idea of a family of three or four consuming 10 kg of flour within a week, suggesting it seemed implausible for them to consume such a large quantity within that time frame.

Yadav responded to Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra on X, suggesting that their customer service team should incorporate training sessions on common sense and logic. Yadav emphasised the importance of displaying expiry dates on their app, particularly if they are selling products close to expiration. He argued that there’s no benefit in selling products nearing expiration at full price, as such items are typically discounted on other platforms. He expressed dissatisfaction with purchasing flour at the full price only to receive a nearly expired product.

In a follow-up post, Yadav tagged the founders once more, this time requesting the address of their office. He explained the intention to send 7 kg of atta, as they didn’t “want to waste it.”

Yadav later updated his followers, informing them that he had obtained the address and would be sending 3 kg of flour to each founder of the company. Speaking to HT.com, he explained that he had sent the parcel containing nearly expired flour to the Zepto founders, with the intention of enlightening them about the challenges faced by ordinary people.

Despite receiving refund offers from Zepto, Yadav declined, stating that it was no longer about the refund but rather about the harassment, time and energy wasted. He emphasised that since the incident, he has been diligently checking the expiration date of every product he purchases.