PhonePe is charging extra on electricity bill payments and pre-ticking a daily gold purchase. Watch out.
Paying my MSEDCL electricity bill on PhonePe today, I noticed two things that look like dark patterns.
Pre-ticked "Save in 24K gold daily ₹30/day"
On the bill screen, the gold savings option was already checked, with fine print saying a gold account will be created. If you tap "Proceed to Pay" without looking carefully, you could be opted into a recurring daily investment.
The CCPA's Dark Patterns Guidelines, 2023 cover pre-selected options and hidden charges, and these count as unfair trade practices under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
I've blurred my personal details in the screenshots and am filing complaints with:
- PhonePe's grievance and nodal officer
- National Consumer Helpline (1915)
- CCPA (com-ccpa@gov.in)
- RBI Ombudsman, if needed
What you can do:
- Share and make people aware elder ones
- Always check the final amount against your actual bill.
- Untick the gold option before paying.
- Tap "Show breakup" to see what you're being charged.
- Report it on the Jagriti app or consumerhelpline.gov.in. More complaints make action more likely.
Has anyone else seen this? Did you get a refund after complaining?