New Delhi, Oct. 4 -- Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Prahlad Joshi on Friday said that the Department of Consumer Affairs is probing into complaints made by several customers against e-commerce platforms for imposing arbitrary fees on orders.

Calling the practice a "dark pattern" that "exploits customers", Joshi in a post on X said that strict action will be taken against them.

"The Department of Consumer Affairs has received complaints against e-commerce platforms charging extra for Cash-on-Delivery, a practice classified as a dark pattern that misleads and exploits consumers." he said.

This comes after hundreds of customers have taken to the social media complaining against e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart for adding ...