Mumbai bakery calls out woman's AI-generated image after she seeks refund for cake ordered through Zomato

A dessert chain in Mumbai publicly raised concerns over what it described as an attempt to obtain a refund through an AI-generated photograph. The incident was disclosed by Dessert Therapy on Instagram, where the brand shared screenshots relating to a customer’s complaint and set out why it believed the image submitted as proof was fabricated.

In its post, the chain stated that it often dealt with questionable complaints on food-delivery platforms. The message read, “As a brand, we encounter multiple false customer claims and complaints on Swiggy & Zomato! No doctored claims surprise or shock us anymore. The lengths to which customers go is, at times, frustrating, and even ridiculously funny.” The business then referred to this particular case as “an abomination.”

A slide in the carousel also named the customer and outlined the order involved. The company wrote, “Aditi Singh has used an AI-generated rendition of our cake to report a complaint on Zomato.” The order concerned a one-kilogram Almond Praline Strawberries Dark Chocolate Cake, listed at Rs 2,500. The screenshot showed the customer’s message: “The cake had chocolate spillage all over as if the cake was fallen from one side.” Dessert Therapy added that the customer had “shamelessly asked” for a refund of Rs 1,820.

The brand also set out the signs that made it question the authenticity of the image. One slide said, “ChatGPT couldn’t get the strawberries, the birthday tag and the consistency of the cream right.” A close look at the picture revealed that the tag read “Appy Birthda”, the strawberries appeared artificial, and the surface of the cream looked unusually uniform.

The company then reflected on how food businesses were frequently criticised in public spaces, while customers rarely faced scrutiny. It wrote, “As a hospitality brand, we get called out for the smallest of errors – many a times situations even construed as errors! And we’re taken to the cleaners on public platforms! But there’s no platform to call out customers!”