Around 83 per cent of consumers disapprovingly pay convenience fees online platforms for booking tickets or any other service, online survey firm LocalCircles said on Tuesday.

According to the survey, 84 per cent of respondents want the government and its public sector units (PSUs) like IRCTC to stop charging convenience fees or service charges and promote Digital India.

LocalCircles claims to have received over 32,000 responses from consumers in 319 districts of India in response to the survey conducted between June 16 and October 19, while the number of feedback to each question varied.

“On an aggregate basis, 79 per cent of consumers surveyed claim they are being charged convenience fees for services they have booked online,” the survey said.

According to the report on convenience fees, when services like tickets are procured digitally, the supplier or seller is able to lower the cost of manpower and facilities and instead spend more on the deployment of user interfaces and backend servers.

“However, despite the net cost savings, most platforms, whether selling movie or sports tickets, railway tickets or airline seats are levying this convenience, internet handling or service fee, which is beyond comprehension for most consumers,” the report said.

According to the survey, some consumers also cited the example of UPI payments where no charges are being levied.

Consumers want similar practices to be adopted by other central government bodies, PSUs and state government units.

The survey found that 10 per cent of consumers “happily pay” convenience fees as they don’t have to stand in a queue, 5 per cent prefer to stand in a queue, but 83 per cent “pay disapprovingly” and 2 per cent gave no clear response.

“The survey finds that 79 per cent of the consumers who buy services or tickets online are fed up with excessive convenience fees being levied by platforms. They feel that this excessive fee is coming in the way of Digital India. Consumers have reported this fee being as high as 20 per cent of the transaction value in some cases,” the report said.

First Published: Oct 24 2023 | 3:53 PM IST

First Published: Oct 24 2023 | 3:53 PM IST

First Published: Oct 24 2023 | 3:53 PM IST

London-based consumer technology start-up Nothing on October 23 announced festival season deals and offers on its products, including the recently accessories that it launched under CMF sub-brand. Among the deals is the Phone (2), which is offered at a discounted price starting at Rs 37,999, and Ear (2), which is offered at a discounted price of Rs 6,999 on Flipkart and Myntra. Below are the details:

Nothing Phone (2)

Offered in grey and white colours, the Nothing Phone (2) is offered at a discount on all configurations. The base model of the smartphone with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage is offered at Rs 37,999. The 12GB RAM + 256GB storage model at Rs 38,999, and Rs 39,999 for the 12GB RAM + 512GB storage model.

The Phone (2) sports a 6.7-inch OLED display with LTPO for adaptive refresh rate, which dynamically switches between 1Hz-120Hz. It also has a transparent glass back cover with Glyph interface under it with new customisations for the users to get essential information without the constant need to look at the screen.

Nothing Phone (2) sports a twin 50-megapixel camera system on the back and a 32MP camera sensor on the front. The smartphone is capable of recording videos in 4K resolution at 60fps on the main rear camera, and 1080P at 60fps from the front camera.

Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 system-on-chip, the phone has a 4,700 mAh battery.

Nothing Ear (2)

The Nothing Ear (2) earbuds are offered at a discounted price of Rs 6,999 on Flipkart, Myntra and select offline stores.

The Ear (2) features a custom 11.6mm audio driver in a new dual-chamber design. The wireless earbuds support dual-connection for simultaneous connectivity with two supported devices. Nothing ear (2) gets improved wind-proof and crowd-proof ‘Clear Voice Technology’ and personalised Active Noise Cancellation.

The earbuds get three microphones on each earbud and an AI noise reduction algorithm for enhanced experience during voice calls. According to Nothing, the Ear (2) can deliver up to 36 hours of music playback – together with the charging case and with ANC turned off. With fast charge, it can deliver up to 8 hours on a 10-minute charge.

CMF Buds Pro, Watch Pro and Power 65 GaN charger

The CMF Buds Pro and Watch Pro are available on both Flipkart and Myntra at Rs 2,999 and Rs 4,499 respectively. The CMF Power 65W GaN charger is only available on Flipkart at Rs 2,699.

The CMF Buds Pro supports hybrid active noise cancelation (ANC) – up to 45dB with a maximum range of 5000Hz. Nothing said the earbuds feature LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) + PU (Polyurethane) audio drivers, which are powered by its Ultra Bass Technology. The Buds Pro features a 6-mic setup with Nothing’s Clear Voice Technology.

The Watch Pro from CMF gets a 1.96-inch AMOLED display of up to 60Hz refresh rate and over 600 nits peak brightness. The watch boasts an accelerometer sensor and heart rate sensor, which doubles up to measure blood oxygen saturation (SpO2). Powered by a 340 mAh battery, the smartwatch weighs 47g. The watch is IP68 rated for water and dust resistance.

The CMF Power 65W GaN Charger weighs around 150g and it is offered in Dark Grey and Orange colour options, with the latter being exclusively available in India. The CMF Charger features two USB-C Ports and a USB-A port for power output. The charger supports a maximum of 65W power delivery through the USB-C ports, while the USB-A port supports a maximum of 36W.

London-based consumer technology start-up Nothing on October 23 announced festival season deals and offers on its products, including the recently accessories that it launched under CMF sub-brand. Among the deals is the Phone (2), which is offered at a discounted price starting at Rs 37,999, and Ear (2), which is offered at a discounted price of Rs 6,999 on Flipkart and Myntra. Below are the details:

Nothing Phone (2)

Offered in grey and white colours, the Nothing Phone (2) is offered at a discount on all configurations. The base model of the smartphone with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage is offered at Rs 37,999. The 12GB RAM + 256GB storage model at Rs 38,999, and Rs 39,999 for the 12GB RAM + 512GB storage model.

The Phone (2) sports a 6.7-inch OLED display with LTPO for adaptive refresh rate, which dynamically switches between 1Hz-120Hz. It also has a transparent glass back cover with Glyph interface under it with new customisations for the users to get essential information without the constant need to look at the screen.

Nothing Phone (2) sports a twin 50-megapixel camera system on the back and a 32MP camera sensor on the front. The smartphone is capable of recording videos in 4K resolution at 60fps on the main rear camera, and 1080P at 60fps from the front camera.

Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 system-on-chip, the phone has a 4,700 mAh battery.

Nothing Ear (2)

The Nothing Ear (2) earbuds are offered at a discounted price of Rs 6,999 on Flipkart, Myntra and select offline stores.

The Ear (2) features a custom 11.6mm audio driver in a new dual-chamber design. The wireless earbuds support dual-connection for simultaneous connectivity with two supported devices. Nothing ear (2) gets improved wind-proof and crowd-proof ‘Clear Voice Technology’ and personalised Active Noise Cancellation.

The earbuds get three microphones on each earbud and an AI noise reduction algorithm for enhanced experience during voice calls. According to Nothing, the Ear (2) can deliver up to 36 hours of music playback – together with the charging case and with ANC turned off. With fast charge, it can deliver up to 8 hours on a 10-minute charge.

CMF Buds Pro, Watch Pro and Power 65 GaN charger

The CMF Buds Pro and Watch Pro are available on both Flipkart and Myntra at Rs 2,999 and Rs 4,499 respectively. The CMF Power 65W GaN charger is only available on Flipkart at Rs 2,699.

The CMF Buds Pro supports hybrid active noise cancelation (ANC) – up to 45dB with a maximum range of 5000Hz. Nothing said the earbuds feature LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) + PU (Polyurethane) audio drivers, which are powered by its Ultra Bass Technology. The Buds Pro features a 6-mic setup with Nothing’s Clear Voice Technology.

The Watch Pro from CMF gets a 1.96-inch AMOLED display of up to 60Hz refresh rate and over 600 nits peak brightness. The watch boasts an accelerometer sensor and heart rate sensor, which doubles up to measure blood oxygen saturation (SpO2). Powered by a 340 mAh battery, the smartwatch weighs 47g. The watch is IP68 rated for water and dust resistance.

The CMF Power 65W GaN Charger weighs around 150g and it is offered in Dark Grey and Orange colour options, with the latter being exclusively available in India. The CMF Charger features two USB-C Ports and a USB-A port for power output. The charger supports a maximum of 65W power delivery through the USB-C ports, while the USB-A port supports a maximum of 36W.