JD.com vs Meituan: accusations of monopolistic practices arise in food delivery rivalry
In a public letter, JD.com accused a ‘rival platform’ of preventing delivery riders from using multiple platforms, for which Meituan was fined in 2021
The accusation came two days after Meituan said it did not not restrict delivery personnel’s access or force them to quit the platform. Screenshots of online group chats circulated online allegedly show people warning part-time riders also working for JD that they would have their Meituan accounts terminated. Meituan said the accusations were false.
JD.com, which has been aggressively expanding in a market long dominated by Meituan, did not explicitly name its rival in its complaint, but it left little doubt about whom it referred to. “Some rival forced riders to choose between two platforms,” JD said in a letter, claiming that some workers would see their income fall by as much as 25 per cent.
“Although a certain company explicitly says it won’t do it, everyone knows it must secretly do it!” JD exclaimed in the letter.
Meituan responded Monday night with its own claim that JD prohibits its full-time delivery riders from taking external orders and imposing high penalties for missing delivery times. JD has not responded to the accusation.
