Coimbatore: Milk agents under the Coimbatore District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union reported on Tuesday that they are unable to place orders and make payments through the new Aavin mobile application, which experiences sudden outages, disrupting milk supply in several areas.
Agents Face App Outages and Payment Failures
According to S Lingam, district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peravai, the union has over 600 milk agents. He stated that a new Aavin app was introduced in March without prior notice, and agents are now mandated to use it for all services, including renewal of milk cards, registering daily milk requirements, and making payments.
Agents reported that the app stops functioning abruptly, preventing them from placing orders for the next day and completing payments within the stipulated deadline. Some agents noted that while money is sometimes debited from their bank accounts, the orders are not confirmed in the system. Following these disruptions, agents posted a series of complaints on Aavin's official WhatsApp group.
The Aavin management later extended the ordering window beyond 7 pm to enable agents to place orders, agents said. Despite this extension, agents claimed that more than 30 outlets could not distribute milk on Tuesday, affecting the supply of over 5,000 liters of milk. They explained that the app requires orders and payments to be completed by 6 pm daily; otherwise, supply is halted the next day.
Pending Payments and Refund Delays
Agents also raised issues regarding pending payments, alleging that commission dues have not been credited on time. They said the app supports only a particular payment method, and failed transactions can take up to five days for refunds.
