Aavin agents struggle to place orders as new app crashes

Coimbatore: Milk agents under Coimbatore District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union on Tuesday said they were unable to place orders and make payments on the new Aavin mobile application, which suffers sudden outages, disrupting supply in several areas.According to S Lingam, district secretary, Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peravai, the union has more than 600 milk agents. He said a new Aavin app was introduced in March without prior notice and agents were mandated to use the same for all services, including renewal of milk cards, registering daily milk requirements and making payments.Agents said the app would stop functioning abruptly, preventing them from placing orders for the next day and completing payments within the stipulated deadline. Some agents said while money would at times be debited from their bank accounts, orders wouldn't be confirmed on the system. Following the disruption, agents posted a series of complaints on Aavin's official WhatsApp group.Aavin management later extended the ordering window beyond 7pm to enable agents to place orders, agents said.Despite the extension, agents claimed that more than 30 outlets could not distribute milk on Tuesday, affecting supply of more than 5,000 litres of milk. They said the app requires orders and payments to be completed by 6pm daily, failing which supply is stopped the next day.Agents also raised pending payment issues, alleging that commission dues have not been credited timely. Agents said the app supports only a particular payment method and failed transactions could take up to five days for refunds.