Ola Electric Asserts that 99% of Consumer Complaints are Resolved

Nitin Konde, Varun Bhardwaj

Oct 23, 2024 — 2 min read

Ola Electric Claims Resolution of Customer Complaints

According to Ola Electric, out of the 10,644 customer complaints it has received thus far, 99.91% have been handled and resolved successfully. In a regulatory filing on September 21, 2024, the manufacturer of electric two-wheelers notified the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) of the latest developments on long-pending customers' issues. The CCPA issued a show-cause notice to the Bengaluru-based company earlier this month in response to subpar conditions at its service centres throughout the nation.

The Department of Consumer Affairs' National Consumer Helpline reports that between September 1, 2023, and August 30, 2024, 10,644 complaints were filed against Ola e-scooters. Of these, 1,899 deal with new vehicle delivery delays, 3,389 with servicing delays, and 1,459 with unmet promises of services.

The Claims Made by Ola in its Filing

Ola Electric said in a regulatory filing that it would like to make it clear that it has a strong system in place to handle concerns about its electric two-wheeler. In reality, the company would like to highlight that, thanks to Ola Electric's strong redressal system, 99.1% of the 10,644 complaints it received from the CCPA were resolved to the full satisfaction of the consumer.

A notice from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) was also addressed by the company, which is run by Bhavish Aggarwal. Prior to the company's BOSS sale, the notification raised concerns about the price plan of its S1 X 2 kWh scooters. Ola Electric gave clients an invoice dated October 6 that showed a INR 5,000 discount and stated that it had not changed the prices during the sale. Additionally, it provided a screenshot taken from its app, verifying that the scooter's cost had not altered.

What Exactly Happened Earlier?

With as many as 80,000 customer complaints each month going viral on social media and stories of Ola Electric vehicles collecting dust at repair locations, this calculated approach is a response to growing customer unhappiness. Both lawmakers and consumer watchdogs were drawn to the outcry.

Ola Electric was recently served with a show-cause notice by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), which included possible abuses of consumer rights, deceptive advertising, and unfair business practices. More than 10,000 outstanding after-sales service concerns were highlighted in the notification.

Ola Electric has made plans to grow its network of service centres in response to these problems, with the goal of increasing the number from 400 to 1,000 by the end of the year. Industry experts caution that expanding the number of centres alone might not address the main problem. An analyst said, "Instead of growing, the company should concentrate on enhancing the quality of current service stations."