Anirudha Yerunkar
He is working as Chief Sub Editor with India.com and has experience in Digital Media and YouTube. He has covered Budget 2023, 2024, 2025 for reputed channels. Born and brought up in Mumbai, he is an e ... Read More
The ARAI, a testing agency operating under the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI), has requested further clarification from Ola Electric regarding its adherence to government initiatives, specifically the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) and PM E Drive schemes. This comes after Ola Electric submitted a response addressing questions about its service centers and customer warranties.
The investigation into Ola Electric was initiated by ARAI on behalf of the MHI to address customer complaints and evaluate the company’s compliance with its commitments under the PLI and the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) schemes. Additionally, ARAI is also looking into whether Ola has followed pricing regulations as mandated by these schemes, according to a report by CNBC TV18
Earlier Ola Electric had claimed that, it has resolved 99.1% of the 10,644 customer complaints filed with the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA). However, the company’s claims have been met with public skepticism.
Comedian Kunal Kamra in his ongoing verbal spat with Bhavish Agarwal, once again has taken a jibe over Ola Electric. Taking to X (formerly Twitter) to express doubt over Ola’s reported resolution rate. He tweeted, “99% consumer complaints solved means 99% bikes are moving? Hard to believe. If you’re part of the 1%, leave your story below.”
99% consumer complaints solved means 99% bikes are moving?
Hard to believe, if you’re part of the 1% leave your story below… https://t.co/FmrgdGOyxs— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) October 22, 2024
Kamra wasn’t finished there, as he continued to poke at the company, posting, “Breaking News – Youth Demands – Everyone who has successfully gotten an OLA EV serviced should be recruited under the Agni-Veer Scheme.”
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has instructed Ola, to implement a consumer-friendly mechanism allowing customers to choose their preferred refund method.
According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, consumers will now have the option to receive refunds either directly to their bank accounts or via coupons, a significant change from Ola’s previous policy.
The directive, aimed at enhancing consumer rights and service transparency, was issued by CCPA’s Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare.
The CCPA’s intervention came after observations that Ola’s “no-questions-asked” refund policy was solely offering coupon codes for future rides without providing a clear choice to consumers.
This practice was found to potentially infringe on consumer rights, as it could incentivize consumers to book additional rides rather than offering a direct monetary refund.
The authority emphasized that a fair refund policy should not unduly push consumers to utilize services again but should instead empower them with a choice.
(With inputs from ANI)
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