Delhi, Nov 14: With lack of customer services and care of Ola Electric, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has ordered a detailed probe into the action taken on the piles of customer grievances, left unresolved.
The national customer forum asked the Ola Electric authorities to report the number of grievances registered asking how they were dealt with by the customer care mechanism of the company.
On the basis of alleged “deficiencies” in the company’s services and products, specifically regarding its EV scooters, registered by a score of customers expressing sheer dissatisfaction on their purchase.
CPCA’s action follows Ola’s shabby response to earlier regulatory notices on unresolved customer grievances.
Consumer affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said, the national consumers’ interest protection agency directed the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to verify the company’s claims regarding its resolution of customer grievances.
The BIS director general, serving as ex-officio Director General of Investigation, has been instructed to submit a report within 15 days, with the inquiry formally initiated on 6 November.
The investigation was triggered by a surge of complaints—10,644 in total—filed against Ola Electric with the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) from September 2023 to August 2024.
Responding to it, the Ola Electric, in a report dated 21 October, claimed that 99.1% of customers reported satisfaction with its complaint resolution process. The CCPA had then reached out to a sample of consumers to seek their feedback on grievance redressal.
“Of 287 consumers, the NCH call agents called, 130 consumers were connected, and of which (79.2%) 103 expressed their discontent with the company’s response,” said an official, requesting anonymity
On the other hand in a regulatory filing, Ola Electric maintained that it had resolved almost all complaints lodged with the CCPA.
The company had immediately responded to a show-cause notice issued by the CCPA on 7 October and also refuted alleged consumer rights violations, misleading advertising, and unfair trade practices, raised against it, the compliance read.