Consumer watchdog orders probe into Ola Electric amid rising complaints
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has launched a full-scale investigation into Ola Electric's services and products. The probe was launched after the company responded to regulatory notices over pending customer complaints. The CCPA has asked the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to verify Ola's claims regarding its complaint resolution process, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said.
BIS to submit report on Ola's complaint resolution process
The BIS Director General, who is also the ex-officio Director General of Investigation, has been directed to file a report within 15 days. The probe was initiated on November 6. This comes after a whopping number of complaints—10,644 in total—were lodged against Ola Electric with the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) between September 2023 and August 2024.
Ola's satisfaction claim contradicts consumer feedback
In its response dated October 21, Ola Electric had claimed that 99.1% of customers were satisfied with its complaint resolution process. However, this was contradicted by feedback from a sample of consumers contacted by NCH. "Of 287 consumers, the NCH call agents called, 130 consumers were connected and of which (79.2%) 103 were not satisfied with the company's response," an anonymous official told Mint. "If they are claiming 99% satisfaction, it should have also reflected in the cross-verification," official added.
Cases of closing complaints prematurely
The official further revealed that several customers complained of unresolved issues even after their grievances were supposedly resolved by Ola Electric. Some cases were closed prematurely without a satisfactory resolution.
