Hyderabad, November 4: Ola Electric is ordered by a Consumer court to pay INR 1.63 lakh to a customer who faced a series of troubles related to his Ola S1 Pro electric scooter. The complainant, K. Sunil Chowdary, claimed that he was repetitively facing issues with his e-scooter since he bought it two years ago. Chowdary also said that he purchased an extended warranty and a one-year Ola Care Plan; however, the battery charger was non-functional from the very beginning.

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission of Ranga Reddy district handled the complaint filed by Hyderabad's advocate K. Sunil Chowdary and ordered Bhavish Aggarwal's Ola Electric to refund INR 1,63,986 to the consumer. Ola has been struggling with several consumer complaints over its poor services and safety concerns about EVs. Recently, videos of an Ola electric scooter went viral, showing that it burned in front of a showroom in Bengaluru. Ola Electric Shares Slip Below Issue Price of INR 76 for First Time in Listing History, Reaches All-Time Low at INR 74.84 During Trading Session.

K. Sunil Chowdary said he has been facing issues with his Ola S1 Pro since he bought it on June 26, 2022. He told Ola Electric that he was negligent in providing services related to the EV battery. Chowdary said he purchased Ola S1 Pro by paying INR 1.63 lakh in June 2022, along with an extended warranty of INR 6,299 and an Ola Care Plan worth INR 3,539. He said the battery charger of the EV was non-functional from the beginning, and it took 10 days for the company to replace it. 

K. Sunil Chowdary said that he repeatedly complained about the issue, but Ola Electric failed to address it. He finally picked up his vehicle in August for service. Due to the persistent issue with the battery, the complainant could not use the electric scooter. He said that Ola did not provide a timely solution to the issue even after several complaints. After not getting a needed response from the company, he sent a legal notice to the EV firm in October 2023. Ola Electric Adds 50,000 New Members During This Festive Season Amid Customer Complaints, Scrutiny Department of Consumer Affairs.

Ola Electric failed to answer the notice, forcing him to move to the Consumer Court and ask them to intervene. The company again failed to appear or submit a response during the hearings. The commission ruled that  Bhavish Aggarwal's company was liable to refund INR 1.63 lakh to K. Sunil Chowdary along with 12% interest from August 2023 and an additional INR 10,000 for distress, according to a report by The New Indian Express. 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 04, 2024 05:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).