Ola has come under heavy scrutiny from its customers in recent months.
A viral video on social media shows a frustrated man hammering away at his Ola Electric scooter in the middle of a road after the showroom allegedly issued a Rs 90,000 bill to his name. The customer, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans can be seen thrashing the e-scooter, laid down in front of the Ola showroom as the passers-by record the incident. “The showroom made a bill of Rs 90,000, the customer got upset and broke the scooter in front of the showroom,” read the video caption.
Netizens slammed Ola for not taking care of its customers who have criticised the services offered by the company in recent months.
“If you will not listen to your customers and fix their problems, you will not succeed in any business,” said one user, while another added: “No consumer should ever face this plight. Most folks buying two-wheelers are either middle-class or lower-middle-class. It is usually their first vehicle and also their lifeline. Sad to see such incidents!”
As of the last update, the video had received over 930,000 views and hundreds of comments from angry users. However, Ola had not issued any statement, clarifying its position.
शोरूम ने 90000 का बनाया बिल ग्राहक ने परेशान होकर शोरूम के सामने ही तोड़ दी स्कूटी
– सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल हुआ वीडियो.#ola#OlaScooter#viralvideo#ViralVideos#socialmedia#Nedricknews@OlaElectricpic.twitter.com/7JPPtRSf9E— Nedrick News (@nedricknews) November 22, 2024
Notably, in September earlier this year, a 26-year-old man was arrested for allegedly setting fire to an Ola Electric showroom in the southern state of Karnataka, over the unsatisfactory servicing of a recently-purchased Ola e-scooter. The accused, identified as Mohammad Nadeem, started facing servicing issues, a few days after purchasing the scooter, which led him to torching the showroom.
Video: Ola Showroom Set On Fire In Karnataka By Disgruntled Customer
Ola to lay off employees
Over the last few months, several reports have emerged, suggesting that the Ola service centres face a significant backlog. The staff is facing difficulty in dealing with the volume of complaints. While the issues mount, Ola is set to lay off at least 500 employees as part of a restructuring exercise, according to an IANS report.
Led by Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola is aiming to boost its operational efficiency by reducing redundancies and “drive profitability”, through the sackings. The electric vehicle (EV) company reported a 43 per cent increase in net loss at Rs 495 crore in the July-September period (Q2 FY25), from Rs 347 crore in the previous quarter (Q1 FY25).
The two-wheeler company also saw its revenue slump 26.1 per cent to Rs 1,214 crore (on-quarter) from Rs 1,644 crore in the first quarter of this fiscal.