New Delhi: Comedian Kunal Kamra, who has been in a feud with Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal over its electric scooters, is now requesting Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari to “look at the plight of Indian customers”. For a couple of weeks, Mr Kamra has been flagging the state of Ola's service centers where electric scooters are lined up with complaints.
In the latest turn of events, Mr Kamra took it to X (formerly Twitter) and reshared a post by user Prathamesh Daga who alleged that all scooters at Rangraj Nagar, Solapur centre are in bad condition and there are no qualified engineers or technicians in site to look after them.
“Customers invest hard earned money. Unacceptable,” wrote the user. Sharing the video, Mr Kamra tagged Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, asking for government interference in the matter.
“Minister Nitin Gadkari please look at the plight of Indian customers, their voices aren't heard. They can't get to work. They are taking bad loans to solve an issue that is primarily Ola's responsibility… When will government agencies intervene?”
Kunal Kamra has been engaged in a heated spat with Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, regularly asking him to look after Ola Electric scooters. Once he even asked him to provide a “total refund” to anyone who wants to return their Ola EV and who has purchased it in the last four months.
“People not being able to get to their workplace need your accountability. Show your customers that you truly care,” he wrote.
It all started on October 6 when Mr Kamra took to his official X account and posted an image showing a large number of EV scooters being parked at an Ola service centre.
“Do Indian consumers have a voice? Do they deserve this? Two-wheelers are many daily wage workers' lifeline... Anyone who has an issue with Ola Electric leave your story below tagging all...,” he wrote.
His post, however, didn't go well with Bhavish Aggarwal, who called it a “paid tweet” and asked Mr Kamra to “come and help” them out.
READ | "Sit Quiet": Bhavish Aggarwal As Kunal Kamra Flags Ola EV Issue
“Since you care so much Kunal Kamra, come and help us out! I'll even pay more than you earned for this paid tweet or from your failed comedy career. Or else sit quiet and let us focus on fixing the issues for the real customers. We're expanding the service network fast and backlogs will be cleared soon,” he wrote.
Last week, Harish Abhichandani, Chief Financial Officer at Ola Electric, informed that 99% of the complaints have been resolved to the “complete satisfaction of the customer as per Ola Electric's comprehensive redressal mechanism”.
To this, Mr Kamra asked the remaining 1% who are still facing an issue with their Ola Electric, to share their stories.
In the past few months, people have expressed their dissatisfaction with the substandard service of Ola EV. While one customer set fire to a service station, another warned potential buyers. Nisha Gowri, a Bengaluru resident, placed a placard on her Ola electric scooter, that read, “Dear Kannadigas, Ola is a useless two-wheeler. If you buy one, it will only make your life harder. Please do not buy an Ola Electric scooter.”
The post, shared on X, quickly gained attention and sparked a debate about the quality and service of Ola Electric scooters.