A video is going viral on social media that shows an Ola Electric Scooter caught Fire in Bengaluru. A video was posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Congress spokesperson Lavanya Ballal Jain, where it can be seen that people have gathered to record the Electric Scooter on fire, outside the company’s showroom in Bengaluru’s BTM Layout locality, close to Jayadev Hospital. This incident has grabbed the attention of the people across the nation, adding to a series of controversies that Ola Electric is facing over customer complaints and safety concerns.
The incident quickly spread online and people were seen taking a jab at Ola CEO, Bhavish Aggarwal. Some users made fun of the electric scooter and called the fire as Ola’s “special Diwali feature,” while some people made serious algations and called Aggarwal a “scamster.” Several people were seen commenting funnily like “That’s Ola’s corporate Diwali party” to “Ola Electric scooter is the latest firecracker in the market for this Diwali.” watch the video here:
Just another fiery day in the life of ola scooter ownerpic.twitter.com/sKADZBZwRB
— Lavanya Ballal Jain (@LavanyaBallal) October 24, 2024
CCPA’s a show-cause notice to Ola Electric
This incident happens at a time when ola electric scooter customer service was already under a lot of pressure. On October 7, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued a show-cause notice to Ola Electric, in view of complaints regarding misleading advertisements, unfair trade practices, and alleged violations of consumer rights. To which, Ola Electric’s Chief Financial Officer Harish Abhichandani emphasized Ola’s commitment to addressing consumer issues. He gave a statement which said, “We wish to reiterate that Ola Electric has a robust mechanism to address complaints concerning our vehicles… 99.1% were resolved to the complete satisfaction of the customer.”
Heated argument with comedian Kunal Kamra
Meanwhile, Aggarwal got into a heated argument with comedian Kunal Kamra on social after the comedian criticized Ola’s customer service by sharing a photo of scooters parked outside an Ola service center. His post led to Aggarwal responding to Kamra asking him to either “help out” or “sit quiet,”. He further dismissed him by saying he is a “failed comedian.” Kamra has since reshared posts from customers, claiming Ola has resorted to hiring bouncers at its service centers, further adding to public criticism.
For Ola Electric, which recently entered the stock market and has been expanding aggressively, these incidents may lead to a big hit on the brand’s image. The public fire incident has further fuled the reputation along with ongoing customer dissatisfaction has cast a shadow over the company’s rapid expansion plans. With the CCPA’s intervention and public outcry mounting, Ola Electric is under peer pressure to improve safety standards, address customer grievances, and rebuild trust among its consumer base.