Bengaluru man wins Rs 15,000 after suing Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal over defunct AC in cab
The Bengaluru-based customer, Vikas Bhusan, filed a complaint of service failure against Aggarwal with the Bangalore Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in March 2022.
- Jan 27, 2023,
- Updated Jan 27, 2023 4:17 PM IST
Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO of Ola, has been ordered to pay Rs 15,000 as restitution to a disgruntled client who filed a lawsuit against the company due to a broken air conditioning unit in one of their vehicles.
The Bengaluru-based customer, Vikas Bhusan, filed a complaint of service failure against Aggarwal with the Bangalore Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in March 2022, reported The Times of India.
His grievance centred on an occurrence that happened in October 2021 after Bhusan, 36, had made an eight-hour reservation for an Ola Prime sedan. Bhusan was disappointed to learn the AC in the cab did not work, forcing him and his fellow passengers to complete their journey in discomfort despite having been promised an air-conditioned car with extra leg room.
The Bengaluru man was asked to pay Rs 1,837 as cab fare at the end of the ride. Bhusan contacted Ola's customer service, stating that AC was included in the fare and requesting a refund from the cab aggregator because it was not working during his trip.
According to the TOI report, he was told that he had been charged according to the rate card and that there was no additional charge for AC.
Bhusan then made an effort to contact Bhavish Aggarwal. In emails to Aggarwal, he reiterated that, in accordance with the rate and original rental agreement, AC was included in the fare. Additionally, he attempted to contact Aggarwal via Twitter, but got no response there either.
Later, in November 2021, Bhusan complained about Ola to the National Consumer Helpline and asked for a refund.
Ola finally admitted in an email that the air conditioning in his cab was not functioning, but refused to refund his fare. Instead, they gave him a Rs 100 voucher.
This was the final straw for the Bengaluru businessman, who filed a complaint against Aggarwal with the Bangalore Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
The judges looked over Bhusan's complaint and observed that, despite the vehicle's broken AC, Ola had received the full amount of Rs 1,837, as the company admitted in the email. “Ola is duty-bound to provide all services to customers as promised. In the Bengaluru man's case, they have caused the customer inconvenience and mental agony without providing AC service for the entire trip period of eight hours,” the judges said.
The court ruled in favour of Bhusan and mandated Aggarwal to compensate the businessman for his suffering and inconvenience by paying him Rs 10,000. In addition to returning the full fare of Rs. 1,837 plus interest, he was also ordered to pay Rs 5,000 for the complainant's legal expenses.
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Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO of Ola, has been ordered to pay Rs 15,000 as restitution to a disgruntled client who filed a lawsuit against the company due to a broken air conditioning unit in one of their vehicles.
The Bengaluru-based customer, Vikas Bhusan, filed a complaint of service failure against Aggarwal with the Bangalore Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in March 2022, reported The Times of India.
His grievance centred on an occurrence that happened in October 2021 after Bhusan, 36, had made an eight-hour reservation for an Ola Prime sedan. Bhusan was disappointed to learn the AC in the cab did not work, forcing him and his fellow passengers to complete their journey in discomfort despite having been promised an air-conditioned car with extra leg room.
The Bengaluru man was asked to pay Rs 1,837 as cab fare at the end of the ride. Bhusan contacted Ola's customer service, stating that AC was included in the fare and requesting a refund from the cab aggregator because it was not working during his trip.
According to the TOI report, he was told that he had been charged according to the rate card and that there was no additional charge for AC.
Bhusan then made an effort to contact Bhavish Aggarwal. In emails to Aggarwal, he reiterated that, in accordance with the rate and original rental agreement, AC was included in the fare. Additionally, he attempted to contact Aggarwal via Twitter, but got no response there either.
Later, in November 2021, Bhusan complained about Ola to the National Consumer Helpline and asked for a refund.
Ola finally admitted in an email that the air conditioning in his cab was not functioning, but refused to refund his fare. Instead, they gave him a Rs 100 voucher.
This was the final straw for the Bengaluru businessman, who filed a complaint against Aggarwal with the Bangalore Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
The judges looked over Bhusan's complaint and observed that, despite the vehicle's broken AC, Ola had received the full amount of Rs 1,837, as the company admitted in the email. “Ola is duty-bound to provide all services to customers as promised. In the Bengaluru man's case, they have caused the customer inconvenience and mental agony without providing AC service for the entire trip period of eight hours,” the judges said.
The court ruled in favour of Bhusan and mandated Aggarwal to compensate the businessman for his suffering and inconvenience by paying him Rs 10,000. In addition to returning the full fare of Rs. 1,837 plus interest, he was also ordered to pay Rs 5,000 for the complainant's legal expenses.
Also Read: Morbi bridge collapse case: 1,262-page chargesheet filed, Oreva Group MD named as accused
Also Read: Jacqueline Fernandez gets Dubai trip permit, lawyer cites ‘Oscar Nomination’