Ola Ordered To Pay Rs 95,000 To Customer: He Was Forced To Pay Rs 861 For A Single Trip

Ola Cabs has been directed to pay Rs. 95,000 to a customer in compensation after he was overcharged for an incomplete journey.

This fine has been imposed by the Hyderabad district consumer disputes redressal commission – III. 

Ola Cabs Directed To Pay Rs. 95,000 By District Consumer Court

The complaint has been fined by Jabez Samuel for a trip he took in October 2021, and he was forced to pay Rs 861 for a journey even after he was dropped off midway. He claimed that the driver dropped him off after a distance of around five km. 

The commission ordered Ola Cabs to refund the complainant the Rs 861 trip charge plus interest (12% per annum), as well as Rs 88,000 for mental anguish and Rs 7,000 for the cost of the proceedings.

A complaint has been filed under Section 35 of The Consumer Protection Act, wherein, Samuel said that on October 19, 2021, he had booked a cab from Ola Cabs for four hours. Samuel claimed that after he, his wife, and an assistant boarded the cab, they discovered it to be untidy. 

He also claimed that the driver refused to turn on the air conditioner, was rude, and asked them to get out after four to five kilometers. The complainant stated that he had to make alternative plans and miss some of their scheduled programmes.

Ola Did Not Appear Before Commission

Samuel stated that after receiving a bill for Rs 861 for the incomplete journey, he emailed [email protected] and received a call from a customer care executive who failed to transfer the call to a higher official. 

Following this, Samuel claimed that Ola customer service executives repeatedly called him to ask him to pay the bill, which he did in January 2022, despite the fact that the actual distance travelled should have cost only Rs 150 to 200. 

According to the complaint, the company’s attitude “amounts to deficiency in service and unfair trade practise” in light of the complainant’s “mental agony, hardship, pain,” and other inconveniences.

The commission noted in its June 27 order that Ola Cabs did not appear before it. It stated that, while the lack of transportation service provided by Ola Cabs caused the complainant harassment and stress, the compensation claim of Rs 4,99,000 was excessive. 

It decided that the complainant was entitled to Rs 88,000 in compensation, as well as Rs 7000 in expenses incurred during the proceedings.