The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) recently directed ride-hailing app Ola to offer customers the choice to opt for refunds into their bank accounts. CCPA said that it had noted that customers were usually given a coupon code that could be used for the next ride without providing a clear choice to the consumer to opt between a bank account refund and a coupon.
Customers were given this choice when they raised complaints through the dedicated Ola app. In addition to this, CCPA headed by its Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare, has instructed Ola to provide consumers with a bill or receipt or invoice for all Auto rides booked through its platform, ensuring greater transparency and accountability in its services.
CCPA Notes Consumer-centric Lapses in Ola App
Apart from directing Ola to implement a mechanism allowing consumers to choose their preferred method of refund, either directly to their bank account or via coupon, during the grievance redressal process, CCPA has also noticed the following issues:
- No details of Grievance officer and nodal officer were prominently visible on the website.
- Permitted time of cancellation as per cancellation policy, was not being prominently displayed at the time of booking ride.
- The amount of cancellation fee amount was not clearly mentioned on the ride booking page.
- More reasons were required for consumers to cancel a ride.
- List of components that constitute the total fare added such as base fare, per km fare, and pre-wait charges among others were not publicly visible.
CCPA says that Ola has now taken care of all the above issues, and the name, phone number and e-mail of grievance officers and nodal officers are mentioned in the support section of website.
CCPA also stated that a total of 2,061 complaints has been registered against Ola from 1 January 2024 to 9 October 2024. Some of the top categories of complaints include:
- Higher fare charged from consumer than what was shown at the time of booking the ride.
- Non-refund of amount to the consumer.
- Driver asking for extra cash.
- Driver did not reach the correct location or dropped at incorrect location.
CCPA claims that it has promptly taken up the issues with the ride hailing app, and the problems were addressed by the company.