Comic Kunal Kamra has accepted an invitation from Ola Electric CEO Bhavish Aggarwal to address issues in the company’s service centres but with stringent conditions. This acceptance follows a heated exchange between Kamra and Aggarwal on social media after Kamra highlighted issues with Ola’s electric scooter servicing, particularly the long wait times customers endure to get their vehicles repaired.
Kunal Kamra initially sparked the conversation by posting a picture of Ola scooters congesting an Ola service centre. He questioned whether Indian consumers honestly had a voice and if two-wheelers, which are crucial to many people’s livelihoods, were being taken seriously by the company. Bhavish Aggarwal’s response was pointed and direct, dismissing Kamra’s post as a “paid tweet” and challenging him to help the company resolve its service issues if he cared that much. He further suggested Kamra could earn more with this role than from his “failed comedy career” if he took up the challenge.
In response, Kamra expressed that he had “no choice” but to take on the “job offer” Bhavish Aggarwal extended but stipulated several “action points” as part of his acceptance. Kamra’s primary demands include Ola’s commitment to complete all scooter repairs within seven business days. If repairs extend beyond that timeframe, Kunal Kamra proposed that Ola provide a temporary replacement scooter or compensate customers with a daily reimbursement of ₹500 until the repair is completed. Additionally, every day a repair is delayed beyond seven days, Kamra believes customers should earn ₹500, capped at ₹50,000.
The comedian also suggested that every Ola scooter should be sold with dual insurance coverage, encompassing the vehicle and servicing needs. According to Kunal Kamra, this would ensure a level of support for customers that would alleviate service-related challenges. Ola Electric has earlier engaged E&Y to deal with this mess.
Bhavish Aggarwal is yet to respond to these conditions, leaving followers of the exchange curious about whether the CEO will bow out or further with Kamra’s “collaboration” offer or if the feud will continue. The debate has highlighted consumer frustrations with after-sales services in India’s electric vehicle sector. Ola’s servicing issues underline the challenge of scaling infrastructure to keep up with its rapid sales growth.
This ongoing dialogue may encourage other brands to rethink their customer service strategies, especially given the rising demand for electric vehicles and the importance of reliable servicing for customer satisfaction and retention.
