Complaint Details

Status	:	Closed
Complaint No	:	0089062/2017
Category	:	Travel
Date	:	15-06-2017
Subject Line	:	Continued acknowledged Overcharging and Incorrect Billing
Complainant	:	Arindam Bakshi
Address	:	H401 Mayfair Greens, 449 S N Ghosh Avenue, Narendrapur
Complainee	:	ANI Technologies Private Limited (Ola Cabs)
Address	:

Complaint Details
To.
Consumer Complaints Redressal Council (INDIA)
Great Western Building, 130-132,
Shahid Bhagat Singh Road.
Mumbai – 400023.

Sir / Ma’am,

Ref: Continued acknowledged Incorrect Billing and overcharging by Ola Cabs (ANI Technologies Private Limited) despite repeated entreaties.

With the above reference, kindly note the following.

(1) I stay at Mayfair Greens complex at 449 S N Ghosh Avenue, Narendrapur, Kolkata – 700103, West Bengal. I sometimes avail Ola Cabs for travelling from my home to my Office at 7B Ahiripukur Road, Kolkata – 700019 or nearby (within 300 metres). Owing to ill health I have had to avail Ola Cabs frequently for the last 15 – 20 days.
(2) I avail the Ola Cabs either thru my own account in Ola (with registered phone number 9830626905) or thru my father’s account (with registered phone number 9088441100).
(3) I do a night shift so I take the ride at night mostly between 10:20PM – 11PM and my travelled roads are devoid of traffic jams at that hour in Kolkata.
(4) The distance between my Home and Office is approximately 12.5 Kms, give or take a few 100 metres.
(5) For the last 15-20 days, during which I have been taking frequent rides owing to my ill health, I noticed that I am being charged much more than I should ordinarily be charged for and I called Ola Support many times regarding this but was told that the billing amount was correct. I even referenced them the old bills where in the Billed amount is between 173INR – 185INR for the same ride (same pickup and drop point and same route). I was informed by Ola Customer support representatives and by their Supervisors that they were unable to do anything about this.
(6) On 14th June 2017 night, I again availed an Ola ride (Micro Category) with booking reference number CRN795196334. On boarding the cab, I clarified the situation to the driver Sanjib Kumar, as to how I was being overcharged and asked him to intimate the KM reading, which he noted as well. On completion of the ride, the driver again intimated the KM reading to me and noted it himself. It came to 12.8 KM (starting at 118047.1 and ending at 118059.9) distance travelled (a few 100 Metres extra as the driver had to visit two Petrol Pumps to refuel and the first Petrol Pump was out of fuel). I also informed the driver that he might be receiving a call from Ola regarding this trip as I would be escalating this matter of over-billing and he noted my name and KM travelled.
(7) Subsequently, I called Ola Support at 033-33553355 and the customer support representative who received my call informed me that I had travelled more than 16KM as per their records. I informed him in details as to the fact that I had the driver note the distance from start to finish and that he can call the driver and verify the same and that I had travelled 12.8KM and not over 16KM. I also informed him that Ola has been overcharging me for some time now and billing me for a fictious distance in place of the actual distance travelled by me and requested him to refund me the excess amounts charged.
(8) The customer support representative informed me that he was aware of the same and he was also aware that I had called in multiple times before regarding likewise issue but neither he nor his Supervisors could do anything about this and that this is how Ola worked and billed customers. When I stated that this was cheating and conning customers and why should I be billed and forced to pay for additional KMs which I did not travel and they know of the same, the representative again informed that this was how Ola worked and there was nothing he could do to help me.




(9) I repeatedly requested the Ola representative for addressing my genuine concerns but he kept on repeating that this was how Ola worked and no one could help me.


In the light of the above, I would request you to kindly look into this matter and address my genuine grievances. I am mentally devastated by this blatant thieving and proud acknowledgement of the same by a company whose first concern should be fair and just and satisfactory customer service. I feel like I have been robbed and conned multiple times but being an individual with limited means, I have no recourse to justice even though I am a citizen of free India.

Subsequently, please also note that:
(a) Ola is not providing detailed bill as to the distance travelled by me, the ride time and the breakup of how I have been charged in any of their Bills and request for a detailed billing invoice is never entertained. Even if an Invoice is sent after repeated reminders, it does not have the details of Distance travelled, Ride time and how the Invoice Amount has been arrived at. It is a consumer’s right to know what he is exactly being charged for.
(b) On lodging a complaint with Ola, they send an acknowledgement but there is never an Action-taken report. I just receive an email with a survey after a few hours or days as to how was their service. On requesting to know the status of my complaint, it is intimated that our appropriate teams are looking into it.


I sincerely hope that my complaint to you does not get lost into the bureaucratic maze and that you would look into the matter and address my genuine grievances and provide me the natural justice as is the right of every citizen of free India.

Thanking you,

Sincerely,


Arindam Bakshi.
H-401 Mayfair Greens,
449 S N Ghosh Avenue,
Narendrapur.
Kolkata – 700103.
(M) +91-9830626905

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