NEW DELHI: Central Shopper Coverage Authority (CCPA) has directed ride-hailing platform Ola to do business in a option to consumers to both go for a reimbursement at once of their warehouse accounts or a discount that may be redeemed towards reserving any other journey. It seen that handiest giving a discount is “unfair trade practice“.
The authority additionally recommended the corporate to grant consumers with a invoice, receipt or bill for all auto rides booked via its platform for larger transparency and duty.
The CCPA, led by way of eminent commissioner and shopper affairs secretary Nidhi Khare, seen that every time a buyer raised a criticism at the Ola app, the corporate, as a part of its no-question-asked refund coverage, handiest supplied a discount code, which might be impaired for the after journey, with out giving the buyer a sunlit selection between a warehouse account refund and a discount.
“This violates consumer rights, and the no-question-asked refund policy cannot mean that the company incentivizes people to simply use this facility for taking another ride,” CCPA mentioned.
The patron rights coverage watchdog additionally seen that if a buyer tried to get right of entry to an bill for auto rides booked on Ola, the app confirmed the message “Customer invoice for auto rides will not be provided due to changes in Ola’s auto service T&Cs”. The CCPA mentioned this used to be additionally an “unfair trade practice” below the Shopper Coverage Operate.
CCPA mentioned 2,061 proceedings towards Ola had been lodged with the Nationwide Shopper Helpline and the primary proceedings had been upper fare charged from a client than what used to be proven on the future of reserving, non-refund of quantity to shopper, driving force soliciting for excess money, and driving force both no longer achieving the proper location or no longer shedding at proper location.
Following CCPA’s intervention, Ola has carried out a number of adjustments, together with showing touch main points of criticism and nodal officials on its web page, obviously citing cancellation insurance policies and charges on the future of reserving, including extra choices for journey cancellation causes, and publicising fare property breakdowns.
The alternative adjustments carried out had been showing the pickup and leave location addresses to drivers, and revised cost cycles for drivers for quick cost.
