- An Ola electric scooter owner allegedly set the company's showroom in Karnataka on fire after the company failed to fix issues with his EV.
An Ola Electric scooter customer in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, allegedly set the company's showroom on fire after problems with his new electric scooter were not resolved. A video of the burning showroom has gone viral on social media, sparking a debate over the move as well as previous allegations against Ola Electric's allegedly shoddy service quality.
Mohammed Nadeem, who is facing arson charges, bought an Ola electric scooter in August. The electric scooter reportedly started developing multiple problems soon and the issues persisted even after Nadeem took it to the showroom for repairs. Though the exact nature of the problems with the scooter is not yet known, news agencies reported that Nadeem had an argument with showroom officials on Tuesday evening. “The servicing request was not good, he went multiple times,” Kalaburagi police commissioner told news agency PTI. “When he went yesterday (Tuesday), he had petrol with him and he set six bikes on fire.”
Also read: “If… then we are the 4th largest EV company in the world”: Ola Electric trolled for tall claim
There is no news of any casualties in the fire, but the showroom has suffered heavy damage. This becomes clear from the video viral on social media.
Netizens have come out to criticise such an extreme – and illegal – act, and have highlighted that there were still other ways for Ola Electric’s sales and service representatives to resolve the issue with this particular electric scooter unit. However, many have also pointed out once again that Ola Electric’s after-sales network needs to be far more efficient than it currently is.
Ola reacts to the fire incident
Late Wednesday evening, Ola Electric reacted to the fire incident in Kalaburagi by strongly condemning it. “Yesterday, a fire broke out at one of our brand stores in Kalaburagi, Karnataka,” the company said in a message. “The perpetrator of this violent act has been identified and an FIR has been filed against the said person at the concerned police station. He has been arrested and investigation is underway. Apart from the FIR, we at Ola strongly condemn such unlawful acts and will take all necessary legal measures to ensure appropriate and strict action is taken in this matter and such incidents do not happen again.”
Take a look at the upcoming EV bikes in India.
First Publication Date: September 11, 2024, 18:59 PM IST
