Bengaluru: Woman finds e-scooter faulty, gets refund after showing vehicle inspector’s report

Bengaluru: An inspection report from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) proved pivotal for an OLA electric scooter user who had faced severe difficulties with her vehicle and sought relief from a consumer court in the city. 

Ayesha Siddiqa filed a complaint against the company last year after her scooter began malfunctioning within a month of purchase. She bought the S1 Pro scooter from OLA's Kalyan Nagar experience centre in July 2023, with total monthly payments amounting to Rs 1.87 lakh. 

Shortly after her purchase, Ayesha experienced issues with the scooter's indicators not working and the handle locking up automatically while in motion. She was informed that these problems were due to software updates. 

After months of persistent issues and inadequate resolutions from the local service centre, Ayesha approached the Bangalore Urban II Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in November 2023. 

In August, she also applied to the RTO in Kasturi Nagar for a vehicle inspection. Senior vehicle inspector AT Suresh verified her claims by test-riding the scooter and conducting necessary investigations. 

In his report, Suresh noted issues with the display and indicated that the scooter's handle occasionally became unexpectedly tight, making it difficult to manoeuvre. He also observed that the vehicle stopped abruptly without explanation and required multiple restarts. 

Based on this report and other evidence submitted to the bench, the consumer court ruled that there was a clear case of deficiency of service, taking into account a show-cause notice issued to OLA Electric by the Central Consumer Protection Authority earlier this month. 

In an order issued on October 16, the court mandated that the company refund Ayesha Rs 1.54 lakh, along with an additional Rs 30,000 as compensation towards mental agony and harassment and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs.