As RideApart's own Robbie Bacon likes to say, "Scams, they're everywhere."
While I don't like to make sweeping or overly broad statements without evidence, there do seem to be an awful lot of complaints floating around online about Ola Electric products.
And we obviously can't forget the fact that one customer was angry enough to light up an entire Ola Electric dealership. For the record, we don't condone such behavior, but it's certainly indicative of a heightened level of frustration.
Venture into the r/indianbikes subreddit and you'll see a whole lot of discussion about bad experiences with Olas, and advice that anyone considering an EV scooter should maybe think about another brand instead. (The Ather Rizta and the TVS iQube come up frequently, though since I haven't ridden either, I can't offer a personal opinion.)
That's not all, though. In October 2024, India's Central Consumer Protection Authority officially sent a notice to Ola Electric demanding an explanation for the over 10,000 customer complaints it says it's received this year alone.
And now, in November 2024, that government agency has officially asked the Bureau of Indian Standards to step in and formally investigate Ola Electric, according to Reuters.
It's unclear how long this investigation might take, nor what the outcome might mean for Ola Electric or its customers. According to the Indian Express, a preliminary report is due within the next 15 days following the ordering of this investigation, which should determine what shape this investigation takes.
Here's hoping that whatever comes of this investigation helps the riders and owners who've been having less than stellar experiences with the company.
While it's true that plenty of people can (and often do) say a lot of things on the Internet, it's awfully telling that there are so many horror stories, and at the same time, not a lot of folks eager to leap to Ola's defense.
Normally, in a situation like this, you'd expect at least a few people to go "hey, wait a minute, they're not so bad and I have one and I love it."
But in this case, you don't really see that. Now, internet drama is as old as the internet itself, but it's rarely ever as one-sided as it seems to be here.
That's strange in a way that doesn't bode well for the company and its products.
