Harsh Goenka tags Bhavish Aggarwal amid Ola boss's social media spat with comedian Kunal Kamra over customer service

In a tweet on his official X account, Goenka remarked that he uses Ola for short trips, making a pun out of Kamra's surname.

"If I have to travel close distances, I mean from one 'kamra' (room) to another, I use my Ola," Goenka posted, tagging Bhavish Aggarwal and sharing a photo of himself seated on an Ola electric vehicle.

The reference to "kamra" was a nod to the comedian, Kunal Kamra, who recently clashed with Aggarwal over the state of Ola’s service centers.

The spat began when Kamra tweeted a photo of several EV scooters parked at an Ola service center, questioning the state of customer service.

“Do Indian consumers have a voice? Do they deserve this? Two-wheelers are the lifeline for many daily wage workers... Anyone with an issue with Ola Electric, share your story below tagging all,” Kamra wrote. He later added in response to a user, "Worse is the leader has no reply."

This criticism sparked a heated response from Bhavish Aggarwal, who accused Kamra of being paid to tweet negatively about the company.

"Since you care so much, Kunal Kamra, come and help us out! I’ll even pay more than you earned for this paid tweet or from your failed comedy career. Or else sit quiet and let us focus on fixing the issues for the real customers. We’re expanding the service network fast and backlogs will be cleared soon," Aggarwal fired back on X.

Kamra was quick to respond, challenging Aggarwal's claims.

"Paid tweet, failed comedy career, and sit quietly. Indian businessman at their humble best... If you can prove I am paid for this tweet or anything else I’ve said against private companies, I’ll delete all social media and sit quietly forever," Kamra shot back, sharing a clip of one of his standup performances from the previous year.

Aggarwal responded once again, urging Kamra to visit an Ola service center: "Chot lagi? Dard hua? (Did it hurt?) Aaja service centre. Bahut kaam hai (We have a lot of work). I will pay better than your flop shows pay you. Show your audience how much you truly care and whether you're only gas."

Kamra countered by suggesting that Ola provide a "total refund" to any customer who purchased an EV in the last four months and wished to return it.

"I don't need your money. People not being able to get to their workplace need your accountability. Show your customers that you truly care," he posted.

In his reply, Aggarwal claimed that Ola already had "enough programs" to address customer service delays.

He added, "If you were a genuine one, you would have known. Again, don’t try and back out of this. Come and do some real work rather than armchair criticism."

The public exchange coincided with another controversy facing Ola Electric.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued a show cause notice to the company for allegedly violating consumer rights, misleading advertising, and engaging in unfair trade practices, according to a regulatory filing.

Ola received the notice via email on October 7, 2024.

In addition to these challenges, Ola Electric has been grappling with declining stock performance and falling sales.

On Monday, shares of Ola Electric Mobility plummeted by more than 8%, marking a steep decline of 43% from its post-listing peak.

The drop came as complaints about its flagship electric two-wheelers continued to circulate on social media.

This marked the third consecutive session of declines for the EV maker.

Ola Electric sold 23,965 vehicles in September, marking a month-on-month decline for the second consecutive month. Its market share has also dropped for five straight months, falling to 27% in September from over 50% in April.

The drop in sales has been attributed to issues with Ola’s S1 series EV scooters, with users reporting problems such as hardware malfunctions and software glitches.