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Ola Electric shares slip over 9% amid spat between CEO Bhavish Aggarwal and comedian Kunal Kamra
Ola
Image credit: Instagram/Bhavish Aggarwal/Kunal Kamra

Ola Electric shares slip over 9% amid spat between CEO Bhavish Aggarwal and comedian Kunal Kamra

| @indiablooms | 07 Oct 2024, 02:55 pm

Bengaluru/IBNS: Shares of Ola Electric Mobility dropped by 9.4 percent to Rs 89.7 during Monday's (Oct. 7) intraday trading on the BSE, following a heated exchange between the company's CEO, Bhavish Aggarwal, and comedian Kunal Kamra on X (formerly Twitter).

The social media spat revolved around service-related issues concerning Ola Electric's scooters.

The dispute began when Kamra shared a photo of an Ola dealership with numerous scooters parked outside, collecting dust.

This post drew attention to the company's service shortcomings.

Ola customers and social media users were quick to criticize Aggarwal, calling his responses to Kamra “rude… arrogant… ignorant…” during their public argument.

The back-and-forth started when Aggarwal criticized Kamra's post on X, in which the comedian pointed out the scooters' condition outside what appeared to be an Ola dealership.

Aggarwal responded, suggesting that if Kamra cared so much, he should come and assist the company, offering to pay him more than what Kamra earned from his "failed comedy career."

He further told Kamra to “shut up” if he was unwilling to help and let Ola resolve the “real customer issues.”

Aggarwal's post read: “Since you care so much @kunalkamra88, 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 service network fast and backlogs will be cleared soon.”

Kamra's initial post called on Ola customers to share their grievances and tagged officials to raise awareness about the company's service.

He wrote: “Do Indian consumers have a voice? Do they deserve this? Two-wheelers are many daily wage workers' lifeline… @nitin_gadkari is this how Indians will get to using EVs? @jagograhakjago any word? Anyone who has an issue with OLA electric leave your story below tagging all…”

The situation escalated, with the exchanges between Aggarwal and Kamra becoming increasingly heated and drawing significant attention from netizens, many of whom criticized Aggarwal’s tone.

Aggarwal, responding to Kamra’s personal attacks, wrote, "Chot lagi? Dard hua? Aaja service center. Bahut kaam hai. I will pay better than your flop shows pay you. Show your audience how much you truly care and whether you’re only gas and BS."

This was in reply to Kamra calling him an "arrogant, substandard prick" and challenging Aggarwal to prove that his criticism was part of a "paid" campaign.

Kamra further upped the ante by questioning Ola’s refund policy, asking if the company could provide a full refund to any customer dissatisfied with their purchase within the last four months.

He stated, "Instead can you give a total refund to anyone who wants to return their OLA EV & who’s purchased it in the last 4 months? 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?"

Aggarwal replied by pointing out the company’s existing programs for customers facing service delays. “We have enough programs for our customers if they face service delays. 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.”

Kamra then suggested a tiered refund plan, proposing different percentages based on how long a customer had owned the scooter.

He also offered to compile a list of genuine customers to ensure their refunds were processed.

Aggarwal was unimpressed, firing back: “Comedian ban na sake, chaudhary banne chale. Do your research better next time. And the offer to come and help us out in our service center remains open. Take up the challenge. Maybe you’ll learn some real skills for a change.”

Public opinion on the exchange appeared to side with Kamra, with many claiming to be Ola customers and supporting his arguments.

Numerous netizens criticized Aggarwal for his dismissive and harsh tone in the public spat.

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