Give total refund to anyone who wants to return their OLA EV: Kunal Kamra to Bhavish Agarwal
New Delhi, Oct 6: A war of words broke out between Ola founder Bhavish Agarwal and stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra on Sunday on social media platform X over the after sales and service quality of the company's electric scooters. It started when Kamra responded to a post on X by Agarwal, who posted a photo of Ola's gigafactory, by putting a picture of several Ola Electric scooters parked together seemingly waiting for servicing.
"Do Indian consumers have a voice? Do they deserve this? Two wheelers are many daily wage workers lifeline ...," Kamra wrote along with the photo. He tagged Union Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari, asking: "Is this how Indians will get to using EV's?" The comedian also tagged the official handle of Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India @jagograhakjago, seeking an answer saying "any word?" Kamra further wrote, "Anyone who has an issue with OLA electric leave your story below tagging all...". ‘Will Pay You More Than You Earned For This Paid Tweet’: Bhavish Aggarwal Slams Kunal Kamra After Comedian Criticises Handling of Ola Electric Scooters Outside Dealership Store.
To this Agarwal responded, "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." He further said, "We're expanding service network fast and backlogs will be cleared soon."
To the "failed comedy career" remark by Agarwal, Kamra responded by posting a video clip of one of his shows with audience clapping and cheering and called the Ola Electric founder and CMD "arrogant and substandard". In response, Agarwal said,"Chot lagi? Dard hua? Aaja service center. Bahut kaam Hai. (Did it hurt. It's very less. Come to service center). I will pay better than your flop shows pay you."
Kamra then challenged Agarwal to "give a total refund to anyone who wants to return their OLA EV & who's purchased it in the last four months", saying he doesn't need his money but "people not being able to get to their workplace need your accountability". "Show your customers that you truly care," Kamra asserted. Agarwal hit back saying,"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." Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal Launches ‘Hyper Service’ for Customers With 1-Day Quick Service Guarantee, AI-Powered Maintenance and More.
Bhavish Aggarwal Responds to Kunal Kamra’s Post
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.
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) October 6, 2024
Or else sit quiet and let us focus on fixing the issues for the real customers. We’re expanding service network fast and backlogs… https://t.co/ZQ4nmqjx5q
Kunal Kamra and Bhavish Aggarwal Engage in War of Words
So you can’t offer a 100 percent refund to people who have purchased your OLA in the last 4 months who are genuine customers…
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) October 6, 2024
But you want to pay me who’s not a costumer.
let me give you other options.
Can you do 85 percent refund for 1/ 2 months?
Can you do 75 percent… https://t.co/iYyHFAOmz3
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?
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) October 6, 2024
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? https://t.co/tI2dwZT2n2
Come and Do Some Real Work
We have enough programs for our customers if they face service delays. If you were a genuine one, you would have known.
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) October 6, 2024
Again, don’t try and back out of this. Come and do some real work rather than armchair criticism. https://t.co/HFFKgsl7d9
Many Ola Electric consumers jumped into the spat and complained about the service quality of the company, asking Agarwal to address their issues.
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Commercial LPG hike: Delhi restaurant owners warn of higher menu rates, job losses
New Delhi (PTI) A day after a 50 per cent rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices, Delhi's food business, with restaurant owners and street vendors have warned of higher menu rates, financial strain and potential job losses if the trend persists.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by a steep Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, marking the third consecutive monthly hike amid rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
For many in the restaurant industry, the spike has been both sudden and steep.
Manpreet Singh, honorary treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said that eateries are already grappling with supply challenges alongside rising costs.
"There is a huge difficulty in getting these cylinders, and black marketing is also increasing in many unregulated sectors," he said, noting that prices that were once around Rs 1,600, often dropping to nearly Rs 1,300 with discounts, have now surged to between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per cylinder.
He further added that a medium-sized restaurant typically uses between two and five cylinders daily, making the increase particularly burdensome as costs mount.
Singh further said that as costs mount, smaller establishments could struggle to stay afloat. Instead, the association has advised restaurants to shift towards piped natural gas connections through Indraprastha Gas Limited as a more sustainable alternative.
"If this problem continues, PNG is the only long-term solution," he said, adding that temporary measures like coal offer limited relief due to slower cooking times and that it can largely be used only for tandoors.
Echoing similar concerns, Kabir Suri, owner of Mamagoto in Khan Market, said the impact is already visible across the industry. "There has been almost a threefold increase in cylinder prices for restaurants," he said, adding that rising fuel and logistics costs are compounding the pressure.
"If this continues, it will become a significant financial burden, and food prices will inevitably go up. Adding to this burden, higher fuel costs are also affecting logistics and transportation, making a price rise unavoidable. The extent of the impact will vary between small eateries and large chains depending on their scale," he said.
Global oil prices have surged nearly 50 per cent following disruptions in energy supply chains due to the West Asia conflict, pushing up commercial fuel costs and transport expenses.
A West Delhi-based restaurateur said they are trying to manage rising costs while keeping their staff secure. "We are trying to ensure that our staff, from kitchen workers to waiters, are paid on time and do not face immediate hardship," the owner said.
"We are a small restaurant with seating for about 20 to 25 people at a time. But if this continues for long, we will have to take difficult calls. There is only so much we can absorb, and menu prices will have to go up. We hope this does not continue for a longer period," he said.
Another restaurant owner in North Delhi, who did not wish to be named, said operational adjustments alone may not be enough. "We are checking our costs very carefully and trying to cut wherever possible, but if fuel prices remain high, it will eventually affect how we run the business," the owner said.
"Coal helps in tandoor cooking, but it takes more time," the owner further added.
The strain is even more acute among street vendors, many of whom operate on thin margins. A vendor in Saket said he had recently expanded his business, moving from a mobile cart to a rented outlet.
"I have a family to feed and more responsibilities now. Earlier, I managed with a moving cart, but after renting the place, expenses increased," he said. "Whenever cylinders were unavailable, I had to buy them at higher rates in the black market. Now even regular supply is too expensive, and if this continues, we may have to shut down," he added.
In Laxmi Nagar, another vendor said they are struggling to keep the business running. "Sometimes we even used domestic cylinders from home when supply ran out because we had to keep the stall running," he said, adding that rising costs leave little choice but to increase prices or bear losses.
On April 1, the rates of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, followed by a Rs 114.5 hike on March 1, taking the total increase over the past three months to Rs 1,303. With the latest revision, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder now costs Rs 3,371.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.5 earlier.
The prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking have remained unchanged. They were last increased by Rs 60 per 14.2 kg cylinder on March 7 and currently cost Rs 913 in Delhi.
