OLA Cabs told to pay Rs 5K for overcharging

Tribune News Service

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Chandigarh, September 18

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, has directed OLA Cabs to pay Rs 5,000 to a city resident as compensation for overcharging from a Sector 44 resident.

The commission also directed it to refund the excess fare. Pragati Bhatt, in her complaint, alleged she had booked a ride from OLA Cabs from Jindal University to Sector 43, Chandigarh, on October 25, 2019, and was charged Rs 5,618. She alleged she was overcharged by Rs 3,101 by the driver. Later, OLA customer care promised her to process the refund in 15-20 days, but to no avail.

The OP instead stated that the customer was charged according to the distance travelled and no extra charge was taken. It said it had no role in calculating the distance travelled. The OP merely calculated the estimated fare from information provided by Google Map. It also said the terms clearly stated that the OP did not guarantee or provide assurance in respect of the behaviour or actions of its drivers.

The commission said the the travel time was only 3 hours and 43 minutes. The complainant was charged for 524-km travel. There appeared to be an error in the OP’s software. In view of this, the OP was found to have indulged in unfair trade practice, the commission said while issuing the order.

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