TURNING DEAF EAR TO CONSUMERS IS NOT THE WAY TO GO

SOCIAL media platforms have been agog with a battle between a stand-up comedian and the founder of India's leading electric two-wheeler maker. It all started with a picture of rows of e-scooters gathering dust outside an Ola Electric showroom, with the stand-up comic urging Ola's founder and CEO Bhavesh Aggarwal to attend to consumer complaints. Scores of disgruntled consumers joined the melee, complaining about the company's service failures.

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Some posted videos of a showroom set on fire by a frustrated Ola EV owner. Unfortunately, instead of heeding the criticism, Aggarwal chose to mock what he called "paid-for" tweets. This hit the raw nerve afresh-by the end of Monday, Ola Electric shares had dropped 8 percent from the previous close.