Meru is a company involved in shady practices in association with its partners. It is not just the driver-partners that engage in looting and not providing quality services but the management and staff and fully aware and involved. I had availed Meru outstation cab service for a trip from 7th to 10th October 2020 for me and my parents from Mumbai to Mysore and back thinking Meru would be reliable; unfortunately, I found out it is not.
During the trip, the driver was completely unprofessional. Here are some of the things he did:
· He did not arrive on time, was not standing at the allotted location, and did not contact me. When I asked him why he did not contact me, he told me that he was not provided with my number. Also, I had to find out his number after repeated calls to Meru and the cab provider(Fleetlogy).
· When we tried calling him repeatedly, he kept mentioning that he was at the right location even though he was not. My mom had to go and get the driver to come to the right spot after much hustle.
· The name in the car’s driver details(placed behind the seat) was different from the driver’s name. Moreover, the driver went by three different names(Waseem, Arshad, Sohail). The name he told us was also different than the one shown in the text message I received regarding the driver details and that itself was different than the one in the final bill which I received from Meru. When I asked him about it, he said that they are his alternative names/nicknames.
· Before the ride, I had paid the advance amount and had contacted Meru’s customer support and asked if I can pay the remaining amount at the end of the round trip and the customer support personnel said yes. The driver, however, went straight to refueling as soon as the trip started and argued that we must pay up cash of Rs.5000 for refueling and driver allowance as he is not aware of any advance amount paid by us and that he is not carrying any cash. When I contacted customer support, Meru’s team told me that I must pay up even though the previous customer support personnel gave a different statement. The personnel told me that she will check the call recording of the previous personnel and get back to me(which she did not). I paid the amount as instructed.
· During the trip, he was chewing tobacco and repeatedly spitting out the window even while driving at high speeds. On a few occasions, some droplets of saliva and gutkha landed on my face and hands. When I told him this, he did not apologize.
· I had to assist him extensively with the route navigation as he did not know how to use Google Maps(he also did not have a phone holder and refused to use his phone for GPS navigation). I had to use my phone instead of his since he told me he was worried that his data balance would get depleted. I had to stay awake most of the time(both day and night) to show him directions when I really should have been enjoying my trip.
· The trip to Mysore and back to Mumbai as well took way longer than what it should have taken because of his lack of knowledge of the route. He also was not following my instructions correctly many times.
· He was talking on the phone with someone else for quite a while driving at high speeds on highways.
· He gave us misinformation regarding the trip fare and terms which created a big issue at the end of the trip.
· While returning, he asked us if he could add another passenger to the front-seat. He mentioned that his aunt has some medical issue back in Mumbai and asked whether he could pick up his uncle from Bangalore as his uncle wanted to see her. We refused as it was unsafe to add someone we did not know, and it seemed fishy.
· During the return trip, he stopped the car next to a petrol pump and asked for Rs.10, 000, and refused to move unless we provided it to him.
· At the end of the trip, I was charged extra and got on a call with Meru’s customer support team to understand the charges. The driver refused to open the trunk of the car and release our belongings until the full payment was made to him. I had to go to the police station for this were police personnel asked me to take it up with Meru and if not resolved, to take it up with Consumer Helpline/Court.
· He also created a ruckus at the dropping point and spoke to my parents in a rude tone. He was yelling in my neighborhood drawing the attention of my neighbors to portray me and my parents in a negative light. He explicitly told us that he did a favor on us by driving.
At the end of the trip, I was charged extra and the toll fees which I had already paid were added to the bill again. After contacting Meru’s CEO and team, they apologized but did not return the additional money taken from me yet. The driver had collected toll charges from me but apparently, Meru cannot find the additional amount to be refunded. After repeated calls and emails with their support team, they refunded me only part of the additional amount. Even after filing a complaint with National Consumer Helpline, they still lie about the charges and refuse to return the additional money taken from me, despite providing evidence.
I had booked the trip thinking that Meru would be able to provide me and my elderly parents with a comfortable and worry-free experience. I was, however, proved wrong. We are extremely disappointed. Meru provided us with a driver who behaved more like a thug than a professional, responsible person and Meru’s team also did not address our concerns appropriately.