*To all, Time to know some truth about Ola Pune. Find below my letter to Ola Cabs.*
To the Ola Team,
I am regular customer of Ola Cabs in Mumbai(You can check your own records on how frequently I use your services.) As a matter of fact, I regularly use cab services and over the last 1-2 years changed my loyalty from Meru & Tab Cab to Ola because I found your services much better.
Main reasons:
All bookings are always honored.(Does not happen with Meru)
Drivers are before time and usually punctual(There have been few exceptions of rude drivers in Mumbai & delays but very rare and far in-between. My complaint record if you also track this, will give full details clearly)
I am also a regular traveler to Pune. I am usually in Pune most weekends. So obviously when you announced services in Pune, I was quite pleased. However your services in Pune proved to be a nightmare and exact opposite of my experience in Bombay. Let me broadly list of the main issues and go in-depth with each one of them.
Most of the drivers I have encountered in Pune are rude.
They don’t know the roads and act as if its not their fault.
They don’t switch on the AC and have to be repeatedly told so. Even then the attitude I get is as if they are doing me a favour.
It has happened on at least 3 occasions that the meter was switched on before I boarded the cab.(One episode as recent as last night.)
Delays(Last Monday, the driver went off to sleep and your customer service kept telling me that he is on his way for almost 15 mins past the booking time. And he finally calls me 1 hour later to ask if he can come for the pick-up. Cab No MH 12 GZ 2941, Driver Ajit)
They never carry change and again I have to put up with rude behaviour as if it is my fault.
They don’t want to go short distances. There have 2-3 episodes where I booked on mobile app, gave him exact pick-up location and then when I gave the destination, he simply refused to come citing various excuses(Trip from Vadgoansheri to Viman Nagar. A 3-4 km distance). Your customer service was also useless and could’nt do anything and told me that my pick-up would be delayed by 1.5 hours and a new driver would come. How can a driver have so many excuses after listening to the destination?(This happened on April 19, 2014. Cab No. MH 12 KN 0431. Driver - Basavraj. This same cab came for my pick-up last night. The driver name is different.)
Even when the driver is 1-2 km away your services intimate me that he has reached the destination. I get a message saying that my cab is early. Am I expected to walk down that last 1-2 km?
Last night was the limit was crossed(Cab no. MH 12 KN 0431, Driver Sunil). I had a pick up from Pune Station. He was 2 kms away from destination and I received a message saying he has reached. I called and co-ordinated with him and he switched on the meter(I can see on my mobile app once the meter in on). I have constantly co-ordinated with your team last night and even they acknowledged that the meter was switched on before I boarded the cab. Once I reached, its obvious your team had fired him but inspite of that, he behaved atrociously. The AC was not switched on. He tried taking me on an unknown route and when I objected he answers rudely*(Mujhe road nahin maloom. Aap batao*). He is chatting constantly on the phone while driving, complaining in Marathi to some unknown person at other end that he got a short distance fare and he has manipulated to ensure he gets 200 Rs.(Route Pune station to Brahma Sun city, Vadgaonsheri. Normal fare is Rs. 125 by Ola itself). I assume he thought I don’t understand Marathi. Once we reached the destination( I had to stop 2 buildings before my own building because I don’t want such a guy to know where I live.) the fare was Rs. 172. Your own team had told me to pay at actuals but no one communicated to him I believe, so I had to deal with his attitude. I offered to pay Rs. 125 but he refused to take it, so I left and then he stood below the building calling people on his phone and creating a scene. After I reached home(I had to take a back route and make my way to my building from the parking lot. Can you imagine this?), he called me 5 times. Your own people couldn’t do anything.
On multiple occasions in Pune, I have had problems. Kindly cross-check my entire complaint record relating to Pune bookings. This is some 9th or 10th episode to happen and the most scary one.
May I ask what on earth are you guys doing with the services in Pune? This is not just about one bad experience or just one shoddy driver. 8 out of 10 drivers in Pune are rude and pathetic and your staff ill-equipped to handle them.
If you cannot improve your services in Pune, stop them. Why torture unsuspecting clients? As good a experience I have had in Bombay, Pune is a nightmare. I have listed out some cab details but these are just a few. There are many more out there and I do not want to be victimized anymore. I am done with your useless assurances that this will be the last time I have a bad experience. Yesterday night proved this.
TO EVERYONE: I recommend use Ola sparingly in Pune, especially women. Last night was a terrible experience.