MUMBAI: A district consumer commission has dismissed a complaint against cab aggregator Ola, holding that generic customer support emails about a passenger’s forgotten belongings do not constitute deficiency in service. The forum rejected the rider’s claim for damages, awarded no compensation and closed the case without costs.“No material has been placed before us at the admission stage to indicate that the opposite party deliberately withheld assistance, caused the loss of the keys, or adopted any deceptive or unfair practice,” the commission said.The commission said a cab-booking platform is expected to extend reasonable assistance when a passenger reports an article left behind. However, dissatisfaction with email responses, without material showing a failure to provide reasonable assistance, cannot automatically amount to deficiency in service or unfair trade practice.“The complaint essentially arises from the complainant’s dissatisfaction with the assistance provided after the cab journey had been completed, despite the eventual return of the keys without cost. Accordingly, the complaint is liable to be dismissed at the admission stage,” the commission said.The complaint was filed in 2026 by Ghatkopar-based Hardik Shah against ANI Technologies Pvt Ltd. Shah alleged that Ola failed to provide effective assistance after he accidentally left his keys in a cab booked through its mobile app.Shah booked an Ola cab and paid Rs 330 at the end of the ride. He later realised, on June 17, 2026, that he had left his car keys in the vehicle and tried to contact the driver through the app.According to Shah, after several attempts, the driver voluntarily returned the keys on June 19 without charging him anything. His grievance was that Ola’s email support provided only generic responses and did not offer any meaningful assistance.Since the matter was dismissed at the admission stage, Ola’s detailed defence was not recorded. The commission considered Shah’s complaint and the documents he submitted before deciding whether the case disclosed grounds to proceed.The bench of president Pradeep G Kadu and member Gauri M Kapse said the cab ride had been completed and there was no allegation of misconduct by the driver during the journey or of overcharging. It noted that Shah had lost possession of the keys because he had inadvertently left them in the cab.
