Dear Sir/Madam,
I, the undersigned, am constrained to formally lodge a complaint against the management and representatives of your company Colife Advisory Private Limited (hereinafter referred to as “Colive”), for a series of grossly unfair trade practices, wilful misrepresentation, and cheating that I have been subjected to since my onboarding at Colive Vineland, 1177 A & 1178 B, RT Nagar, Bengaluru, and the situation has escalated to a point where I now apprehend a serious threat to my life and property.
1. I relocated from Maharashtra to Bengaluru at the end of April 2025. Considering my professional and personal reasons commitments, and the fact that my family and friends would frequently be visiting, I was specifically seeking a fully furnished service apartment setup — offering flexibility, convenience, and privacy.
2. Upon enquiry, I came across your business engaged in commercial activity of providing co-living services, which includes serviced apartments under the name Colive. I got in touch with your sales representative, Mr. Rituraj, and later with the property manager, Mr. Akhil. I categorically conveyed my following requirements:
• A fully furnished 1 BHK apartment with amenities such as fridge, washing machine, functional kitchen with stove and cylinder, wardrobe, and regular housekeeping services.
• Flexibility to host friends and family with freedom to stay without additional charges or constraints.
• Transparent billing and fair treatment
3. Despite my repeated emphasis on these essentials, Rituraj assured me that while no 1BHK was available immediately, I could move into a 2BHK in a sharing arrangement for now and would be shifted to a 1BHK next month at the same rental rate of ₹16, 000/month. He even cited a common acquaintance who was undergoing a similar shift in a month’s time of her moving in. I was assured that the electricity bill would be split based on personal usage during my stay at the shared 2 BHK. Based on these explicit assurances and representations, I proceeded to make the following payments via Bank Transfer to Colife Advisory Pvt. Ltd:
• ₹4, 000 booking amount on 30 April 2025
• ₹13, 320 on 02 May 2025 and ₹14, 453 on 4 May 2025, which included security deposit, onboarding charges, convenience fee, and May rental fees.
I was informed that the onboarding charges of ₹1, 300 were specifically for deep cleaning, agreement copy, a new set of bedsheets, pillowcases, and bucket set. I wish to place on record that all communications in this regard and are available for review by the concerned authorities.
4. Despite providing prior notice of my move-in date i. e., 4 May 2025, I was made to wait over an hour on the day, while I was experiencing acute stomach pain, which I had informed their team. Only after repeated calls and request I was allowed access to the apartment by the caretaker. The manager was not even present during the on boarding or for verification.in fact, prior to my move in, I repeatedly kept following with the Colive team – Rituraj, Keshav & Rupali to update my details on the Colive app – which is not corrected even till date. I flagged out the incorrect information that was displayed on the Colive app, despite the fact I had completed my KYC on the said app prior to my move in.
5. Upon moving in on 4 May 2025, shockingly, the room (302B) and the associated bathroom were dirty, the bucket was old and filthy, bedsheets were used, cigarette buds lying around, dirt marks on the wall, and the mirror was broken. The curtains were also missing, and I spent my first night unable to sleep due to the absence of basic window coverings. I raised this with Akhil on the very same day, who failed to provide any meaningful redressal. The caretaker, instead of replacing the dirty bucket, had the audacity to suggest I bathe without it using the shower, when requested to wash the bucket. No basic cleaning was ever performed, let alone deep cleaning, despite the charges levied.
6. I requested Akhil to visit the property in the evening of my move in date, when I addressed my above concerns. It is to be noted that I was the one to follow up on my rental agreement, and informed him the handbook I received via email only after the payment was made, contained terms and conditions that starkly contradicted the promises and representations made to me by the Colive team at the time of payment. But he paid no attention to my concerns.
7. Upon expressing my concerns to Rituraj and Akhil time to time, they brushed them aside with vague assurances that all would be resolved. I was forced to constantly chase the Colive team to update my onboarding details and correct information in your system/app. Even a week post move-in, my details were not reflected on the Colive app, and I was unable to raise service requests on the app. I was provided with no stove or gas connection and Akhil very nonchalantly asked me to share the one other co-occupant had got for her own personal use, without even caring to seek my convenience. I did raise this issue to Rituraj to which I have not received any reply till date.
8. On fine day, Akhil suddenly remembers about the agreement and hurriedly calls me coercing me to e-sign the agreement within next 5 minutes. When I declined to e-sign the agreement without due review, later in the evening Akhil arrived at my room uninvited and was coercing me to sign a hard copy then and there on the spot. The agreement provided was shoddily printed, upside down, and unprofessional. I requested a proper copy for review, which was ignored. Despite clear prior understanding, Akhil also denied me an access card, which I had repeatedly requested to ensure my father's ease of movement, who was planning to visit soon, and as it was promised prior to the time of on-boarding. This refusal was both inconsiderate and ill mannered. It may be also noted that, Akhil never followed up on my grievances regarding the agreement, despite multiple reminders. I was constrained to share a scanned copy of the agreement as an expression of good faith, though I clearly reiterated my objections time to time. I wish to place on record that all communications in this regard are available for review by the concerned authorities.
9. When I got in touch with Mr. Sayed, the cluster manager, I elaborated my grievances to him and he assured me of resolution. However later on 17 May 2025, having to clean the room by myself, I found an empty alcohol bottle under my bed — indicating gross negligence in cleaning and blatant breach of occupant’s hygiene standards. I immediately escalated this to Rituraj, Akhil, and Sayed via messages and photographs. On 18 May, I requested Mr. Sayed to visit the property and showed the alcohol bottle to him, who then had the caretaker clean it. The caretaker, notably, has exhibited consistently rude and uncooperative behaviour.
10. During the discussion with Sayed on 18 May 2025, I outlined all the inconsistencies in the agreement and handbook, specifically highlighting the contradiction with prior assurances and promises that family and friends could visit and stay without restriction and hassle. I also expressed that given all the above-mentioned grievances, I do not wish to stay on this property anymore. I further highlighted the ill maintenance of the said property – the washing machines are so dirty leaving white residue on washed clothes, the other day I put my washed clothes to dry on the rope provided on the terrace – the rope broke off. Sayed promised to investigate with the sales team, and that all my concerns will be taken care of internally, and said my shift to 1BHK would be prioritized. Relying on this assurance, I reluctantly continued my stay. However, to my dismay, the situation only worsened.
11. On 21 May 2025, I returned from work to find police officials on the premises. Upon enquiry, I learned that other occupants called for police authorities because, like me, they were promised a 1BHK and were forced into a 2BHK sharing arrangement. It came to my attention that this pattern has been repeated with several occupants, including the common acquaintance cited earlier by Rituraj. On the same of 21 May 2025, when I followed up again on the possibility of being shifted to a 1BHK, Sayed admitted that there are many such consumers that have also been similarly misled and there was little to no likelihood of my request being honoured. I have been reaching out to Rituraj on regular basis but he has been blatantly ignoring my repeated requests and follow ups. I wish to place on record that all communications in this regard and are available for review by the concerned authorities.
12. On the very same day, I have also been informed by one of the staff member or other occupants (whose identities I wish to keep confidential at this stage for their safety) that individuals who refuse to blindly accept Colive’s arbitrary terms and conditions are often threatened with coercive tactics and wrongfully withholding their deposits. It is alleged that Colive sends individuals under the guise of a "recovery team," who may resort to the use of abusive language, intimidation, and potentially forceful conduct.
13. From the above facts and circumstances, it clearly reflects a premeditated and systematic scheme of fraudulent inducement, false promises, and deliberate misrepresentation by Colive and its sales team. The conduct amounts to:
• Cheating with criminal intent & Fraudulent misrepresentation to extract money under false pretences
Your agents knowingly made false representations to extract money, without any intention to honour the promises made. The sales pitch was a classic bait-and-switch — enticing consumers with 1BHK options, collecting substantial sums, and coercing them into a shared 2BHK room with no real prospect of shift.
This pattern has now emerged as systemic, with multiple occupants (including those who have approached police authorities) reporting similar experiences. Such repeated conduct evidences fraud with criminal intent, punishable under law.
• Unfair trade practices & Deficient and negligent service delivery
Colive has engaged in unfair and deceptive practices by: falsely advertising such as - restriction-free living, friendly guest policies and also a full-refund of your security deposit, premium amenities, flexible rental durations to cater to consumers’ needs - on their website, and through their representatives - inducing consumers with misleading sales pitches, failing to deliver services for which onboarding and convenience charges were collected, withholding basic facilities like cleaning, onboarding kits, proper documents, and access. I was never provided a proper agreement before or at the time of moving in, and the document eventually forced on me contained unilateral and predatory clauses, which contradict verbal and written assurances, and border on abuse of dominance.
These practices are not isolated, as evidenced by numerous similar grievances publicly raised by consumers across various online platforms and review forums.
• Breach of trust and contract:
The terms discussed and agreed upon at the time of payment - verbally and in recorded messages - were never honoured. Instead, I was forcibly placed in a shared accommodation with used items, and denied basic dignity in onboarding. The refusal to shift me to a 1BHK, failure to timely resolve service complaints, and imposition of arbitrary terms amount to a material breach of contract.
Further, there was no legal agreement provided upfront, and I was pressured to sign an unprofessional, without time for review and resolving my concerns, which raises serious concerns around enforceability and bad faith dealings.
• Mental Harassment and Threat to Life and Safety:
The appalling state of hygiene, presence of alcohol bottle and cigarette buds in my room, and lack of basic cleaning and security provisions have severely impacted my mental well-being. My parents had to stalled their visit given the ongoing circumstances. The repeated unprofessional conduct of by staff, and failure to ensure my safety and privacy have placed me under severe mental stress.
More worryingly, the arrival of police personnel at the premises — in response to complaints from other similarly defrauded residents and Colive’s above mentioned forceful tactics — raises alarm over the law-and-order situation in the property. I no longer feel safe or secure and am under constant fear and anxiety, which could lead to grave mental and physical health consequences.
Accordingly, I hereby demand:
1. Forthwith refund of the security deposit, onboarding charges, and any other amounts wrongfully collected in view of the egregious breach of trust and false inducement;
2. Full assurance of my safety and security, including protection of my life and personal property, until my peaceful and unhindered exit from the premises is completed following the refund.
3. Safe and dignified exit from the premises, without any hindrance, upon refund of my due amounts;
4. A written apology acknowledging the fraudulent inducement and harassment I have faced.
5. Compensation of ₹50, 000 for the mental agony, harassment, and inconvenience caused to me due to your fraudulent conduct and unfair practices.
Any further misconduct, threats, or coercive actions shall be at your sole cost, risk, and consequences, including but not limited to legal and criminal proceedings before the appropriate authorities.
In the event of failure to take corrective measures as mentioned herein, I reserve my right to take all appropriate legal action, including but not limited to:
1. Filing a complaint for criminal cheating and misrepresentation with the police authorities;
2. Initiating proceedings for unfair trade practices, harassment, and deficiency in service, including seeking further compensation for the mental agony, financial loss suffered by me;
3. Escalating this matter to regulatory bodies, concerned forums, and other stakeholders to expose your malpractices and seek appropriate redressal.
4. And taking any other civil, criminal, or administrative action as may be deemed appropriate under applicable laws to safeguard my rights and interests.
I further state that I refer to and rely upon all communication records, including messages, emails, photos, and call logs, as evidence in support of my complaint, and the same may be furnished for review by the concerned authorities as and when required. I reserve the right to refer to and rely upon any additional material facts or documents inadvertently omitted due to brevity, oversight or paucity of time.
I reserve all my legal rights, remedies, and claims — civil and criminal — under Indian law.
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