FuelWatch
Submitted: Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 10:16
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The Landy
With a bit of luck this proposal will be dead and buried within a couple of weeks. This proposal will cost everyone in the long-run and is anti-competitive.
Reply By: Best Off Road - Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 10:52
Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 10:52
I have heard two differing
views on this.
David Harding from the RACV says it won't work.
Graeme Samuel from the ACCC says it will on average save motorists 1.9 cents per litre.
These chaps do not get along at all
well, each effectively calling the other a penile masseuse.
Assuming Samuel is right, this bloody great hoo ha over fuel watch has the potential to save the average motorist $1 to $2 per week. It's a complete bloody waste of time.
Jim.
AnswerID:
306462
Follow Up By: Robin Miller - Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 11:26
Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 11:26
Hi Jim
I think the problem is that both are correct and are not explaining the position correctly.
Its cheaper (just) for everyone because the average price over the week is down.
I.E. Those that don't care much about price (company cars etc) get it cheaper on average cause they don't wait for the low prices anyway.
However for those that
shop around and wait until price is lowest , lose because the minimum doesn't go as low as it would have.
Hence those that need the cheapest price most lose, but isn't
this always the way.
FollowupID:
572454
Reply By: Motherhen - Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 13:26
Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 13:26
Another WA view - I don't think fuel watch is anti competitive. They only have to set the price one day in advance. The motorist can then choose where to buy the fuel.
Gone are the days of a servo setting an extremely low price, have someone announce the tip on a local radio station, and all and sundry rush to the suburb. The queue was extreme, and the fuel ran out or price went back up.
Anyone can look up on the or phone fuel watch to find the best price in the area. That is competitive. We can even register to get daily, weekly or monthly emails of prices for the fuel and
places we select to make it easy.
If in the other states, you have been getting a big discount on one day of the week, then the people who need to buy on a different day would be paying more to cover the cost of the discount day.
Give fuel watch a go - pick the best price in your area, and that will put pressure on the others to come near to that servo. Politics these days is all about knocking what the other side says - ignore the politics, and use the benefits from the fuel watch scheme.
The servo proprietor has to make a living too.
Motherhen
AnswerID:
306494
Reply By: Kiwi & "Mahindra" - Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 14:32
Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 14:32
Its a crazy thing the govt telling us that they want to save us money....so how about the feds stop pocketing so much of the money......
We use to have a sign up when fuel was 90cpl that the govt would get close to 50 cents of that.....what ever the percentage was Im assuming its the same today if not worse.....
but fuel watch...i reckon from what the people in WA say....it may be a good idea.....but I feel for the little fella's....
Laura
AnswerID:
306510
Reply By: Patrol22 - Friday, May 30, 2008 at 17:54
Friday, May 30, 2008 at 17:54
Reckon it's time to move on folks. The fuel price is hurting me as much as anyone else but I'm a realist. There is nothing governments can do about this - it is merely a feature of the great capitalist market system of economics, and until something better is found (and that hasn't happened since Adam Smith was a lad) we are stuck with it. Sure the government could lower or drop the excise - but that would just result in another tax somewhere else on something else - or
heaven forbid a jump in income tax! The machinery of government must keep turning and that cost money. The alternative is anarchy! Get over it and move on to another issue....lift your right foot a little off the throttle, ride a pushy to work, something....anything...just stop trying to give yourselves ulcers worrying about the price of fuel.
AnswerID:
306787