Fuel Rip Off!!!
Submitted: Sunday, Nov 30, 2003 at 15:49
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Member - Bear
I thought I would let all know what our retail Petrol Outlets are doing to us...
In September we were on our way
home from the Kimberleys and stopped the night in Mt Isa. The next morning whilst looking for a breakfast spot my tank ran out, the Prado Aux tank which is 69litres. No real drama I just flicked the switch and swapped over to the main tank which was full. After about 25,000km in six months you get a fare grip on the vehicle workings and I had found that even know the tank ran out it only takes about 63-64 litres to fill it back up.
Imagine my surprise when the Woolworths Petrol Plus station pump meter read 76.3 litres when finally it cut out.
I found the manager who stated that the equipment could not be incorrect and only when i refused to leave the counter so that others could get served did they finally refund me some money (4c a litre as you get with the shopping docket offer and a further $7.00.)
The moral of the story is that if you did not have 2 tanks that you could run one of them out and keep going on the other one you would never have the availability to keep a close watch on the amount of fuel going in.
On returning to
Sydney I sent an email to Woolworths and after a week I had not received a reply so I contacted 2UE and Steve Price has been chasing it up for me and is going to read out the Woolworths answer on his show sometime next week.
The amount of fuel that they served up is 10% over what normally goes in -- you do the maths????BEAR
Reply By: howesy - Sunday, Nov 30, 2003 at 16:40
Sunday, Nov 30, 2003 at 16:40
Too right they treat you likean idiot.
I once put 76.8 litres in a 68 litre tank and the tank was showing that I still had between empty and a quarter before the fill. The manager at that service station tried to tell me that
"you would be surprised how much fuel the filler neck takes"
Come on please how stupid do these people think we really are. The answer is know your vehicle and if you are certain that they have an incorrect pump contact fair trading immediately.
AnswerID:
38965
Reply By: Member - Ross - Sunday, Nov 30, 2003 at 20:39
Sunday, Nov 30, 2003 at 20:39
I would expect all states would be more or less the same in regard to Weights and Measures. All dispensing units have to be calibrated at regular intervals to ensure they stay within acceptable bounds.
Anyone trying to rort the system may as
well close up
shop and go
home if they're nabbed.
Try reporting to the QLd Gov Dept. Don't know which it is but I'm from Bris and I know it exists.Rosco
AnswerID:
38973
Reply By: Bonz (Vic) - Sunday, Nov 30, 2003 at 20:49
Sunday, Nov 30, 2003 at 20:49
I regularly run the 30 l sub tank on our Patrol into the main tank on trips and around town toc make sure the pump's working but also gives me the chance to fill the sub tank first then decide if I am going to fill the main tank. Noweher from Victoria to Fraser Island and back did I find more than about 8% inaccuracy at any of the pumps I filled at. All of the NSW pumps were on my side! One registering 27.2 litres to fill the 30 l tank and most around the 28.5 to 29.5 area. This Woolworths may be one of the more unscrupulous fuel sellers or it might have just been a honest error although you'd be amazed at the amount of fuel you get in the fuel filler pipe hahahahahaha.
Another Patrol friend does the same and he has gone to proprieters two maybe three times in 120000km so I guess the moral of the story is, if you can
check check, if you can't then what you don't know wont bite you too hard too often.Laterally Literal
Seriously Cerebral
AnswerID:
38976
Reply By: Truckster (Vic) - Sunday, Nov 30, 2003 at 21:53
Sunday, Nov 30, 2003 at 21:53
I wonder why people are suprised about being shafted these days.
Look at Diesel, they cut it that much at some no name servos that your car hardly runs!
Theres corruption in EVERYTHING..
AnswerID:
38986
Follow Up By: Member - Bradley- Tuesday, Dec 02, 2003 at 10:42
Tuesday, Dec 02, 2003 at 10:42
Hey Buddy , do you remember a little while ago that a fuel distributor in country vic was fined tens of millions for tax evasion.
Well APS was the crowd involved and they had been 'blending down' their diesel with heating oil and other goodies to avoid the exise payments !! These guys supply half of country vic - trucking firms , farmers etc.. so the rort was huge. The Govt came down hard on them when they denied the govt some tax dollars, But the govt didn't give a bleep e about the dodgy crapola fuel everybody had been sold ... no surprise there i suppose :-((Moo... everyone knows what a Jackaroo looks like :-)
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Truckster (Vic) - Tuesday, Dec 02, 2003 at 20:31
Tuesday, Dec 02, 2003 at 20:31
Yup, I posted the original thing on it here.
$53million ... And they are still in business... shows you how much fuel must be worth..
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Jason (macca) - Sunday, Nov 30, 2003 at 22:21
Sunday, Nov 30, 2003 at 22:21
My mate owns a servo up on the Central Coast of NSW, He was telling me that he gets random visits from some mob who
test his pumps for accuracy. If there out, he gets one thumping great big fine.
He said he gets tested atleast monthly and there suprise visits, no prior warning. He also gets tested for ethonal and other crap.
AnswerID:
38991
Reply By: Member - Des Lexik(SA) - Sunday, Nov 30, 2003 at 22:32
Sunday, Nov 30, 2003 at 22:32
The problem with consumer affairs is that they are undermanned like most govt depts. In SA there is one person responsible for weights and measures in all of country SA and he hopes to
check each set of scales and servos etc once a year. cosidering all the shops etc he has buckly's
. If you have a container of known quantity, fill it up at the pump and see the differences that can happen from bowser to bowser.ne cede malis
AnswerID:
38996
Reply By: Time - Monday, Dec 01, 2003 at 12:50
Monday, Dec 01, 2003 at 12:50
I carry a 20l Gerry can, only 65l in the Hilux tank, and fill the Gerry first. Never put more than 20.5l (by the pump) in it, normally fills at 19.8 to dead on 20l. Guess I have been lucky so far.
Cheers
Buggerlux
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Reply By: Patrol22 (Queanbeyan - Monday, Dec 01, 2003 at 13:19
Monday, Dec 01, 2003 at 13:19
Like a couple of the previous posts I too always fill the sub tank in the patrol first. Never been able to get more than 29.7ltrs in it (from the bowser readout) and that includes "all that extra space in the filler neck". I usually fill at the local Woolies pumps but when on the road I take pot luck. Either I've been lucky or there are some scrupulous servos out there - I like to think the latter is the case.
Cheers
Pete
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Moose - Monday, Dec 01, 2003 at 14:50
Monday, Dec 01, 2003 at 14:50
When you have two tanks and they fill from the same inlet with a split down the pipe controlled by a butterfly valve there is often a leakage from one to the other. On my 80 series I regularly put over 100 litres into my main (95 litre) tank. I know it just goes into the auxillary tank - guage tells me so. I assume the Prado is the same - one filler hole only. I very much doubt that Woolies would have incorrect pumps. Same goes for all the other name retailers. Too much at stake for them and as others have said they are regularly checked.
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