Fuel rip-off

MIRI: A petrol station here is believed to have tampered with its fuel dispensers, shortchanging customers and making millions of ringgit in the process.

The Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism (MDTCC) Miri Branch enforcement team had seized the 24-hour outlet following a raid yesterday that discovered pumps for diesel, RON95 and RON97 had been tampered with.

Tests carried out by the officers found that the dispensers only pumped out 860ml of fuel when their meter reading said one litre.

Long arm of the law: Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism (MDTCC) enforcement team checking a cannister to measure fuel pumped out from one of the fuel dispensers.

“The fuel dispensers were in negative of 140ml, meaning for every litre of fuel purchased, only 860ml was filled into a vehicle tank whereas the consumer is paying the price of one litre of fuel,” MDTCC Miri branch head Zakaria Awang told The Star yesterday.

The Star, following a tip-off, rushed to the petrol station at midday yesterday and found six enforcement officers in the midst of checking the fuel containers taken out from the dispensers.

According to the enforcement team leader, who declined to be named, the rogue petrol station was the second one they were checking in the operation that began last night.

He said tampering had indeed been done to the dispensers which were pumping 140ml less fuel for every reading of one litre.

The fuel look like RON92 (red colour)

“We will definitely take legal action against the petrol station owner. His unscrupulous act had cheated consumers who are not only Mirians but visitors like those coming from Brunei,” Zakaria said.

According to him, millions of ringgit may have been made from innocent consumers who thought they were paying for a litre of fuel but got only 860ml in their vehicle tank.

Zakaria went into details saying: “The station’s customers were paying RM1.90 for every litre of RON95, but because the petrol discharged into the fuel tank is less by 140ml for every litre, the station owner had been making 27 sen for every reading of one litre.”

He said it remained to be seen how long this had been going on, and did not discount that the station may have been ripping millions of ringgit out of consumers.

“We are in the midst of our investigation, and in the meantime, the petrol station has been ordered to cease operation until further notice,” he said.

Asked if the station owner would be charged under the Price Control and Profiteering Act 2011 which carries a fine of up to RM100,000 and the maximum three years’ jail, Zakaria said: “Not decided yet, but definitely we will take legal action.”

According to Zakaria, the city has 19 petrol stations, while Bekenu and Batu Niah combined have a total of six petrol stations.

The petrol station raided yesterday has been in operation for about three years.

Zakaria said his department had been conducting collaborative annual spot checks with all the petrol stations but yesterday’s was their first conducted at random and unnannounced.

Source