The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers, Ghana (COPEC) has insisted that the reported cases of under-delivery at some fuel stations are not accidental; but a deliberate attempt by the fuel stations to shortchange consumers.
The Chamber made the assertion after touring some fuel stations that were named in a recent report of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) for under-delivering fuel.
The Ghana Standards Authority named 10 of such fuel stations after an unannounced visit to about 65 stations in the Greater Accra and Central Regions.
Subsequently, some of the affected stations debunked the report claiming that it wasn’t deliberate.
But speaking in an interview the Executive Secretary of COPEC, Duncan Amoah, called on petroleum consumers to be watchful.
“The law permits that you the consumer requests for the 10 litre [container] even before the purchase, not after you have bought the fuel. If you are not sure that what the station is going to deliver is up to the prescribed quantity, you request for the 10 litre. If the station tells you the 10 litre container is in the manager’s office which is not where it is supposed to be, drive away, don’t buy. If they bring the 10 litre [container], proceed and do a visual inspection to be sure that no stones have been hit to it to mangle or compress it,” he said.
Duncan Amoah in an earlier interview said while the actions of the cited fuel stations are disappointing, it does not come to him as a surprise.
He called for severe punishment for the erring stations to serve as a deterrent to other stations who may also be shortchanging customers.
“It is disappointing though but not shocking…We know that some fines had been applied but it looks like the fines have not been deterrent enough to stop these recalcitrant OMCs who decide to just adjust their pump to cheat consumers. So we are asking that the fines be made heavy and deterrent enough.”
The stations which were found to be under-delivering are the Shell station at the Motorway Extension; Total at McCarthyHill in Accra; GOIL at Mile 11; Frimps Oil at Tetegu junction; GOIL at Galilea; and Frimps Oil on Spintex Road.
The rest are Glory Oil on the Spintex Road; Allied Oil at Sakaman; Shell at Amanfrom West and Goodness Energy at Kasoa.
Two other companies, Galaxy Oil, Spintex Road and Agapet, Spintex Road were found to have broken the GSA seal without permission.
