In February, Union Minister Dharmedra Pradhan shared that Delhi ranked third among states for petrol pump frauds. Delhi reported 785 cases of short fueling at petrol pumps between April 2014 and December 2017. It was only behind Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh with 1560 and 913 cases, respectively, And thats not the actual figure because most cases go unreported. A little bit of awareness can save you from petrol pumps frauds:
1. Doubt the quality of oil ? Ask for this paper
There can be various reasons that can raise a doubt in your mind about the quality of petrol being filled in your car. Issues like lower mileage or engine problems are generally blamed for bad quality of petrol. As per the Consumer Protection Act,1986, each petrol pump should stock filter papers and supply them to the to the customers when demanded. By using such a filter paper, you can easily check petrol quality to know whether it is adulterated or not .
Put a few drop of petrol on the paper, if the petrol is pure, it will evaporate without leaving any stain. However, if the petrol is adulterated, it will leave some stains on the paper.
2.The start-stop and other short fueling trick
Short-fueling is the most common fraud and there are various trick customers can fall prey to it.
Watch out for the start-stop trick. This a very common trick. For instance, if you have asked for fuel worth Rs 1500, the attendant at the petrol pump will refuel you vehicle for a lesser amount and stop at say Rs 500. After you point out his mistake and ask for petrol worth Rs 1000 more he pretends to reset the machine but won't do it . While your attention is diverted, he'll just resume from Rs 500 and again stop at Rs 1000. In the end, you've got fuel worth Rs1000 for Rs 1500.
So,if you don't want to fall for the start-stop trick, you must ensure zero on the machine before delivery. There are other good reason for ensuring zero on the machine. For instances, if you want to get your car refueled for Rs 2000, and before you turn, a bike was filled up for fuel worth Rs 300, the attendant might resume from Rs 300. These major theft can be easily detected by monitoring your car's mileage. All you need to do is be careful and attentive while getting your vehicle re-fueled.
3. Know the five-litre quality test
There have been reports of certain petrol pumps using dispensing tricks to short-fuel the vehicle by 100-150 ml. This includes tampering with the dispensing nozzle and machine. While it's difficult to identify such petty theft for a lower quantity of fuel, if it is done consistently, you may feel suspicious. Ask for he five-litre quality test. All petrol pumps have five-litre measure which is certified by Weights and Measure Department. Anyone can ask for this measure and can personally fill it.If the five litres petrol delivered by machine is filling up the measure fully, the petrol pump is not short-fueling your vehicle. However if the measure is not filled up fully, it means the petrol pump is not giving right quantity to customers and cheating them. This check can be done at all machine.
4. Other precautions
Correct price: Always check the selling price of products which the dealer is required to display prominently at the outlet. The dealer is not allowed to overcharge for the product sold.One must tally the price charged by the dealer with the displayed price. Always ask, and insist if required for, cash memo for every purchase.
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