Ok. But the boss had no right to slap d person who sold d fuelled the car. . If it ws anoda country he would will be sued for millions Tunjasko: Mrs. Bisola Ayeni, a businesswoman in her early
40s confidently left her house at Egbeda (Lagos).
with an almost empty tank heading for Ikeja. The
red light of the fuel indicator was blinking nonstop
but Ayeni knew the quantity of fuel in her tank
would take her to the next available filling station
where she had hoped to fill up her tank.
Indeed, as she got to the Lagos-Abeokuta
Expressway, Ayeni drove into the filling station and
told the attendant to fill her car with N5,000 worth of
fuel while she rummaged her handbag to bring out
the money as well as pick a call. That was her
undoing.
Ayeni would tell our correspondent that she didn’t
bother to look at the pump while the sale was on
because she didn’t envisage any foul act, besides
she knew the level a N5,000 worth of fuel would
rise to on her fuel gauge. Ayeni only managed a
quick glance at the meter and when she saw that it
was reading, she relaxed and enjoyed her
discussion on the phone.
She said, “When I finished, I looked at the pump and
I saw N5,000 on the price column, I paid him and
drove away. I expected the light indicating low fuel
to go off and the indicator to rise, but it didn’t
happen.
“Even if the rise in the fuel indicator would be
gradual, I expected a major shift. Lo and behold, the
light never went off and the indicator never rose.
“Oh my God, I was confused and very angry, so I
turned back, while praying that the car wouldn’t run
out of fuel. By the time I got to the petrol station, I
was fuming.”
Ayeni said she had almost slapped the attendant
who attended to her having shouted on him when
the station manager came out.
“On hearing what happened, the manager gave the
sales boy a resounding slap, apologised to me and
ordered him to sell the fuel again, and I heard him
saying the N5,000 would be deducted from his
salary. We both stood by him while he sold the fuel,
the gauge rose even before I left the station, which
means he cheated me earlier. I still wouldn’t know
how he did it,” she said.
Ayeni’s experience is common among vehicle
owners, who had at one time or the other thought
they had bought fuel but later found out they either
bought nothing or were short-changed in terms of
the quantity. A cross section of vehicle owners who
spoke to our correspondent alleged that they had
noticed same at one time or the other but said that
there was nothing they could do since they really
could not establish any foul play.
In case you once bought fuel from a filling station
and it seemed like nothing was added to your fuel
tank after you have left, or you felt what was sold to
you wasn’t commensurate with what you paid for or
expected, you may have been cheated under your
close watch even with your eyes wide open.
Saturday PUNCH had a revealing chat with fuel
attendants of some popular filling stations in Lagos
and they explained how they make quick but huge
cash from unsuspecting customers.
One of them who identified himself simply as
Owolabi John, said there are many ways fuel
attendants cheat customers who have come to buy
fuel, which many people are not aware of.
Devouring a massive plate of hot and spicy pepper
soup and a bottle of chilled beer our correspondent
bought for him, John readily exposed all the tricks
on how they make money.
By the way, John earns N10,000 as a fuel
attendant. He wants to pursue a university
education. There is no other help from anywhere
else, as such John admitted leaving no stone
unturned to take advantage of gullible customers to
make some money from what he described as “the
customers’ carelessness.”
“Ideally, when we resume, we take the reading on
the meter on the fuel dispenser, which we call the
opening meter, and when we close, we take the
reading, which we also call the closing meter. Then,
we multiply the difference in the readings by the
cost per litre, which is the amount we deliver to the
manager. If there is any surplus, it belongs to the
attendant, and if there is loss, the attendant will
look for money to make it up. If the shortage is a lot
of money, the manager may allow that the money
be deducted from the person’s salary if the person
is not sacked,” he explained.
However, that surplus money may not have been a
miracle or manna from heaven; it could simply be a
product of manipulation by the attendants.
According to John, there are different types of fuel
dispensers, such as Marathon, Sanki, Eagle Star,
etc, and each machine has its peculiar way of being
adjusted. “On the keyboard of some of them, where
we enter the number of litres or amount, which is
either in front or on the side, there is usually a
button labelled ‘Recall, TIM/CAL’ or any other label,
depending on the machine. The essence of the
button is to enable the attendant to see the past
sales. If you want to see your last ten sales, you
just press Recall, then the number you want to see
etc, depending on the number you want, and it
shows you the amount. Beyond seeing our past
sales, we use it to make money.
“If I sell N2,000 worth of fuel to a customer, and the
next customer also wants to buy N2,000. If I
observe that the second customer Isn’t paying
attention, I will sell some quantity, maybe N1,500
and press Stop or Cancel, depending on the
machine press Recall, 1, then press Ok. With that,
N2,000 will appear on the screen and that is what
the customer will see on the meter, believing the
sale is complete. This can be done in less than one
second. That is one of the ways, and at the close of
business I remove mine which is the excess of the
actual litre sales.
“Imagine if I do that for about ten customers in a
day, with varying gain from each case, which
depends largely on the amount of fuel the customer
is buying and how sensitive the person is. I could
make up to N10, 000 in one day,” he explained.
According to him, attendants could go to the extent
of writing out some past sales on a paper where
they can easily have a glance to know which
number to recall when a customer is distracted or
looks away, since many people prefer to buy based
on price and not litre.
“When customers come, we observe them and see
if they are tired or we try to distract them,
sometimes with the help of our colleagues by
engaging them in a chat or doing things that could
easily distract them. As soon as they look away, if
the seller has made an appreciable sale, he/she
would have mastered or checked his paper to see
the last time he sold that particular amount, as soon
as it is possible, he will press it, and press OK.
Before the customer looks back, the sale will
appear complete,” John explained.
John’s revelation explained one of the ways Ayeni
might have been cheated. Another fuel attendant,
who simply identified himself as Owode Kabir, told
our correspondent that the use of Recall or TIM
button is the easiest way to make quick money
because the customers would think the machine
was fast, so they wouldn’t always suspect anything,
even though some come back to complain.
However, Kabir stressed that not all attendants are
involved in the act, but that many of them do it as
long as there is opportunity and that in some cases,
they settle the station manager at the close of work
if they are able to make some money, which they do
everyday anyway.
But ‘Recall or TIM/CAL’ button is not the only way to
make money from customers, Kabir would tell our
correspondent. There is yet another way!
Even though many people know that when the
nozzle is hanged on the pump, the readings revert
to zero, he said they (fuel attendants) have also
found a way to manoeuvre it to make some money.
“What we do is to gently place the nozzle, such that
it won’t click to rub off the old sales and revert to
zero, so, we fake it, which means the dispenser is
still running, so if anyone comes, we simply
continue from where we stop and that is why
sometimes it seems like we are rushing the
customers. It is easier when the last sale is a small
quantity.
“Even though the use of the Recall or TIM/CAL’
button on some of these machines is the easiest
method, faking the nozzle is another viable way to
make money.
“If the previous sale is about N200 maybe by a
Keke NAPEP and Okada rider , or even commercial
buses (danfo ) drivers, because they are the ones
who buy fuel in bits, we will gently place the nozzle,
and naturally, when you see that we remove the
nozzle from the hanger, that is, from the engine,
you believe that it started from zero. However, it is
not always the case,” he said.
Kabir was quick to add that some station managers
or managements know about their tricks but that
once they are caught or reported by a customer,
such person could be sacked. He added that
attendants usually sell in all cases but such sales
might not start from zero or could be recalled to a
previous sale that had the same amount, which
would be an incomplete sale for the customer.
“Sometimes we could gain up to N1,000 from one
sale, it depends on the quantity that the consumer
wants, and those that are caught are usually the
greedy ones,” he noted.
He added that in filling stations where their
dispensers do not have Recall or TIM/CAL only the
last sale could be recalled, hence, once the last sale
is not the same with the current sale, faking the
hanging of the nozzle might be the only way to
make money through such pump.
Station owners and managers also dupe customers
A female attendant with a major oil marketer
company in Lagos Island, Seun Jegede, told our
correspondent how station managers and filling
station owners also cheat their customers.
She alleged that most filling stations alter their
meters to under-dispense fuel at the detriment of
customers, which is a known phenomenon among
consumers. Even though this could be a product of
greed and inadequate regulation, she said they also
do that to make up for some loss they might have
incurred during sales.
“Based on experience, I can tell you that almost all
filling stations, including the ones being run by
government, adjust their meters and what they do is
to settle the officials from the Department of
Petroleum Resources if or when they come for
inspection.
“No attendant can alter the meter on his own,
except the manager sanctions it because it involves
the engineer changing the panel and doing some
mechanical readjustment. That is why many filling
stations that alter their meters have to bribe their
way through because the engineers are not always
there, except the manager recommends a trusted
attendant to be trained so as to put the pumps back
to normal if DPR comes.
“The adjustment is easier with the marathon
machine because it has a key in front of the meter.
This allows for quick readjustment of the meter so
as to scale through the due diligence check by the
DPR, which could be once in six months,” Jegede
explained.
She added that the decision to alter the meter could
either come from the owner of the station or the
station manager in connivance with the engineer,
adding that whoever orders the adjustment takes
the money made from the unsold quantity.
Station attendants also cheat their employers
According to John, not only customers are open to
this fraud, even the management that the
attendants work for are not immune to their
fraudulent acts, through what he called ‘no reading’.
In this case only the price meter reads while the
litre reading does not move. He said this could be a
product of frequent repairs of the pump or any other
mechanical fault, which could make it malfunction.
“When there is ‘no reading’ on the litre menu, and
the management is not aware, there is no way the
management will know the actual number of litres
that have been sold.
“What we do in such cases is to sell on the basis of
amount only and we sometimes negotiate with the
customer for settlement because we can sell more
to make money. I can even call someone from
home to come and buy and keep for me, before the
management finds out that the litre is not reading.
“Even though the ‘no reading’ issue rarely happens,
it becomes a free for all if it happens to the diesel or
kerosene pump that usually has no attendant
attached to it. With that, tracing who sells what
quantity may be difficult, even though an attendant
must be smart to avoid being penalised.
“Another form of ‘no reading’ is when some
attendants, especially those attached to diesel or
kerosene that have lesser patronage compared to
petrol, gently press the nozzle (just like a one-
touch press) that may not read on the meter
whereas some fuel will still come out. It can also
happen when they finish selling and instead of
hanging the nozzle, they place it inside the keg for
the little quantity to drip into their kegs. It may
appear little, but over a long time, the gentle one-
touch press and the leftovers become a large
quantity. That is why you see some attendants
having kegs beside them,” John explained.
The attendants further explained that they make
more money when there is epileptic power supply
which force people to buy fuel in kegs. “When there
is no power supply and people struggle or force
your nozzle in their kegs, many of them don’t care
about starting from zero, which is a plus for us,” he
said.
They however said station attendants find it difficult
to cheat if the customer comes out of the vehicle to
stay with them, adding that those who sit in their
vehicles can easily be distracted or shortchanged.
A Director in DPR, Mr. George Osahon, had strongly
advised in a television programme recently that it
was better for vehicle owners to buy specific
amount of fuel rather than using number of litres as
a yardstick.
“When you go to a modern filling station and you
ask for N5,000 worth of fuel, they simply punch a
pad and when it’s complete it stops by itself, and it
is better to stand by the seller or keep a close
watch from your car if you choose to sit in the car.
“The reason the same worth of fuel would vary in
quantity at different filling stations is because some
under-dispense. Nobody will ever over-dispense,
people will either dispense normally or under-
dispense, so if you see such differential, it is very
necessary for you to call the attention of the DPR to
it,” he had said.
Osahon had also said people should stop using
statements like ‘fill-up the tank’ not minding how
much fuel was inside their tank or the quantity
coming into it, saying there is a lot of wastage in
that, which is not necessary.
However, while some filling station attendants who
spoke to our correspondent denied the fraud
allegations, a few others admitted that some
attendants do it and that it depends on the
circumstance and the type of pump, as pointed out
by John.
A cross section of station managers who spoke to
our correspondent also dissociated their filling
stations from those who cheat their customers,
adding that none of their staff would survive such an
attempt.
Mr. Adebola Durojaiye, who is a manager of a filling
station in Ikeja, said, “People say all filling stations
under-dispense but that is not true. One good way
to identify those who do it is that they don’t have
good patronage because whether we like it or not,
customers know the good and bad stations, so, the
generalisation is wrong.”
The Chairman of the Independent Petroleum
Marketers Association of Nigeria, Ejigbo Satellite,
Mr. Ajayi Adebayo, said recently that any member of
the association found indulging in sharp practices
would have his/her office sealed off alongside other
sanctions, while urging members to be transparent
and objective in their business transactions.
In a telephone conversation with our correspondent,
the Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers
Association of Nigeria, Mr. Obafemi Olawore, said
no member of the association could be involved in
under-dispensing or fiddling with the pump, adding
that anyone with proof of such malpractice against
any MOMAN member should feel free to contact the
association to complain.
“I am not aware that any MOMAN member engages
in under-dispensing. However, I cannot swear an
oath or beat my chest and say there is no such
thing by those that we contracted to run the
stations, that is, the dealers. I am not saying they
do it, but anyone with proof that it happens should
contact us and we will take immediate action,”
Olawore added.
DPR Spokesperson, Ms. Dorothy Bassey, said the
agency was doing its best to check the fraudulent
practices by some filling stations through its
random inspection, while describing the bribe
allegations against DPR officials as untrue.
“I am confirming to you that it is not true that
officials of DPR collect bribe, what kind of money
are they going to pay DPR staff? That is why we
shut down stations once we have any indication that
they carry out any malpractice.
“It happens but not as rampant as people make it
look because nobody is a fool or wants to be
cheated. That is why we do a lot of public
engagement for people to watch out.
“We may not be 100 per cent, but certainly, we are
working to ensure that everybody is happy. We
have operation offices nationwide where people can
go to complain,” Bassey said.
Meanwhile, a report culled from dailyfinance.com
says filling up the tank may be another way to lose
money and fuel, because when the pump clicks off
automatically, no additional fuel enters the tank.
“Instead, fuel is likely being diverted through the
pump’s vapour recovery system and back into the
station’s tank, which means you are paying for gas
that you are not getting.
“More importantly, the car needs space in its tank
for fuel vapours to expand. Overfilling can force gas
into the car’s carbon filter, leading to poor
performance, reduced mileage or costly repairs. So,
the next time you want to buy fuel, don’t top off
your tank, it’s good for your car and even better for
your wallet,” the report said.
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