On my way from Alausa towards the island this evening around 5:45, I suddenly remembered my 25 litre keg in the car boot is yet unfilled.

With the uncertainty regarding PHCN and its unbundled successors, I had no wish to battle mosquitoes and heat tonight and quickly made a detour at the Conoil (that's when I should've taken the hint, Con oil, as in Con Air, for those who've watched the film featuring Nicholas Cage).

I asked the salesgirl at the service station located opposite that The Apostolic Church Basilica at Olorunda, Ketu shortly before you get to Alapere, to fill the keg but to ensure that it doesn't get to the brim, fully believing that a 25 litre keg would get filled with 25 litre of premium motor spirit (PMS).

You can imagine my shock thus when the metre read 26 litre @ 2,522:00 and still reading without the fuel anywhere nearing the top of the keg!

I didn't know when I yelled at the girl to stop pumping the fuel. It's a horrible experience. The girl didn't bat an eyelid. I told her that I'm not paying more than 2,425:00 which is the normal price for a 25 litre keg @ the abnormal price of 97 naira per liter. See drama!

To cut the story short, different theories were propounded; how kegs expand (this is a new keg), how this how that. All lies.

It's crazy. We're being robbed blind everywhere. As long as the regulators are sleeping, incompetent, compromised, inept, criminally complicit, the consumers would always be ripped off.

Until there's fuel shortage before you see the DPR or one funny department in the Ministry of Commerce, Weights & Measure I think, coming out to catch erring dealers. Despite the fact that what we buy isn't the actual litre, there's always an adjustment for 'operational loss' premised on the fact that fuel evaporates and it won't be fair for marketers to bear that loss, so they are allowed to slightly adjust the metre. Yet, some or most of these marketers are just too greedy, they connive with the pump mechanics to further adjust the meters.

That's what happened to me today.

Most responsible oil marketing companies have teams who periodically monitor the pumps of their dealers but even these teams are susceptible to corruption by the dealers/managers/supervisors manning the sales outlets.

Some have even perfected the art that out of the 4, 6, 8 pumps working at any given time in a service station, 2 would have been outrightly compromised! And these are constantly changed so as to defeat the smart buyer.

The way to know which stations are faithful with their pumps? Look out for stations constantly patronised by Okada riders!

Did you try it at a different petrol station? I have a bunch of 10 liter kegs and they can take much more than 10 liters.

Seun: Did you try it at a different petrol station? I have a bunch of 10 liter kegs and they can take much more than 10 liters.

@Seun, Honestly, I've bought fuel with the same keg from a Total service station & that's where my advice to the girl initially to make sure that it doesn't get overflowing. The Total experience made me felt that it won't even reach 25 litres.

Are you suggesting our service stations are straight & upright? Or it's when there's scarcity that they move into the thieving mode

the only tru gas station here in 9ja is NNPC, as for others, I don't trust them, my uncle buys fuel in drums n sends them to penisula cuz of his customers from Camaroon, I remembered the first time he sent me to buy a drum for him, I went to the same station were he buy fuel n d diff btw his own reading n the new readings they gave to me was alarming, I call my uncle n told him wat happen, all he did was call the manager, they apologized n took me to another knozle were the refiled my drum I was suprise. Wen i went home my uncle told me that the first knozle is for okada rider n it has been adjusted, all I did was shout JEEZ!

Most plastic kegs can expand by upto 20%. You actually were not cheated. is that the 1st time you were using the keg?
As the kegs age,they expand.

getting shafted left and right!! Damn!

mojeer678: On my way from Alausa towards the island this evening around 5:45, I suddenly remembered my 25 litre keg in the car boot is yet unfilled.

With the uncertainty regarding PHCN and its unbundled successors, I had no wish to battle mosquitoes and heat tonight and quickly made a detour at the Conoil (that's when I should've taken the hint, Con oil, as in Con Air, for those who've watched the film featuring Nicholas Cage).

I asked the salesgirl at the service station located opposite that The Apostolic Church Basilica at Olorunda, Ketu shortly before you get to Alapere, to fill the keg but to ensure that it doesn't get to the brim, fully believing that a 25 litre keg would get filled with 25 litre of premium motor spirit (PMS).

You can imagine my shock thus when the metre read 26 litre @ 2,522:00 and still reading without the fuel anywhere nearing the top of the keg!

I didn't know when I yelled at the girl to stop pumping the fuel. It's a horrible experience. The girl didn't bat an eyelid. I told her that I'm not paying more than 2,425:00 which is the normal price for a 25 litre keg @ the abnormal price of 97 naira per liter. See drama!

To cut the story short, different theories were propounded; how kegs expand (this is a new keg), how this how that. All lies.

It's crazy. We're being robbed blind everywhere. As long as the regulators are sleeping, incompetent, compromised, inept, criminally complicit, the consumers would always be ripped off.

Until there's fuel shortage before you see the DPR or one funny department in the Ministry of Commerce, Weights & Measure I think, coming out to catch erring dealers. Despite the fact that what we buy isn't the actual litre, there's always an adjustment for 'operational loss' premised on the fact that fuel evaporates and it won't be fair for marketers to bear that loss, so they are allowed to slightly adjust the metre. Yet, some or most of these marketers are just too greedy, they connive with the pump mechanics to further adjust the meters.

That's what happened to me today.

Most responsible oil marketing companies have teams who periodically monitor the pumps of their dealers but even these teams are susceptible to corruption by the dealers/managers/supervisors manning the sales outlets.

Some have even perfected the art that out of the 4, 6, 8 pumps working at any given time in a service station, 2 would have been outrightly compromised! And these are constantly changed so as to defeat the smart buyer.

The way to know which stations are faithful with their pumps? Look out for stations constantly patronised by Okada riders!

You just caused a scene over nothing. When a 25-litre keg is old, it expands to 26 litres. As someone who started selling kerosene in cans in 1987, I should know better about this.

Your discovery is just the tip of the ice berg.....the petroleum sector in Nigeria is the most rotten and corrupt sector in the country......try NNPC...you can be sure of better value for your money compared to other pms stations.

JUNE12: Most plastic kegs can expand by upto 20%. You actually were not cheated. is that the 1st time you were using the keg?
As the kegs age,they expand.

My thoughts exactly. The plastic keg does expand over time.

dominique:

My thoughts exactly. The plastic keg does expand over time.

That doesn't mean they don't cheat, some of those 25 litre cans can take up to 30 litres to fill up, even brand new ones.

In my area its so anoyin , dey colet 100 Naira per keg, each time I buy 25lit for my generator I am beein short change, d sales guy told me dier management 4rm apapa told dem to always colet 100 naira on any keg dey sell n yet d lit init s nt always complete, I ve reported dis isue to d police close by n dey seem helples just cuse d station union dier tip dem, wat a country I fifnd my self

stagger:

You just caused a scene over nothing. When a 25-litre keg is old, it expands to 26 litres. As someone who started selling kerosene in cans in 1987, I should know better about this.

To cut the story short, different theories were propounded; how kegs expand [font=Lucida Sans Unicode][/font][b][/b](this is a new keg), how this how that. All lies.

Pls, see highlighted portion above; the keg is new. Btw, having started selling kerosene since 1987, you should be into selling crude oil by now!

So all those petrol stations shutdown or fined by the ministries in the past were innocent because according to some kegs can expand by as much as 50%

Nigerians getting shafted since 1960 with technical excuse

and still reading without the fuel anywhere nearing the top of the keg!

mojeer678:

To cut the story short Pls, see highlighted portion above; the keg is new. Btw, having started selling kerosene since 1987, you should be into selling crude oil by now!

Lol no @stagger sells Diamond Oil naw , abeg no make me laff break my head oo

This guy must be a learner, I normally keep a 25 litre Texaco Oil can in my booth. It has expanded and now takes 29litre to fill.

If I go to a new filling station, I fill that can first before putiing any of their fuel in my car.

There was once I went to I went to a filling station along Eleme road in PH. It took 47 litres to fill the 25 litre can. No worries, I simply told the attendant to call his manager. I gave them two options, collect money for 29 litres that normally fills the can or I call DPR and continue making a scene until DPR arrives.

They took the 1st option, I paid for 29 litres and left with the fuel. Being robbed at the filling station in Nigeria is something that will certainly happen to you someday, no matter what.

Their robbing schemes are so many, it is difficult to beat them all. Most Total Filling stations in PH and Warri go on special training on how to fleece their customers, you can't beat them, so I avoid total.

ogb5: This guy must be a learner, I normally keep a 25 litre Texaco Oil can in my booth. It has expanded and now takes 29litre to fill.

If I go to a new filling station, I fill that can first before putiing any of their fuel in my car.

There was once I went to I went to a filling station along Eleme road in PH. It took 47 litres to fill the 25 litre can. No worries, I simply told the attendant to call his manager. I gave them two options, collect money for 29 litres that normally fills the can or I call DPR and continue making a scene until DPR arrives.

They took the 1st option, I paid for 29 litres and left with the fuel. Being robbed at the filling station in Nigeria is something that will certainly happen to you someday, no matter what.

Their robbing schemes are so many, it is difficult to beat them all. Most Total Filling stations in PH and Warri go on special training on how to fleece their customers, you can't beat them, so I avoid total.

YeeeZuz!!!!

Conoil is notorious for that. I have been scammed at three different stations of theirs! The one at Ikeja under bridge is pathetic. I have since stopped buying petrol from any Conoil.

Op I was waiting for the part where the robber pointed a gun on your head.I didn't even know when I finished reading.Hmm.

Kirinwa: Op I was waiting for the part where the robber pointed a gun on your head.I didn't even know when I finished reading.Hmm.

Robbery by any guise is still robbery. Whether with locally-made pistols, assault rifles, pen or nozzles, na the same thing my brother.