Nine companies caught short-measuring at the pump
With petrol prices the highest they’ve been all year, drivers have been slugged at the bowser once again, with nine companies busted for giving drivers less fuel for what they paid for.
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Petrol stations – including some in Victoria – have been busted ripping off drivers by giving them less fuel than they pay for.
Authorities have fined nine companies across Australia a total of $15,750 after they were caught short-measuring at the pump.
The National Measurement Institute is also considering recommending prosecution against a further four “severe and repeat offenders”, as well as fines for another three businesses.
The crackdown follows an inspection blitz that worryingly found almost one in 20 pumps tested were under-pouring.
NMI acting CEO Bill Loizides said: “While we accept that the great majority of fuel retailers are doing the right thing, the one in 20 pumps found during the audit to be under-pouring is an unacceptable level of non-compliance, especially when we provided plenty of warning that our inspectors would be on the lookout.
“Fuel retailers who don’t properly maintain their pumps to ensure they remain accurate at all times should be aware that we’ll be following up with another concentrated audit campaign in 2020, where they can expect a similar approach to any non-compliance identified.”
Six companies also received warning letters following the audit.
NMI inspectors in April visited 328 retail fuel sites nationwide and tested 1340 fuel pumps.
Just over seven per cent – 97 – of the tested pumps were found to be inaccurate outside the 0.3 per cent maximum permissible error allowed under trade measurement laws.
This included 65 pumps, or almost one in 20 of those tested, that were delivering less than indicated on the display.
The other 32 pumps over-poured, giving consumers more fuel for their money.
The NMI has not revealed the actual size of the inaccuracies.
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Privacy provisions prevent it from identifying companies flouting laws unless they are convicted in court.
Businesses short-changing consumers can receive infringement notices of $1050 per offence.
Those taken to court and convicted face maximum penalties of $210,000 per offence as a company, or $42,000 per offence for individuals.
The NMI conducted the blitz amid concerns about a doubling in the proportion of fuel pumps discovered to be inaccurate to the disadvantage of consumers in the two years to 2017-18.