An aggrieved Kimberley motorist complained of unfair treatment and intimidation after a well-known Postmasburg garage drained petrol from her tank after the petrol attendant filled up her tank with R800 worth of fuel instead of R300.
AN AGGRIEVED Kimberley motorist complained of unfair treatment and intimidation after a well-known Postmasburg garage drained petrol from her tank after the petrol attendant filled up her tank with R800 worth of fuel instead of R300.
She said she told the attendant to “fill up the petrol with R300”.
The motorist, who said she did not have R800, felt bullied after the garage gave her a choice of either paying for the petrol, sucking it out or having her name tainted through posting her picture as a criminal.
She also refused the offer to make arrangements to pay the money at a later stage.
She started getting concerned after calling her car dealership and telling them about the incident. They told her that it was not allowed and it was against the law.
She said she felt belittled and frustrated when staff members at the garage were standing a distance from her, laughing at her.
The owner of the garage said she was aware of the incident and said the manager on duty handled the incident in a professional manner and followed the normal procedure.
According to the garage, they were supposed to suck out 21 litres but they instead sucked out 20 litres into an empty container.
The owner said she regretted the incident, including the fact that the motorist was not prepared to meet the garage halfway in making payment arrangements.
She said the sucking of the petrol was a standard procedure to them and that they usually call out one of their technicians, who is an independent service provider, to do so.
According to the owner, they have never experienced any incidents or complaints of damages caused to vehicles’ petrol tanks or computer boxes before.
She said they addressed the matter with all the petrol attendants and polished their customer care skills after the incident to avoid a repeat case in the future.
“The petrol attendant said he only heard the words ‘fill up’. But we learn through every mistake or challenge that we come across and always find a better way to address it in an effort of keeping our valued customers happy and comfortable,” the owner said.
“I am even prepared to apologise to the motorist personally if the opportunity allows because the incident was handled by the manager. There were no trust issues between us. We knew that she would return to pay.”
The incident was met with mixed reactions as many motorists felt it unfair for the motorist to be expected to pay for someone else’s mistake.
They pointed out that the garage was supposed to deal with the petrol attendant instead of harassing a customer.
Some questioned the “experts” involved in the sucking of the petrol and asked whether the garage would be prepared to pay if there were any damages caused by the hose to the petrol tank.
They insisted that the car was supposed to be referred to the relevant car dealership, instead of being tampered with.
Other motorists felt it was selfish of the motorist to expect a petrol attendant to pay for the fuel in her car due to an honest mistake.
One driver said this should serve as an awareness to motorists to make sure that there is no misunderstanding between themselves and the petrol attendants when they fill up.
