Chei!!...........
Have you ever been cheated by fuel attendants at the petrol station? These guys are not relenting as they come up with new tricks every day and will do all it takes to swindle unsuspecting customers.
Recently, I stopped by a fuel station along the International Airport road to buy 5,000 Naira worth of fuel on my way to pick up a passenger who just arrived from abroad.
The attendant was friendly and smiled as he called my attention to the meter of the pump that he had erased the previous sale. I turned to look at my phone to quickly reply a message on WhatsApp and in less than 30 seconds, the attendant hung the pump. He walked up to me and said that there’s a power outage and they need to quickly switch over to the generator. He showed me the reading on the meter which was 776 naira.
Immediately, the guy reset the meter to zero and started selling. I had expected like a one or two minute break for the switch over to generator before he resumed selling.
I looked at the other pumps and noticed others didn’t have any break in-between as they continued selling. It was then it dawned on me that something fishy must have happened. I had no proof that he cheated me so I let it slide but I was not settled.
After the sale, I moved forward and parked the car close to the exit of the station thinking of the next thing to do. Because the place was busy, the attendant didn’t notice that I still lurked around the corner. I kept watching him from a distance till a similar thing happened again within 10 minutes.
An SUV had asked for 5,000 Naira worth of fuel and I noticed that he ‘paused’ the sale at 776 again. He sold the balance after resetting the meter and the guy paid and left. This could only mean that he pressed a memory button to recall a previous sale.
Immediately, I drove there and asked for additional 800 naira fuel. This time, I fixed my eyes on the meter. After the sale, I told him I understood the game he was playing and I would not pay a dime as he has been cheating customers all day. He tried to bring up flimsy excuses but I shut him up.
When I realized that the SUV had parked outside the fuel station and the person driving was on a call, I drove to him to tell him about what I had observed. I parked beside him and was calling his attention but he looked straight into my eyes derogatorily, ignoring me as if I wanted to beg him for money. Chai … Oko Ashawo don suffer.
Just then, my passenger called that he was on his way out with his luggage and I had to leave straight away.
I was glad I got my money back from that cheat. I felt so much better afterwards. Make person dey shine eyes for fuel station o. Those attendants have so many tricks.
*Is there no way that Naija furl stations can be made self serve?You fill your tank and walk in to pay?
Fuel station work is called WORKSHOP!
ReplyDeleteStella, that one you are saying cannot work oh bcos in this Naija that we are, if they introduce that method, fuel owners would have serious shortage.
Costumer would so manipulate the metres that it'll read below what actually entered.
Thing is to shine your eyes when you are at the station and there's no magic that can be done once your eyes are fixed there.
Na where person dey work he dey chop, hence it's called workchop🥴
DeleteThis thing happened to me here in ph. My car was showing red and the closest filling station is one that can play wayo well. Had no choice but to enter and told them to give me 3k,so it can take me to where i normally buy. Left the station,tank was still same place,did not move. Just to be certain drove to another filling station along the road leading to my destination and bought 1k5,gauge went up. Okay now,i quickly picked up what i wanted and drove straight back to the station. I brought the place down oh,manage came out and said he knows me well,apologised and the gave me my 3k fuel. Since then till date,i avoid that station.
DeleteIt's people like you that believed GSM cannot work in Nigeria.
Delete@17:42 how?
DeleteThese fuel attendants story many o.
ReplyDeleteThere was a time I was traveling and I told the attendant to give me a full tank. He was very polite and courteous and as usual, he called my attention to the meter that he has reset to zero.
I didn't suspect anything only for him to tell me he has finished selling and he showed me 1000 that was displayed on the meter.
I told him I said I wanted a full tank and he said he thought I wanted 1000 naira.
I ended up paying 8k, which about 7000 should have filled up from the point where the gauge was.
It was when I discussed this with a friend that I discovered it's one of their trucks. They pretend they didn't hear you said you wanted to fill up and recall a previous sale of 1k or 2k to you.
Those guys are evil. You must shine your eyes at all times
I always shine my eyes whenever I'm buying fuel o. These attendants can cheat eh
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteI doubt any driver in this our Country that hasn't encountered all these 'sharp' pump attendant, I doubt it!
Nice one Oko Ashewo, I detest all these sharp practices.
Na you wey shine eye dem dey cheat pass
DeleteWorked at a filling station 2013
Yes the attendants cheat but not all of them, I worked at a filling station years back, was very scared to cheat and even shivvera when someone next pump does it, but some customers will insult you and make it seems all attandants cheat,
DeleteThere was one day a guy in red car came that he wanted to buy 1000 fuel after serving him he asked I add #500 I did and he handed me #1000 claiming he never asked me to add , explained to him he refused and was shouting, our manager came out and told the man that I could never have lied cos he knows the type of person I was but oga refused and that's how I incurred 500# shortage, some good ones still exist and are pushed to limmits
I was den transfered to another branch, met two ladies that were pros they will giat laugh if u want press bress self u are free but will never complete your fuel for you,
Christy likes helping me to sell whenever she is on kero pump, so she could manover and get chips at the end of the day, that's the only way I had extral money
We supply black mkters in gallons there was a day one came and wanted to buy about 40 gallons or so,each gallon contiamed 28/29 littres and they pay 30 littres he inisted he wanted from my pump and that's how I made almost 3k that day, less I forget 2 different people went to beg supervisor to share out of the gallons .For them he refused, me I was like he would give them, I never knew the secret,ater closing for the day I balanced my account like 4 tomes not believing I could have that kind of excess, it was supervisor that explained to me that the reason they wanted part of the gallons
A lot happens at filling station
Some customers will deliberately not pay you and insist they already dis
Some wine give you fake notes
Some claim. They gave you 100#eanwhile they gave 500
Some okada will ask for fuel and refuse to pay ...Las Las wey go draw am commot for the bike
@Dimplex...
DeleteWow, that was explicit. I know we have unscrupulous people everywhere, which include both the attendants and the customers but we have the good ones.
I wonder why quite a lot of them have the tendency to cheat though. Could it be because the renumeration is poor? Could it be greed? Could it be that some other older persons who are corrupt influence the new workers?
Oh well, may we not fall victims. I have fallen a victim too many times. I think a very common practice is the memory recall button especially when the client is not watching. They try to gain your trust by letting you see the meter first when they've set it to zero then they recall the memory of a previous sale because certain customers buy some particular amounts especially like 1k, 2k, 3k, 4k and 5k.
Thanks Oko Ashawo for this particular write up. It is really insightful indeed