The Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers-Ghana (COPEC GH) has cautioned fuel stations to desist from short-changing consumers in the discharge of their duties.

Duncan Amoah said the situation where less fuel is dispensed to consumers other than the one they pay for undermines the credibility of petroleum companies.

Speaking to Gifty Andoh Appiah on The Pulse on the JOYNEWS channel on MultiTV Tuesday, he said the days of short-changing consumers are over, encouraging car users to be more vigilant with what is put in their tanks.

His comments follow the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA)’s promise to be tough on Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) that sell less below approved volumes to unsuspecting consumers.

The Authority has levelled sanctions on 10 OMCs found to have cheated consumers in the last six months.

Each of the companies was fined ¢5000 for discrepancies in the volumes delivered to consumers.  

Executive Director of GSA, Professor Alexander Dodoo told Joy News’ Ohemeng Tawiah that the move is to strengthen the sanction regimes of the Authority.

He said consumers have the right to complain because they pay for their services, adding it was from such complaints that they set up investigations into the sanctioned OMCs.

“A pump is a machine, it can give more or too little, we think it is a crime for the machine to read way below the expected volume paid for. Consumers may not know this but they have the right to call our offices,” he said.   

Adding his voice to the new development, Mr Amoah said the machine has been programmed and will read what it is said to read not necessarily what the attendant is pumping into their vehicles.

“If a consumer suspects the station of cheating them, they should immediately call for the measuring can to be able to measure what they are buying.

“If the station is not forthcoming, then they should move straight to report at COPEC, NPA or the Ghana Standards Board,” he said.

He said once the above authorities get involved, the stations will be investigated and brought to book if they are found guilty.

The GSA said in the future it will name and shame such OMCs which are engaged in short-changing consumers but first it wants consumers to report such developments.

“Consumers must feel comfortable that they give what they paid for and it is wrong for them to pay and not get the service paid for and the OMCs must be responsible,” he added.