Why you shouldn’t throw away gas station receipts: when you might need them

Every time we visit a gas station, we should not forget to take a receipt, which we may need if we become a victim of fraud.

The phenomenon of fuel fraud has become uncontrollable, which has caused the vigilance of the competent regulatory authorities, who are making persistent efforts to protect consumers from scammers and punish those who enrich themselves at the expense of unsuspecting citizens.

The results of the work of the chemical service of the Main Directorate of Chemistry (GCH), which for three years 2020-2022. analyzed 8,820 fuel samples, finding 276 irregularly adulterated ones, indicating an escalation in the phenomenon of fuel adulteration.

Believed to be adulterated fuel is any type of it that has been mixed with another type of fuel, various chemical compounds or even water in order to increase profit per liter.

One of the most common and dangerous types of falsification is toluenewhich also has catastrophic consequences for a car engine, as it is corrosive and degrades all engine elastomers such as seals, flanges, pipes, etc. The damage that can be caused to an engine can be catastrophic, with the financial burden on the victim running into hundreds of euros.

What to do if you put counterfeit fuel in your car tank
The truth is that drivers have few “weapons” at their disposal other than to report their suspicions or events (named or anonymous), by calling 1520 General Secretariat of Consumers or 1517 Σ.Δ.Ο.Ε.

The above authorities will inform the competent authorities for the purpose of control. It is noted that in the case of an anonymous complaint, the applicant will not be informed about the results of the inspection, but if he provided his data, he will receive information.

Receipt (check) at a gas station
Be that as it may, each consumer, when paying for fuel, you should keep the receipt, where particularly useful information is written, such as the date, type of fuel and the number of liters entering the tank. Thus, if it is proven that the gas station sold counterfeit fuelthis evidence may be especially useful in bringing a claim against the gas station owner. It is worth noting that evidence (check) can be considered as a life-saving tool and in the event that we believe that the displacement was inaccurate (fuel was stolen).

Of course, a deviation of 5 liters (55 liters of fuel in a 50 liter tank) may be normal, since the filler tube/tank neck can hold up to 5 liters in some cases. However, if the deviation is large – for example, filling 60 liters into a 45 liter tank – then perhaps we have fallen victim to a cunning gas station owner. And only a receipt from a gas station is one of the only weapons that you can use and defend your rights.

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