Still filling after the tank is full? Gas stations have such tricks!
Compiled from The Paper
Case review
A 120-liter fuel tank, yet the gas pump at a gas station showed 161 liters of gasoline added? At the end of last year, a netizen posted a video online reporting a gas station in Huangdian Town, Yanting County, Sichuan Province, for serious metrology issues.
Subsequently, the Yanting County Market Supervision Bureau commissioned Sichuan Sijian Inspection and Testing Co., Ltd. to assess the metering accuracy of the fuel dispensers involved. Preliminary investigations revealed that the dispensers did not comply with the general technical requirements of Article 6 of JJG443-2015 "Verification Regulation of Fuel Dispensers for Motor Vehicles," and the verification result was deemed unqualified.
At the same time, law enforcement officers found that after the involved fuel dispensers were verified as qualified by the Yanting County Metrology Testing Institute on May 11, 2021, the party concerned hired a technician to install a computer background program for a fee of 1,000 yuan, thereby compromising their metering accuracy. This aligned with the appraisal opinion of Sichuan Sijian Inspection and Testing Co., Ltd., which stated that "the 0# diesel fuel dispenser used by Wang Cheng Gas Station in Huangdian Town, Yanting County, exhibited behavior of deliberately damaging the accuracy of the metering instrument."
Such actions constituted illegal acts of intentionally damaging the accuracy of metering instruments and using unqualified metering instruments. During the illegal period, a total of 46.45 tons of 0# diesel were purchased, 41.42 tons were sold through the involved fuel dispensers, with sales amounting to 300,300 yuan. The Yanting County Market Supervision Bureau ordered the party concerned to immediately rectify the illegal behavior and imposed administrative penalties, including confiscation of the involved fuel dispensers, confiscation of illegal gains of 300,300 yuan, and a fine of 2,000 yuan.
"Metrology Law of the People's Republic of China"
[2] Article 26
Using unqualified metering instruments or damaging the accuracy of metering instruments, causing losses to the state and consumers, shall be ordered to compensate for the losses, confiscate the metering instruments and illegal gains, and may also impose a fine.
"Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Metrology Law"
Article 46
[1] Using unqualified measuring instruments or damaging the accuracy of measuring instruments and falsifying data, causing losses to the state and consumers, shall be ordered to compensate for the losses, confiscate the measuring instruments and all illegal gains, and may also be fined up to 2,000 yuan.
[1] The author's perspective
[2] Generally speaking, when refueling at a gas station, the fuel goes directly from the dispenser into the car's tank, and almost no one pays attention to whether there is a metering issue. Even if they suspect something, it is difficult to provide clear evidence. This time, the driver was able to raise doubts because his car's fuel tank only has a capacity of 120 liters, but the dispenser showed that 161 liters of fuel had been added, which exposed this unscrupulous business.
[3] Precisely because of the low likelihood of being suspected and the difficulty of obtaining evidence, these unscrupulous businesses have a strong sense of impunity. It is reported that the involved gas station, after passing the metering verification, hired a technician for 1,000 yuan to install a computer backend program to damage the metering accuracy. Although the official did not specify the exact "error" value of this dispenser, based on the estimate of "120-liter tank being filled with 161 liters of fuel," the "error" is as high as 25%. According to the "JJG443-2006 Verification Regulation of Fuel Dispensers," the maximum allowable error for fuel dispensers is ±0.3%. Clearly, this dispenser in Yanting County was extremely "profiteering." Until the incident was exposed, this problematic dispenser had been in operation for half a year, with sales amounting to over 300,000 yuan, yet the fine was only 2,000 yuan?
[4] In fact, according to Article 46 of the aforementioned "Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Metrology Law," the 2,000 yuan fine is already the maximum penalty. In reality, over the 30-plus years since 1987, the "Detailed Rules" have been amended three times in 2016, 2017, and 2018, but the provision on the above fine amount has remained unchanged. However, we also know that 2,000 yuan in 1987 and 2,000 yuan now are certainly not the same in nature. If it was a highly punitive amount back then, it may now be a negligible amount. Therefore, to achieve a deterrent effect, the fine amount should be increased, so that unscrupulous businesses are discouraged from engaging in such illegal activities.
