CFTC accuses fuel attendants of duping motorists
The Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) has warned motorists of the behaviour of some unscrupulous service station attendants who are allegedly duping unsuspecting motorists on fuel sales.
In a statement, CFTC executive director Charlotte Malonda said the commission has received information alleging that some fuel attendants do not reset the pump to zero before discharging fuel to motorists.
She alleged that service station attendants are intentionally manipulating the pumps to discharge reduced amount of fuel.
In an interview yesterday to expound on the allegations, CFTC economist Innocent Helema said the statement was just a warning to fuel attendants allegedly engaged in this fraudulent behaviour.
“As a commission, we are now monitoring to see if the situation has lessened or not. If we find out that some fuel attendants are still continuing with the behaviour, then they will be investigated accordingly,” he said.
But Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) executive director John Kapito said in an interview they have not received any complaints to that effect.
He said: “It is the duty of the owners of the filling stations to check that the pumps are doing the work they are supposed to do.
“If somebody has tampered with the litres, it is the owner’s duty to check that the meters are reading from zero when discharging the fuel in vehicles.”
