Customers in Accra to be compensated by OMCs for fuel shortchange

According to the COPEC discussions are being held with stakeholders in the petroleum downstream sector.

These stakeholders include the Association of Oil Marketing Companies and the managers of the affected fuel stations. They are expected to decide on the appropriate compensation packages for their customers.

The Executive Secretary of COPEC Duncan Amoah explained that they are doing this in order to boost confidence in the affected fuel stations.

He disclosed that the affected fuel stations have complained about a drop in sales following the report by the Ghana Standards Authority that they shortchange their consumers.

“Their sales volumes have actually dropped. We are quite mindful of steps they have also taken to rectify those problems that the GSA found. We are happy that some of them have gone even further to dismiss people that they thought would have been engaged in this practice one way or the other.”

Meanwhile, COPEC has started nationwide monitoring of fuel stations to avoid a repetition of OMCs shortchanging consumers.

“Now what is happening currently is the OMCs themselves together with COPEC and the association of Oil Marketing Companies are going out there on a daily basis to ensure that we do proactive checks even before regulators come in as to whether these pumps are really delivering to the volumes they should or they shouldn’t. Some will naturally malfunction, but where there are human interventions also, we can be rest assured that the authorities will be notified and the public equally involved,” Mr Amoah said.