Cars break down after refuelling at station
KUCHING: Petronas has assured its customers that an incident which caused several vehicles to break down after fuelling up RON95 at a petrol station in Samarindah, Kota Samarahan was an isolated case.
The company disclosed that upon detailed investigation and tests, the incident involved only one RON95 tank where water had seeped in and mixed with the fuel.
The case only involved one tank and did not affect the other products in that station, it stressed.
“Immediate action had been taken to protect the interests of our customers. The sales of RON95 at the station are being temporarily suspended until repair works are completed.
“The vehicles of the affected customers have been sent to the nearby workshop, and the costs of repair and reimbursement of fuel purchase are borne by us,” said Petronas in a statement yesterday.
Petronas apologised for any inconvenience caused by this incident and welcomed feedback from customers.
“We are constantly working to improve our quality of service to provide the best experience for our customers at all our stations,” it said.
“For any complaints or information, contact our customer service agent at hotline 1-30088-8181 or email mesralink@petronas.com.my.”
On Saturday, the images of vehicles stalling near the station went viral on social media platforms with angry postings by dissatisfied customers.
The Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (KPDNKK) Sarawak office confirmed the incident after checking with a Petronas marketing officer following the social media postings.
Meanwhile, KPDNKK state director Datuk Stanley Tan said the petrol station is temporarily closed to ascertain the damage of the faulty underground tank.
“I was told by my officers that maybe today (yesterday) is a Sunday, so no works are carried out to see what are the damage to the underground tank,” said Tan when contacted yesterday.
Once the fault is verified, he said Petronas would be taking full responsibility to make good the fault.
When asked on the compensation to vehicle owners, Tan said it is up to Petronas and the petrol station operator to decide on how they approach the matter.
“We are not sure as to who (Petronas or petrol station operator) will be compensating the vehicle owners, as this is all part of the terms and conditions of their contract,” he added.
On another note, Tan agreed with Petronas that the case in Kota Samarahan was a very rare incident.
“I agree with Petronas claiming that this incident is very rare. This sort of thing never happened and could be the first time in Sarawak,” he added.