By Oke Peter
The current economic realities and the need to make gains by all means have made business owners embark on many unthinkable things. This is not new as it happens in almost every place where buying and selling take place.
Cooking gas is a popular commodity that is available in every house; the government prioritizes its usage because it is eco-friendly, cheap and ensures clean cooking. However, as popular as gas is, gas filling stations do cheat their customers.
This cheating is usually noticed in many ways. The most common trick used by gas filling stations is under-filling the cylinder. Instead of filling to the standard weight (e.g., 12.5 kg, 14.2 kg), they give less gas while charging full price.
Stations also manipulate weighing scales by tampering with the scales that show the correct weight even when the cylinder is lighter.
Also, they make use of fast-flow pumps to dispense gas at very high speed, causing the gas to expand, giving the appearance of a full cylinder even when the actual weight is less.
Sadly, some unscrupulous suppliers may refill old cylinders improperly or deliver partially used ones as ‘newly filled gas’. This is very dangerous because it can cause explosions and fire incidents.
However, there are ways customers can detect or prevent gas filling fraud. Whenever you want to fill gas at the station, insist on pre-weighing of the cylinder and request post-weighing after filling. You can confirm the net filled gas and the final weight.
You can also check the tare weight markings; every cylinder has a stamped tare weight (e.g., “T 15.3”).
Ensure the reading on the scale matches tare plus standard gas weight.
Gas users can also watch the zeroing of the scale before weighing. Make sure the scale is set to zero and insist that the scale is placed on a flat, stable surface.
Users can also listen for the filling process because a proper fill usually takes some seconds. If they claim it’s filled too quickly, it may be under-filled.
It is also important to choose trusted stations or brands that use transparent digital scales, CCTV monitoring, and have less incentive to cheat due to audits.
After filling, request a digital receipt because digital systems reduce tampering since each transaction is recorded.
Finally, shake or tilt the cylinder before leaving the station.
If not fully accurate, a filled cylinder will feel heavy and allow you to hear the liquid sloshing when gently rocked. If all this is done, you can be rest assured that you have done enough to avoid being cheated.
