Faulty pump at Brampton gas station raises fraud concerns

By Nitish Bissonauth and News Staff

A Brampton woman is alleging fraud after the meter on a gas pump at a Brampton Petro Canada station kept ticking, long after she had finished gassing up.

Nelly Mathews says she was filling up her brand new pickup truck with her husband at the Bovaird Drive and Chinguacousy Road location and was shocked at the discovery.

“We pay enough for gas as is in Canada, let alone in Brampton. This is fraud” she said. Her husband recorded the experience on a cellphone.

The couple complained to a gas station attendant who then put them in touch with the manager. An apology was issued, but they still had to pay a large portion of the $147 reflected on the meter.

“We paid $100. Not as much as what the pump said, but we don’t really know how much we really put in because the meter kept on going” said Mathews. “It only stopped when we put the nozzle back in the machine.”

In 2016, a CityNews report revealed that more than 280 pumps across the GTA are said to be faulty. Petroleum Analyst Dan McTeague from Gasbuddy.com says the government needs to have pumps tested more frequently than the mandated two years.

In the past, Measurements Canada told CityNews when a pump is found to have an error of 1 per cent or under, a station has to fix it within 14 days.

“It’s important that people understand that these are mechanical devices and they can and do break down.” Said McTeague “Wear and tear is one example or a simple mechanical failure”.

He also warns drivers to keep their eyes open the next time they fill up.

“The first thing you should be observing is making sure that all indications, really analogue or digital, are at zero so we don’t have a situation where you start off and suddenly it goes up to 20 cents or 30 cents,” he said

While the faulty pump at the Brampton Petro Canada has been taken out of service, Mathews she says she won’t be revisiting that specific location anytime soon.

“All the pumps should be inspected, who knows if they’ll take the sign off and fraud other people,” she said. It’s not clear how many people used the pump before it was flagged by Mathews.

CityNews reached out to Suncor who owns Petro Canada for comment and did not hear back at the time of publishing.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today