How the SOCAR gas station network cheats its customers on liters and money

How the SOCAR gas station network cheats its customers on liters and money

Not so long ago, near Odesa, we experienced an unpleasant but very telling incident. It concerned the ultramodern SOCAR gas station and its service. We stopped there to refuel. Some guy, whether a thug or an attendant, in a tightly fastened hood, inserted the fuel nozzle into the tank. We paid a check for 750 hryvnias, and it seemed like he did everything right, but here’s the nuance: the display on the pump showed 500 hryvnias instead of 750.

But the attendant quickly pulled out the nozzle and went on his way. Naturally, when we pointed it out, he immediately reacted and explained that their computer froze, and it’s purely a technical error. How many such "errors" occur per shift if a person doesn’t quickly look at the pump display, he didn’t specify.

Neither did SOCAR’s hotline clarify this error, but half an hour later, the station’s manager called me and promised to look into the matter.

It would have been fine, things happen, but today another individual from SOCAR called me from a hidden number and, without introducing himself, immediately accused me, verbatim, of discrediting their network and trademark!

That’s right, no more, no less! This despite the fact that this gas station is fully equipped with security cameras. But in response to my concerns, he said nothing substantive, instead threatened with court and hung up.

Kostyantyn Chernenko