In France, confusion at the fuel pumps cost 30,000 euros in damages
A simple mix up at the fuel pumps damaged more than 40 cars with a total damage bill of more than 30,000 euros in central France.
We are all familiar with the embarrassing and damaging mistake of putting the wrong fuel in our tank. But, what about using the correct pump, and still getting the wrong fuel?
Well, this was the reality in France, in the Nievre region in the centre of the country.
Le Journal du Centre reports that several motorists all found their vehicles with problems, from misfires to breakdowns. The cause was the wrong fuel, but on such a large scale from the same place it is impossible to imagine it was an error on the part of the customers.
Instead, this is a case of the fuel truck driver transferring the fuel from his tanker into the wrong pump. Specifically, the unleaded fuel went into the diesel pump, and the result was as much as 30,000 euros worth of damage, according to Le Repaire des Motards, across 42 motorists. Although the pump was cleaned the next day, it took the station almost two weeks to find all of the people who had been affected by the problem.
It seems, though, that at least the station itself was somewhat gracious in the face of such a major problem. All 42 affected vehicle owners were reimbursed by the station in the form of a voucher, and the station’s insurance covered the damages.
It is a situation that could easily be resolved by switching to electric transport, of course. Electricity arrives at the charge point via cables, after all, not tankers. But, at the same time, it is a situation that could be solved by walking. But, like electrics, walking is not always entirely practical.
