Should be punished severely!, China Market Supervision Report: Gas Station "Metrology Cheating" Energy | Fuel
Have you ever paid special attention to whether there is a shortage of weight and weight in the gas dispenser when you go to the gas station to refuel? Some consumers may express that the amount displayed on the gas dispenser is just how much fuel has been added, and the average person cannot tell whether it has been added more or less
Recently, a video of Chongqing's market supervision department conducting a surprise inspection of gas stations involved in "measurement cheating" has become popular, and many netizens have left comments saying that the inspection is good! The means of committing the crime are too covert, support the national gas station census!
In the video, law enforcement officers conducted a surprise inspection of a gas station in Rongchang District, Chongqing. Unexpectedly, the fuel dispenser that appears to be working normally on the surface has actually been renovated internally!
The gas station modified the fuel dispenser by replacing the metering chip, fuel dispenser motherboard, communication controller and other hardware, as well as installing cheating software in the background and setting combination control keys. As a result, the standard deviation of measurement, which should have been within ± 3 ‰, can be set to 50%. In other words, when you add 100L of oil, only 50L is left in the tank, and the method of committing the crime is extremely covert. Without professional equipment testing and technical inspection, it is impossible to be detected.
However, it can be said that "the devil is one foot tall, the way is one foot high". Market supervision and law enforcement personnel confirmed the illegal fact of "measurement cheating" at the gas station through various means such as professional equipment testing, standard measuring containers measurement, and cracking combination control keys, and investigated and dealt with its illegal behavior.
Since the launch of the special law enforcement action to crack down on "measurement cheating" in gas stations in June 2022, a total of 31 problematic gas stations have been investigated and dealt with in Chongqing, with a cumulative sales amount of finished oil reaching 1.24 billion yuan. The illegal act of "metering cheating" at gas stations has caused serious losses to the economic interests of the people.
The first reason why gas station operators dare to commit crimes against the wind is that they are not easily detected by law enforcement personnel and consumers. Some "unscrupulous" gas stations often use various covert methods to commit crimes, such as replacing the fuel dispenser control motherboard, using a backend computer or mobile phone remote control to carry out measurement cheating, resulting in inconsistent display of fuel dispensers and actual fuel consumption. This not only makes it difficult for consumers to notice, but also allows for one click reset during regulatory inspections, thus "fooling through" during inspections.
The second reason is that the cost of violating the law is too low. Xu Jie, Deputy Chief of the Chongqing Market Supervision Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Team, stated that the current laws and regulations in the field of metrology impose relatively light penalties on such illegal activities. Apart from confiscating illegal gains and products, a maximum fine of 2000 yuan can only be imposed. The lag of relevant laws and regulations also provides opportunities for violators to take advantage of.
To crack down on "metering cheating" at gas stations, it is urgent to make efforts from all sides and take a heavy blow.
Firstly, we need to accelerate the improvement of relevant laws and regulations. Intensify the punishment for related illegal behaviors, have zero tolerance for the behavior of fuel dispensers lacking weight and being short of weight, and detect and punish them together, effectively playing a deterrent role.
Secondly, regulatory authorities also need to enrich law enforcement methods, strengthen technical equipment, increase sensitivity to covert crime methods at "unscrupulous" gas stations, and build a "protective net".
Finally, consumers need to enhance their awareness of safeguarding their rights. When refueling, it is important to check whether the mandatory calibration qualified mark is pasted on the fuel dispenser and whether the qualified mark is within its validity period. If an abnormal amount of fuel is found, the invoice should be saved and the local regulatory department's complaint hotline should be called in a timely manner to protect one's legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law.
