Sunmart gas stations around Texas cheated drivers by providing less gas than what customers paid for, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture.
After a three-day investigation, which ended July 20, the department concluded that 990 of 1,704 pumps were found to be non-compliant at 47 stations across Texas. All faulty pumps were shut down.
Austin is home to one Sunmart station at 6615 Berkman Dr. At that location, eight pumps failed the inspection, while one pump passed and three were inoperable, according to the department's findings.
The department noticed violation patterns two weeks ago, which initiated "Operation Spotlight," in which 50 department employees pumped gas from each pump at every station.
All Texas gas stations are tested regularly by the department, and about 5 percent of the pumps tested have some sort of violation, such as providing less gasoline than what the customer purchases, said assistant commissioner for communications Bryan Black. The department compiled two years worth of violations it had recorded, and noticed a trend at Sunmart gas stations.
"Clearly that was not what we found at Sunmart - they have a much higher trend," Black said. "Looking as this trend, it made sense to do a blitz, and obviously what we found was that there were serious violations."
Petroleum Wholesale, which operates Sunmart fuel stations, services more than 350 locations throughout 10 states. Department Commissioner Todd Staples alerted the other states' officials of the ongoing investigation.
The department is working with the attorney general's office to determine if and how much customers will be compensated. Sunmart, headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas could be fined more than $100,000, Black said.
"The attorney general's office will look at a number of different things, and fines from the AG's office can increase tremendously," Black said. "So once we gather all the information of how many folks we believe have been cheated and how long this has been going on, the AG will take the ball from there."
Tips to make sure you are not being cheated at the pump
1. Keep track of the gas gauge. If you pump 20 gallons worth of gas, check the manual to make sure you get 20 gallons.
2. Watch the price ticker. Before you even pull the trigger, make sure the price reads $00.00.
3. Look for the Texas Department of Agriculture sticker. The sticker of approval assures that the pump is in compliance with TDA and also tells you when it was last inspected.
If you suspect a pump is out of compliance, call 1-800-TELL-TDA.
Source: Bryan Black, Texas Department of Agriculture
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