Tesco Fuel Again?

[Flackadder]

My point in this thread was to show that it is not always the actual fuel that is the issue. It is the handling and storage of the fuel that causes the "biggest" problems and these handling problems are being seen against all fuel brands & types.

Can't see any of that ever changing. Well, not anytime soon.

 

[brucemillar]

My frustration (having been a victim of this) is the default of the major chains is instant denial (or it appears to be) as that is what gets reported.

I read a very good article, which I now can't find, written by a tanker driver who was heavily critical of the pressures that they are under during deliveries. He also tore into the "lax" procedures for tank cleaning on the forecourt(s)

 

[zipdip]

Well water contamination of garage fuel tanks has been going on since rocks were soft,it is a pity that supermarkets when it happens do not react in a proper manner and compensate those effected,over the years I have come across drivers who have added all sorts of things to standard diesel,one guy used to put about two cup fulls of Kerosene into a full tank he said it burnt hotter and cleaned his engine out,I must admit I am lazy with regard to fuel where I live I have Asda and Morrisson's and a BP garage I will this week when the tank is down to a quarter fill it with BP and see if it does make a difference.

 

[brucemillar]

Well here is an update: I fail to understand why he did not call his Garage/mechanic as a witness or provide a report on the fuel sample?

Whatever his thought process in not doing either? It lost him the case.

Businessman Daniel Peters' Tesco fuel damages bid thrown out

 

[geraldrobins]

I don't know if this has been mentioned but wouldn't Trading Standards be the first point of call if you suspected any contamination. Whether they would have the resources to go and take a sample of course is questionable, but if they received enough complaints then they would have to investigate.

 

[MDC250]

Ahh the sweet smell of justice being done and the Judge contradicting the whole reasoning behind the Small Claims Court.

Res ipsa loquitur surely?

 

[markjay]

Ahh the sweet smell of justice being done and the Judge contradicting the whole reasoning behind the Small Claims Court.

Res ipsa loquitur surely?

....perhaps the cause was simply not the fuel? Cars do breakdown... and mechanics do sometimes say things of the top of their heads.....

 

[flango]

When I was having bad misfire problems with my CLK which has only ever been run on v power or momentum I had the fuel analysed that was in the tank at the time which was momentum it tested at 94.3 RON. I then asked tesco when was the last delivery of momentum to that station it was nearly three months ago. We all know higher Ron fuels degrade faster but that's very poor tank management by tesco never bought another drop since, as it was either bog standard 95 Ron in that tank or degraded 99 Ron. Now use BP ultimate as it seems more consistent

 

[brucemillar]

Well the Judge dismissed it as a "lack of evidence" and it does look like there was indeed a severe "lack of evidence" in the actual court room.

Quiet why you would go to court without your star witness is beyond me. But he did and he lost - although kept his costs - but even that is questionable. Maybe his mechanic did not want the publicity?

In my case we had the fuel sampled along with the filter and the pump and receipt from ASDA. They still simply denied it. We backed down as we were advised that it/would cost us as ASDA have means to keep the fight going. We had just struggled to find £700+ to get our car repaired and were not flush enough to carry on the fight. That still hurts.

In this instance. There were other people who suffered the "same" fate on the same day and at the same fuel station. None were willing to purse Tesco for the same reason as I was unable to carry on with ASDA.

 

[MDC250]

That's the big problem with the Small Claims Court though isn't it?

Perhaps a matter of semantics but if you are calling the mechanic you are really calling him as an expert. Expert evidence is not usually allowed in the SCC. It's meant to be for straightforward disputes and in theory no legal representation required. £10k limit for most matters (excluding PI etc...for now!) and you will come up against these situations with organisations throwing money at defending common sense claims. In this case they were disputing and fighting over a relatively small sum of money.

Access to justice...hang on that's a little awkward.

 

[Flackadder]

You read all these things about Tesco fuel and still use them. I am not saying that other suppliers are any better, just that you take your chances. Yes, that should not be the case.....but it is. Could be of course that other supermarket fuels are better....Sainsbury's for example, but I doubt it.

You pays your money and take your chances.....on expensive motors!!!

Not me. Mine may not be in the same league as a lot of the cars on here, but I am not going to risk it for the sake of a few pennies.

 

[markjay]

In the past 10 years I have only ever used Shell V-Power (I did use BP Ultimate beforehand though).

Never had a problem with any of my cars.

So.... while this is a sample size of 1 and the statistical validly isn't very significant... we are 'programmed' by a few millennia of evolution to to rely on our own experiences. It's Shell V-Power for me then

 

[rf065]

You read all these things about Tesco fuel and still use them. I am not saying that other suppliers are any better, just that you take your chances.......... I am not going to risk it for the sake of a few pennies.

I've risked Tesco fuel for 10 years & 125,000 miles & never had the slightest problem, so not much of a risk at all.

Russ

 

[french]

Ditto Russ ,but in my case ASDA's , Ooh I feel daring now each time I fill up...

 

[Flackadder]

If there was not a risk there would not be a thread 'Tesco Fuel Again?'. Though to be fair, there will always be a risk. Nothing is perfect......only me.

 

[geraldrobins]

I'm sure there is a risk with all petrol stations. But lets not start it again. Oops!

 

[ItalianTuneUp]

At 28 percent ish market share, Tesco has almost double the market share of it's nearest supermarket rivals, Sainsbury and Asda at 16 percent apiece.

Considering many people buy the cheapest fuel and fill up after a shop, it seems likely that Tesco is selling vast amounts of fuel compared to other outlets. Thus surely we'd expect more mishaps in proportion to their vast size and sales? A numbers game?

http://www.kantarworldpanel.com/en/grocery-market-share/great-britain

 

[markjay]

....Considering many people buy the cheapest fuel and fill up after a shop, it seems likely that Tesco is selling vast amounts of fuel compared to other outlets. Thus surely we'd expect more mishaps in proportion to their vast size and sales? A numbers game...

This is one view, but on the other hand there are those who say you should always buy fuel from garages with high turnaround because the fuel degrades if left for too long in the storage tanks....

 

[Flackadder]

This is one view, but on the other hand there are those who say you should always buy fuel from garages with high turnaround because the fuel degrades if left for too long in the storage tanks....

That would be my thoughts exactly. Saying that, Tesco, BP, Shell, Sainsburys all have big turnaround with fuel. Though the guy with the wind around hand operated pump that still delivers in gallons in the local village and takes payment in kind...is likely to have low turnaround :bannana:

 

[BTB 500]

At 28 percent ish market share, Tesco has almost double the market share of it's nearest supermarket rivals, Sainsbury and Asda at 16 percent apiece.

I suspect that is is talking about grocery (or overall) sales, rather than specifically fuel?

Tesco actually have a 16.5% market share on forecourt fuel. Then BP at 14.8% and Shell at 13.5%.

http://forecourttrader.co.uk/files/Fuel_Market_Review/Fuel_Market_Review_2015.pdf

So not a huge difference in the volume of fuel sold, but anecdotally they do seem to have significantly more fuel quality incidents than BP or Shell.