‘A customer service nightmare’: More drivers seek damage claims after diesel and premium pump mixup at Hamilton gas station

Nearly a dozen drivers now appear to have fallen victim to a fuel tank mixup at a Hamilton gas station last month - including one who claims his repair bill could reach $20,000.

U Plus Gas at 1455 King St. E. drew the ire of customers in late October after two of its tanks pumped out the wrong kind of fuel for nearly 24 hours.

The issue stemmed from the gas station's supplier, Econo Petroleum, mistakenly filling a diesel pump with premium and a premium pump with diesel on the afternoon of Oct. 22.

Less than 1,000 litres were pumped from both tanks by otherwise oblivious drivers before the issue was fixed Oct. 23.

U Plus owner Braba Balasingam said last week the filling station sells very little" premium and diesel - between 300 to 400 litres daily - and pegged the number of affected cars to be maybe four or five."

Balasingam told The Spectator on Tuesday that number has since doubled to around 10" drivers.

Econo Petroleum, which is footing any customer charges related to the error, has refused multiple requests for comment.

Several of the affected drivers allege the Ottawa-based wholesaler has been difficult to deal with.

Stephanie Smith filled up her motorcycle with what she thought was premium at U Plus on Oct. 23. She quickly learned - after riding less than a kilometre from the station - that it was diesel.

After six days, Econo Petroleum sent Smith a legal agreement, promising to pay for any claims arising from the gas purchase."

But the contract, obtained by The Spectator, showed the company did not reimburse any charges related to the actual gas she put in the tank - only damages which surfaced as a result of the bad gas.

There was no negotiating," said Smith. It's been a customer service nightmare."

Marc Filion, another affected driver, has bypassed direct negotiations with Econo and instead opted to open a claim with his insurance. He called the company's response to his concerns unacceptable."

Filion filled up his 2016 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel at U Plus with about 80 litres of fuel on Oct. 23.

Approximately 30 seconds after I pulled out of the gas station, my truck started running real rough, sputtering," he said, adding he drove home with the bad gas for about five minutes.

The truck was towed to the DeWildt Chrysler dealership, where a test confirmed it carried gasoline instead of diesel. The truck has been there ever since.

Filion said it cost an initial $1,000 just to diagnose the extent of the damage to the truck, as well as labour costs and discerning how many parts are required to be replaced.

Ultimately, subsequent to the inspection, the job could hike up to the $15,000 to $20,000 range," he said.

Diesel fuel is an oil-based lubricant. When a diesel engine is filled with gasoline, it strips all the oil out of the system that it needs to run and takes lubrication away from the high-pressure pump," explained David Harrison, service manager of Audi Hamilton.

A compromised pump allows tiny, finite metal particles to enter all sorts of places" in a car, and it's very difficult to remove them without replacing entire components," Harrison said.

Filion said his truck is still covered by warranty and any repairs the dealer says it needs, that's what going to get done and I'm not paying for it."

An Econo Petroleum executive told Filion in an email obtained by The Spectator that Econo will certainly reimburse you for a tow truck, fuel lines, fuel tank flush and a new tank of fuel, but a(n) engine replacement I think is a little extreme."

Unless you continued to drive your vehicle after you noticed the problem it's difficult to imagine that much could have been done in a short period of time," the executive added.

In a later email, the executive told Filion Econo would not open a claim with its insurer. Our liability ends with U Plus end user, the customers of U Plus," they wrote. We are simply trying to help our customer by offering to assist you."

A frustrated Filion said he wants his truck back the way it was before the trip to U Plus - and at no extra charge, especially if it's not my fault," he said.

Both my wife and I, we work. We have three young kids. This is the type of thing we don't really have time to deal with."

Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com