Sydney’s worst suburbs for hiding fuel prices named and shamed
Hundreds of fines have been issued to operators of service stations across Sydney after they were found to have misled consumers about fuel prices.
Following inspections by NSW Fair Trading officers, a third of petrol stations in West Ryde, in Sydney’s northwest, were found to be non-compliant, while two of 12 stations in the 2142 postcode area, which includes Granville, Rosehill, Camellia, Clyde and Holroyd, were sanctioned for breaches.
Under the FuelCheck scheme, service stations are required to fix prices in real time and consumers are encouraged to report price discrepancies to bowser.
NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Natasha Mann said inspectors were “working around the clock in every corner of the state to check compliance at petrol stations to ensure motorists are getting the right price at the pump”.
“NSW Fair Trade’s compliance work helps ensure fuel retailers are doing the right thing and consumers can trust accurate pricing information before heading to a petrol station,” Ms Mann said.
A recent inspection of petrol stations in the Sydney metropolitan area resulted in inspectors issuing more than 245 fines.
About 80 percent of these were due to price mismatches.
All 35 servos in the Liverpool, Chipping Norton, Prestons and Mount Pritchard areas of Sydney’s south-west were found to be compliant, while service stations in Greystanes, Girraween, Pendle Hill and Wentworthville also had perfect compliance records.
New legislation before the NSW parliament will make it illegal for service station operators not to report their prices to FuelCheck, with violators facing fines of up to $110,000.
“We want drivers to be mindful of price discrepancies on their local servo and report their concerns directly to FuelCheck,” said NSW Fair Trading Minister Anoulack Chanthivong.
