Tesco store hit with £18,000 fuel fine
In a worrying development for UK motorists it has been revealed that supermarket giant Tesco recently incurred the wrath of Trading Standards with an £18,000 fine. The fine relates to the short measures delivered on one Tesco forecourt in South Wales where the actual amount of petrol received was 4% less than that shown on the pump meter.
While there is no doubt that Tesco attempted to refund motorists who had fallen foul of the error it proved to be very difficult bearing in mind that the outlet in question had sold around 9.2 million litres of fuel during eight months when the short measures were delivered. In simple terms, this has left drivers who used the Tesco forecourt at this particular location around 168,000 litres of fuel out of pocket.
The company has also been ordered to pay £6,500 in magistrate costs although it is the damning headlines which will do more damage than the fine and costs put together. This is the first time we have seen such a fine implemented at Tesco which has until now been one of the leading UK petrol retailers, regularly offering the cheapest fuel on the market. While the bad publicity surrounding the £18,000 fine is uncomfortable it is unlikely to have any long-term implications for the group.
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