NEXT time you pull into Bulwer Park Service Station to pump your tyres, be prepared to do it yourself.
That’s what local resident Candic Farrell discovered recently after she pulled up at the service station she has been using for the past six years and asked one of the forecourt attendants to pump her tyres.
Much to Farrell’s surprise, the attandant presented her with a letter given to the staff from owner Tony Ball, informing them they were not permitted to perform driveway services such as air, window cleans, oil checks or battery checks, unless the customer bought petrol. “He was very apologetic,” she said.
Farrell took the letter and approach Ball’s office. She said he attempted to assist from behind the tinted glass.
“Perhaps the letter I was holding looked like an AK47. Or perhaps my 50kg physique was intimidating. I had to ask him to please step outside. When I queried the purpose of the letter and told him I had filled my tank there two days ago and didn’t need fuel, he simply shrugged and started to turn back inside. I then hurled some abuse at him and stormed off. Under normal circumstances the poor staff would be subject to abuse because there is no signage up indicating the new arrangement. He has left these poor guys to take a beating from angry clients like myself and hides in his glass bubble!” she said.
Farrell contacted Caltex Customer Service Centre (Chevron South Africa) who asked Ball to contact her, however she said all he did was re-make his point. The matter has escalated to the business consultant as Chevron does not support the practice in place at the site.
“My point is that as a regular client, unless I’m filling up with fuel, no other services will be rendered. So as a client who stopped there the day before for fuel, I am not able to stop there to check tyre pressure the next day,” she said.
In response, ownerTony Ball said firstly there was the issue of economics and no business could survive unless it was paid for the services it delivered.
“Traditionally garages offer driveway services such as windscreen clean, tyre inflation, oil and water checks while clients are purchasing petrol. Most customers understand there is a moral obligation to buy petrol to receive these ‘free services’. However, there is an ever increasing trend for people to drive in and ask for their tyres to be pumped, windows cleaned, oil checked and water checked with no accompanying purchase. I liken it to going into a restaurant, using their wi-fi,occupying a table and ordering a glass of water. Do that at a few tables every day and the restaurant will close its doors before long,” he said.
He said there was also the aspect that these services cost service stations lots of money. “Caltex refused to replace my compressor when it failed last year so that was R9500 spent in one hit, electricity for the compressor, air lines, air gauges which require regular calibration, water, squeegees, windscreen cleaner fluid, and most importantly the attendants wage bill. Secondly, our forecourt is quite small and very busy so we cannot have a vehicle taking up a space for free while the car behind wants to buy fuel and must wait,” he said.
Ball said he had had a few customers complain about the new arrangements.
“If a customer comes in with a single soft or underinflated wheel, we regard this as an emergency and pump it up. Caltex instruction is that a tyre inflation service must be available at all times. It is there if the client wishes to use it. We have the facilities which clients are welcome to use themselves, but I cannot be reasonably expected to pay staff to do tasks with no compensation from customers. A tip to the attendant does not qualify. Like every business in the world we have to constantly monitor costs and no reasonable person can expect us to provide free services,” he said.
