Barbara Rose said she and her husband own a gas station at Linden which has GUYOIL pumps. She said GUYOIL, which is frequently short on supplies or out of stock altogether, “want you to sign a contract with them saying that you could only purchase fuel from them.”
She contended that this is an unfair move, given the frequent shortages.
Currently, GUYOIL is short of gasoline or kerosene oil and has been giving them a limited quantity once weekly. According to Rose, when supplies are available in full amounts, her business would purchase at least three tankers of fuel per week. However, recently she has only been getting one tanker per week and this has forced the businesswoman to purchase fuel elsewhere.
“On Friday we had to purchase from another supplier for $560 per gallon which is more than what we pay at GUYOIL and then we have to hire a tanker to transport it to Linden.” This, she said, had forced her to up the price temporarily until she is able to access supplies again from GUYOIL.
“I called Minister Nadir and explained to him what was going on and he said that he has to make contact with the minister-in-charge and get back to me.
“On Sunday the manager came up and checked the pumps and saw that we were [selling at a higher price]. He didn’t call us and ask us anything, all he did was report to his boss and then they sent today to collect back the pump.” She said she did not release the pumps since she was not furnished with any official document.
Rose is the lone gas station in Linden which sells GUYOIL fuel and has the advantage over the other gas stations in the area. She said that her customers, including BOSAI, the Regional Demo-cratic Council, and Lands and Surveys are heavily dependent on her and so she has to find a way of meeting their demand for supplies.
Contact was made with another customer of GUYOIL, Ross Gas Station at Ruimveldt where similar complaints were made. Stabroek News was told that GUYOIL would not inform its customers when it was out of stock or low on supplies.
“It is until we call to place our orders that we are told that they are out of supply or we can only get a limited amount,” a spokesperson at Ross Gas Station said. This customer is also forced to purchase fuel elsewhere and sell at a slightly higher price.
“GUYOIL is overdoing it now and it’s time we come forward and let the public understand what we are going through,” the spokesperson said.
These two GUYOIL customers said the experience is not unique to them but is faced by others across the country.
