A petrol station in the town of Filderstadt near Stuttgart, Germany, skyrocketed the price of super gasoline to a prohibitive level of €9.99 per liter ($14.60) or $55 per gallon on Easter Monday, in an attempt to…prevent customers from buying the fuel. German news site ‘The Local’ reported that the Esso petrol station raised the price to €9.99 a liter as it was running low on the fuel amid a nationwide shortage.
Despite warning signs posted at the pumps, several clients fueled their cars and had a very, very unpleasant surprise at the cash register when they learned the amount of money they had to pay. One of them was asked to pay €209.98 ($307) for the 21 liters of super gasoline he put in his BMW, while another driver learned that she owed just under €200 ($292.5) for 20 liters of fuel!
Angry customers called the police and refused to pay the bills, but they were told they had to otherwise the Esso station would make a complaint. Motorists eventually paid for the petrol but were hoping to sort out a compromise with Esso on Tuesday. The owner of the station did not comment on the matter.
A spokesperson for the Auto Club Europa said the case resembled the black market. “It’s barely believable that global companies blunder into a supply bottleneck like drunks into a village pond,” said Rainer Hillgärtner. “The relevant inspectorate has to investigate. That goes also for unfair price rises and exorbitant prices at the pump,” he added.
One in five stations in Stuttgart area had no supplies of super gasoline on Monday afternoon because of the Easter traffic, the holiday ban on fuel tankers and logistical problems for petrol companies associated with the introduction of the E10 ethanol fuel. The moral of the story? Even on €10 per liter, some people will still buy gasoline…
By Dan Mihalascu
