Caltex investigating incident involving pump attendant, driver at Tampines petrol station

Caltex investigating incident involving pump attendant, driver at Tampines petrol station

Caltex Tampines Avenue 8
Google Street View of the Caltex petrol station along Tampines Avenue 8. 

SINGAPORE: Chevron Singapore, the company that markets the Caltex brand here, said on Sunday (Apr 15) it was investigating an incident at one of its petrol stations in Tampines, after an account of it went viral on Facebook. 

The post, which was credited to a Ms Kelly Yeo, detailed how a customer had refused to pay S$135 for his petrol at the Caltex station in Tampines Avenue 8, because he said he had only requested S$10 worth. 

The attendant who conducted the petrol refill was summoned. 

"He explained that he had heard that it was a full tank refill but the customer immediately rebutted it," said Ms Yeo in the account, which was shared more than 3,000 times.

"What happened next astonished me. Instead of creating a scene by engaging in an argument with the customer, the elderly pump attendant calmly informed the cashier to let the customer pay S$10 and he would personally absorb the rest of the cost. 

"As a result, the customer walked away smugly paying a mere S$10 payment for a full tank of petrol for his BMW Series 5 vehicle," she added. 

Many slammed the customer in the comments section of the post, with some volunteering to pay the S$125 on behalf of the elderly worker. 

"Caltex, if this is true, contact me please. I'll pay whatever the attendant paid," said one. 

"Dear Caltex, I will pay on uncle's behalf. It's okay to show some humanity towards elderly people. He might be working at this age to feed his family," said another.

On Sunday afternoon, a Chevron spokesperson said the station's manager as well as the rest of the management team were looking into the incident. They also assured that the pump attendant "did not bear any financial obligation" from Saturday's events. 

Caltex Singapore also took to Facebook to thank online users for their "kindness and concern", saying it was "heartened by the solidarity and care" shown towards the team in Tampines. 

Source: CNA/hs