Caltex WRONG FUEL

Hi Gooday Sir Could you kindly assist me in resolving this issue? I asked the petrol attendant at the Caltex Fresh Stop Service Station in Lansdowne Corner to fill up R400 diesel in my KB280 DT Isuzu Diesel bakkie (Fuel Cap clearly marked "DIESEL ONLY"). We were driving only 70km away to Paarl via the R300 and N1 freeway. On route the engine stalled, with a big puff of smoke andhigh revs. We soonrealized that petrol was filled into our tank instead of diesel, because of the smell of the smoke in the air. We were towed back home and notified the service station of their error. We examined the contents and drained out over 25liters of petrol from the tank. The Caltex management was notified, they apologized and promised to reimburse the cost or repair the damages. They admitted liability. Upon their make-shift mechanic stripping the vehicle, he concluded that the diesel pump, the injectors and diesel filter needed to be serviced or replaced. Caltex agreed to carry the costs. Considering that the mechanics had no garage, they decided to work in my white concrete driveway of my residence. They somewhat drained the oil straight onto the driveway floor, no oil tray to contain the dirty oil, that’s another story. However, after removing the cylinder head, the mechanic confirmed that the pistons were also damaged, needed replacement and further engineering work was needed. The new costs and extent of the damage was relayed to the manager. A few minutes later, whilst in the middle of the repair, the manager of the service station called to say that after examining his transaction journal, his computer print showed that diesel was dispensed and not petrol, and is therefore not responsible for any claim by me. He instructed the mechanic to stop working on my vehicle and left the engine, all stripped, and disassembled. Considering the short distance of our journey and the amount of fuel requested, the manager still insisted that "we must have filled up somewhere else, on route". I feel cheated by Caltex not honoring their word and shirking their liability. The manager is now weighing his computer evidence against the hard evidence of petrol that was drained out of the tank. The concerned vehicle is my only tool for work and my family left handicapped without it. My intention is not to usurp the wealth of anyone nor organization, but demand a fair resolve. In my effort to escalate the incident, I reported it to the Caltex customer query call centre. I was given a case number of ********** , which I later realized to be a mere formality. Although the Caltex Customer Centre appeared sympathetic to my cries, I soon realized it to be a farce. I subsequently visited the Service Station 4 times demanding justice, but was shaken off with circumstantial computer journal evidence and unclear video footages. After sharing my experience with people in our neighborhood, it was shocking to discover the high number of ex-clients that had the similar experience, i.e. Wrong fuel dispensed, with either small or no recompense for loss and damages. Considering the high incident rate, would it not make sense to install higher resolution cameras above the fuel pumps, to at least verify the colour of the hose nozzle used? Surely Astron can afford it. The icing on the cake is that the Service station management has decided to charge me with ***** with intention of ******ion. How absurd is that? I feel like Joseph that was wrongfully thrown into prison. Surely Caltex and Astron possess the scales of Crime and Punishment. Irritated clients that shared similar experiences will rally together seeking justice for negligence dished out by Caltex Lansdowne Corner should we be treated unfairly. We intend copying in Mr Mashudu Ramano, Jonathan Molapo and Fabian Magerman in our correspondences in an effort to get a resolve in the matter.

Could you kindly assist? We can be contacted on **********