Thailand’s energy ministry to revise fuel regulations for consumer protection

In a move to safeguard consumer rights, Thailand’s Energy Ministry is set to revise regulations to guarantee that customers receive the exact volume of fuel they purchase. The decision came in response to a social media uproar over a motorist’s complaint that a petrol station failed to dispense the correct volume of fuel he had purchased.

The motorist, Ritdech Daengpradit, ignited the controversy by posting a video on TikTok. In the video, he claimed that a PTT petrol station in Saraburi shortchanged him by not dispensing the exact 5 litres of fuel he had paid for. When measured, the fuel volume was 28 millilitres and 25 millilitres short in two separate instances.

Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, responding to the growing controversy, acknowledged the incident on his Facebook page. He noted that a law under the Commerce Ministry’s purview allows petrol stations a 1% fluctuation in the volume of fuel dispensed per 5 litres sold, equivalent to up to 50 millilitres less or more than the paid amount, reported Bangkok Post.

“The rule is for the Department of Internal Trade to check the accuracy of fuel being dispensed at petrol stations. But the gas stations should refill the full amount of exactly 5 litres as paid for by the customer because the customer did not pay less than the full price,” he stressed.

Pirapan has pledged to include a rule in the Fuel Trade Act amendment that mandates petrol stations to dispense the exact volume of fuel paid for by customers. He argued that this step is necessary as the current law contains several loopholes.

“I will include the matter in the plan to revise the fuel trade law because the current version has many loopholes. I have instructed the CEO of PTT and the director general of the Department of Energy Business to solve the matter,” Pirapan confirmed.