One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
21K Pump Chump: Local Gas Station Mistakenly Charges $1.10/gal for Premium Unleaded
Photo by futureatlas.com via Flickr
These days the pain at the pump is felt by the motorists, but on Sunday, one gas station owner in Wilmington had a "computer glitch" to blame for his pump-prompted pain. Kenny Nguyen, proprietor of a Valero station, unwittingly charged customers $1.10 per gallon for Premium Unleaded gasoline for four hours--when the price should have been around $4.29, according to the Daily Breeze.Word got out that the gas at the Valero was insanely affordable, and "by the time the mistake was realized, police had been called to help control the traffic." Customers were turning to social media to tout the bargain they'd found.
The total loss for Nguyen's business was about $21,000, with 7,000 gallons of fuel pumped at the erroneous rate.
Nguyen says the $1.10 price was only displayed on the outside, and that the attendant inside the convenience store running the station did not have an opportunity to realize the discrepancy. He says he hopes that the customers who scored the great deal on gas will be sure to be return customers in the future to help offset the massive loss.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
