A small neighborhood dispute in a modest suburb of Mataró (Maresme), Roca Blanca, attached to the Cerdanyola neighborhood, has uncovered what could be a widespread practice of self-employed butane distributors, a drip scam that consists of illegally applying an extra cost at the regulated price of each butane cylinder. In the case of the capital of Maresme, Repsol has investigated the case, has acted against the distributor and has apologized to the users.
María is an annoying 90-year-old neighbor on Bellavista Street who laments: “because of what I have gone through in life, now I am not willing to be deceived.” “My butanero scams me,” she asserts. This is corroborated by Sergio, the neighbor who a fortnight ago cornered the butane delivery man in a doorway to ask for explanations about the extra cost that he usually imposes on the price of the cylinder. Consuelo, another neighbor, explained that “with the five euros they scammed me, I bought more than five loaves of bread.” A few weeks ago, when the controversy broke out, the price established for a butane gas cylinder was 15.14 euros and according to the neighbors “they charge us between 18 and 20 euros” for each one. The following week, the delivery man, fearful of the neighborhood reaction, chose to “pass by” and leave the entire neighborhood without supply, even though the neighbors had requested the delivery by phone and left the empty cylinders on the street.
From that moment on they tried to clarify the situation in every possible way. They tried to reason with the delivery man and even, when he told them that the price increase “was for the expense of gasoline and the truck,” he reacted ironically when the complainants asked him for a receipt for the amount he had just charged them: “ Have you seen any butanero that issues receipts?”
The trickle of extra pay that those distributed get by imposing a more expensive price for the cylinders, according to the calculations of the neighbors themselves, means an additional supplement of about 1,700 euros per month, taking into account that “the truck has a capacity for 400 cylinders and they charge it four times a day.”
The delivery man, with a brand new truck with the MKM license plate, when he was surprised and cornered by a dozen neighbors who reproached him for his actions, remember that he “started crying” and offered to give them back the money. But the neighbors, not satisfied with this, went further and went to the Mataró distributor, in the Laru area, on the outskirts of the city. There, as this newspaper was able to verify, the service operator did not even want to listen to them, much less facilitate the contact of any manager, other than a customer service number, the same one that is announced on the official website of Butano Maresma, the concessionaire. service officer in Maresme and Vallès. A few days later, a manager of this company contacted to “come forward” and regret that “we are prohibited from making statements to the press.”
However, at the Repsol Butano state headquarters in Madrid, they assured that in response to the complaint “we will open an internal investigation.” Generally, butane delivery workers are self-employed, but this does not mean they cannot modify the protocol established by the company. “For the established price, which is currently 15.89 euros, the delivery person is obliged to leave the cylinder at the customer’s door” even if he lives on a fourth floor without an elevator. As an aside, they assure “another thing is the gratification that the customer wants to give to the delivery person” which, in no case, is supervised.
From Repsol’s headquarters in Madrid, they state that “if a client is overcharged, it is illegal” and for this reason they apologize to those affected and offer them “a refund of the money.” They also insist that the cylinder can be ordered by telephone and electronically, without extra cost. On the other hand, they also suggest that they can be purchased at official dealerships, often linked to Repsol gas stations, where there is no home delivery service.
The Repsol Territorial Delegation in Catalonia opened an internal investigation that has concluded with the dismissal of the delivery man who, according to neighbors, “alleged that he did it because he had his wife and two sick children.” In this sense, the affected neighbors recalled that “in 2014 they had already reported a similar case in Mataró” of which the consequences are unknown and which was also echoed by La Vanguardial.
The scope of the drip scam can be widespread, as this newspaper has seen. In Barcelona, ??a resident of Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes acknowledged that “they charge me 20 euros per cylinder.” In Arenys de Mar, a restaurateur explained that “depending on the day, I pay between 18 or 20 euros.” Even in the capital of Maresme itself, several residents from different neighborhoods differ in the quantities, but always with a general increase over the preset price. In the Vistalegre neighborhood, an area that is distinguished by its steep streets, the neighbors affirm that “ “They charge us 20 euros.” And if that weren’t enough, “they also accept tips,” they lament.
The Mataró Local Police warn that these fraudulent practices can be reported and are willing to respond to the complaints of those affected. For its part, the Catalan Consumer Agency has no complaints related to these events in Mataró, but they insist that “it is important that those affected report so that we can investigate” and remember that charging more than the regulated price or refusing to provide a ticket is illegal.
