A small neighborhood dispute in a neighborhood of Mataró has prompted the multinational company Repsol to open an internal investigation to determine if, as hundreds of readers of La Vanguardia corroborate, some distributors of butane cylinders apply an illegal surcharge to the regulated price. In this case, it is evident that trickle-down fraud is a widespread practice in Catalonia, but also in the rest of Spain.
Official Repsol sources declare that “the first thing is to apologize again to the customers who have been affected by this type of practice that is not allowed”. They assure that “we are the first concerned that this does not happen and we are doing everything we can to solve it”.
In view of the certainty that this fraudulent practice is common in the distribution of butane, Repsol explains that “we have opened an internal investigation” and that it is holding meetings with the distribution agencies to prevent these practices among the distributors “through the application of sanctions and changing the employees on the routes in which these practices are detected”.
The truth is that this scam particularly affects elderly butane consumers, as noted by readers who have contacted this newspaper since the publication, on Tuesday, of the case of neighborhood reaction to the scam in Mataró. It is proven that it is a fact that has been reported for many years and, contrary to what those responsible declare, nothing has changed.
The majority of Repsol Butano customers who have reacted to the La Vanguardia article live in Barcelona, ??alerting extra charges of more than 4 euros for each cylinder in Nou Barris or Paseo Fabra i Puig, where it is usual to pay 22 euros . In Roquetes (Nou Barris) other residents explain that the delivery man threatens them not to serve them the bottle.
In the Gothic Quarter they also pay a surcharge of 3 euros. They complain about the same in Gràcia, La Llibertat market, where “we pay 20 euros plus tip”. The price is increased in the Clínic hospital area, where it usually does not fall below 23 euros, as well as in the neighborhood, where it is 22 euros. Even the overcharge that some Repsol gas stations try to charge, such as the one there haal next to Mercabarna, “where I reported the supplement and they called me to return the money”.
In Plaça Sant Felip Neri, a parishioner explains that he ordered 10 chocolates for the church and was charged 20 euros each: “I told them it seemed excessive, but they didn’t care”. In the Sant Antoni neighborhood, a user explains that the delivery people try to charge 25 euros and that, “when you want to pay them 20, they get angry”.
In the rest of Catalonia, this practice has also become consolidated, as explained by a client of Repsol del Baix Llobregat, where he states that “they refuse to pay by card so that there is no record of the price they charge”. Also in this area, distributors have a channel on social networks to place orders “at a higher price than the regulated one” and, as if that were not enough, “the distributor himself then adds two or three more euros”.
The same happens in other parts of the Catalan geography, such as in Cerdanyola del Vallès, Sant Cugat del Vallès, a cooperative of Les Planes or Sitges, where the price charged by butane sellers never falls below 20 euros and in some cases reaches at 25 euros, almost 10 euros above the legally established price.
This fraudulent practice is also reported by customers in Igualada, Castellbell and Vilar Arenys de Mar and Esplugues de Llobregat, where they explain that “if you buy it in a hardware store, it costs up to 25 euros”. Scams are also reported in the rest of the Catalan provinces, such as Torroella de Montgrí (Baix Empordà) or Juneda (Garrigues). There is even evidence from the rest of Spain, such as a customer from Puertollano (Ciudad Real) who says that he has paid for the bottle on a scale between 18.90 and 20.70 euros.
From Repsol, in view of the certainty of the fraud committed by those who represent them, they recommend making sure that the delivery person is from the official agency, finding out beforehand about the price of the cylinder or purchasing it from “our extensive network of service stations” and, if in doubt, call the customer service number (900 32 19 00), where they encourage you to report any irregularities.
