Diesel rebates and social media: Recent posts to social media started a string of negative comments.
Should there be cash rebates on Diesel sales? Why are some Sasol Filling Stations apparently offering rebates and others are not? What is the Diesel price supposed to be?
A recent post on the Facebook page “Secunda en sy mense praat saam” started a whole debate on the issue of so-called rebates. This Facebook page is managed by The Bulletin.
Here is the post (translated into English):
“This past Monday I filled with DIESEL at a Sasol Filling Station, Pretoria. After I have paid, the petrol attendant says that I should just wait for my refund and walk away. The driver then walked up with cash and placed it in my hand which I was very surprised about. I ask him about it, and he says it is an initiative of Sasol National to repay customers 30 cents per litre and it has been in force since the beginning of the covid pandemic. Have any of you had the same experience?”
This post caused quite a stir in Govan Mbeki with people complaining about never having received any monies as rebates. Some even want to support the Pretoria Filling Station from now on.
Here are some of the comments from the Facebook post. (Some quotes are translated from Afrikaans)
- Nope, and I only fill with Sasol.
- No never received and will not
- Someone knows something we did not know. But may the owners of Sasol garages who do give it to the people be an example to those who are greedy for money. Bless them.
- At *Filling Station I know you get money back on your *-card, 15c n liter and I already have over R100 on my card wish the others want to do the same
- Definitely not, now who takes the money if we do not get it. Someone gets rich.
- No, the first time I heard about it, I was already rich.
- I think we should all go to Sasol garage to ask the drivers why we do not get the money. We will have to stand together otherwise we will be laughed off
- It will also only be on diesel that there is refund, if we are lucky. Petrol’s price has been set and such incentives will never be paid for it, there is legislation against it
- This is Secunda here you will not find it. May that owner be blessed …
- I already received few Rand back, because the pumps were not adjusted on a Wednesday morning when the price came down, but only 30c per liter. Aikona !! Sad that our loyalty is not also rewarded
What is clear is that most people are uninformed about the Diesel price structures and what it is at the various Filling Stations, not only in Secunda but countrywide.
The Bulletin spoke to several people regarding the rebate.
Louisa Van Niekerk, manager at the Sasol Value Filling Station explained that their prices already include all the rebates and discounts that is possible to pass on to the consumers.
The price at the filling station in question is R17,55 and the price at the Sasol Value Filling Station is R16,37/litre (10ppm). This makes the difference a whopping R1,18 cheaper than the Filling Station in Pretoria.
The Diesel in Secunda also varies quite a bit. The Bulletin visited three other brands to verify their prices on Diesel.
This is what we found (brand names are withheld) at two other filling stations
- Filling Station 1: R17,53
- Filling Station 2: R16,93
It is clear that the facts were not verified when posting and commenting on the Facebook page.
It is easy to post to Facebook and other social media pages about experiences, but one has to consider all the facts first. What would the effects be of the uninformed posts to social media? What effect would this have on businesses and people’s perception of those businesses?
Please ensure that one has all sides of the story before posting. This applies to fake news as well.
Here are some tips to save fuel:
- Close the car windows when driving. An open window creates a drag that increases fuel consumption by as much as 20 percent. For a person who spends R100 a week on petrol, a 20 percent saving could mean saving R20 a week, which adds up to R80 a month;
- Use multigrade oil in your engine because it reduces drag;
- Service your car regularly;
- Use a logbook to record your fuel purchases and kilometre travelled to set new economic goals and to spot radical differences in the performance of your vehicle due to mechanical malfunction;
- Establish lift clubs;
- Switch to radial-ply tyres because they offer less rolling resistance and longer life than the cross-ply variety;
- Avoid driving with under-inflated tyres because a tyre pressure that is too low not only increases consumption, but also markedly reduces a tyre’s life;
- Avoid stop-start driving;
- Accelerate slowly; and
- Do not speed, the faster you drive the more petrol you use.
