In a recent post I spoke about being conned. By the politicians on this coronavirus thing (which if you missed you can read here). Well here’s another con trick going on right under our noses. And just like the familiar conning politicians I suppose we should not be surprised at the perpetrators of this one either…

Petrol Thieves

Not people stealing from the petrol stations or driving off without paying. I am talking about the owners of many of these places. With the world oil price extremely low the prices at the pumps should be also very low. This was true just a few weeks ago (I posted about it here.)

But just before the long (Queen’s Birthday) weekend prices in the city jumped massively. Like at least a 30% increase overnight to about $1.35 per litre (for unleaded which is the one we use). The prices dipped a week or so later but remained around $1.20 or so. Until just now, when they have leapt back up to $1.45 in many petrol stations. .

When we left the city for the holidays we needed fuel but hung on until well out of the city and filled up at a motorway service station. Now in the UK and Spain (and I thought pretty much everywhere) the prices at these places are usually much higher than in the towns and cities. Not so in Sydney. It was significantly cheaper at the motorway service station. Crazy eh?

Even cheaper?

Better than that, in some petrol stations in the city and even some in the mountain towns and villages, there is unleaded petrol for under a dollar per litre!! That’s a saving of 45 cents per litre. That’s an amazing $2.04 per UK gallon less! Apologies to any youngsters reading. I can’t help but think in old money sometimes…

The petrol station owners in the city of Sydney are basically thieves. Pure and simple. It is actually cost effective to drive for an hour to the mountains to fill up your car. The savings justify it. Not only that it means those stinking city centre thieves can’t have your money too.  There are even some people on the radio I have heard advising people not to refuel in these petrol stations and seek the cheaper ones. Similarly, as always in such situations, my advice is to vote with your feet. Or tyres, in this case.