CLARK COUNTY — Earlier this week, at least 15 drivers put the wrong fuel in their vehicles without knowing it due to a mix-up at a Clark County Love’s Travel Stop. Now, they’re asking the company to pay for their repairs.
On Wednesday, News Center 7 spoke to a woman who said her family’s truck needed several repairs after it had diesel fuel put in it opposed to unleaded. Investigators with the Clark County Auditor’s Office said they believe a diesel delivery made last Friday evening was to blame.
“Somehow or another it was dropped into the 87 octane tank,” Marc Holt, director of the auditor’s office Weights & Measures Bureau, previously said.
News Center 7′s Mike Campbell spoke with a Sidney couple who were also victims of the mishap. Chris North and his wife said their five-year-old Honda Accord, with no history of any problems, kept almost stalling on their drive back to Sidney after stopping for gas at the Love’s station in Springfield.
“[We] started getting on the interstate, it started going in and out,” North said.
North nursed the vehicle home, but not it won’t start and he can’t get it into his mechanic until Dec. 5. While Love’s offered to help, they aren’t showing him the money.
“They said I only have a weeks worth of rental car. I said, ‘Well can you pay up front?’ They said, ‘No, we don’t do that either,’” North said.
The Clark County Auditor told News Center 7 that Love’s confirmed 15 drivers reported problems with their vehicles from the fill-ups. The real number could grow to 25 victims.
The damages are costly out of a driver’s pocket. One mechanic told News Center 7 that every driver would likely need their tank drained and flushed, as well as a new fuel filter. The estimated cost? Between $250 and $300.
Some vehicles may also need new spark plugs and maybe a new fuel pump and fuel injectors. The extra parts and labor could send the bill up closer to $800.
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In a statement to News Center 7 Wednesday, a Love’s spokesperson said the company was “resolving the issue with impacted customers.”
“On Nov. 11 Love’s was notified that there was an isolated incident in a regular unleaded tank at its Springfield location,” Caitlin Jensen, external communications manager for Love’s said. “The issue was immediately addressed at the location and Love’s is resolving the issue with impacted customers.
The company says they’ll reimburse customers for related repairs that are reasonable and necessary.
“They’ll cover reasonable expenses. What is reasonable?” North asked.
North said the entire situation is frustrating and inconvenient.
“I feel [the company] should tell you what they are going to cover up front and pay for the expenses up front,” he said.
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