Do you feel like your gas pump is not dispensing the correct amount of gas? According to data collected by the Texas Department of Agriculture, you are probably correct! Approximately one in every five gas stations and convenience stores inspected is operating one or more pumps that are not dispensing accurately. In the greater Houston area alone, over 350 gas stations were failed by State inspectors. In the San Antonio area, 99 of the 509 inspected locations had at least one pump out of calibration. If you need more clarification about the accuracy of your dispensers, ask about pump calibration as part of your regular gas pump repair in Central Texas.
Now, you may be asking why this matters. There are several reasons why incorrectly calibrated pumps spell bad news for your business. Let’s assume your pump is over-dispensing. That means you lose thousands of dollars worth of fuel by giving a little extra away for free! Even a slight discrepancy in the pump can soon add up. For example, If a dispenser is just one cubic inch out of calibration, and you are selling 100,000 gallons per month at $2.50 per gallon, that equates to an annual loss of $2,597! If every one of your dispensers is out by a similar amount, that could be a substantial financial loss for your business. Those figures alone should be enough to have you adding pump calibration services next time you book gas pump repair in Central Texas!
Now let’s look at the other side of the coin - dispensers that are under dispensing! When customers notice that they don’t seem to be getting as much fuel as they do at the gas station down the street, they will stop coming to your pumps. Depending on how significant the discrepancy is, an incorrectly calibrated pump could cost each one of your customers anywhere from a few cents to $3 per visit. Once your location gets a bad reputation for shorting customers, you will soon start losing business, which means losing profits.
Disgruntled customers are not even the biggest problem you have to worry about if your dispensers are inaccurate. If the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR) comes calling, you could find yourself facing a hefty fine or even closure. Registered fuel metering devices across the State must complete a device performance review, at least once every two years, carried out by a registered provider like PumpTex. This should include the following:
The Attorney General’s Office is responsible for suing gas station owners who they believe are intentionally defrauding customers with miscalibrated pumps. One notable case filed by the Texas Attorney General in 2008 resulted in Petroleum Wholesale LP, the owner of Sunmart Gas Stations, being ordered to pay out $30 million in damages to customers and penalties to the State. The investigation that triggered this lawsuit revealed that 58% of the company’s gas pumps across Texas were shortchanging customers! Ultimately, the verdict was thrown out due to a procedural error, but the case remains open for appeal. Nevertheless, it is a good illustration of just how serious the situation can get if your gas pumps are miscalibrated, and you fail to address the issue. In addition to offering gas pump repair in Central Texas, PumpTex can also offer pump calibration services as part of the required TDLR Device Performance Review.
In addition to being a necessary part of staying in compliance with TDLR regulations, pump calibration can benefit your business in a number of ways. If it’s been a while since your pumps were calibrated, you may want to arrange this service alongside any other preventative maintenance or gas pump repair in Central Texas. Some of the key benefits of pump calibration include the following:
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PumpTex, Inc. was founded in 1997 in the back of a garage with the dream of bringing a new level of customer service to the retail petroleum service industry. Over the years, we have grown to become a valuable resource to our customers. Many consider us to be the first responders of the retail petroleum service industry!
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We search for the “WOW” moment in each and every customer interaction. Our team is known in the industry to have the best customer service and follow-up in our industry.
As a team, we also work intelligently to provide a valuable and tailored experience to each of our customers. We derive a great sense of pride from engaging our customers in a professional relationship.
Any client, vendor or media provider interacting with PumpTex discerns that our unique culture and operating practices separate us from our competitors and are drawn to our way of doing business.
We offer real-time solutions to the problems our clients experience. Being a resource to our customers and becoming their eyes and ears in the field enables them to maximize uptime and profits.