Two fuel station workers arrested for cheating customer in Oman

Muscat: Two fuel station workers were arrested for 'deceptive behaviour' regarding fuel prices after turning away a customer the day before the cost was due to rise, officials announced.
The Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) has announced that two expats have been convicted, imprisoned and fined for not providing fuel to a consumer the day before prices were scheduled to increase.
A consumer had sent in a complaint to the PACP regarding a filling station in Nizwa. The individual had gone to the station on the last day of the calendar month, and was told that there was no fuel available.
However, when he went on the next day, which coincided with the beginning of the new calendar month and the new fuel prices, he saw that fuel was available again.
Officials concluded that the workers were attempting to take advantage of the financial change between the two days, and turned away a customer when it came to the previous month’s lower fuel prices.
After the consumer had sent in his complaint, the PACP visited the station to check availability of fuel, and noted that there was large reservoir of fuel which was supplied the morning of the incident, when the workers refrained from providing fuel to the consumer.
The Court of First Instance in Nizwa convicted the defendants of abstaining from service and sentenced each of them to a suspended year and fined each OMR2,000, to which half shall be carried out and the rest shall be suspended, and legal expenses shall be borne equally between them.
The PACP called on the owners of fuel stations in all governorates of the Sultanate to monitor all services, especially at the end of each month with the introduction of the new pricing, and commit to the pricing that is determined by the competent authorities, and to provide fuel in sufficient quantities every day.