7 News Belize

Bureau of Standards Says Will Insist On Scales For Butane Vendors
posted (February 14, 2011)
On Friday the Prime Minister accused butane companies of, quote, "stealing from the consumers." He was following up on the findings of a 7news investigation, which showed that we were cheated in pounds, gallons, and money when we bought three cylinders of butane from two local importers in the city.

Subsequent to that, Belize City's largest consumer of butane, Lascelle Arnold of Belize Dry Cleaners told us that after 20 years of buying butane in bulk quantities he's concluded that all the meters on the butane dealers' tanks are "rigged." Arnold showed us, how, quite incredibly, when the Liquid Petroleum Gas Companies sell him hundreds of gallons of butane, the companies agree to ignore the amount on their meters and bill him by what shows on the gauge of his tanks. With all that revealed, the Prime Minister called out the Bureau of Standards, which should be the consumer watch-dog, saying that, quote, that agency "must act."

But will it? That's what we asked Director Jose Trejo today. Here's that interview:

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"There is no doubt that there is the possibility that there are acts of deception. The issue is how do we address it?"

Jules Vasquez
"You said there is a possibility. I took a tank, a Tomza and it came back with 72 pounds of fuel of LPG. That isn't a possibility sir. That is a certainty that I got shorted."

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"It depends on the mixtures Jules....

Jules Vasquez
"How can it? Even 100% propane weighs 90 pounds Mr. Trejo. What are you running from?"

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"No, I am not running from anything."

Jules Vasquez
"If I fill up my 100 pound butane tank, it should be 100 pounds. Would you agree on that?"

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"Yeah."

Jules Vasquez
"You agree then that I have two tanks, one weighing 70.2 and one weighing 88. So something is wrong with that."

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"There is definitely something wrong. It's just that like I said I would really like to have the resources to be able to make that determination with more certainty. I am not saying that the exercise is totally erroneous, I am not saying that. But there is......"

Jules Vasquez
"You don't think that I let out butane? I didn't act in a fraudulent way. But it wasn't scientific to your standards."

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"Like I said there are other elements that one has to consider."

Jules Vasquez
"Yes but if it should weigh 100 pounds it should weigh 100 pounds. Am I right? It should weigh 100 pounds."

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"Again, depending on the weight, yes."

Jules Vasquez
"Consumers are being ripped off right now and will be ripped off tomorrow and we were ripped off last week and for any period of time going back. Does that concern you?"

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"Well the Bureau has the overall mandate for consumer protection and it takes it with all seriousness."

Jules Vasquez
"But are you convinced that people have been systematically defrauded?"

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"Well that's an issue that you don't need me to say that...."

Jules Vasquez
"No, but I need you to be......the Prime Minister is convinced of it."

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"Well it's a concern, it is a concern and it is a problem that we need to correct fast."

Jules Vasquez
"It is a fact that people have been systematically been defrauded in your opinion?"

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"Yes."

Jules Vasquez
"Do you appreciate the urgency that the poorest of the poor are every day - these people fill up $15 - $20 at a time and every day when they go they are being gypped ever so much. Do you realize the absolutely urgency of that and the absolute outrage these people understandably feel?"

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"I understand that and I know that is a problem that we have on our hands and like I said to the fullest of our capacities, we are trying to do what is possible to ensure that the consumer gets value for money."

"In the past for example, If I can say, that was before my time, I believe that the agents carried portable weights - scales and so that is something that we would like be able to pursue, in other words when you take the tank to the person's home, at least that person will know that tank is weighed before it's taken to the depot and in return when it comes back to the consumer, the consumer can see exactly what was pumped into the tank so those are the avenues we are trying to pursue as well."

Jules Vasquez
"Are we able to make a demand that scales be put in?"

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"Well from a regulatory perspective, yes."

Jules Vasquez
"Is that something that you will be looking at in the immediate term?"

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"I would say in the immediate term."

Jules Vasquez
"How soon will your office demand that scales be put in? The head of the government has said that it's an absolute urgency. How soon will you make the demand that 'you guys have to put in scales and you have to have scales in your vehicle and you have to have weights, etc?'"

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"Well we have to now make the request to our minister because he has to sign a statutory instrument."

Jules Vasquez
"So a statutory instrument would have to go into effect to demand that they put in scales?"

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"Right. And a statutory instrument can be drafted and like I said we don't have any legal expert in this office but we need to consult with Sol Gen and to get that done. I would say a minimum of two weeks, or a week, by Friday perhaps."

Jules Vasquez
"Ok, moving forward, I have a consumer complaint to make. How do I proceed and how do others who have because BWEL has said that it would not refund me and I know that I have been shorted 12 pounds and in another cylinder, 6 pounds. How do I make a complaint or how does the average citizen go about making a complaint?"

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"You can call the Bureau's hotline which is 0-800-285-5887, you could send us a email to register that complaint and the consumer protection unit will engage the metrology and the standards unit to pursue the matter."

Jules Vasquez
"But how will you ensure culpability?"

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"With the complain that you have submitted, we will do what is necessary in our power to try and seek redress as you have done with every issue that comes to our doors and ensure that you get compensated and if you are not compensated then we would have to pursue as I mentioned the clause in the national metrology act that we could utilize to be able to at least impose penalties."

Jules Vasquez
"Your office is now at the forefront of national attention. This is one of the few issues that affects every single household and business in the country and that everybody is looking at your office, small though it may be, everyone is looking at your office and expecting results."

Jose Trejo, Director - Bureau of Standards
"I say miracles."

Trejo also showed us his metrology unit - which also doubles as the lab and triples as the store-room. To put it plainly, the facility is pathetic, and we note that the Prime Minister committed to, quote, "urgently provide the resources for the Bureau" and we intend to hold him to it.

We note that the Burea presently only has two inspectors for the entire country who have to check every type of gauge and meter countrywide, including 500+ fuel pumps, and weighing scales at all grocery stores.

Presently, the Unit does not have equipment to test or calibrate the meters on the butane tanks which the LPG companies use.

We'll keep following the issue tomorrow, when we expect to have another revelation from a former insider about how the meters are rigged.

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