NationStates Jolt Archive

Source (http://www.komonews.com/news/19443789.html)

So, Shell Gas was contaminated in multiple stations in Washington State, USA. It ruined many cars, most of which stopped working before even leaving the station.

And now, it looks like they might be stiffing the customers whose cars were damaged by their gas.

Screwed up. If I used Shell, I'd stop going there and buy elsewhere. Because that's just screwed up. (Shell also is refusing to dispose of the contaminated gas at auto shops)

just looks like they are waiting for the mechanics and their assessment of the cause of the damage.
Seems to be standard figure out how much you owe then pay rather then pay first.

Three words: Class Action Lawsuit.

just looks like they are waiting for the mechanics and their assessment of the cause of the damage.
Seems to be standard figure out how much you owe then pay rather then pay first.

Doesn't matter, in PR terms they're handling this terribly. From not returning calls to telling customers that they won't even talk until there's receipts is simply bad for business.

Shell don't exactly have all the goodwill in the world, I'm surprised they're acting this way.

One family finally got their car fixed - but it cost them more than $2,000, and they have not yet been reimbursed.

They also say they're mechanic told them he too has never seen contamined gas quite like this.

Lets hope that changes here soon...

If oil companies weren't already risking lynch mobs from high gas prices and them going 'we're all suffering' while they make record profits.

I think the appropriate response would be to pour sugar in every Shell refinery in the country.

It sounds like Shell is equally baffled.


Lord knows what it is, might be something as weird as unrefined crude, and a technical mistake was made somewhere along the line.

Big surprise that the oil industry is choosing to join the ranks of the RIAA and MPAA. Seems that all flailing industries choose to cling to old bad habits rather than think to change.

I think the appropriate response would be to pour sugar in every Shell refinery in the country.

And then gas costs five dollars a gallon. Great idea Einstein.

I think the appropriate response would be to pour sugar in every Shell refinery in the country.
haha that passed through my mind too

And then gas costs five dollars a gallon. Great idea Einstein.

Five bucks a gallon from Shell only. This would have the long term effect of hurting their income as they could be less competitive in an already shaky market.

Could this be an experiment by the oil companies to see how much abuse the public at large will take?

GP

And then gas costs five dollars a gallon. Great idea Einstein.

Still cheaper than practically every other liquid out there.

I think the appropriate response would be to pour sugar in every Shell refinery in the country.

I think a better idea would be to pour sugar in all their Limos instead.

Still cheaper than practically every other liquid out there.

Yes, but I don't need to buy fifteen gallons of orange juice at a time, do I?

Yes, but I don't need to buy fifteen gallons of orange juice at a time, do I?

If you want to take an OJ bath you do.

Five bucks a gallon from Shell only. This would have the long term effect of hurting their income as they could be less competitive in an already shaky market.

Could this be an experiment by the oil companies to see how much abuse the public at large will take?

GP

You clearly have no clue about the most basic concepts of supply and demand, do you?

If you want to take an OJ bath you do.

What a wasteful idea.

If you want to take an OJ bath you do.

The only OJ bath is an OJ bloodbath.

True story.

You clearly have no clue about the most basic concepts of supply and demand, do you?


Apparently not, Oh Wise One. Feel free to educate me. I'll listen.

GP

What a wasteful idea.

Do I attack your fetishes? No, I don't.

What a wasteful idea.

Not compared to smoking diamonds.

Apparently not, Oh Wise One. Feel free to educate me. I'll listen.

GP

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/79/Supply-demand-right-shift-supply.svg

Pretty chart. Look at it.

S2 represents the initial supply on the market, S1 represents the reduced supply.

P2 represents the initial price on the market, P1 represents the reduced supply.

Shell would not be the only company affected. All of the companies, and all of the consumers would be affected.

Do I attack your fetishes? No, I don't.

I don't have any.

Except for...






...your mom...

Not compared to smoking diamonds.

You'd need one hell of a flame to smoke diamonds...

I don't have any.

Except for...

...your mom...

Well, I don't go around attacking her…

*shifty eyes*

You'd need one hell of a flame to smoke diamonds...

Not really. They're pure carbon. They burn ridiculously easy.

Shell would not be the only company affected. All of the companies, and all of the consumers would be affected.

Not to mention it's our friends in Russia and Saudi Arabia that would be making all the money...

So SUE THE BASTARDS ALREADY. This sort of crap is what class action suits are for.

I think the appropriate response would be to pour sugar in every Shell refinery in the country.

Seems like it couldn't hurt any more than the unidentified goo already in their gas. I think a more appropriate response would be a boycott, which folks in Washington will do anyway just on the suspicion that ALL Shell gas is contaminated.

If oil companies weren't already risking lynch mobs from high gas prices and them going 'we're all suffering' while they make record profits.


Hey look it only took 6 posts for this 'record profit' to creep in. Here's another pair of words you should learn. Proft, margin. Funny how the oil companies have a smaller margin than those who make your toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Do people even read articles before they decide to get up on their high horse and start to comment?

Shell is refusing to pay upfront for repairs to the cars. Of course they are - how are they meant to know how much to compensate before you have a bill?! They might end up giving you too much, which would be unjust enrichment, or too little, in which case you've already settled and so can't go back for more.

The people who have been affected should have insurance to cover the costs, and then the insurance company would ordinarily reclaim it from Shell. They are going to suffer the inconvenience of not having a car, but to be honest they could probably hire one and then reclaim it as a reasonable expense.

If, after all this, Shell still refuses to pay within a reasonable period, having had the opportunity to review the situation itself, then you can sue them.

Doesn't matter, in PR terms they're handling this terribly. From not returning calls to telling customers that they won't even talk until there's receipts is simply bad for business.

Shell don't exactly have all the goodwill in the world, I'm surprised they're acting this way.

and normally, calls won't be returned because they (the company) don't have all their info yet. why put out a statement when it might be wrong.

after all, it's rather unusual for this to occure in one city/area. so the problem might not be at the refinery level, perhaps the gas was contaminated in one or several trucks thus why only one or couple of stations affected.

at which point it's not Shell's fault but points to sabotage or individual/small group action.

Can anyone find any information of any other cities or states being affected by this contaminated gas? the only other reference I found was in BC several years ago.

Examination of the contaminated gas shows it contains a mucky sludge. About 14 gallons of the sludge was found in Trengtive's car.
What is that sludge?

Did someone drowned in the oil tanks at the terminal and was converted into sludge? :D

Not really. They're pure carbon. They burn ridiculously easy.Too easily if I recall. Wouldn't they burn too fast for you too even take a single puff before they burnt out completely. I'm just remember this one story of a jeweler who was studying a diamond through an eye-glass-thingy and then *poof* goes the diamond because the sun's rays were all concentrated on to one spot on the diamond through the eye-glass which had been left unattended.

What I suspect is that this is crap that built up on the bottom of the tank at the gas station. Somehow the tank ran low and they started sucking up the muck on the bottom of the tank. This is most likely what it is. I highly doubt this came from the refinery. So of course Shell is not saying to much. These are independent gas station owners. I suspect that the owner is probably a foreigner too which adds to the confusion. Most independent gas stations in the Seattle area are foreign owned. So the problem is with the station and that is where the responsibility is ultimately going to fall.

Do people even read articles before they decide to get up on their high horse and start to comment?

Why would we do anything as ridiculous as that?

And then gas costs five dollars a gallon. Great idea Einstein.
It costs nearly twice that here, I can't believe you guys complain about petrol being £2 for nearly 4 litres.

What I suspect is that this is crap that built up on the bottom of the tank at the gas station. Somehow the tank ran low and they started sucking up the muck on the bottom of the tank. This is most likely what it is. I highly doubt this came from the refinery. So of course Shell is not saying to much. These are independent gas station owners. I suspect that the owner is probably a foreigner too which adds to the confusion. Most independent gas stations in the Seattle area are foreign owned. So the problem is with the station and that is where the responsibility is ultimately going to fall.

Let's not forget regional distributors.

In Maryland, for instance, no matter what gasoline you buy, it all comes from the same distributor - by state law.

So you might think you're getting Shell gasoline at Shell, when in actuality, you're getting the same stuff that is served up at the less well known gasoline company.

It sits around in tanks at the distributor, too.

They're also not too careful about the exact octane either - the numbers on the pump might as well be lottery numbers nowadays.

Gasoline, like kerosene, will also degrade in as little as 30 days sitting in a storage tank. It will also incur microbial growth (a major problem with jet fuel, which is a mix of kerosene and gasoline). Fuel contaminated in this manner has to be disposed of (the military usually just burns it off).

Yes, but I don't need to buy fifteen gallons of orange juice at a time, do I?

Or do you...

This summer's project: see what liquids besides gasoline can make a car move.

This summer's project: see what liquids besides gasoline can make a car move.
Used vegetable oil works for diesel engines.

Used vegetable oil works for diesel engines.

I've heard that. Do you have to process the oil in any way?

I've heard that. Do you have to process the oil in any way?
http://www.veggiepower.org.uk/vegoilcar.htm

Enjoy.

http://www.veggiepower.org.uk/vegoilcar.htm

Enjoy.

Thanks. The laws don't apply where I am, but everything else is very helpful.

Three words: Class Action Lawsuit.

Sounds about right to me.

Hey look it only took 6 posts for this 'record profit' to creep in. Here's another pair of words you should learn. Proft, margin. Funny how the oil companies have a smaller margin than those who make your toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Uh...$40B in profit is exactly that, profit -- unless they're using some odd definition of the word. If they're not reaping all of that above operating costs and expenditures, why are they recording it as profit?

^^ Hawks fan eh? You live in the Seattle area?

Uh...$40B in profit is exactly that, profit -- unless they're using some odd definition of the word. If they're not reaping all of that above operating costs and expenditures, why are they recording it as profit?

Not the point. He's talking about profit margin - how much money is outlayed compared to how much is profited.

And Rexmehe is right. The only reason the oil companies make huge profits is beacause they cycle so much money - their actual profits per barrell can be measured in tenths of a penny.

Which doesn't excuse Shell's culpability in this case in the least, of course, but it's important to look at percentages as well as just pure quantities.

^^ Hawks fan eh? You live in the Seattle area?

I did. I had the luck to move to North Dakota for a job the same football season the 'Hawks make it to their first ever Super Bowl. I would love to have been at a pub in Seattle for that run. *sigh*

Not the point. He's talking about profit margin - how much money is outlayed compared to how much is profited.

And Rexmehe is right. The only reason the oil companies make huge profits is beacause they cycle so much money - their actual profits per barrell can be measured in tenths of a penny.

Which doesn't excuse Shell's culpability in this case in the least, of course, but it's important to look at percentages as well as just pure quantities.

Semantics and sophistry. If it isn't profit, don't call it profit.

I did. I had the luck to move to North Dakota for a job the same football season the 'Hawks make it to their first ever Super Bowl. I would love to have been at a pub in Seattle for that run. *sigh*


Oh, I remember when my Steelers beat them in that one ;)