Consumer Protection at Petrol Stations: Quality, Quantity and “Premium” Sales
Automatically translated summary. The full text is available in Romanian.
A note produced by the Independent Think Tank “Expert-Grup” within the National Consumer Information Campaign examines the main risks for consumers at petrol stations in Moldova: fuel quality, quantity dispensed and the way “premium” fuels are sold. It explains what evidence to keep and how to report problems properly.
Quality and quantity are hard for consumers to verify on the spot, although a customer in doubt can ask the operator to carry out a check in their presence. Standard products are easier to monitor, since maximum prices for 95 petrol and standard diesel are published daily. Because proof of a problem is established afterwards, through technical findings, metrological checks and inspections, consumers need minimal evidence, such as a fiscal receipt, precise data and relevant documents, and should report quickly.
The note stresses that real protection rests on two complementary pillars: institutional mechanisms (market surveillance, quality control, legal metrology) and sound documentation by consumers. Branded products such as “premium” fall outside the price cap, so costs can differ significantly. The risk lies not in “premium” fuel itself but in how it is sold: pressure, alarmist claims or failure to present the standard option as a real alternative may amount to unfair commercial practices.
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