Customers are accusing a Brooklyn gas station of costing them thousands of dollars in car repairs, but a city investigation has found no wrongdoing.
Bryan Hill says he went to get $40 worth of regular gas at Pure Energy on Malcolm X Boulevard for his Nissan Rogue in May. However, he claims diesel fuel came out of the regular pump and ruined his car.
Hill says he wound up shelling out much more money on repairs when his car wouldn’t start.
"It cost me $551.60 as a result of purchasing gasoline from this gas station,” he says. “We trust them, hoping that they'll be doing what is right by selling that which they purport to sell. But instead, they are selling ineffective and bad products."
News 12 spoke to William Ayers a few months ago when the same incident happened to him at the same station on May 5.
“I got about a mile or two away, and my car started smoking,” he says.
Ayers says he ended up paying over $2,000 in car repair bills as a result.
The city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection told News 12 it has received at least 27 complaints about Pure Energy's gas so far this year.
“We want to make sure what's advertised is what they're getting,” says Armando Sosa, of the DCWP. “If it is discovered that there's an issue with the product on site – we can order it to be removed from sale and correct the issue before reselling that product."
The DCWP says it inspected the Pure Energy station on May 13 and June 3 following multiple complaints.
“We send the entire sealed can to the lab – they test the full sample and then send us results back,” Sosa says.
However, the city says it found nothing wrong with the samples that were taken.
Sam Jacoby, the owner of the Pure Energy station, says he has no plans to reimburse customers for damages to their cars.
“Why am I going to go and reimburse for something I didn't do wrong?" he said.
The city has general tips to avoid being taken advantage of when you fill up.
Customers should pay extra close attention to the big sign outside the station. If the price on the pump doesn't match the price on the sign, you could end up paying more for a gallon of gas.
“Once the transaction is done, you want to check the receipt you get from the machine to verify that it is indeed what you just paid for,” Sosa says.
Hill says he’s confident he paid for regular at a station that admittedly only offers regular. He says he is contemplating legal action if he's not reimbursed.
Jacoby says he is ready to deal with any lawsuits in small claims court.
He adds that he is sticking by the city's test results, which did not find him in violation. He did not give News 12 the name of his supplier.