No Warranty
Scammer hater
$1.10-a-gallon gas mistake leaves Wilmington station owner drained
By Donna Littlejohn
computer input error led to long lines at Valero gas station in Wilmington when motorists were tipped off that premium gas was being dispensed at $1.10 a gallon. Owner Kenny Nguyen said the station lost about $21,000.
A computer glitch that allowed customers to buy premium gas for $1.10 a gallon for four hours Sunday at a Valero station in Wilmington translated into a ledger book hangover Monday for station owner Kenny Nguyen.
"What can I do?" he said going over numbers on a legal yellow pad and unrolling long strips of highlighted receipts that spelled a $21,000 loss in earnings for his family business.
Word spread fast Sunday as surprised motorists filled up on premium unleaded for $1.10 a gallon.
The price should have been closer to $4.29, which was how much the premium grade cost on Monday.
Business was so hot at 950 N. Avalon Blvd. that by the time the mistake was realized, police had been called to help control the traffic.
Thanks to smartphones and Facebook, word spread quickly.
Motorists in cars, SUVs and vans lined up at the station, filling their tanks to the brim - then filling up spare gas cans to boot.
From 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., consumers pumped 7,000 gallons at the discounted rate.
The problem, Nguyen said, was that the attendant on duty was busy manning the convenience store and the inside register. The $1.10 price - a recent price change that was keyed in somehow didn't take and the system defaulted to that price - only showed up on the outside pumps.
"There was a lot of traffic," said Nguyen, who wasn't on duty Sunday but came in when he began to hear about the sudden crunch of business.
When updated prices were programmed on Monday, station workers made sure the outside pump displays reflected the correct price, he said.
Nguyen is hoping that customers who took advantage of the unintentional windfall will return to patronize his food market. That way, he figures, maybe he can make up some of what he lost on Sunday.
On Monday, business appeared steady at the store.
But with customers buying Hostess snack cakes, sodas and lottery tickets, it was clearly going to be a while before Nguyen saw enough revenue to offset his loss.
By Donna Littlejohn
computer input error led to long lines at Valero gas station in Wilmington when motorists were tipped off that premium gas was being dispensed at $1.10 a gallon. Owner Kenny Nguyen said the station lost about $21,000.
A computer glitch that allowed customers to buy premium gas for $1.10 a gallon for four hours Sunday at a Valero station in Wilmington translated into a ledger book hangover Monday for station owner Kenny Nguyen.
"What can I do?" he said going over numbers on a legal yellow pad and unrolling long strips of highlighted receipts that spelled a $21,000 loss in earnings for his family business.
Word spread fast Sunday as surprised motorists filled up on premium unleaded for $1.10 a gallon.
The price should have been closer to $4.29, which was how much the premium grade cost on Monday.
Business was so hot at 950 N. Avalon Blvd. that by the time the mistake was realized, police had been called to help control the traffic.
Thanks to smartphones and Facebook, word spread quickly.
Motorists in cars, SUVs and vans lined up at the station, filling their tanks to the brim - then filling up spare gas cans to boot.
From 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., consumers pumped 7,000 gallons at the discounted rate.
The problem, Nguyen said, was that the attendant on duty was busy manning the convenience store and the inside register. The $1.10 price - a recent price change that was keyed in somehow didn't take and the system defaulted to that price - only showed up on the outside pumps.
"There was a lot of traffic," said Nguyen, who wasn't on duty Sunday but came in when he began to hear about the sudden crunch of business.
When updated prices were programmed on Monday, station workers made sure the outside pump displays reflected the correct price, he said.
Nguyen is hoping that customers who took advantage of the unintentional windfall will return to patronize his food market. That way, he figures, maybe he can make up some of what he lost on Sunday.
On Monday, business appeared steady at the store.
But with customers buying Hostess snack cakes, sodas and lottery tickets, it was clearly going to be a while before Nguyen saw enough revenue to offset his loss.
