BROWNS SUMMIT, N.C. -- It was just like any other trip to the gas station, until it wasn't.
"20 minutes down the road, the truck goes in limp mode and all that and it starts spitting and sputtering," explains Steve Jones.
After some sleuthing, Jones found out one of his workers had put tainted diesel fuel into his work truck at the Shell gas station on Highway 150 in Browns Summit. Ever since, his truck has been sitting here at the dealership. He can't use it and he's waiting on thousands of dollars in repairs.
"I had to go buy a new truck to replace that one," says Jones.
Jones runs a maintenance company and relies on utility trucks for his jobs. This fuel fiasco has set him back a lot.
"It's probably costing me so far about $16,000-$17,000," he says.
Jones isn't the only one in this situation. Last week, WFMY News 2 reported about some other customers who also purchased faulty fuel over the past few months. The state confirms reports of bad fuel at the Shell stations in Browns Summit and also the Shell station on Highway 87 in Gibsonville. As it turns out, the stations are owned by the same person. In North Carolina, that station is at fault for bad gasoline, not the supplier.
And as of right now, the owner of the gas stations hasn't agreed to pay Jones back for any damage or any one else that's been impacted at either station.
Jones has documented everything from receipts to damage and has proof of faulty fuel from state inspectors. He has an attorney now and is willing to go to court to hold the gas station accountable.
"What's wrong what's wrong, what's right is right and they're in the wrong," he says.
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regularly inspects gas pumps and will order pumps be shut down if there is a problem. Officials say it is rare that fuel is contaminated, but it's not unheard of.
If this is something that happens to you, click here to learn how to file a complaint.
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