Pune: Inflation has skyrocketed as the central government has slashed the price of gas by Rs 50 per cylinder. This is a big blow to consumers. It is noteworthy that customers who had purchased the cylinders through online booking before the price hike are also demanding an additional Rs 50. Controversy is brewing as gas cylinder delivery boys are robbing customers in the name of happiness with these increased rates.
Asked about this, company officials said that even if bookings were made before the price hike, the rate would be applicable on the day of delivery. From this, companies are turning a blind eye to customer looting. Many customers are booking gas cylinders every day. Since most of the customers are also technology friendly, they book gas from apps like Phone Pay, Google Pay, HP Pay etc. They also pay immediately. The full cost of that time is calculated by the customer. They have no idea when the price of a cylinder will go up. Therefore, the day of booking is charged. However, the cylinders were issued to customers who booked before the hike on Wednesday. What is special is that the delivery boy is demanding an additional Rs 50 from the customer at the time of delivery of the cylinder. So severe falls are occurring.
"I had booked a gas cylinder on July 2 from the app. At that time I had paid Rs 1,005 online. When the cylinder arrived on Wednesday, the delivery boy demanded Rs 50. If I don't pay, I will take the cylinder back," he said. "What is the use of booking in advance if the cylinder has to be charged at an extra rate even after booking? Companies are robbing customers. It should be stopped on time," he said.
The customer tries to deliver the cylinder within two days after booking. However, as per the rules, a seven-day ban has been imposed. Customers can complain if the cylinder is not received even after that. The rule is that the customer should pay the amount on the receipt of the day on which the cylinder is delivered, even if the booking was made before the price hike. If the price has gone up after booking, the difference should be paid at the time of delivery. If it is less, the remaining amount is refunded to the customer. An official of HP said on condition of anonymity that the hike in petrol and diesel prices has been applied to cylinders as per the rules of the Ministry of Petroleum.