Let’s have extensive petrol price surveys

THE article headlined ‘Shop around and save €300 on petrol’ by Seán McCárthaigh (Irish Examiner, August 20) didn’t tell consumers anything they shouldn’t already know, but it may raise awareness that it is worthwhile checking prices.

Unfortunately, the prices carried in the illustration accompanying the article are not correct. There would be long queues outside Maxol in Ballincollig, Co Cork, if petrol really was being sold at 89.9c per litre rather than the 98.8c per litre shown when I passed last Sunday morning.

As for the Amber filling station in Mayfield, it’s good that they’re selling at 97.7c, but petrol was priced at 96.9c per litre in the Top station in Inniscarra when I filled up last Thursday. I can only guess that the information is based on that carried by the www.ripoff.ie website, which is far from extensive.

I look forward to the day when the office of the director of consumer affairs carries out more extensive surveys and makes the results available to all consumers so that we can make informed choices and shop around like we’re always being told to do.

Kieran Boyde

Coolroe

Ballincollig

Co Cork